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The Reef
Categories: Restaurants Caribbean Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Caribbean, Breakfast & Brunch
1018 Commercial DrVancouver, BC V5L 3W9
Neighbourhoods: Grandview-Woodlands, The Drive
(604) 568-5375
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 11 pm
Fri 11 am - 12 am
Sat 10 am - 12 am
Sun 10 am - 11 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
44 reviews for The Reef
Review Highlights
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"Johnny Cakes) Buttery, warm and delicious." In 17 reviews -
"They've got an amazing ginger beer too." In 5 reviews -
"...really amazing, and the jamaica me crabby is tied with the..." In 2 reviews
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44 reviews in English
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Review from cat h.
Vancouver, BC
3/10/2012
Dark rum and ginger beer with delicious plantain chips served by a very lovely waitress.....followed by a free treat, some kind of huge ball thing with a spicy dip sauce that was a nice surprise....then topped off with the most succulent, taste sensation that is salt fish and ackee. I was super impressed with the food,atmosphere was a little quiet but they had a cool DJ and all the staff were great. Reasonably priced bottles of wine too which is always a good thing. Any pointers....maybe play reggae tunes to give the full Caribbean flavour.....but the DJ was fab all the same. They should be careful with those amazing free treats they give...they are sooooo big that it may put people off ordering 2 mains.
Going back soon..... -
Review from Giovanna G.
5/7/2012 4 photos
Stepping inside The Reef will take you back to the Islands, man. The place has a colorful interior, bamboo decor and reggae music playing in the background. Friday night at 7pm was packed. Our party of 4 was seated in a booth by the window. It was so tight! There was no wiggle room. I had to get up and stretch my legs at one point because it was starting to cramp up. If I was uncomfortable, imagine the 3 guys I was with. Their bellies were touching the table and these were average sized guys.
The menu is a bit confusing and some dishes seemed repetitive. The food was okay. I enjoyed the coconut prawns and jerk chicken wings the best but it was nothing special. I wasn't a fan of the gravy that came with the poutine. It was salty, thick and had the consistency of BBQ sauce. I think I'll stick with traditional poutine. We also had the Trini Roti with spicy jerk chicken curry filling. Again, it was okay. More potatoes than chicken. I'm used to thicker more flavorful curries.
Overall, good place to hang out and have some drinks. With so many choices on Commercial, this place will have to step it up to keep it up. -
Review from Felicity D.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 5/23/2012
ok, i'm docking this place 1 star because of the waiter that served me the last time i went here. i came in alone in the middle of the afternoon. the only other people in the restaurant were two girls sitting at the bar that were either friends of the waiter or possibly employees that were off shift. i was definitely given the impression that i was putting the waiter out by taking him away from his social time with the girls at the bar. every time he came towards my table he spoke to me in this strange, put-on, overly friendly (like stagey) used-car-salesman voice and he made a point of commenting on the fact that i was ordering only a salad (oh! how HEALTHY of you! - in that weird voice, like he was projecting to an audience... for some reason it made my skin crawl). at one point i asked about a coffee or an espresso, and he strongly recommended the drip coffee, said it was very fresh, he had just brewed it (for the empty restaurant? the girls at the bar weren't drinking coffee) and even though i really felt he was pushing the drip so he wouldn't have to bother with making an espresso drink, i ordered a cup of the drip. of course, when it arrived it was bitter, dull, and flat... obviously hours old. when i got the bill, the coffee wasn't on it, maybe an oversite, but i expect he noticed that i only took two sips of it before pushing it away and knew exactly why. on a lighter note, my salad was very tasty and exactly what i had hoped for.
1 Previous Review:
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3/10/2012
Love the plantain chips and the akee and saltfish. PLUS great rum selection.
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Review from Megan S.
11/17/2011
I really like this place, but I'll admit upfront that it's one of three Commercial Drive restaurants that my husband and I disagree on (the others being Havana's and Bandidas - he loves them, I'm a "meh" at best...and the other way around at The Reef). So perhaps because of that, we don't come here very often - however...
