During our stay in Islamorada, we uncovered another gem of a restaurant – a steakhouse called Ziggie & Mad Dog’s.
The property, originally from the 1930s, was transformed into a small restaurant in the 1950’s. In 1962 Ziggie Stocki bought the property and restaurant for $100,000. The legendary Ziggie’s Conch was born!
The property has a rich history. It is noted as early as the late 1940’s in the Miami Herald as a place of police shoot outs with gamblers and other “shady characters.” It is said that Al Capone was part of the high-stakes card games and casino action held in the back building.
Legend has it that John Huston got the idea for the movie “Key Largo” while gambling at a casino that Ziggie was known to have frequented. In the thirty years of operation, Ziggie’s Conch was world renowned as one of the finest dining experiences in the entire Florida Keys.
In September, 2005, Jim “Mad Dog” Mandich and his longtime business partner Randy Kassewitz purchased Ziggy’s. Manich was an All-American at Michigan before joining the Miami Dolphin’s with the first pick of the 1970 NFL draft. Mandich was an important player during the Miami Dolphins glory years winning Super Bowls in 1972 and 1973 (the “Perfect” 17-0 season).
On April 15th, 2006, after 7 months of renovations, Ziggie & Mad Dog’s was launched. The original bar, the slate wainscot and terrazzo have all been refurbished with great care. Pictures throughout the restaurant celebrate the history and characters of the Florida Keys and the Miami Dolphins.
The restoration of this iconic Florida Keys landmark was one of Jim Mandich’s proudest achievements. Sadly, Jim Mandich passed away in April of 2011.
Today, Ziggie and Mad Dog’s has become a destination steak house… one of the best in South Florida. Ziggie and Mandich’s culinary influence are on display even today with some of their favorite dishes still on the menu.
You will see all styles of dress code inside. The place calls for a slightly better than “flip flop” look, but if your shirt has a collar, we think you’d be good to go.
We’ll certainly be making future stops at Ziggy’s & Mad Dog’s. It was almost too much to eat. 🙂 Highly recommended.