A Brazilian grandmother’s recipe, scribbled down long before anyone imagined it would end up in the Florida Keys, is the reason this place exists at all. In 1999, Roberto Madeira and Tania Beguinati left careers in finance and law behind in Brazil and opened a small vegetarian restaurant on Duval Street in Key West. A neighbor, a true born-and-raised Conch, kept buying their key lime pie and insisting they enter it into a contest. They finally did, and beat 17 other bakers for first place.
The next morning, customers showed up asking for the pie instead of the vegetarian menu, and the couple pivoted entirely. Decades later, the Tavernier location has grown into the flagship: a bright storefront on the Overseas Highway with roughly 170 key lime creations inside and a shaded garden hidden behind it.
What To Order
The classic slice is the reason most people pull off the highway, and it earns the reputation. The filling is silky and genuinely tart, with real key lime bite rather than sugary flatness, set into a crisp graham crust. You can get it crowned with torched meringue, whipped cream, or fully enrobed in chocolate.
The signature move here is the chocolate-dipped frozen key lime pie on a stick. It arrives cold and firm, and the chocolate shell cracks over the tangy frozen filling in a way that makes it the ideal thing to eat under a palm tree in August. It has become the most-photographed item on the property for good reason.
Beyond pie, the display cases go deep. Key lime cookies, delicate meringues, key lime pecans, gourmet candies, rum cakes, and boxed gift assortments fill the shelves, and the key limeade is the right antidote to a long drive down US-1. Everything is baked on the premises daily, and the whole pies travel well in a cooler if you have a beach house or a hotel fridge waiting.
One caveat worth knowing before you plan: they do not ship pies or pies on a stick anywhere. If you want them, you have to come get them, which is part of the charm and part of the frustration.
Atmosphere & Décor
The shop itself is compact and cheerful, with tropical colors, giraffe motifs, and stacked displays of green-and-white packaging that make it feel more like a candy shop than a bakery. The counter staff know the product cold and will walk you through the differences between the meringue and chocolate versions if you are stuck.
Walk through to the back and you find the Serenity Garden, an unexpectedly peaceful courtyard with picnic tables, flowering plants, and mature shade trees strung with lights. Soft classical music often drifts through, and the whole space feels a world away from the highway traffic just yards behind you.
Threaded through the garden is Love Lock Way, where couples and families clip engraved padlocks to a display and leave a small marker of their trip behind. It has accumulated years of locks now, and reading through them while your pie softens is a surprisingly lovely way to spend ten minutes.
Other Considerations
What does it cost? Slices and pies on a stick land in the $6 range, with whole pies around $30 and gift items climbing from there. It is not bargain pricing, but the portions are honest and the quality justifies it.
Where do I park? There is a dedicated lot right at the building with accessible spaces near the ramped entry. Note that a portion of the rear garden was converted to private parking in recent years, so the outdoor space is somewhat smaller than older photos suggest.
Is it good for kids? Yes, and the garden gives them room to move. That said, seating rules are enforced fairly firmly, so keep little ones at the table rather than roaming the shop floor.
When should I go? Doors are typically open daily from morning into the evening. Midday in peak season brings a steady line of road-trippers, so late afternoon is calmer and the garden lighting is at its best near dusk.
Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory
📍 92220 Overseas Hwy, Tavernier, FL 33070
Website: https://www.blondgiraffe.com