We came here last night with a group of 6, and had a really great time. The decor/ambiance of the place is really cool, you feel as though you've been transported to a cozy beachside restaurant in the Caribbean. I would almost go as far as to call it romantic, but that would only work if my husband were as happy as me to be there ;)
They offer great drink specials every day ($4 highballs on Wednesdays, yes please!) and have really reasonable prices for beer and wine. The complementary Johnny cakes are always delicious, and were a big hit among those in our group who hadn't been to The Reef before.
I had the vegan west indian ital curry and it was really yummy - lots of flavour but very little heat (this may be a point of contention among the heat-seekers, but each table is well-equipped with hot sauce for those who like it spicy). Others ordered the mo-ca burger, the quesadilla, the tacos and the trini roti - everyone was happy.
When we come here for brunch I always get the curried crab cake benny topped with their famous citrus hollandaise - it's a great paring with the seafood and cuts the heaviness of the hollandaise nicely.
My other go-to dish (which is served all-day, and I've had it for breakfast, lunch AND dinner) is the vegan jerk tofu, which comes with coleslaw, rice and peas. The jerk sauce is DIVINE, very complex with just the perfect amount of heat. The tofu steaks are marinated and grilled, and they get a nice little crust on them...so, so good.
The one issue for me that is always a problem here, no matter when we come, is that the service is very, very slow. Although the staff are always friendly and competent, there never seems to be enough people working. A few of us had to wait far too long for our second drink last night, and getting/paying our bills for 6 people became a long, drawn-out process...borderline painful.
That said, I'll keep coming back, no doubt about it. -
Review from Ellen L.
11/20/2011
In terms of food, it's a toss-up between 3 and 4 stars. But the cool mellow vibe bumps it up.
My go-to has been the Dominica Beef ($16). The beef has never been overcooked and marinated with a lot of flavour. I've had chicken dishes here before and thought they were very dry. Note that they offer a variety of hot sauces - just ask. Not the most amazing food, but we're all here to have a good time mon. -
Review from Emily-Anne P.
Vancouver, BC
7/16/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I'm a big fan of the Reef, but it falls into the category of one of those places that I only go to about once a year for the Jerk Chicken.
It's always perfectly roasted with the right amount of jerk sauce, a nice mix of rice and beans and a lovely, light, fresh coleslaw.
I'm not actually convinced I've had anything else on the menu but if any of it is as good as the jerk chicken then you're set.
This location has a really great patio that is perfect for people watching on a nice sunny day a long the drive. The staff are all really friendly and accommodating if you want to mix it up a bit or want to create your own random drink.
They've got an amazing ginger beer too! -
Review from Rachael T.
Toronto, ON
4/4/2011
Don't really get a chance to go to Commercial Drive often, so this was a pretty good opportunity to get some good eats when we decided to meet a friend for brunch, and they were in this area.
I picked the Reef because their menu looked like it had a great variety of options, and these johnny cakes seemed to be the talk of the town.
Walking in around 1pm on a nice afternoon, the restaurant was not that full (that didn't last long). The four of us wanted to sit at a booth, but it was a little snug. After looking at all the options - I opted to get the crab cake benny - with hollandaise on the side. Who doesn't love crab cakes right? A Callaloo benny and two kitty scramblers were ordered by the guys, along with two pineapple shakes.
Believe it or not, the pineapple shakes were super refreshing, not overly sweet and had chunks of pineapple in it. Nice addition to the meal.
The johnny cakes for us this morning (complimentary) had pieces of mango in them. These deep dried dough, that came along with coconut butter tasted like apple pie from McDonald's ... yum (my favourite food). There was this sweetness to it that just tasted so good.
The meals came out fairly quickly as I was finishing the last bite of my johnny cake. Mounds of colour in our meals, like a beautiful art palette - to match the caribbean feel in the restaurant. The boys rarely said anything as they scarfed down their scramblers. I was never even offered any and I always get offered a bite at least! Definitely means that the food was good! I was told that the callaloo benny was also very good, every last bite eaten, and the citrus holandaise was different, but equally good.
