Island Room Restaurant and Sand Bar in Cedar Key - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Excellent menu, staff and view. We devoured our meals. The kids menu was more than satisfying.

Unless you want burgers fries and pizza this is THE best restaurant by far in Cedar Key. Clean and simple with good seating and lighting. Friendly efficient staff. The Grouper Picatta was wonderful. Perfectly moist. The potatoes au gratin were delicate and baked to the right al dente with a light crust. The accompanying vegetable was superb. A mix of carrot, broccoli, squash and a trio of glazed beets! All in a light butter sauce. The shrimp Royale was grilled and seasoned perfectly. We visit Cedar Key a few times a year and will be sure to make it our first choice for dinner.

This was our first visit to the Island Room Restaurant. We have been to Cedar Key a few times and keep trying restaurants new to us. The restaurant is small and while comfortable is more “up scale” compared to other restaurants in the area. The servers were friendly. We started with appetizers, steamed clams and andouille sausage. The clams were very good. The sausage was good but nothing special and the serving was small. My wife ordered the BBQ shrimp and I ordered the lobster ravioli and we shared a Caesar salad. The presentation of the food was great except the Caesar Salad was wilted and a little brown. My wife could not eat it. The BBQ shrimp was good the Au gratin potatoes were not good and my wife could not finish them. The Lobster Ravioli had very little lobster in them and had an acidic / citrus bite that was not flavorful and did not match the lobster. The prices at this restaurant are in the 5 star range and the food did not come close to the price. I could not recommend this restaurant based on our experience. We used email to make our reservation. After our review was published, I received this email from the restaurant.——-So instead of writing a review why don't you speak up. We would have been happy to have made it right, that is the big problem with "reviews" and I don't respond to them. You gave me the opportunity. People raaaave about the potatoes we could have switched them out. Go out to enjoy yourself not to write reviews. Enjoy your evening!

What a lovely place for a beautiful wedding

Best dinner on the island. The food was phenomenal. The service was a little slow but everyone was friendly. I the food is well worth the wait.

The best restaurant in Cedar Key Florida

Food is excellent!!! Best food on the island. Service is okay, slow but they’re very kind. Drink prices are a bit high.

Wonderful food, the view is awesome, the staff are great

Probably the nicest restaurant on Cedar Key. We had a nice relaxing dinner as we were watching the water.

The food was excellent. However, we weren't offered a drink for at least 10 minutes and didn't get our appetizers for almost an hour. Other tables around us, some who came after got their appetizers and food at a normal pace. We then didn't get our main course (it was a normal menu item, not a "special order") until another 20-25 minutes. Other tables finished, were cleaned and another patron was seated while we were still having our meal. The whole experience was soured by such poor service. The wait staff was apologetic, so something bad was going on in the kitchen. It's a shame and we won't be back.

The food is tasty and the portions good, but the service is awful. They are woefully understaffed and wait times are unacceptable. Skipped dessert after waiting 20 minutes for the server to come back to take our dessert order. I don't think I would return unless they hired sufficient staff.

Part of a big group that came in right before closing. We went to leave upon realizing there was only 15 minutes until close, but the very nice bartender insisted we could stay and have a round. Great service and great drinks, thank you!

Good food and service. Understaffed

Very nice. Staff was awesome, food was delicious. Location perfect, facing the water

Exceptional and very delicious. My husband ordered short ribs and I had snapper layered with crab and shrimp with a light citrus sauce.

It's like you landed in 1983. The staff are the nicest you will ever have, the food is well cooked and tasty. All in an old fashion setting is a laid back town.

Will return. Had short rib special

I can’t say enough about this dining experience. The ambiance is amazing but the food is the super star. Everything is prepared upon order so don’t be in a hurry! Enjoy the view! Make sure you have reservations and if you don’t enjoy the Sand Bar & the wide selection of top shelf libations.

Food is amazing! Such a nice place with a great view. Friendly staff. look forward to returning! Stayed at the hotel for 3 nights and dined there 3 times. Sunday Brunch is a game changer.

Service was outstanding in every respect. Food was great. Tasty with good portion sizes and well presented. And you can't beat the view. Top marks.

Dinner at the Island Room was a wonderful meal...the local clams were wonderful...much smaller than those I am accustomed to in New England. The Lobster ravioli with a cream leek sauce was one of the BEST ravioli dishes I have had...sorry they are closed for the remainder of my stay here on Cedar Key. My specialty drink made with vodka and basil +?...was herbaceous and pleasant-(had two)!

