The Bottlecap Cafe
1128 Simonton Street
Key West, FL
October 26, 2018
http://bottlecapkeywest.com
An off-the-beaten-path cozy, utterly unpretentious Key West neighborhood bar that a tourist like me would never find without being invited by locals who hang out here.
The inviting warm glow of the Bottlecap Cafe isn’t coming from the lights. It’s coming from the other folks at the bar, like Samantha Tarracino Gonzalez and her husband Tony who invited us to join them as the Masquerade March ended around 7:30 PM.
This is an honest-to-goodness Cheers type bar where everybody, including Erin the bartender, knows not just each other's names, but their stories. Erin pours Samantha a glass of Prosecco and pineapple juice as soon as she walks in the door, no words necessary.
Any friend of Samantha and Tony’s is bestowed an informal membership to the Bottlecap Society. Within minutes, we’re yakking it up with Samantha, her friends, Tony and Tony’s cousin.
There are a dozen bars on Duval and Green Streets smack in the middle of the tourist zone. They’ve earned their stars, have good wait staffs, good food and what the heck, places like the Hog’s Breath Saloon, Fogarty’s, Captain Tony’s Saloon, and of course, Jimmy Buffett’s Margarittaville are part of Key West lore. They’re all worth visiting as long as you don’t figure that your bar crawl ends there.
Google 'bars in Key West'. NINE PAGES of them! Ask around. You just might find one like The Bottlecap Cafe that will wrap itself around you like a warm hug from a long lost friend.
Samantha points to a photo of Captain Tony (above).
OF NOTE
One of Key West’s less recognized features it its strong sense of community.
In early 2007, when the owner of The Bottlecap Café began working the Friday Happy Hour (5 PM-8 PM) shift, she was not comfortable taking tips from her customers. Check this heart warming story to see how she solved the situation by donating her tips to local charities - and giving her staff a cut of the proceeds from the Happy Hour sales. "Non-Profit Fridays" recipients are booked for about one year out! http://bottlecapkeywest.com/non-profit-fridays.htm
Several events during Fantasy Fest donate proceeds to area non-profits. Money raised by men and women vying to be named King and Queen of the annual Fantasy Fest is donated to A.H. Monroe that provides case managed healthcare; food programs; counseling; housing; clinical, and other supportive and volunteer services; increases affordable housing by acquiring, developing, and maintaining low income housing for persons in need; and conducting health education and linkage to care. This year's total raised by aspiring candidates - $275,000!
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