I had low expectations because I had not heard much about it and it had a 3.6 rating but was surprised by how good it was. Service and food was excellent. I would highly recommend.
Tahir
A Disappointing Decline at The Reef We used to love The Reef. It once felt like a hidden gem in Newport, a great spot for a quality brunch. However, our last two visits have been consistently disappointing, leading us to believe the quality has significantly declined. Our recent meal was a letdown from start to finish. The avocado toast was inedible, served on burnt bread with a thin smear of avocado spread that did nothing to mask the bitter, charred flavor. The eggs Benedict was equally poor, with a heavy, unappealing Hollandaise sauce and limp, "dead" arugula on the side. The lobster wrap was mostly mayo, tasteless, and a far cry from what it should be. Even the coffee was weak and watered down. To make matters worse, the atmosphere was chaotic. A loud mix of live music and music from speakers created a high noise level that made it impossible to relax. For a breakfast that cost over $80, the experience was a complete failure. We can no longer recommend The Reef and suggest diners explore the many other excellent options Newport has to offer.
Cheryl
We ordered the beet salad with berries. It was very good but needed more dressing, not sure there was dressing on it but with the berries it still tasted good. The eggs benedict were excellent, but once again it came with a side of mixed greens with no discernible dressing. I asked for a side of dressing and it was very good. The waitstaff were very attentive and the steel drums made it sound like you were in a caribbean island.
Emily
Food was great! The lobster bisque is a 10/10 recommend getting. Cute water front venue so definitely sit outside. Live music was a hit for our group, would recommend to a friend!
Theresa
Food and service sub par... dinner came out halfway through finishing our appetizers and they just put the plates down and walked away.Server inattentive and food overcooked. It's a nice location on the water, there are plenty of better restaurants to enjoy in Newport.
Darek
There are so many things about this restaurant I love. Our server Siyan made our evening so much better. We've been going to the Reef since they open. The renovation over the year have made the place a great meeting spot and sunset view. She was spot on with recommendations, made us a drink that hasn't been on the menu in years and moved amour table when the bar crowd was on top of our table. Thank you Siyan! Special made drinks and apps were great. Entrees, ok. Not much flavor. With the location right on the water you would expect more/some fish dishes. A baked haddock or cod would be a great addition. Entrees are limited. Prices have increased with popularity.
Monika
Fabulous spot on the water. Lobster roll had too much bread but was delicious! Salmon teriyaki and Cod was super. A bit pricey but it's Newport!
Rachelle
Our waitress was great. However, a few things: she asked to take our order without providing the specials. Also, for some reason, there is never any mention of a raw bar when I have gone to this place. One would think that the restaurant would want as much fast turnover of this fresh seafood as possible, and it's a great way to get people to spend more money. When I asked her if it was available, she said yes, but that they were short on menus. I would say that the restaurant should either take a minute to get more menus or direct the waitstaff to inform guests of the availability of this pricey commodity! The last time we were there, the outside bartender had a noticeable mental breakdown in front of all the guests. The other female bartender did her best, but service was spotty at best for most of the experience. Eventually, he left and was replaced, which was definitely the right thing to do, but it took a while, which is understandable. Also, no mention of raw bar that night either. We just happened to see someone else eating it. Our food took an extremely long time to come, and when it did, the ice was almost completely melted under the oysters, which had clearly been sitting there a while. I think that night the restaurant was completely overbooked, and they were just doing their best. Overall, the restaurant has a ton of potential if they can work out their staffing issues and let guests know about the availability of raw bar and specials.
barry
Server had no knowledge of menu, specials, preparations. Very unattentive & no follow up. Food prepared differently than menu descriptions, ie flatbread with heirloom tomato carpaccio came with a few 1/2 cherry tomatoes!! Swordfish very dry with no taste. Never offered dessert but just brought the check !!
Manuel
Luke was a great waiter, food and drinks were always timely! Luke had great suggestions for both drinks and food choices. Over was a great experience! Highly recommend for a nice date night choice!
I took my mom to eat there for her birthday, we were sat at a table far from everyone else which was okay with us as the ambience in the area was nice. Because of the weather it grew darker in the restaurant & the waitress put lamps on all the empty tables around us except for ours and when we asked for one too, she said she hadn't wanted to interrupt our conversation. We were just having normal conversation, and interrupting to make sure we had enough light to see before the food came would've been totally appropriate, especially since she would need to “interrupt” us to bring the food, anyway. It was just strange. As we were leaving we noticed all the empty tables had small dishes with oil, as if for dipping bread which we were not offered, either. The vent above our table also started dripping water onto our table, and the waitress told us to just push the table over, which would've honestly been fine had it been the sole inconvenience, but it was not. When we left we received no acknowledgement from the 3 staff all standing at the entrance despite saying “thank you!” to them, and still having left a generous tip >20%. Not totally sure if this was racially influenced, as my mom and I are Dominican, but we felt unseen and overlooked during our time there. The food was good and the ambience was nice, but the service could've been much better. We won't be returning.
Faith
Food was good. Service was excellent. The sunset (although obscured by boats) was still priceless.
Gabriel
Very accommodating. We showed up 30 minutes early and gave us a seat that we enjoyed. Food was solid.
Kim
Food was pretty good- loved the turmeric shrimp dish. Drinks were awesome . Service was slow but they were all very nice ! Didn't seem to be many people in the place dining. It was a Tuesday.
Patrick Yukman
Great service here! We had Siyan as our waiter and she couldn't have been warmer or funnier. Even moved us when we found our table wobbled. A lovely evening all around.