Best post Sea2Key ride place to eat. Waitress was super sweet too just too bad I forgot her name. Maybe the picture will help. She was a very kind lady.

1st class food and fantastic view. Will definitely go again while in Cedar Key

We came here with friends for brunch on Easter Sunday. What a fantastic meal, service and view! The menu was over the top offering mimosas and bloody Mary’s along with items like duck hash, beef brisket w potatoes, onions and eggs, traditional eggs and grits breakfast and much more. The entire south side windows offered stunning views of the Gulf.

Wonder waitress and waiter but the price and the food was terrible. Won’t go back.

We arrived on time for our 7pm reservation on Saturday and were seated quickly. We waited 20 minutes and were not acknowledged in any way. The table next to us was cleaned, seated and had water served, while we sat, ready to order. Still nothing, so we left. So disappointing as we were there to celebrate our 45th anniversary.

The pecan crusted snapper was fantastic. The grouper picatta was also good. They have the best potatoes au gratin.

I started with the escargot in a puff pastry. Very delicious followed by the Cioppino which I cannot seem to break free if. I love it.

Absolutely amazing. I wanted a number of items on the menu. The server made a request to the chef and he agreed to make me a four course meal mixing up 6 different items from the menu. It was unbelievably good. I let the chef choose which items to give me. I started with multiple types of oysters. This was followed by their shrimp specialties. I had some escargots. Finally, he finished up with Lobster Ravioli. Great server and great chef. I will go back tomorrow.

You sit by windows overlooking the Gulf, birds all around & see dolphins swim by (if you watch closely). The food was great! We (spouse & I) split a good bowl of chowder (freshly harvested locally), then had the Island Special salad (greens with Bleu cheese & walnuts - yum), freshly baked rolls (w butter), and then the entree - Grouper Picatta in a lemon sauce with capors, veggies & scalloped potatoes. The Grouper was perfectly prepared & absolutely excellent. We wrapped the meal up with a slice of chocolate pecan shortbread & the best New Orleans Bread Pudding! Overall, this is the best food on the island (which has some other noteworthy competition)!

Good food upscale quite restaurant. Not a place for children of any age

Great food. Service was a little lacking.. My wife's Caesar salad wasn't good at all . Dressing tasted like balsamic. Just a weird vibe there. Not very welcome

Great restaurant with reasonable prices for the quality of the food. Nice bar at one end, fine dining at the other. Well worth trying!

Great service, fantastic food, and delicious desserts. The Duck Confit was tender and cooked to perfection.

Amazing food, service, and atmosphere! Nothing changes except the specials!

The Staff is EXCELLENT and the best part of the meal. We had a group of ten (10) and at their busiest dining time. The ENTIRE STAFF made us feel like we were being taken care of my Momma. The Oyster Rockefeller was the BEST we have ever had, bar none! Each and every meal was rated a ten out of ten. Again we really appreciate the hospitality and excellent fine Italian dining. In Gratitude for All! Rob and Jamie Klinger. PS The Creme Brulet was PHENOMENAL!

Unexpectedly surprised to find a gourmet restaurant in this small rustic fishing village. If you love great food, with thought out ingredients and subtleties, this is your place. Good wine list, exceptional staff and pleasant ambiance. Don’t miss this when in Cedar Key. Ask for Stephanie and tell her you’ve read about how great this place is.

Great seafood dishes at very reasonable prices

Excellent food and service. Nice atmosphere. Will definitely return.

What an amazing evening with my wife. Perfect meal and service! So glad we stopped here.

It's delightful to have such wonderful places in such a tiny town. To be able to walk to such a lovely restaurant with such lovely staff is definitely worth making reservations for. The food was awesome, the broiled garlic oysters are so good I can imagine epic battles being fought over them.

It's definitely the best restaurant in Cedar Key, and we've tried them all! Great food, great views!

View is spectacular. Tablecloth and cloth napkins nice too. Pecan praline French toast was superbly delicious for Sunday brunch. Apple crisp was just so so. Service was excellent. We will definitely be back.

Not exactly what I expected by the reviews. Food was fairly good, The rools were terrible. Service was adequate..

