Let’s start with the pie. Even if Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen was just known for its award-winning Key lime pie — rather than also being an iconic restaurant celebrating its 50th anniversary — that would have been legendary enough.
The silky smooth Key lime filling has just the right amount of tang, while the graham crust’s crunchy sweetness balances out the citrus. And the whipped cream – don’t get us started. The fresh and creamy homemade concoction is piped from a bag, rather than sprayed on with a can.
If you don’t do cartwheels out in the parking lot after eating it, we can’t help you. Admittedly, we’re a little biased. Mrs. Mac’s won Best Key Lime Pie title in the 2023 and 2024 Best of Upper Keys.
Commenters on Mrs. Mac’s Facebook page also regularly rave about that pie. “We’ve tasted A LOT of Key lime pie up and down the Keys and Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen is still the very best!” said one recent post. “We’ve been trying to come close to your recipe but there is always something missing.”
“Every week, I get emails asking, ‘Can you ship us a pie?’” said owner Stephanie Figueroa, with a laugh. “I’m trying to figure it out.” She said she wants to pick the right shipping service that can mail around the country without the pie ending up a melted mess.
It’s Figueroa’s attention to details, as well as her loyalty to the original recipes and the cozy-kitsch tropical vibe and stellar hospitality, that have guaranteed continued popularity with long-time locals and tourists alike.
“I never wanted to come in here and change it,” said Figueroa. “This is what the locals love. You need to honor its history.”
She is the third owner in Mrs. Mac’s 50 years. Jeff MacFarland established the restaurant in 1976 and named it after his mother, whose recipes were and still are the stars of the menu. MacFarland hired a cook named Angie Wittke in 1987, and soon after, her sister Paula joined the staff.
Within a few months, Angie had bought the restaurant and, along with Paula, made it into the Key Largo icon it is today, with its large distinctive bubble-lettered signs by the highway, classic homestyle dishes, and retro-Florida interiors. Tourists still love to hang their (hopefully-expired) license plates and signed dollar bills inside the original dive-y location.
In 2011, Wittke opened Mrs. Mac’s II in a former Pizza Hut that is just a hop, skip and a jump up the road. MacFarland, who is still alive and kicking, runs Mrs. Mac’s Fillin’ Station up in Vero Beach. Sadly, Angie died during the height of the COVID epidemic, and a grieving Paula sold Mrs. Mac’s to Figueroa in 2023.
Figueroa feels so strongly about shepherding Mrs. Mac’s legacy that she keeps in touch with the previous owners.
“I still reach out to Paula,” said Figueroa. “She still comes by. I’m also in touch with Jeff — we just emailed this week.”
Paula Wittke told Keys Weekly Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen will always hold a special place in her heart.
“The 35 years that my family, friends and myself spent there are priceless,” she said. “I will continue to cherish the memories deeply and hope others do as well.”
Commenters on the Facebook page also wax sentimental about how much Mrs. Mac’s has meant to their family through the years.
“I have fed 4 generators of my family here,” wrote one recent fan. “Can’t wait to come back with number 5.”
“Few businesses become woven into the fabric of a community the way Mrs. Mac’s has,” said Suzi Youngberg, president and CEO of Key Largo Chamber of Commerce. “It isn’t just one of Key Largo’s longest-running businesses. For generations, it’s where both locals and visitors have celebrated milestones and gathered with friends and family to experience the true flavor and hospitality of Key Largo. Everyone knows that a piece of Mrs. Mac’s Key lime pie is the traditional way to end a perfect Florida Keys day.”
At one point, Angela Wittke, according to her interview on the Humans of the Keys Facebook page, had an ambition to make Mrs. Mac’s a larger chain.
“I wish I had expanded much earlier in my career, when I had more energy!” Angie said. “There may have been Mrs. Mac’s kitchens all the way down to Key West!”
Figueroa said expanding Mrs. Mac’s is just not in the cards due to lack of time.
“I am blessed with busy restaurants,” she said, noting that she wants to keep focusing on preserving its traditions and making the restaurant the best it can be. For example, she created 50th-anniversary cocktails and added a line of iced coffees to the menu.
“Mrs. Mac’s was put in my path for a reason,” she said. “And I think I was the right person.”
The original location of Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen is at 99336 Overseas Highway and open every day from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mrs. Mac’s II (a bigger venue) is at 99020 Overseas Highway and open Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more info, go to mrsmacskitchen.com.
