With top-notch service and an eclectic menu, Square Grouper didn’t take long to establish itself as one of the premier dining destinations in the Florida Keys. Upstairs from the restaurant, a lounge is adding to the guest experience with a raw bar, craft cocktails and views of Florida Bay.
March 2019 marked the beginning of Square Grouper at MM 80.4 in Islamorada for owner Lynn Bell. With help from her son, Joe, who manages the restaurant, and daughter, Sarah, the three transformed an old boathouse into an elegant, waterfront restaurant serving roughly 400 guests a night.
Entering through Square Grouper’s front doors, guests are now finding their way upstairs to find a lounge-like atmosphere with comfy couches and seats, a long bar and tables situated by large windows overlooking a beautiful bay during sunset. With Sunset Lounge’s quiet opening last July, Bell said, it allowed them to establish an identity and fine-tune certain aspects to provide an experience many guests come back for.
“What I always imagined with Sunset Lounge is a small place,” he said. “What we really specialize in upstairs is the raw aspect. We’re bringing in six different types of oysters from the East Coast and West Coast every night. We have fresh wahoo and local fish that we use for our ceviches and sashimi.”
Sunset Lounge also specializes in craft cocktails that use in-house syrups and freshly-squeezed juices. Guests can order the Hot Flash, which is made with Don Julio Blanco, blood orange, habanero simple and black lava salt around the edge. There’s also the Morada Sunset that’s made with Empress 1908 gin, chai tea lemon and aqua faba.
“We’re doing something cooler and a little more upscale upstairs, which I’m super excited about,” Bell said. “Bartenders come and prep three hours a day to ensure what we’re serving in cocktails is the best product available.”
As for dishes, Sunset Lounge offers the crispy cornmeal fried raspberry oyster. There’s also pork belly served with pickled ginger and shallot and the seafood tower, which features tuna tartare, shrimp cocktail, ceviche with yellowtail and Florida lobster and an assortment of oysters and stone crab claws.
Crispy cornmeal fried raspberry oyster. 
Sunset Lounge bartender James Pratt poses with a blood orange habanero. 
Sunset Lounge server Alexa Keeler poses with a large seafood tower, Thursday, January 27, 2022. Photo by Doug Finger 
From left, a Mary James watermelon margarita, a blood orange habanero and a Morada Sunset gin cocktail. 
A large seafood tower with tuna tartare, shrimp cocktail, ceviche with yellowtail and Florida lobster and an assortment of oysters and stone crab claws. 
Sunset Lounge manager Josh Sole poses with a Mary James watermelon margherita and a plate of crispy cornmeal raspberry oysters, Thursday, January 27, 2022. Photo by Doug Finger 
Pork belly with pickled ginger and shallot.
DOUG FINGER/Keys Weekly
“Our executive chef Enrique Costa is proven and well versed in preparing raw seafood,” Bell said. “I’m able to give him the reins and experiment and serve an awesome product at the end of the day.”
To top it off, cider donuts come with a cinnamon glaze and warm, Belgian chocolate sauce.
With high demand for seats at Square Grouper come wait times. While Bell said they don’t do reservations for numerous reasons, he wanted to give guests a different experience where they could have a spot to enjoy drinks, ceviches and carpaccios while waiting for a table. Bell said people can now have a night out with Sunset Lounge complementing Square Grouper.
“We’re giving them a holistic experience that they’ll remember going forward,” he said. “I feel like we’ve been doing a great job at that.”
With a successful start for Sunset Lounge, Bell said he’s looking to add more dimensions to the dining experience upstairs with live music and reverse happy hours.
“I eventually want a nightlife scene upstairs from 10 p.m. to midnight with cocktails and good music and things of that nature,” he said. “I think it will be really cool because there’s not many high-end late-night spots down here.”
Sunset Lounge is open Wednesday through Sunday from 4:20 p.m. to 11 p.m. For more information visit sunsetloungeislamorada.com.