The flavours on my crab cake benny was exotic - caribbean style, although I didn't feel like I was actually eating crab cake. It just felt like textured flavours, if you know what I mean. To be honest, I felt that the crab cake was very thin and a little soggy looking, no where did I actually taste "crab". It was still good nonetheless!
Heard the drinks get strong so if you need a good buzzzz... well you know :)Listed in: Brunch'n Eggs, French Toast,…
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Review from Shannon B.
Coquitlam, BC
10/28/2010
I had heard many good things about The Reef so one day a friend and I decided to go check it out for brunch.
When we got there it was surprisingly empty, considering it was about 2pm on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We were seated inside and ordered some drinks (Caesars). About 10 minutes later the waitress came back to confirm our drink order; she hadn't actually started making them yet and had forgotten what we ordered. Even then she still made the wrong drinks.
After perusing the menu for a few minutes we decided on our brunch and waited for the waitress to take our order. And waited. And waited. I could understand waiting that long if it was busy, but there was only one other table of people inside and maybe two people sitting on the patio.
Our food (Island of Eggs and Sam Lords Breakfast) was pretty good, although nothing special. The decor was kind of cute, but the service was very disappointing. The waitress appeared to be very tired or hungover. While I'm not going to give someone shit for enjoying their Saturday night, it still ruined my experience and I probably will not be going back there any time soon.Listed in: The shitlist
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Review from Maya M.
North Vancouver, BC
3/20/2011
Went to Reef last night on Commercial Drive and had a "nice" meal. I love the atmosphere in there; bustling, busy, happy with some excellent Reggae music. We were sat at the last table available and when we left around 8:30 there was a small group of people waiting to be seated (The Reef does not accept reservations, btw). Four stars for atmosphere!
The service.... not so great. Granted I completely understand when it's a busy Saturday night the service is not going to be at it's best but my expectations are pretty high considering most server's expectations for minimum tips are pretty high. Our server walked past our table many many times without stopping and seemed either overwhelmed with how busy it was or...? I had to chase him down at the bar a couple of times when I needed something. Not so great.
What I will say is that the kitchen staff is super fast! Knowing how busy it was and seeing a large group order right before us, we were expecting our food to take over half an hour to arrive but it was literally less than fifteen minutes which was pretty impressive. Five stars!
Finally, the quality of food. It was quite good although not what I was expecting for jerk flavor. I have never had saucy jerk before; usually it's been a dry rub. I don't know which is "right" but I prefer the dry rub and that's not what you get at The Reef. The jamacian patties were also much different than what I have had in the past. Veggies were super fresh though including tomatoes which I hear are hard to come by these days.
All in all, had the service been friendlier and better in general, I would definitely plan on returning soon to check out the other items on the menu. Instead, I may try the Main Street location, maybe not.
And that is my review of The Reef! -
Review from DARCY M.
Vancouver, BC
1/27/2011
My recent visit, my wife and I had great food and service. We went during dine out Vancouver so it was well priced to boot.
Went one other time and it was still pretty good food but was just more impressed with the meal during dine out Vancouver. -
Review from Amy T.
5/2/2011
I love the whole Caribbean vibe of this restaurant. Unfortunately, the food and drinks can use a lot of work.
My favorite thing is the complimentary deep fried cornbread. (Johnny Cakes) Buttery, warm and delicious.
Dirty martini was poorly made and tasted like salt water. I asked the drink to be remade, but it tasted just as bad as the first. I ended up ordering a beer.
Crab cakes were oily and falling apart. Not a fan.
Salad with jerk chicken was too dry and not appetizing.
Yam fries were perfectly cut, blanched, seasoned and fried. A must order item on the menu.
The service is usually just so-so as well. But I'd stop by again if I feel like Johnny Cakes and yam fries. -
Review from Sara M.
12/3/2010
I have had brunch at the Drive location a few times now. I am never blown away, but I am never disappointed. I am consistently satisfied.... which is a pretty good thing.
