During this trip to Miami and Key West, we spent about a day at the southernmost city in the contiguous United States – Key West. In today’s post, I want to share the restaurant (spoiler alert: it’s super good) and sightseeing spots that we visited. FYR if you’re planning to visit Key West recently!
🍽️ DJ’s Clam Shack
We set this restaurant as our destination when we were heading to Key West from Miami. DJ’s Clam Shack doesn’t have an indoor dining area (so no AC either) but has a clean restroom and amazing food. It was a great start to our Key West adventure after the three hours drive from Miami!
Let’s take a look at the menu first – depending on what you order, it might be a bit higher if you order lobsters, but the price range here is not expensive in general. We accidentally ordered a little too much and ended up bringing a takeaway box lol. It offers a sufficient portion. Adding up all the dishes shown below, it might be the portion for a party of 3 to 4 people.
Here’s the dining area. It’s completely outdoor dining with some fabrics at the top to provide some shading. No air conditioners but there are two big fans on the wall, so it’s actually not too hot if you pick the right spot (with shade and wind). There’s some shaded area with the rooftop in the storefront in case of a rainy day but not a lot of seats there.
Chicken Fingers 
Beer Battered Onion Rings
Fried sides are both pretty good. The chicken fingers come with fries on the side, which are the thicker type of fries. Onion rings are just… regular onion rings. But the chicken fingers are really good! It’s so tender that I thought it was fish lol.
It comes with two packs of crackers as a standard set. It’s not a big bowl but the soup contains A LOT of potatoes and seafood. (You can probably tell the lovely proportion by the picture here.) Clam chowder is great but the following two main dishes are way too good and steal the show. 😋
Isn’t this lobster roll too overstuffed? I heard that it’s twice the amount (and price as well 😅) of a normal Maine Lobster Roll. This is incredibly tasty!!! It has big chunks of lobster meat with sweet but not too heavy sauce (might be mayonnaise), and seems to have some diced celery (but no strong celery flavor) as well, which adds an additional crispy and refreshing taste.
And the toast on the outside is amazing as well! I overlooked its tastiness so didn’t give it a close-up shot lol. But it’s a big square bread, feels like having butter on both sides then pan-fried. Slightly crispy, soft, and tender toast with that lobster… Heavenly…
Besides the Over Stuffed Lobster Roll, this shrimp roll is also unexpectedly good. It’s cheaper compared to the lobster roll but has the same level of deliciousness (different type of taste but also really good!). The shrimps are big and firm, seasonings are also fantastic with a wonderful grilling flavor. These two rolls both come with Cole Slaw as sides but we didn’t like it that much. Still highly recommend the rolls though!
📍 Duval Street
After introducing the restaurant and having lunch, now we have the strength to go to some sightseeing spots! Right next to the DJ’s Clam Shack, it’s Duval Street, the most famous, lively street in Key West. (Key West is not a big place though lol) There are some restaurants, shops, and bars on Duval Street.
📍 Southernmost Point
At the end of Duval Street, there is a huge rock saying “southernmost point”. This is the southernmost point in the contiguous United States! If you have time, you can stay in line to take photos with this landmark. It’s really hot here so be sure to get your water ready and stay hydrated, or else it could lead to heat exhaustion easily.
📍 Other Sightseeing Spots and Activities in Key West
We booked a restaurant in Miami on this day to Key West so did not stay for too long and couldn’t go to every spot. But I’m listing the other attractions I saw when planning our trips here to share with you as a reference!
- Nightlife in Key West
We didn’t stay in Key West so didn’t have the chance to enjoy the nightlife in Key West, but the bar culture and the atmosphere on the street at night are very different from its daytime style. It has a very beachy, chill vibe that’s worth a try. - The Hemingway Home & Museum
The author of the classic literature masterpiece, The Old Man and the Sea, had lived in Key West for a long while in around 1930. Now his house is rebranded as a museum and is open to the public. You can check for more information on their website.
- Lighthouse
Although this lighthouse is not very tall, you can see the view of the whole Key West on it. The tickets are available on their website. It was already fully booked before our trip so I only took some photos of it on the side and didn’t go in. Remember to book the tickets in advance if you plan to pay a visit! - U.S. Route 1 Mile 0 Sign
Since it is the southernmost point in the contiguous U.S., you can find the start (and finish) of the U.S. Route 1. Another landmark that you can consider stopping by in Key West!
U.S. Route 1 is that one and only overseas highway going through the Florida Keys to Key West. There’s a wide variety of waterscapes along the road. It’s really amazing seeing those different shades of blue, scattered big and small islands, and feeling like driving above the sea (as shown in the pictures above!). I’m ending this post with the four pictures I took on the road (out of a million photos). Thank you for reading it till the end! 🙂
Infobox
The Restaurants and Things to Do In Miami & Key West post has more Miami and Key West related traveling information and notes. Check it out if you’re interested!