Welcome Back, Smokin’ Tuna: A New Chapter Begins on Duval Street

There are some Key West openings that just feel good, and this is one of them.

Smokin’ Tuna Saloon is back.

For more than a decade, locals and returning visitors knew the Tuna at 4 Charles Street, tucked at the end of the little lane just off Lower Duval. You had to wander off the main drag to find it, and that was part of its charm.

At the end of the lane was an open-air courtyard, cold drinks, familiar faces and, most importantly, live music.

The Tuna didn't become one of Key West's favorite music spots because it had the biggest location or the most prominent address. It happened organically. Musicians played there, locals supported it, visitors discovered it and came back, and over the years that courtyard developed its own unmistakable personality.

That's why seeing Smokin’ Tuna return is about much more than another bar opening on Duval Street.

The new Tuna opens September 3 at 313 Duval Street, moving into the historic mansion that was home to Hard Rock Cafe Key West for nearly three decades.

And what an opportunity this is.

A homegrown Key West music venue that built its reputation down a little side lane now gets one of the most recognizable locations on Duval Street.

The new Smokin’ Tuna brings the music with it, with a larger stage, outdoor spaces, new bars, balcony seating and plenty of room for the musicians who helped make the original Tuna what it became.

Familiar parts of the Tuna are coming along too. Favorite food items are returning, the Tuna Cam is being installed, well-behaved dogs are welcome on the patio, and live music is once again at the center of the experience.

For Key West, that last part may be the most exciting.

Our local musicians are part of what makes this island different. They're the music drifting down Duval in the afternoon, the songwriter you stop to hear unexpectedly and the band that turns one drink into an entire evening.

Every good stage matters.

Having Smokin’ Tuna return with an even bigger opportunity to showcase local musicians is something worth celebrating.

And the timing couldn't be much better.

The doors open during the Just a Few Friends celebration honoring Jimmy Buffett, giving the new Tuna an opening weekend filled with music and people who understand just how important live music is to Key West.

The opening schedule brings familiar performers to the stage throughout the weekend, while the Second Line Parade travels down Duval on Sunday. Then on Monday night, Will Kimbrough takes the stage as the Tuna hosts the final party of the Just a Few Friends weekend.

That's a pretty fitting way to start a new chapter.

Those of us who remember walking down Charles Street to find the old Tuna aren't expecting the new place to recreate every inch of what was there before. That's not really how Key West works.

Places evolve.

What matters is keeping the character that made people care about them in the first place.

Smokin’ Tuna built that character at the end of a little lane at 4 Charles Street. Now it has the opportunity to bring that same independent spirit, local music and easygoing Key West atmosphere directly into the heart of Duval Street.

We're lucky to have that opportunity.

We're lucky to have another substantial stage supporting the musicians who give Key West its soundtrack.

And we're very happy to be able to say it again:

Welcome back, Smokin’ Tuna. We've missed you.