Islamorada’s Hungry Tarpon shut after rodents, insects found in kitchen

A shutdown at Robbie’s Marina put one of Islamorada’s best-known visitor stops under the kind of scrutiny that can ripple well beyond a single kitchen. State inspectors ordered Hungry Tarpon Restaurant closed after a complaint-based inspection found rodents, insects and sanitation failures at 77522 Overseas Highway in Monroe County.

Inspectors documented rodent droppings on a window sill in the kitchen and on top of the dish machine. They also found live flying insects in the kitchen and prep area, flies around the dish area, dead flies in a walk-in cooler, soiled floors and grease buildup around the grease receptacle. The biggest food-safety problem came at the dish machine, where chlorine measured 0 ppm, meaning it was not sanitizing properly.

The machine had to be taken out of service until it could be repaired, and staff were told to rely on manual sanitizing in the meantime. That is the kind of fix that matters at a place built on repeat tourism and fast turnover, because every meal served under a damaged reputation can affect not just the restaurant, but the marina traffic and surrounding businesses that depend on Robbie’s drawing visitors in.

Robbie’s of Islamorada traces its history to 1976, when Robert Reckwerdt leased the Lower Matecumbe Key marina from Ruth and Buck Starck. The tarpon-feeding attraction grew into a signature Keys stop after a fish known as Scarface became part of local legend, and the property now markets fishing, snorkeling, boat rentals, eco-tours, shopping and the Hungry Tarpon as part of one large waterfront complex. Robbie’s says the attraction has been voted the number one place in the Keys every tourist should visit.

The restaurant’s inspection record adds more context to the closure. A Florida inspection-history tracker lists 459 violations across 36 inspections since 2016, a sign that the latest shutdown landed in a long-running regulatory pattern rather than as an isolated lapse. Florida’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants says emergency closures are used to mitigate conditions that pose an elevated risk to health, safety or welfare, including pest infestations and inadequate refrigeration.

For Islamorada, the stakes run past one kitchen door. A problem at a marquee waterfront attraction can quickly become a test of confidence for diners, day-trippers and nearby operators who depend on Robbie’s reputation to keep the marina busy.