The service is always great. Pretty much all of the menu options are easily made into a veggie meal. Everything is priced reasonably. Aaaand the mango johnny cake things rolled in sugar are always a delight.
I was just there this past Saturday and had the smoothie special. Now given I am a bit of a nerd, BUT my smoothie came with a paper umbrella in it and it made my day. Adorable little touch on top of an already super tasty treat. -
Review from Irena L.
4/25/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I give this place 4 jerked stars! Jamaica me crabby, jerked salmon benny, jerked chicken wrapped in a roti = delicious! And Johnnycakes! OMG! Loved them!
Relaxed atmosphere, great service, good OCEANWISE food options...
I fell in love with this restaurant in Victoria; I was happily ever after when I found out we have The Reef in Vancouver too. And not just one, but two locations!
Great for dinner and brunch! Cool cocktails as well.
Go there! If nothing else, you gotta try johnnycakes! -
Review from Rachel W.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 9/29/2010
Ok last time I went to the Reef I gave it a good review but mentioned that in my opinion, the restaurant didn't really specialize in one special dish because so many regions were represented on the menu. That being said, still a good place and everything I've had there has always been good, just nothing 'wow!!'
I recently went back because I do like this place. This time I ordered the Ackee and Saltfish for the first time here. It was really great and they've renewed the wooh for me. Next time I go there I'm definitely ordering that, some Johnny Cakes & a rum punch & set! Perfect meal....1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/9/2009
The Reef offers great ambiance and good variety of Caribbean dishes to try. Great positive place to… Read more »
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Review from Vincci L.
7/20/2010
I like the Reef on Main Street. I don't like this location so much.
Ambiance: the Reef here seems like it's been renovated from a diner but they didn't really do much renovating. The seats are of the tacky plastic booth kind, in tacky teal color. Not really Carribean. There's no cool Palm tree in the corner, not really any funky decor. The best thing is probably the DJ booth, which had some coconut shells on it.
Food: their menu is essentially the same as the other location. Coconut prawns were yummy, wish there was more than 4. Crab cakes were alright, not too much crab meat but the flavour was ok. Plaintain chips were nice and crispy, but we did lots of crispy bits of nothing. Chicken tacos. To say the truth, I've had better ones from Taco Bell.
Drinks: they make any of their cocktails into pitchers, so we decided to celebrate Saturday with a pitcher of the ABC mango cocktail. Now this is something. Rum, Curacao, and lime and mango slush! Delicious!
Service: Bad. I would mention her name here but I feel that this review shouldn't be a personal attack but I am still going to list why I wasn't happy with her. After we were seated, it took her at least 10 minutes to give us water or asked us what we wanted to drink. Waited another 15 minutes until we got more attention, when we were ready to order the food a long time ago and tried to make eye contact with her on numerous occasions. Her excuse? "Your menus were still open so I didn't think you were ready." Barely any service throughout the meal, our table was small and filled with four empty place. She could care less to clean some up.
So that sums up my experience here. The server kind of ruined the night, as she wasn't too friendly either. With the countless restaurants on Commercial, I think I'll be going elsewhere next time. -
Review from Salim H.
6/25/2011
Well the food is okay, but I found the staff to be really nice. Dont order the yam fries, they are super large and not very yummy, other than that, food is decent. The ambience is great, wonderful reggae music in the background with the live dj, and the service is quite quick. They could spice the flavours a little more, but its a great place for a gathering, and for drinks. Their house ginger beer is quite intense, really clears up your chest.
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Review from Janice F.
11/8/2008
I'd give it a 2.5 stars for the food, but 3 stars for the vacation vibe and extensive rum collection.
The best thing on the menu isn't even on the menu - it's the complimentary Johnny Cakes - two deep fried cornbread-like fritters that are delish, served in a colourful beach bucket pail with sweet whipped butter.. I would've been happy just eating these and ordering a Mojita (raspberry rum with the usual mojito ingredients)
Unfortunately, we did order two underwhelming entrees - the Bajan fried chicken was bone-dry even doused in gravy. Served with yam fries that were limp, oily and generally unappetizing. The goat roti was a huge burrito portion, but the filling was a mashed potato mess of dry meat and not much else.