Best food on Cedar Key - elevated cuisine that’s accessible yet refined. Scrumptious. Beautiful view, elegant atmosphere, and romantic. Great lighting, low key jazz in the background. Outstanding service - we now know each server and the chef by name. They went above and beyond! We ate nearly everywhere in town and once we ate here, we went every night for the rest of our stay!

Nice meal in a simple, well spaced setting over looking the water. Excellent shrimp dish and ok steak Diane (not a great cut of meat) but very good wine reduction sauce. Very friendly staff.

"Alright, I admit it. Everything is fabulous. The food, the atmosphere! Everything's flawless!" Wonderful place if you're looking for a mouthgasm from seafood! (;

We found this gem at the end of our day-trip in Cedar Key. Having spent a lot of time around chefs and whole foods I often leave a dining experience wanting more. However, it is clear this chef is an artist in the kitchen. The passion for his cooking shines through every detail. From first bite to last the dishes are balanced, rich and feature great knife skills. All the ingredients here are bursting with freshness. As if the food wasn't enough, the view and ambience encourages you to stay all night. Finally, it's all at a great price, skip Olive Garden or Longhorn and pay the same price for some real food.

It's always a magnificent experience here. The customer service is amazing. The food is always perfect. The atmosphere is elegant and casual at the same time. Just perfect.

Loved the atmosphere here, it's just beside the Gulf of Mexico with a great view. The food is good too but has room for improvement, some of the dishes were a bit undercooked.

What a great place to visit in this quaint "drinking town with a fishing problem". Upscale food and service where you can still wear your flip flops and shorts. The menu is focused on what they do best. If you drop in (reservations recommended) you MUST try the grits appetizer. It is a delicious block of fried grits in the most heavenly BACON gravy you will ever taste. Oh yeah, and a half dozen grilled local shrimp too. Yum! Did I mention the bacon gravy? They need to bottle and sell this stuff! Loads of fresh, local seafood on the menu too, cooked to perfection. We come back to CK at least 5 or 6 times each year and this is always a stop. Don't miss it and enjoy! If you found this review helpful, please hit like so other will see it too. Cheers!👍

The gulf view was great. The service was very good. I had the seafood cardinale and the sauce was a bit bland. I'm not getting that again but they had other menu items I would try, especially the steak Dianne. 😋

Best seafood in Cedar Key!! And at amazing prices ;) Definitely make a reservation ahead of time if you plan on going!!

Wonderful food and service a pleasant surprise thanks we've been in all the restaurants for the last 6 years but this one and really regret it we will be back regularly

We stayed the weekend in this quiet little town, Cedar Key. What a beautiful community. We had dinner at The Island Room, and it was incredible. Must try the crab bisque and steamed clams in a wonderful broth. You'll need more hot rolls for the broth! Your taste buds will explode when you taste the Grouper Piccata. Beautiful piece of grouper in a light sauce. My husband got the Seafood Fettuccine, I had to have a few bites, yummy. We were so full, didn't have room for dessert. You'll be happy with this dinning experience.

The food here is phenomenal from appetizers to desserts. The crab bisque might be the best in the world. It is that good. The lobster ravioli was great. The food can be made to be very rich and just too much, but the chef has just the right touch and blends everything together perfectly.....

The grouper picatta is out of this world good. I have tried almost every dish and Peter has never disappointed.

1st visit for husband's birthday. He was excited when server said he could combine the oyster apps He stated it was best food he had ever eaten. His entree was the red fish which was good but could not follow the amazing oysters so after a few bites he pushed it aside and ordered more oysters. LOL he even contemplated getting another order to go Our server saw the uneaten fish and kindly removed it from the bill Such a sweet but unnecessary thing to do. I 1 have negative, my husband keeps saying oyster over and over in his sleep. All the food wa very good! Thank you for making his 66th birthday. I can't say enough about the service our server checked in with us frequently as did other servers to see if we needed anything this group work as a well oiled team so that everyone gets amazing service!!

Disappointed. We waited over an hour for our food and it wasn't that busy. Our server was very distracted, we even had to go ask for the check, as did another table. Apparently there was some 'fighting' in the kitchen. However the food was good when it came, but a very disappointing evening.

Best food and service in Cedar Key.

A little pricey for what it is, food could be served hotter for sure. Our special was definitely not Saturday night and they weren't busy. I could say more but I'm pretty sure you get the idea.

