A Key West Food Crawl: Cuban Sandwich and Key Lime Pie Edition

When I think of Key West, two things come to mind: Cuba and key lime pie. The first is because Key West a measly 90 miles away from Havana. The second is because I’m obsessed key lime pie. We are working on a ship sailing around the Caribbean with one call and one call only into Key West. Immigration and a 3pm crew all aboard gave us a 3 hours window
explore.

A Key West food crawl was certainly in order! I crafted one based on two food items I love: Cuban sandwiches and key lime pie.

First things first. What’s a Cuban sandwich? Aka a cubano.

A Cubano is a grilled sandwich that consists of ham, pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on Cuban bread. Think of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich… but better. The two key features that differentiate it are the pork and bread. The pork is usually made with “mojo”, which is a Cuban marinade consisting of garlic, lime, sour oranges, olive oil, and oregano. Maybe some cumin for good measure. The bread is made with flour, water, salt and lard. This gives it a thin, crispy exterior but light airy interior. It has the crunch and flakiness of a baguette, but lightness of brioche. These characteristics make it an excellent option for grilled sandwiches. Cuban bread is hard to come by north of Florida, but it’s a key component of what makes a Cuban sandwich authentic.

Now let’s talk about key lime pie.

Key lime pie has a tantalizing balance of sweet to tart with a zing of citrus and creamy, yet light texture. Traditionally, key lime pie is made with key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks that are whipped into a custard, baked in a graham cracker crust, and topped with a whipped cream or merengue. Key limes are what distinguish this pie. Key limes are smaller than Persian limes with a thinner skin and more acidic, tarter flavor. The sharp taste pairs well with sweet ingredients, IE condensed milk, and give desserts a zesty punch.

Let’s dive into our Key West food crawl!

Stop 1: 5 Brothers

The first stop on our Key West Food crawl was 5 Brothers. This is a no-frills shop that has been dishing out coffee and sandwiches since 1978, and it’s the definition of mom and pop. We were greeted by a laughing toddler drawing on the floor in chalk with his older sister while mom was serving up 4 café con leches to a chatty regular. We went with the traditional Cuban.

The bread was hot and toasted and I appreciated the fact there wasn’t too much swiss cheese. There was a nice slather of mustard and a decent amount of pickles. While both the ham and pulled pork were good, the ratios weren’t my favorite— heavy on the am, light on the pork. This made it just a touch too salty. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I loved the shop itself, but I’m glad we shared one because I don’t think I could have eaten one on my own.

Price: $14

Stop 2: Cuban Coffee Queen

When it comes to local coffee shops, Cuban Coffee Queen takes the cake. It has been serving up top tier coffee and food since 2009, and there are five locales in Key West. Coffee is their thing, but as Frugal Foodies it pains us to pay $4+ for a beverage we can happily make ourselves. Rather, we pulled into the Cuban Coffee Queen for their Cubano.

This bad boy had a solid amount of pork and just enough ham to add flavor without overwhelming the sandwich. There could have been more mustard for my liking and I didn’t love the tomatoes. But there was a nice crunch from the pickles and onions, and overall, it was an extremely satisfying sandwich.

Price: $12.45

Stop 3: Limes and Pies Key West

Limes and Pies Key West is a small shop on Duval St. that sells all types of key lime-inspired confections as well as plenty of key lime pie. They don’t have a website and finding information about their story online is mission impossible. Either it’s the new kid on the block or marketing isn’t their jam. We popped in and snagged a piece for a whopping $7.99. But hey, at least with each slice you can get a water or coffee!

The texture of the filling was on the thicker side with a cheesecake-esq vibe, and the graham cracker crust was quite thin while still adding a crunch. The flavor perfectly toed sweet and tart with key lime being the hero flavor. A true treat, but on the pricy side.

Stop 4: Kermit’s Key Lime Shop

The final stop on our Key West food crawl was Kermit’s Key Lime Shop. Founder and owner, Kermit Carpenter, has been whipping up Key lime confections for over 30 years, and the pie is a testament to the statement “practice makes perfect.”

This key lime pie is something special. The texture is beautifully silky while being just thick enough to create a satisfying mouthfeel. The flavor is tart and sharp with just enough sweetness on the back end to smooth out the nearly-pucker-inducing limy-ness. One slice is $5.95, which I would happily pay over and over because it’s just that good. We also snagged a key limeade that totally shook my tastebuds. The key lime flavor was loud and proud with an amazing punch of citrus and tartness. Jeremy thought it was too sour. I could have had a whole gallon of it.

This Key West food crawl was a total triumph.

Cheers to another foodie adventure!

Hungry for more Caribbean cruise eats? Check out some of my favorite ABC Island bites HERE!