Walking in on a Friday night at 6:30 pm, it was packed by the time we left with people lining up for tables. -
Review from Mya N.
Langley, BC
11/13/2010
The Reef is so blacklisted after my experience last night. Service was horrible! Food was crap and waaaaay over seasoned.
We had resos for 6:30pm on a Friday night, thinkin it'll be busy. The place was pretty much empty but it still took 2 confusing servers to seat us, after we stood awkwardly in the front for a while. I can see a "reserved" sign on a booth so why it was so difficult I'll never understand. We had a show to go to at 8pm so we immediately ordered drinks and appies. Why the appies took a million years is another thing I can't understand. 35 mins go by before we asked our server what's up. She said it's only been 28 mins according to her. Ok... so why the eff is it taking so long for some prawns and tacos when the place isn't even that busy? Urrgh! Even the drink refills took forever... how hard is it to pour a shot of rum into a glass?
Food finally comes and we literally scarf it down to get outta there in time. The coconut prawns were typical frozen crap you can get from the supermarket. The jerk chicken tacos were the saltest things I've ever put in my mouth. OMG it was beyond salty!! Everyone agreed it was disgusting.
Won't be coming back here ever. If not for the complimentary Johnny Cakes and mojitos, the Reef would be another food chain that's growing shittier with every passing moment. FAIL! -
Review from Claudia L.
Burnaby, BC
7/22/2009
Two words: Johnny. Cakes
A baritone voice, staccato: "I want myyyyyy johnny cakes, johnny cakes, johnny cakes, I want myyyyyy johnny cakes, johnny cakes, johnny cakes... "
A tenor voice: "The Reeeeeeef's joooohnnnyy caaaakes....The Reeeeeef's johnny caaaaaakes"
A Basso profondo voice: "whipped butter"
I love this place for many reasons but mainly because they introduced me to johnny cakes. Deep fried donutty goodness that you can slather in butter? I fantasize about a cereal version of these cakes every time I hear Bob Marley on the radio.
The Reef offers a glimpse into Caribbean cuisine with a bumping atmosphere conducive to drinking and conversation budded with laughter. Their menu includes an array of sustainable OceanWise seafood choices, vegetarian dishes and carnivorous treats. The theme is hot 'n spicy so be ready to water it down with some yummy cocktails.
Okay. I lied.
One more word.
Mojita.
A girly version of a mojito? Served in a pitcher? With the refreshing twist of raspberries and mint? Bathe me waitress. Bathe. Me. -
Review from MIchael P.
Burnaby, BC
3/22/2011
Wow, I love this place! where else can you get good quality comfort food for such reasonable prices. I love the atmosphere, especially on rainy Vancity days, takes me away to warmer places. Then again it's patio is sun drenched during summer, so any time is a good time!
The food is affordable, and plenty of veggie options which I enjoy. I am so happy to get a great meal and a pint or two for a decent price( hard to find nowadays with HST in play) Gotta go with the Roti, tremendous! also a great place to get some good seafood. The Beer selection is decent, while the rum selection is excellent! I love the fact if it is not a Caribbean beer (red stripe, Carib) it's local micro brews...not a Molson in sight!
Service can be very Commercial drive at times, I will leave this up to personal interpretation, but most of the staff are great people. I have been fortunate enough to get to know a few of them and I can tell ya if you get Daniel, Amanda, or Satya, your in good hands. The manager, Claudine most be the hardest working gal in show biz! she is always buzzing about and trying her darnedest to get fun and interesting nights/events together, such as RUM Nights.
I was going to to give the Reef four stars, only 'cause they took Guinness off tap and stopped carrying Meridale cider...maybe that can change? -
Review from Roanna Z.
7/19/2009
Well, I don't know what everyone has been whining about. I found the food to be full of character! Okay it took almost an hour to get, but you know how the herb will slow ya down a bit and we weren't tryin' to catch a movie or anything, so I didn't care.
