Latest Reviews
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Tried their jerk chicken poutine from their food truck. Not what I was expecting of jerk slices blacken barbecued chicken pieces over fries with chees…
Sarah
The Reef
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Im a huge fan of Caribbean food and I really love knowing where to get the good stuff. Reef Restaurant Main Street The is one of the most solid places…
Erika Golem
The Reef
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I remember the food being really good here so I took the bf for his first time. We came early, about 5pm on a Saturday night. Only a handful of tables…
Nom.nom.nom.
The Reef
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The Reef is open for Casual Dining and Bar. The Reef serves Caribbean dishes. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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8 Reviews on “The Reef”
Im a huge fan of Caribbean food and I really love knowing where to get the good stuff. Reef Restaurant Main Street The is one of the most solid places in Vancouver to keep in mind when youre craving those unique and spicy flavours. They have two locations in the city; one on Main and one on Commercial (and a food truck too!). You might have seen them on You Gotta Eat Here! and Westender named them as #1 Best Caribbean 2017. We decided to visit their Main Street location on a Saturday evening and were immediately welcomed by the warm atmosphere. Even though the weather was cool, the patio out front was warm enough to sit and eat thanks to the heaters. We sat inside though, right next to their toasty wood-burning oven. The vibe is very laid back and the decor is lively and colourful. The space feels very much like a cross between a casual Canadian restaurant and a little joint that you might find in Jamaica. I enjoyed finding things around the room; such as the steel drum and the surfboard hanging above the bar. The server helping us was extremely friendly and accommodating.I wanted a cocktail (and I wanted to feel like I was on a beach!). I really liked how each cocktail is accompanied by the name of the place that its from. I found myself in the De Coconuts section and assumed that getting a beverage served in a coconut was the way to go. I chose The Original Get Juiced Beach Punch (3oz J. Wray overproof, dark & white rum & tropical juices – $12.00) from Jamaica and was ready to get juiced. As promised, a cocktail in a coconut. It was boozy. But in a really great, not too alcohol-tasting way. Just what I was looking for! Refreshing and fruity, this is the perfect way to get juiced, even on a winters day in Canada.I looked to the Small Tings section of the menu and happily found a Jamaican Patty (House made, lightly seasoned ground beef or tofu – $4.00), one of my favourite things. I ordered this with beef inside, of course. This version was nice and obviously made with care. I liked the flaky pastry and the beef inside was savoury and very good. I could have used a little bit more spice. Not the best patty of my life, but pretty good.Next time I would probably favour an order of their incredible Plantain Chips (so thinly sliced and deliciously seasoned!) or the Cheesy Crab Dip… Actually, the Tasting Platter may be the true way to go.For my main dish I ventured to the Caribbean Special Tings section and bee lined on over to the Ackee & Saltfish (Jamaicas national fish of ackee fruit, salt cod, onion, tomato & peppers with rice n peas & coleslaw – $19.00), my favourite Jamaican dish. This was a really excellent version of a dish that I enjoy a lot and have tasted in several different restaurants as well as in Jamaica. Sometimes when I order this I find that there isnt very much fish and that the little fish bits are barely noticeable. Not so in this case, in fact this was probably the best example of beautiful large chunks of fish, bursting with salty flavour! I did not find myself searching for fish at all. It was there, in every bite. The ackee was tender and scrambled egg-like, which sounds weird but becomes an endearing part of the experience. All of the vegetables were bright and fresh. The entire mixture was deliciously oily and a perfect embodiment of this unique dish. The rice on the side was nice (but quite plain) and the coleslaw added a good crunch.Next time I will absolutely be excited to try their Jamaican Jerk Chicken. It sounds like they have an expert recipe for it and I cannot wait to see how it is.Another thing that I appreciated about The Reef are the clearly designated menu items for various dining preferences such as vegetarian or gluten free. They are also partnered with Ocean Wise. And they serve breakfast too! The quality of this Caribbean food is some of the best in town, treat yourself to a tropical vacay on over to this restaurant! erikaeatseverything.com
I remember the food being really good here so I took the bf for his first time. We came early, about 5pm on a Saturday night. Only a handful of tables were sat – which is why I lowered the rating as our service was terrible. The server never brought us the red stripe beer. We finished all our food and then the jerk wings finally came out.. server told us they waited to get ‘fresh one’s.. . Whatever that means. Food was great, roti in particular was our favorite. Maybe do take out here.. because the service needs work.
Not worth the money…..went here for dinner with some friends and the quality has gone down. The oxtail was WAY to salty and the jerk taco was soggy. Which is odd to us since jerk is a dry rub.Customer service was horrible, the waitress forgot alot of the items we had ordered. Would not recommend.
Damn! I really wanted to like this place more… service was excellent and place was fun and cozy – but the food just had minimal flavour… I got the goat roti.. I was disappointed. It really lacked the flavour I was expecting from such a standard dish. Maybe I ordered wrong? Others got various currys and Rotis, tried them all – they just don’t compare to other places like Calabash in gastown. Extra .5 points for the johnny cakes and their dark and stormy. But if I was in the mood for this type of food – I’d look elsewhere.
We did have to wait quite a while for food, but the server was nice about it and even took our drinks off the tab, which was nice. The food itself was a cool, and different experience. I had the tofu jerk, which was spicier than I expected, but still really good. I like the spicy sauce they give on the side for you to pit on as well. Also, the bread with the mango butter was really delicious, though I kind of wish it came with more bread.
The reef has been a successful business for years. When you enter the decor is very cozy and laid back. They have a huge screen in the back to watch sports. Service is adequate and very friendly. My girlfriend and I came here on a Friday night after walking our husky pup. We started with the epenadas. It was good, the sauce is sweet and savory too. She ordered the June feature which is the gumbo. Wow its very comforting and hearty. It was hugging the wild rice nicely. I ordered the Jamaican national dish, the saltfish and ho ho ho Oh my it hit the spot… Now if you like spice like I do, they give a jar of in-house spice sauce. Slap that onto the saltfish and man, it’s a party. Great complement together. Overall, can’t go wrong with this place. Oh I forgot to mention they give you complementary dough ball to start. And at the end of your meal you get a free post card, pretty cool.I’ll come back for happy hour, sounds like a good deal!
One of the few Jamaican restaurants in Vancouver, so we had to check it out. First off, the complimentary Johnny cakes are delicious, make sure to eat them with the butter and hot sauce! We ordered plantain chips, the Jamaican jerk with chicken breast, and also a chicken quesadilla. We loved the plantain chips, although the jerk mayo that comes with it is nothing to get excited about. Both the main courses were wonderful, the jerk chicken was tender and very saucy and went well with the rice n peas. We aren’t big coleslaw fans so cannot say much about the coleslaw. The quesadilla was great as well, but would probably order something different next time. For hot sauce lovers, The Reef has this Carribbean hot sauce called Matouk’s, it truly is the best!Service was good and prices are very fair considering portion sizes, we would recommend!