Conchiglia Blends Coastal Italian Cooking With Key West Character
The family-owned concept opened in February.
KEY WEST, FL — At 816 Duval Street, Conchiglia brings together coastal Italian cooking, Key West history, and the story of owners Albena Pechakova and Michael Dana. The restaurant opened in February inside a restored conch house, where the owners shaped the space around their connection to Italy and their life in Key West, Dana told Business Debut.
What to Expect
Conchiglia means conch in Italian, a name chosen to connect the restaurant’s Italian inspiration with Key West’s Conch Republic identity. Pechakova and Dana, who were married in Italy and spent summers in Umbria, drew much of the restaurant’s design from the Amalfi Coast, Dana told Business Debut.
The space reflects that connection with blue coastal accents, Amalfi lemon references, Key West limes, tile details and an upside-down boat hanging from the vaulted ceiling as a light fixture. Dana said the team wanted the restaurant to feel like “Key West conch house meets this breezier Amalfi villa.”
The building previously housed Croissants de France. Pechakova and Dana spent about eight months renovating the property, opening up the interior and rebuilding the kitchen, Dana told Business Debut.
Menu and Vision
Executive chef Paolo Galotti, who is from Rome, leads the kitchen at Conchiglia. Dana said Galotti took inspiration from the owners’ coastal Italian vision and built a menu that uses local ingredients through an Italian lens.
The restaurant makes its bread in-house, along with most of its pasta, sauces and dressings. Dana said dishes include local snapper prepared acqua pazza style with clams and broth.
“He really cares about the food and he cares about what goes into the food, but mostly what we’re feeding our clients,” Dana told Business Debut.
Dana said the kitchen also focuses on using ingredients fully, including lobster shells for broth and meat trimmings for sausage, ragù and Bolognese. “We don’t throw away anything,” Dana told Business Debut.
Opening Timeline
Conchiglia opened in February. For Pechakova and Dana, the restaurant followed their move to Key West in 2017 and their purchase of the local Dairy Queen in 2022, Dana told Business Debut.
The couple said opening Conchiglia was a leap of faith, especially as their first full-service restaurant. Pechakova said the process required staying committed to the concept.
“You have to believe in your concept,” Pechakova told Business Debut. “Don’t try to please everyone because then you end up pleasing no one.”
Hours
Conchiglia is open daily from 8 a.m.—2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.—9:30 p.m.
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Ross McWaters
