Jimmy Buffett Hung Out At This Florida Restaurant Before He Was Famous

Before the late Jimmy Buffett found musical fame and helped create his song-inspired restaurant concepts, Cheeseburger in Paradise and Margaritaville, the famed singer used to hang out at a Key West, Florida, restaurant called Louie's Backyard. It was the early 1970s, and the new restaurant had just opened next door to the home of an as-yet unknown Buffett. The future star became a regular presence at Louie's, reportedly playing music in exchange for food and beer. Even his cat hung out there so much that it became a well-known fixture at the establishment, palling around with the bartender's dog, with whom the animal reportedly lapped up Kahlua and cream on the regular.

Buffett was well-known for singing about his own travels and life experiences, and Louie's Backyard is the restaurant referenced in his song "Trying to Reason With Hurricane Season." Though the lyrics on the original album are, "I knew I could use a bloody Mary, so I stumbled next door to the bar," live versions of the song Buffett performed later in life amended the lyric to specify that it was Louie's Backyard he stumbled into to get his drink.

In those early days of the restaurant, when Buffett lived next door, Louie's Backyard only had enough seats for 12 patrons at a time. Long after fame came calling, Buffett continued visiting this nostalgic spot and remained a customer throughout his life.

While Louie's Backyard started out small and simple when Jimmy Buffett was its neighbor, it wasn't long before word spread about the bistro's dynamite food and idyllic waterfront setting. Business boomed, and awards and accolades started rolling in. The restored Victorian home in which the restaurant is located was expanded in the 1980s, and today's restaurant can certainly accommodate more than 12 people. The site has both indoor and outdoor seating options, with the main dining area serving brunch, lunch, and dinner, while an upstairs café offers small plates and wine by the glass. The restaurant's outdoor terrace is a highly coveted spot for patrons to enjoy ocean and sunset views while dining, and the Afterdeck Bar puts visitors right on the water as they enjoy their cocktails, martinis, wine, or beer.

The menu at Louie's Backyard includes quintessential local offerings like conch fritters, which are an iconic Florida dish with Bahamian roots, and that famed Florida dessert with disputed origins, Key Lime Pie. True to its coastal culture, the restaurant structures its menu around the seasonal ocean catch, with a fluctuating Catch of the Day offered on the dinner and brunch menus. Other seafood fare includes a Tuna Burger, Snapper Sandwich, Grilled Salmon Salade Niçoise, and Bahamian Conch Chowder with Bird Pepper Hot Sauce on the lunch menu. Charred Baby Octopus, Sauteed Gulf Shrimp, and Fried Anchovy Stuffed Olives are on the brunch menu, and dinnertime serves up ocean offerings like sausage made from grilled shrimp and octopus, Grilled Swordfish, Cracked Conch with Hot Pepper Jelly & Wasabi Cream, and Florida Lobster Braised in Truffle Butter.