I have been in Key West long enough that it is time to start adding some restaurant and activity updates. We’ve been to Onlywood several times, including once this week. I was sick with a bad cold, but did not want to cancel plans we’d had for weeks, plus, it is really not so tragic to be forced to eat good pizza.
Onlywood is tucked behind Old Town Mexican right off Duval Street, although it is easy to miss, as you can’t actually see it from either Duval Street or the cross street, Southard. This location had been several other “fine dining” restaurants prior to its current incarnation, and none succeeded. Nonetheless, Onlywood seems to be doing a booming business.
Onlywood is, at heart, a pizza place. Yes, they have amazing salads, pastas and meats, but the pizza is outstanding. Individually sized, and with unique toppings, each pizza is crafted in their own wood burning oven that sits in the middle of the restaurant. (It also makes it a little warm inside. We chose to sit outside in the garden.)
Enticing deals abound in Key West in the summertime and Only wood is no different. Half price bottles of wine on Tuesday and Wednesday, and $10 pasta on Monday and Thursday make it an easy midweek choice. We enjoyed a bottle of Gaja Promis, followed by a Banfi Poggio Alle Mura Rosso di Montalcino, largely because it was half price wine night.
As for the food? We started with a burrata salad. If you have been living under a rock, burrata is a creamier mozzarella with a gooey, cream filled interior. It is amazing. You should go find yourself some, now. This was served over sliced tomatoes and arugula with a balsamic drizzle, and is was delish. Honestly, it is pretty hard for me to dislike cheese, especially really good cheese.
We shared an appetizer order of meatballs, served in a bowl of flavorful marinara sauce, in an effort to not only eat
pizza and other carb-heavy items. It was a good choice, indeed. Finally, we shared a pizza. Amazingly, we limited ourselves to one, individual sized pizza. (I am blaming attributing my amazing willpower to the fact that I was truly sick and not entirely rational.) We opted for the Regina Margherita, made with tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella and basil. The crust is a crispy, chewy layer of perfection, covered with sauce and cheese.
Historically, FKGuy has enjoyed the acchiuge pizza, topped with anchovies, but as we were sharing I nixed the hairy fish. I have also been known to scarf down an entire quatrro formaggi, a white pie with Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, but alas, we were sharing, and FKGuy was not about to have pizza sans red sauce for his one pizza adventure of the foreseeable future. We settled on the simple, yet delicious basic pie, and both left happy.
Bottom line: Onlywood is serving up delicious food, and is certainly worthy of a diet splurge. They are located at 613 1/2 Duval Street, and are open daily for lunch and dinner.