Loved the atmosphere of this place on the water with great views. Both the service and the food were TOP notch. A little pricey, but food was spectacular. Best on Cedar Key!!! WE will be back. Mike&Kathy

Best food in Cedar Key! Great view, good drinks, good prices, good service, good selection, and good specials. But the food is why we would go back!

Service was great, salad was good. Our meals were descent but i definitely feel they are overpriced. We left thinking “it was ok”

We celebrated our 33rd anniversary here enjoying two delicious chef prepared dinners. I had the "BBB Shrimp" (bourbon bacon shrimp) and my husband had the Grilled Shrimp Royale. The shrimp were a generous size, my pilaf rice and his potatoes and our vegetables were cooked perfectly and were flavorful. The evening we went it was reservations only. The west side of the restaurant is lined with tall windows giving a lovely view of the water.

Great food, beautiful view, nice place to stay.

Excellent meal! Chef Peter provided a thoughfully designed and freshly cooked dining experience. Emphasis on the food in this waterfront restaurant. Simple decor allows focus on the great view and the food. No kitschy nautical stuff hanging on the walls! Grouper Picatta the best I have ever had; grouper cooked to perfection, sauce exquisite, veggies beautiful. Plus potatoes au gratin, yummm!! Salad was fresh as could be and sourdough rolls were awesome. Our server told us they were made from a sourdough starter that was more than 35 years old. Awesome! Dessert was over the top. Chocolate cheesecake and bread pudding with nuts and bourbon sauce. Excellent service, coupled with the laid back Cedar Key vibe. Definitely try this restaurant if you appreciate great food and relaxing quiet atmosphere.

Delicious, flavorful food, beautiful presentation and amazing service! We'll be back!

Big flavors, great dinning experience.

Crab cakes are amazing, salad fresh and delicious. Sides were perfection. Friends of mine recommended this place and it surpassed expectations. Great servers also.

Not fine dining or elegant. Yes, there are white tablecloths and linen napkins; however, the entire place needs a major update before it can meet "elegant" status. The food is overpriced and not tasty. Our party of 4 ordered a steak (cooked medium), clam chowder, grouper blackened, and chicken & sausage gumbo. The steak was cooked to well-done, the grouper was overcooked and rubbery textured, the chowder had so much pepper that it was the only thing my sister tasted, and the gumbo tasted like the roux was burned. The waitress wasn't attentive, didn't ask how the food was, didn't check on us, and let our glasses sit empty for over 15 minutes. The only good thing about the experience was the desserts; the creme Brule and the apple crisp were delicious!

Food and service were awesome! We sat at the bar and had amazing service and we were having a lot of fun with staff serving the food and drinks! Definitely worth trying lobster ravioli was amazing and the seafood pasta was amazing! Not to mention that my wife really enjoyed the bread pudding which she normally dislikes! Don't believe the website that says beer and wine bar because they have a ful bar

Came here for our Anniversary dinner while staying in Cedar Key. Dinner was phenomenal. Views were spectacular and staff was super friendly.

Excellent! As close to fine dining you'll find in Cedar Key. Not so fancy you can't dine in coastal attire. You will be made to feel special. The menu is spectacular. Desert is something you must make room along with and after diner cordial. The staff is very professional and made my dinner experience wonderful.

Really great food. I shared the grouper picata with my wife who had the liver and onions. Liver was good and tender with lots of caramelized onions and large servings of vegies. The grouper was cooked perfectly tender and juicy. The picata sauce was a bit different than I am used to. The sauce was very creamy and nice but the lemon was a bit overwhelming and the capers were whole and not crushed to release more flavor. If they used wine in the sauce, it was lost with the lemon. Don't get me wrong here, it was delicious but a bit more lemon than I am used to. The bottom line is I will return. A word of warning, watch out for the 3.5% "convenience charge" on credit card transactions on the specials. If their credit card company is charging them that much fee, they should look at changing.

Awesome food. Staff is fun and friendly.

Slow, slow, slow. At 6 pm on a Monday night! After we were seated, our waitress took forever to even greet us. Our food (one filet and one shrimp entree) took over an hour. No one even apologized. After finally delivering our food, our waitress disappeared for 10 minutes. She knew we were upset but didn’t bother to ask if the food was okay. My husband’s steak was over cooked. My shrimp was actually very good but the wild rice was cold and mushy. Bread was cold in the center. Horrible experience. Horrible!

