I made reservation this evening for 8:45pm. Upon being seated, the server proceeded to tell us there was a limited menu available. If the kitchen closes at a specific time, reservations should not be allowed. My wife & I ordered the jerk chicken (we wanted oxtails and curry chicken, neither were available). We asked for extra gravy...what we received was barbecue sauce. Bottled barbecue sauce at that. The chicken was dry and so were the rice & beans. The baked Mac & cheese was basically noodles with cheese on top that was broiled. The only thing that was good was the cabbage. Our meal was overpriced at $100 which included a service charge of roughly $16. The website states the restaurant is 'Tried & True Caribbean Meals - No matter what you choose, you can't go wrong!'. We disagree. My wife is West Indian and for her, this was a terrible experience. We'd heard so many great things about restaurant and we were excited to check it out. After tonight, we just want our money back.
Jamie W.
I share the sentiments of the majority...will never be back. Was in town visiting from out of state and was in the mood for Caribbean food. We (just 2 of us) were seated and no one ever returned to take our order or even bring water. Yet a table with 3 people were seated and had their order taken while we waited. We left after 15 minutes, walked down the block and had an amazing experience from start to end, even met the owner and got a free dessert. I so desire to support black owned establishments but situations like this seem to be too common. Do Better!
Stevvon “Nulejun Da Monsta” Daya
Is just too up and down for me to give it a higher rating. Very inconsistent on reggae night one very inconsistent on reggae night. It could be great one weekend and the next weekend six people. They also do not cater to the people who bring a crowd in. There are certain dancers that people want to see come and dance and they charge them no matter what. That's not good business when they help you
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Chantell Whitfield-Johnson
Was going there because they had hookah but we got there too early to get hookah seating. Decided to wait at the bar because after speaking to the security guard we decided to try the rum punch... IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! After a few more drinks , we ordered food and we were committed to staying! With the dj playing bomb music, we didn't even care about hookah... the vibes were EVERYTHING. We went on a Friday, I going to try back on a Saturday!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Patties, Mussels White Wine and Garlic Butter, Calamari Fritti
jbonnithomas
I’ve been here multiple times over the years I have always enjoyed eating here. But the last time I went I was very disappointed. They now add 18% gratuity on automatically (which I usually give 20% so I was ok with that), but then I get charged sales tax (which again I understand) however I got an almost $15 service fee on top of everything. The receipt said it was food tax and liquor tax and nonsense like that. I think it’s outrageous that they would charge this without warning you before you eat there. I would have chosen another place. With the price of everything being so high that they put on this hefty charge for nonsense. I wouldn’t suggest this place to anyone anymore.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
Tatiana C.
They ran out of a lot of food when we came to visit but the doubles and jerk bbq wings were delish though.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Reef Jerk Chicken
Auhsoj Williams
Everything is Caribbean the drinks are good, food is good… nice place to hang out or go on a date
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brown Stewed Oxtail, Jerk Salmon Cheesesteak
Michelle F.
The music made me want to dance !! I went with my cousin on a Sunday, and the 90's reggae as jumping ! I loved it. The food was great, I got jerk wings as an appetizer, Yum! And Salmon, rice and plantains for my entree. So good !!! We sat at the bar and Calvin (I believe) was very attentive and had a great Jamaican accent We ended our meal with a beautiful piece of cake for my cousin's birthday I will definitely return Oh btw Prices were very reasonable Food delicious Drinks were good Trust me, go there!
Naicker Murrel
The drinks were a hit. Wish the glass was bigger, lol. The food was delicious. We shared the food family style. The crab cakes were not crabcake size. It was more crabcake bites (small little ball). Upstairs lounge was cool, clean and the dj that night was on point. This was overall a chill spot for a Saturday night in Philly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Sultry Traveler
I have been visiting the Reef for almost 10yrs. As of recent, the food has become very subpar to say the least. For starters, the Trini doubles” is not available in chicken and shrimp as advertised on the website. The dish itself, was just chickpeas paste with no seasoning. The jerk chicken cheesesteak was just slightly seasoned chicken in a long roll. I probably won’t be visiting for food in the future. However, the service towards patrons is still very well maintained over the years. If that kitchen gets it together, then that would be great!
They serve watered down, bottom shelf vodka in Ciroc bottles. They charged me a higher price for drinks. I was dressed very well and brought the first round for a few friends. Later one of my friends brought the same rounds and was charged half of what I was charged. $75 for cold hookahThe coals were not preheated even after waited 30 mins. Hookah came with only one tube for 4ppl. This place was the absolute worse bar restaurant. I would rather go to a hole in the wall neighborhood bar than to ever step foot in that pos again.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 2
Official LoverP
First time there eagles vs cowboys & ofc we won… the atmosphere was nothing but love & craziness it was lit. Cal the bartender was amazing !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Enala 4eva
Great food, Great staff, Wonderful Atmosphere. From the hostess the bartender to the wait staff, everyone was friendly and respectful! Our waiter Andrew did an amazing job! They just need to put Yams back on the menu! Food is Fantastic!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dana Angela Alexis Miller
The food was good, but beware that they charge an EXPENSIVE service fee without even telling you. It was just the two of us, and they snuck in a service fee and wanted a tip. They also charged $5 for the smallest fiji water bottles so it cost us $10 since of course they didn’t have that pricing on the menu. A rip off.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Gloria Fludd
The food and service was good but it is Alittle pricey.
