Hogfish Bar & Grill: ‘A great place, if you can find it!’

BY TERRY SCHMIDA

Ask any local, there’s really nothing quite as tasty as a fresh hogfish sandwich.

Yet up until fairly recently, it was rare to find this Florida Keys delicacy on area menus. That is, until Key West restaurateur Bobby Mongelli and his wife Michelle decided to open a Stock Island eatery dedicated to the flavorful reef-dwelling creature, the Hogfish Bar & Grill, located on the shrimp docks at 6810 Front St. “We were actually the first place to serve hogfish in town,” Bobby Mongelli said. “I used to go spearfishing for it with my buddies. So we opened up here in 2002 with 37 seats. It just kind of grew from there.”

The Hogfish has since expanded its seating capacity, and grown to become one of the most popular restaurants in the Lower Keys. One thing has not changed, however: The hogfish is still king.

“’The One and Only, World Famous, Killer Hogfish Sandwich’ is our most popular item,” Bobby Mongelli said, referring to the delicate, scallop-like flavored stack, which is smothered with Swiss cheese, onions, and mushrooms, and served on Cuban bread, with fries.

For the hearty appetite, the restaurant also serves up its namesake as an entree. The Grilled Hogfish Filet and Blackened Scallops is served with island rice and fresh veggies, as is the Stuffed Hogfish with Crabmeat Stuffing. Then there’s the Country-Fried Hogfish, with grilled mushrooms, onions, jalapeno gravy, island rice, and veggies. Hogfish can also be had as fried fingers, in a salad, as tacos, and even as sliders, served with pico de gallo, a Key lime tartar sauce, and fries.

For a little variety, Mongelli recommends the Vandenburger,” named for Key West’s famous artificial reef shipwreck, Fried Grouper Cheeks, served with Key lime mustard, and, of course, steamed, then chilled Key West Pink Shrimp.

“We’re right on the docks here,” he said. “They don’t get any fresher.”

Mongelli also swears by the Killer Tuna Nachos, with fried wontons, seaweed, scallions, tamarind glaze, and wasabi cream, and the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings he brought to the Hogfish from his former restaurant, PT’s Late Night Bar and Grill, in Key West.

The Hogfish’s Bahamian Conch Chowder also has a story behind it: Mongelli uses an old recipe obtained in 1980 from a Key West waterfront restaurant that’s since become a little touristy for his liking.

“Most people come out here because it reminds them of old Key West,” Mongelli said. “There’s a lot of new development happening on Stock Island, but at the same time, we’re still a working waterfront community here, maybe one of the last one’s on the east coast.”

It all adds to the eatery’s funky zeitgeist, which is accentuated with works by local artists such as “Monkey” Tom Forshier, and the scintillating sounds of local live music.

“It’s a great place,” like the sign says, “if you can find it.”