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Welcome
to our piece of Paradise! There isn't a better place to be
than right here! Enjoy our spacious waterfront setting where
the atmosphere is like a trip in a time machine to Our History Throughout Key West's colorful history the Historic Key West Bight, where
the Conch Republic Seafood Company now resides, In 1949, found almost by accident, vast beds of succulent pink shrimp were
located just offshore near the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf. As word of the
find spread, hundreds of shrimp boats were soon operating out of the
Bight. At one time there were so many shrimp trawlers at the docks, you
could walk the length of the seawall from one boat to another without
touching the water! The property on which In the 1990's the property saw some major changes. Dean Rollings,
president of the
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home | about us | on the menu | libations | entertainment
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Conch Republic Seafood
Company
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the
way Key West used to be. So, come by to relax, take in the view of
the boats and the water, and let us prepare you one of our mouth-watering
entrees made with only the freshest seafood that our local waters provide!
Then indulge further with one of our delicious refreshing "House
Specialty Libations!"
has
had a tradition of bringing the bounty of the seas ashore. Sponges, giant
sea turtles, shrimp and fish are just a few of the types of cargo that
would pass through the Bight weekly. The location where the Conch Republic
Seafood Company is now located has it's own interesting history. In the
1890's "sponging" had grown to employ hundreds in Key West, both
with the fleet and at jobs ashore. Our present day docks have long ago
replaced the large, wide sponge market docks of the era. This dock was
just one of many constructed to allow the quality of the sponges to be
inspected by wholesale buyers prior to sale at auction. Large "mother
ships" would dock after a few weeks of harvesting and unload their
cargoes. The thousands of sponges bought, sold & traded
were shipped all over the United States. By the early 1900's, Key West was
considered the Sponge Capital of the Country.
the
Conch Republic Seafood Company and the Conch Farm Education Center was
once the Singleton Fish House and Ice Plant. The ice plant once boasted as
the largest in the world, allowed for more efficient unloading and
processing of the shrimp catch. Each day, at the peak of the shrimp
season, dozens of shrimp trawlers unloaded at the docks right behind the
Conch Republic Seafood Company, packed in wooden crates and iced for shipment. Often
in the warehouse, hundreds of workers stood at long tables in what now
serves as the Main Dining Room of the restaurant, and deftly removed the
inedible heads from the shrimp before packing. The industry remained a
lucrative business in the Bight into the 1980's. 
Florida Straits Conch Company, presented to the City of Key West a plan to
create a unique, educational, environmentally correct & entertaining
development of this waterfront site. The large warehouse once known as
"Fish House No. 4" has been transformed into the present day
Conch Republic Seafood Company. The building that housed the ice plant
itself is now the Conch Farm Research and Educational Foundation, Inc. This education center is a working laboratory and museum.
Integrated into the construction of the restaurant, bar and education
center, materials salvaged from the plant, processing plant and original
docks can be found everywhere. Even the menu received special attention.
It consists of tantalizing Florida and 
Caribbean
Entrees bound to please the most discriminating taste. Fresh seafood is
delivered daily to our docks from the waters surrounding Key West,
continuing the tradition found in the Bight's History. The goal here is to
treat locals and visitors alike to an environmentally concerned enterprise
that not only delights the senses, but teaches as well. As we move forward
into the new millennium, the Conch Republic Seafood Company will continue
to charm and educate its visitors on our slice of paradise. 
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