Delicious food, great drinks, and a incredible view. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah amazing desserts!

Beyond perfect the food, the service and of course the view! Every dish was better than the one before. No trip to Cedar Key is complete without a visit to the Island Room. Shout out to Peter and Gina!!

I’ll start out with the positive- the bread is amazing!! However the rest was very very lacking. I was so disappointed because I read all the reviews saying this was the best restaurant on the island. Definitely not true. Both entrees we ordered were about $30 and both plates were swimming in butter. No other strong flavors, just every bite dripping in butter. We hardly ever saw our waitress. After taking our food order, we only saw her when she brought us our check. Not a single refill was offered. The place isn’t big where a table could be overlooked!! It’s all 1 room. Just really horrible service and very very overpriced, mediocre food. Won’t be back here, but are enjoying trying all the other restaurants on the island!

Island Room is the best restaurant I have been at in this area of Florida including Crystal Springs. The steamed clams were excellent. Salad is also fresh with dressing delicious. The entrée was the best tasting Chicken Marsala I've had in a long time. The fish dish was heavenly. This quality gourmet food is seldom if ever found in this region.

Hands down the best food on the island! The chef makes everything from scratch, the wine selection is out of this world of this world and the service is impeccable. Would recommend to anyone who visits Cedar Key!

There's not a lot to write home about here. It's a nice place that fancies itself a fine one. The bread was great, the service was good, and the food was serviceable. About half our food was good. Basically, it's not worth what they're charging, overpriced for quality.

Delicious food, smallish selection but covers brod range. Charming servers, nice setting

Wonder red fish presentation. Good balance of spices. Nice wine pairing as well

Great food....wonderful service! A must visit.

The best place in Cedar Key for well made and high quality food with a proper dining room and service. Only comment would be they should invest in higher quality silverware to compliment the food. Meals were memorable.

Another fabulous meal from Peter at the Island Room! We loved the crab bisque, the snapper almondine, and the shrimp royale. I think this might be meal number 50, but we've been eating here since 1997. Love the food, the owners and Cedar Key!

We were last here in 2006. Same owner. Food- just as good!! Great service.

The food was amazing! However, we went on Christmas Eve and upon entering were blasted with a horrible smell. We think it was the air conditioners being mildewy. Since we had reservations we went for it anyway, but then we were blasted with heat because it was so stuffy. There seemed to only be one main server, who was nice, but way overbooked. The food was amazing and we really enjoyed our meal, but the smell, temperature, and service was terrible. If there is a problem like with the air conditioners or smell, the staff should have acknowledged that and the prices shouldn’t have been so high. But if that was fixed, again the meal was top notch!

The bread pudding is off the chain!!!! We enjoyed the entire dinner, view, staff but oh my, that bread pudding..... take it to go or you'll embarrase yourselves.

It was ok. Best part was the bartender

The food was absolutely amazing! So much flavor in every bite. I'm so glad we went here and we were glad to be able to get a table. Its best to call and make reservations it seems but we made the res at the last minute and still got in. The view is so pretty. You can see the water no matter where you sit. We had a great time.

A very good place the food is excellent and the service was good the food was 5 ⭐ and the service was 4 ⭐ would most definitely recommend!

The fabulous Island Room never disappoints and is worth the drive from Gainesville. The steak, crab cakes, and oysters Rockefeller were perfection. The view, service, and ambiance superb. If we could give six stars...we would.

That was truly one of the best dining experiences we've had at Cedar Key. Attentive staff, we didn't feel rushed, the view was amazing and the food was outstanding! First time there, definitely won't be our last!

Great Inn with an amazing restaurant. The food was an unexpected surprise to our two day getaway. Some fun unique items and everything we had was great, this is a must stop in Cedar Key.

Chef Peter and his staff nailed it! Class and Quality all the way! Try the cioppino.

Great view and even better food. Pictured are the scallops with pesto and grouper with rock shrimp in a cream sauce. Everything was delicious.

Consistently very good food. Hot, tasty, creative meals, eclectic for Cedar Key. Unfortunately, the service was a bit lacking. Rolls were delivered to table about 30 seconds before the meal, event though the server mentioned that they would bring some 15 minutes earlier when we were seated. Also, no water refill, no check on how the meal was. We were kind of forgotten, while tables around us got prompt attention. We'll still go back, but wish the service was as consistent as the food.