The weather is warm and I'm outside, I'm on a patio listening to some live D.J. Island rap (loud, repetitive....) -what ever, it's all part of the ambiance for me. I'm drinking Rum out of a coconut with a straw, and there's an umbrella in my drink! We've got these doughnutty "Johnny Cakes" in a bucket -that I should not be eating, but I don't care!
Our waitress is sweet and yes there are some pretty strange people passin' by. There will be freaks. That's life. I don't care.
I'd say I had a good time sitting under that Accatia Tree or what ever that is that has these weird leaves with little stems and flowers that have fallen all over the patio and look like they have been placed there by fairies.
Anyways, the grub is good. The Rum is good. The service--well, it's not her fault they're all so stoned they can't move, back in the kitchen ;) -
Review from Michael H.
Calgary, AB
10/3/2010
Food okay. I had the salted fish, which was pretty good, though the rice and coleslaw left something to be desired. (Is coleslaw really a Caribbean side dish? I don't know, you folks tell me. I wouldn't have guessed it to be. Maybe it is though. Not something expected, at any rate.) My dining partner had the quesadillas, again not something I associate with the Caribbean, but who knows, maybe some tiny island state off the coast of Nicaragua specializes in quesadillas as a national dish.
Felt mildly offended by the cutesy Jamaican accents on menu headings (tings instead of things.) Not a necessary touch to transport me to the flavours of the region.
Service was pretty good and all the food and drinks came out at a good pace. -
Review from Sarah O.
5/7/2009 1 photo
I swear Ras Trent hangs out here.
"Last week I read a book
about Selassie I
told my bombaclot parents
I was switching religions.
Have you ever noticed
how ball-heads suck?
ba-da-da ding-ding-ding-ding
dong-dang ding-dong duck
excuse I for my skanking
give thanks and praise
me toil part-time
at jah Cold Stone Creamery"
Chicken is dry and not succulent like jerk chicken is suppose to be. Weird posers seem to hang out here. I guess there really isn't much exposure to "ethnic" people in Western Canada but it seemed like the workers thought they were super cool because they worked at a Caribbean place. Too cool to talk to me and serve me a drink. However, I'm ok with coming back here for some rum and plantain chips but you can serve me on the patio, thank you.Listed in: The Drive
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Review from Miranda L.
Vancouver, BC
8/1/2010
It's a little known fact that in addition to providing a great place for tasty drinks and food, The Reef is able to provide outside catering.
It's an even littler known fact that said outside catering is really, really fabulous and at extremely reasonable rates!
We had The Reef cater a pile of appies (the most delicious of which were the coconut prawns, which are also not to be missed in the restaurant) and they were super fabulous to work. Simon replied quickly to our request, was great at providing suggestions, the food was delicious and enjoyed by our guests, everything was on time, and Simon even took the time to check in after the event to make sure it all went as planned.
We will DEFINITELY be using these guys for future events, and recommend them hands down! Their catering info is on their website, and they do everything from picnic lunches to weddings for hundreds.
Enjoy! -
Review from Renee C.
4/9/2010
I've gotta be honest, the johnny cakes bumped my rating up to a 4 star. Although I like this restaurant, and often bring my out-of-towner people here - cool atmosphere, different food, good music - the food isn't what I would call awesome. Its good. But not awesome. The Johnny cakes, however....Awe.Some.
The jerk chicken is pretty good (big plate), and I enjoy the coconut-yness of the Island Thyme Chicken. The plantain appetizer is very filling. And the drinks...well...what can I say, I love rum boozy concoctions that take me to a warmer and more tropical mental place. -
Review from Jeremy C.
8/20/2011
Approachable staff, good food, reasonable price, and some interesting twists on classic Carribean dishes. I appreciated the Indian influence. Also had a very nice ginger beer here.
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Review from Louise G.
Updated - 3/22/2010 4 photos
Service here leaves much to be desired.
One of our companions had to take it upon himself to direct our server in order to get us served.