I made reservation this evening for 8:45pm. Upon being seated, the server proceeded to tell us there was a limited menu available. If the kitchen closes at a specific time, reservations should not be allowed. My wife & I ordered the jerk chicken (we wanted oxtails and curry chicken, neither were available). We asked for extra gravy...what we received was barbecue sauce. Bottled barbecue sauce at that. The chicken was dry and so were the rice & beans. The baked Mac & cheese was basically noodles with cheese on top that was broiled. The only thing that was good was the cabbage. Our meal was overpriced at $100 which included a service charge of roughly $16. The website states the restaurant is 'Tried & True Caribbean Meals - No matter what you choose, you can't go wrong!'. We disagree. My wife is West Indian and for her, this was a terrible experience. We'd heard so many great things about restaurant and we were excited to check it out. After tonight, we just want our money back.
I share the sentiments of the majority...will never be back. Was in town visiting from out of state and was in the mood for Caribbean food. We (just 2 of us) were seated and no one ever returned to take our order or even bring water. Yet a table with 3 people were seated and had their order taken while we waited. We left after 15 minutes, walked down the block and had an amazing experience from start to end, even met the owner and got a free dessert. I so desire to support black owned establishments but situations like this seem to be too common. Do Better!
Is just too up and down for me to give it a higher rating. Very inconsistent on reggae night one very inconsistent on reggae night. It could be great one weekend and the next weekend six people. They also do not cater to the people who bring a crowd in. There are certain dancers that people want to see come and dance and they charge them no matter what. That's not good business when they help you
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Was going there because they had hookah but we got there too early to get hookah seating. Decided to wait at the bar because after speaking to the security guard we decided to try the rum punch... IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! After a few more drinks , we ordered food and we were committed to staying! With the dj playing bomb music, we didn't even care about hookah... the vibes were EVERYTHING. We went on a Friday, I going to try back on a Saturday!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Patties, Mussels White Wine and Garlic Butter, Calamari Fritti
I’ve been here multiple times over the years I have always enjoyed eating here. But the last time I went I was very disappointed. They now add 18% gratuity on automatically (which I usually give 20% so I was ok with that), but then I get charged sales tax (which again I understand) however I got an almost $15 service fee on top of everything. The receipt said it was food tax and liquor tax and nonsense like that. I think it’s outrageous that they would charge this without warning you before you eat there. I would have chosen another place. With the price of everything being so high that they put on this hefty charge for nonsense. I wouldn’t suggest this place to anyone anymore.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
They ran out of a lot of food when we came to visit but the doubles and jerk bbq wings were delish though.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Reef Jerk Chicken
Everything is Caribbean the drinks are good, food is good… nice place to hang out or go on a date
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brown Stewed Oxtail, Jerk Salmon Cheesesteak
The music made me want to dance !! I went with my cousin on a Sunday, and the 90's reggae as jumping ! I loved it. The food was great, I got jerk wings as an appetizer, Yum! And Salmon, rice and plantains for my entree. So good !!! We sat at the bar and Calvin (I believe) was very attentive and had a great Jamaican accent We ended our meal with a beautiful piece of cake for my cousin's birthday I will definitely return Oh btw Prices were very reasonable Food delicious Drinks were good Trust me, go there!
The drinks were a hit. Wish the glass was bigger, lol. The food was delicious. We shared the food family style. The crab cakes were not crabcake size. It was more crabcake bites (small little ball). Upstairs lounge was cool, clean and the dj that night was on point. This was overall a chill spot for a Saturday night in Philly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
I have been visiting the Reef for almost 10yrs. As of recent, the food has become very subpar to say the least. For starters, the Trini doubles” is not available in chicken and shrimp as advertised on the website. The dish itself, was just chickpeas paste with no seasoning. The jerk chicken cheesesteak was just slightly seasoned chicken in a long roll. I probably won’t be visiting for food in the future. However, the service towards patrons is still very well maintained over the years. If that kitchen gets it together, then that would be great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Jerk Chicken Cheesesteak, Chicken Wings
Restaurantji Recommends
They serve watered down, bottom shelf vodka in Ciroc bottles. They charged me a higher price for drinks. I was dressed very well and brought the first round for a few friends. Later one of my friends brought the same rounds and was charged half of what I was charged. $75 for cold hookahThe coals were not preheated even after waited 30 mins. Hookah came with only one tube for 4ppl. This place was the absolute worse bar restaurant. I would rather go to a hole in the wall neighborhood bar than to ever step foot in that pos again.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 2
First time there eagles vs cowboys & ofc we won… the atmosphere was nothing but love & craziness it was lit. Cal the bartender was amazing !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food, Great staff, Wonderful Atmosphere. From the hostess the bartender to the wait staff, everyone was friendly and respectful! Our waiter Andrew did an amazing job! They just need to put Yams back on the menu! Food is Fantastic!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was good, but beware that they charge an EXPENSIVE service fee without even telling you. It was just the two of us, and they snuck in a service fee and wanted a tip. They also charged $5 for the smallest fiji water bottles so it cost us $10 since of course they didn’t have that pricing on the menu. A rip off.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
The food and service was good but it is Alittle pricey.