Robbie’s of Islamorada

This is a marina and roadside attraction on Lower Matecumbe Key, best known for feeding tarpon from its dock. Make it a quick stop to watch the fish, or stay for a meal, browse the open-air shops, or set out on the water. The property is busy and commercial, so it suits visitors who like a lot happening around them more than anyone looking for a quiet nature break.

Visitors buy bait and hold it over the water as tarpon lunge up close to the boards. Expect splashes and pelicans jostling for food; the action is immediate and can feel intense if you are wary of large fish coming right to the edge. If you want to watch without feeding, the restaurant deck looks out over the dock. For a photo, keep the hand-held bait, dock edge and waterline together so the fish's size and sudden leap make sense.

The Hungry Tarpon occupies the old bait-and-tackle shop and serves seafood alongside breakfast and other meals. Its menu includes conch chowder and fritters, cracked conch, coconut shrimp, smoked fish dip and fish-and-chips, plus an option to prepare fish you bring in. The Trailer Trash Bloody Mary is a named house specialty.

Fishing, snorkeling and sightseeing trips leave from the marina through different operators, and kayaks, paddleboards and boats are available to rent. Trips reach Florida Bay, nearby reefs and islands, including Alligator Reef Lighthouse, Lignumvitae Key and Indian Key. Check the activity you want directly with its operator; schedules and arrangements vary.

The feeding tradition began in 1976 with Scarface, a tarpon Robbie Reckwerdt found with an injured jaw. Robbie and Mona fed the fish during its recovery, and it returned after being released months later. The story has a few differing details about where Scarface was found and how it was treated, but the dockside tradition grew from that rescue.

Before Robbie's, the property was the Starck Fishing Camp. Walter “Buck” and Ruth Starck were established on Lower Matecumbe in the 1940s; Robbie Reckwerdt leased the marina in 1976, and his family bought the property in 2012. The former bait shop became the restaurant, and a small concrete house from the Starck family era still stands in the parking lot.

The marina sits directly on Overseas Highway at mile marker 77.5, convenient on a drive through the Keys. There is on-site parking and restrooms, though finding a space can be harder when the property is busy; arrive earlier if parking matters. Restaurant hours, dock access and tour costs can change, so check current details before you go.