We had to request more cutlery. We asked twice what was in the johnnycakes. Never got a correct answer. We had to ask for more water. We had to ask for one of our entrees after 3 of the 4 were delivered and then he forgot about it. OOOOPs!!! Was a very slow afternoon. No excuse for it!!!
Decent bennys (specialty Reef-themed bennys)..... nothing special. Fries that accompanied the brunch were way too greasy.
Disappointing.Listed in: West Indian Survivial Guide
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/16/2009
The Reef is decent: in strict order, one goes there for the ambience; then the cocktails; and then… Read more »
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Review from Simon R.
BC
11/11/2008 1 photo
The Reef is a successful Caribbean restaurant with many delicious things like jerk chicken, fish coated in mango, and quesadillas that are much more complicated than the ones you make at home.
Good service, excellent food, and of course a wide selection of tropical drinks like pina coladas, raspberry mojitos, banana smoothies and the most feminine of all, ginger beer.
The best part is the Johnnycakes, deep fried balls of sweet dough whispered with coconut and served as complimentary appetizers with mango butter. I deliberately used the word "whispered" to hint at how very special they really are. -
Review from Ayla C.
Vancouver, BC
4/11/2010
I'm throwing it out there: I LOVE The Reef. I went for the first time in September 09 and have been hooked ever since. I've had one bad brunch there, where the service was slow and the food imperfect, but seeing as I've been there 20+ times, I'm ok with one glitch.
The johnny cakes are phenomenal; doughnut balls filled with mango, or banana in the mornings, and solid and served with delicious butter in the evenings, and best of all free with your meal!
The service is super friendly, and although it can get a little loud in the evenings the atmosphere is vibrant and the decor is funky and relaxing.
The food is absolutely delicious no matter what time of day you go, I recommend the mahi, the mo-ca burger or the bajan fried chicken, but everything I've tried has been fantastic! The crab cakes are really amazing, and the jamaica me crabby is tied with the kitty scrambler for my favourite brunch item.
Go here, relax, have a cocktail, and de-stress. I highly recommend it! -
Review from Gillian F.
North Vancouver, BC
11/4/2009
I first went to The Reef in Victoria and it was pretty good, both the service and the food were great. As well as the free Johnny Cakes.
I went to this location and although the food was pretty great, the service when me and my friends went was pretty slow. However that isn't to say its always like that. None the less it is a great restaurant to try out! Good Jerk Chicken and great drinks! -
Review from Bradley C.
Vancouver, BC
11/7/2009
After picking up our CSA order at the Winter Market, we stopped at The Reef for brunch. What a delight!
First of all, the service was impeccable. Although working the floor entirely alone, with at least 5 other tables to take care of, our waitress gave us quick and personalised service. I was very impressed.
The free johnny cakes were filled with raspberry and cream - to die for!
I really enjoyed the jerk sausage with my yummy hash browns, fantastic whole wheat toast, real strawberry jam, and perfectly poached eggs. The coffee (and refills) was great, too!
Plus, our friends treated us! An absolute pleasure, and I will go back! -
Review from David H.
Vancouver, BC
11/14/2009
The Reef is a great restaurant.
It's funny how you can write such long reviews about the bad restaurants but write short ones for the Good restaurants.
Humans....
Anyways, The Reef is a reat spot for a date, for a family meal, for a reunion with a lost son, its great for anything! AND HERE's WHY!
Their food is great. Johnny Cakes....nuff said! Sooo good. Get the Plantain chips as a starter. Good portion size. Almost TOO big. Very very delicious. I love the unique menu, everything is good. Decnet prices too.
The service is great too. No complaints here.
The only reason I don't give this place 5 stars is because The Commercial Drive location is a little hard to access when you drive. Parking spots are tough to find, and you might have to pay. I know I know, its Vancouver. Just warning ya tho.
All in all, it's a great place there. Take a date there and you will go home together! -
Review from Jordan H.
10/7/2009
The reef could be great. I wish there was more variety in the menu, and that the food wasn't so rich. It's not a bad joint, it's just that it's so hit and miss, sometimes all at once.
When I get brunch, the hollandaise is too rich (never thought i'd say that) and the hash browns are deep fried and super oily. Gross.