I had low expectations because I had not heard much about it and it had a 3.6 rating but was surprised by how good it was. Service and food was excellent. I would highly recommend.
A Disappointing Decline at The Reef We used to love The Reef. It once felt like a hidden gem in Newport, a great spot for a quality brunch. However, our last two visits have been consistently disappointing, leading us to believe the quality has significantly declined. Our recent meal was a letdown from start to finish. The avocado toast was inedible, served on burnt bread with a thin smear of avocado spread that did nothing to mask the bitter, charred flavor. The eggs Benedict was equally poor, with a heavy, unappealing Hollandaise sauce and limp, "dead" arugula on the side. The lobster wrap was mostly mayo, tasteless, and a far cry from what it should be. Even the coffee was weak and watered down. To make matters worse, the atmosphere was chaotic. A loud mix of live music and music from speakers created a high noise level that made it impossible to relax. For a breakfast that cost over $80, the experience was a complete failure. We can no longer recommend The Reef and suggest diners explore the many other excellent options Newport has to offer.
We ordered the beet salad with berries. It was very good but needed more dressing, not sure there was dressing on it but with the berries it still tasted good. The eggs benedict were excellent, but once again it came with a side of mixed greens with no discernible dressing. I asked for a side of dressing and it was very good. The waitstaff were very attentive and the steel drums made it sound like you were in a caribbean island.
Food was great! The lobster bisque is a 10/10 recommend getting. Cute water front venue so definitely sit outside. Live music was a hit for our group, would recommend to a friend!
Food and service sub par... dinner came out halfway through finishing our appetizers and they just put the plates down and walked away.Server inattentive and food overcooked. It's a nice location on the water, there are plenty of better restaurants to enjoy in Newport.
There are so many things about this restaurant I love. Our server Siyan made our evening so much better. We've been going to the Reef since they open. The renovation over the year have made the place a great meeting spot and sunset view. She was spot on with recommendations, made us a drink that hasn't been on the menu in years and moved amour table when the bar crowd was on top of our table. Thank you Siyan! Special made drinks and apps were great. Entrees, ok. Not much flavor. With the location right on the water you would expect more/some fish dishes. A baked haddock or cod would be a great addition. Entrees are limited. Prices have increased with popularity.
Fabulous spot on the water. Lobster roll had too much bread but was delicious! Salmon teriyaki and Cod was super. A bit pricey but it's Newport!
Our waitress was great. However, a few things: she asked to take our order without providing the specials. Also, for some reason, there is never any mention of a raw bar when I have gone to this place. One would think that the restaurant would want as much fast turnover of this fresh seafood as possible, and it's a great way to get people to spend more money. When I asked her if it was available, she said yes, but that they were short on menus. I would say that the restaurant should either take a minute to get more menus or direct the waitstaff to inform guests of the availability of this pricey commodity! The last time we were there, the outside bartender had a noticeable mental breakdown in front of all the guests. The other female bartender did her best, but service was spotty at best for most of the experience. Eventually, he left and was replaced, which was definitely the right thing to do, but it took a while, which is understandable. Also, no mention of raw bar that night either. We just happened to see someone else eating it. Our food took an extremely long time to come, and when it did, the ice was almost completely melted under the oysters, which had clearly been sitting there a while. I think that night the restaurant was completely overbooked, and they were just doing their best. Overall, the restaurant has a ton of potential if they can work out their staffing issues and let guests know about the availability of raw bar and specials.
Server had no knowledge of menu, specials, preparations. Very unattentive & no follow up. Food prepared differently than menu descriptions, ie flatbread with heirloom tomato carpaccio came with a few 1/2 cherry tomatoes!! Swordfish very dry with no taste. Never offered dessert but just brought the check !!
Luke was a great waiter, food and drinks were always timely! Luke had great suggestions for both drinks and food choices. Over was a great experience! Highly recommend for a nice date night choice!
Restaurantji Recommends
I took my mom to eat there for her birthday, we were sat at a table far from everyone else which was okay with us as the ambience in the area was nice. Because of the weather it grew darker in the restaurant & the waitress put lamps on all the empty tables around us except for ours and when we asked for one too, she said she hadn't wanted to interrupt our conversation. We were just having normal conversation, and interrupting to make sure we had enough light to see before the food came would've been totally appropriate, especially since she would need to “interrupt” us to bring the food, anyway. It was just strange. As we were leaving we noticed all the empty tables had small dishes with oil, as if for dipping bread which we were not offered, either. The vent above our table also started dripping water onto our table, and the waitress told us to just push the table over, which would've honestly been fine had it been the sole inconvenience, but it was not. When we left we received no acknowledgement from the 3 staff all standing at the entrance despite saying “thank you!” to them, and still having left a generous tip >20%. Not totally sure if this was racially influenced, as my mom and I are Dominican, but we felt unseen and overlooked during our time there. The food was good and the ambience was nice, but the service could've been much better. We won't be returning.
Food was good. Service was excellent. The sunset (although obscured by boats) was still priceless.
Very accommodating. We showed up 30 minutes early and gave us a seat that we enjoyed. Food was solid.
Food was pretty good- loved the turmeric shrimp dish. Drinks were awesome . Service was slow but they were all very nice ! Didn't seem to be many people in the place dining. It was a Tuesday.
Great service here! We had Siyan as our waiter and she couldn't have been warmer or funnier. Even moved us when we found our table wobbled. A lovely evening all around.
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