The roti is gross. Is that a tortilla?
I had fish once for dinner. Super overcooked. Dry and tasteless.
That being said: The johnny cakes are delicious (especially the fruit filled brunch variety) and I could go broke drinking the passionfruit mimosas. If only the real food was this good.
Lastly, I know this is a Caribbean place, but does anyone actually want to listen to Bob Marley, ever? -
Review from win l.
Vancouver, BC
12/24/2010
Ordered a break fast item that had bacon eggs toast sausage. Over priced for what they charge. Also beware that they charge HST on the tip as well in cases where they automatically charge for parties of 6 or more. Not a huge issue in my case but on a large bill that can add up & but it's really about the principle. We told the server but she was powerless to do anything. Not impressed doubt we'll go there again.
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Review from Emily S.
Vancouver, BC
6/22/2009
Great-tasting food. Why not 5 stars? Let's just say I couldn't handle the jerk chicken heat!! A glass of milk later and I'm feeling better... I couldn't stop eating because it was so good!!
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Review from Mina B.
3/8/2010
aaah.. 3 or 4 stars? 3 or 4 stars?
well... i like this place. quite a bit.
my friends took me here last summer cos they wanted me to try the coconut drink! served in a (plastic) coconut shell with 3 oz of booze for $10. mr gee's rude bwoy! dark rum, triple sec and coconut rum mixed with a bunch of juices. yum! perfect on a hot day.
we came back once more for the drinks and also had something to eat. i forgot what we got but i remember i like it a lot.
our most recent visit was last week. we came in around 2.30pm. we didn't get the menu i remembered from my other visits. i just looked it up on their homepage and what we got was the dinner menu that's supposed to start at 5pm.
my gf and i shared the trini roti with jerk tofu ($9) and the vegetarian jamaican patty with mango chudney ($4). our friend got the kingston quesadilla with jerk tofu ($12) and we all shared a pitcher of sangria ($19)
the food came pretty quick and was delicious. the roti was HUGE and i'm glad we got it to share. the coleslaw was fresh and had a nice dressing (not the creamy kind). the jamaican patty was good and came with ammmmmazing homemade mango chudney. a great deal for 4 bucks.
we didn't get the johnny cakes this time. i was upset. they are just so damn good.
service was good considering the waiter was also the bartender and busser
i wanna try their brunch menu. the callaloo benny sounds amazing.
4 stars but next time i want j-o-h-n-n-y c-a-k-e-s!! -
Review from Tim R.
Vancouver, BC
12/5/2010
I used to really love the Reef, but it's gone downhill.
The main downside is the service. It was never amazing, but it was adequate, and you could get in and out in a decent amount of time. On my last visit I was here for almost 2 hours, between being ignored and waiting for food.
I hope they can turn it around, because I still like their pitchers of mojitos.... -
Review from M L.
Vancouver, BC
8/28/2011
Used to always go just to get their mouth watering ackee & saltfish benedict. They changed the menu to curried crab cakes which was okay. Will go back for their complimentary deep fried dough ball appetizer and interesting cuisine. Like that they support Ocean Wise too.
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Review from Vimi S.
Vancouver, BC
2/3/2009
If you're into a a simply rich decor with a tropical vibe, you should check out this place. The food is amazing and the prices are very reasonable. The staff are welcoming and easygoing and the atmosphere is pretty chill. If you go on a live band night, the milieu is kicked up a notch with a positive edge. The Reef caters to families, artists, hip hoppers, hippies and business folk alike. A diverse place for a diverse crowd. Everything on the menu is under $20 and is incredibly filling and well presented. The banana chips are spectacular!
Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from A S.
7/15/2010
Johnny Cakes are yummy - what buttery fried creation isn't?
Ginger beer is delish. If my whole meal was butter and beer I would be set.
Other food was nothing special. My mahi mahi was not a generous portion and the sauce was bland. Oh and it came with a pile of broccoli with a butter sauce on it - ew!
My friend got a stomach bug right after we left - unsure if it is related...?
