The Reef

Overpriced and mediocre. Tuna tartar app was great, lobster alla vodka was good, steak and burger were not good. Pricey and atmosphere is okay, but some of the other wharfs have better atmosphere, like Bowen’s. Service was good.

We were greeted and sat immediately when we arrived. We got a great seat inside next to the water and the big glass doors were open so we had an incredible water/yacht view and a beautiful breeze! We ordered the mac and cheese with steak, grilled chicken sandwich (yummy sauce), the chicken skewers and a side Caesar salad. Everything was delicious and there was enough mac and cheese for three with enough left over for three more! Oh and the red sangria was delicious as well, we had to go for seconds! Highly recommend!

My guests were done eating before my entree showed up. I got it packed up to go. No “I’m sorry”, nor did they take the $38 off my bill.

It was a beautiful day to sit outside for an early lunch with our furry friend. Lunch was delicious!

Stale lobster in Newport…multiple order mistakes by the server.

Definitely not what I was expecting. It must be something about the ambience that makes it popular because paying $18 for 3 Carne Asada tacos which came in the same shells as you would purchase at a grocery store and were substandard in their taste was a waste of money. Needless to say. We left and are the rest of our meal elsewhere.

Food average. Clam chowder didn’t have any clams. Service was good.

Amazing location. Food was very good.

We had a great time !!! Food , service, atmosphere!

Dropped my son off at college. He was hoping for hot lobster roll but we must have been looking at an old menu

Slow and confused service. Value vs quality questionable

Service was horrible waited 30 min just for a bottle of wine, management could careless what’s going on with customers and dining experience, view is great but don’t go for dinner there are better options!

Food was good. Cocktails were undrinkable. Vodka and tonic. Not difficult.

We were seated outside directly under a bright light and a loud speaker with very loud music. We asked to be moved and we’re told there were no other tables available. The music was turned down for a few minutes and then resumed. Our chicken satay was not fully cooked. Service was pleasant but very slow.

Worst meal I’ve had in Newport by far

Great service and food was great!

Menu limited. We were advised the night before reservation but still pretty basic. Tough situation based on lack of employees. Food was prepared well but pretty simple

Great service, and tasty food! Will be back.

Very pleasantly surprised with the service and food quality.
Nice outdoor seating with hire and music

Nice atmosphere, menu was very limited. Clean with friendly staff.

First of all, the staff were outstanding! We sat outside and enjoyed a nice sunset with our dinner. The lobster bisque was different than any we have had and very good. The Lobster Roll was okay, the roll could have been much better. Drinks were spectacular. Good stop.

Very limited menu due to kitchen staffing issues

Was call the an hour be fore my reservation that the food was limited and had a small quantity of food. The forks and spoons were dirty with food residue. I had a old fashioned with the cup dirty. The picture are not what they seem.

The entire kitchen staff quit the night prior, so I understand the restaurant having a tough couple following days. I would have appreciate notice though as it was a nice restaurant reserved for a special occasion which they were aware of, and we only had 3 options to eat, a burger, chicken sandwich, or Caesar salad. Also, prior to them bringing out our entrees they brought out the cake for my boyfriend ruining his dessert surprise. The entire thing was a disaster, he didn't feel I was even taking him out for his birthday which just really stunk because I know The Reef usually is awesome.
I hope they get back on their feet, but I will not be going here again and would not recommend. Hope they treat their staff better so they don't all quit again.

Considering the lack of staff, the meal was very good and our server did his best to accommodate us.

The location was amazing on a large dock surrounded by boats and the sunset. But the service was so terribly slow (couldn’t get water for 30 minutes, had to go find salt myself etc) that we would not go back any time soon. Also the menu was very limited and we never saw a drink/wine menu, not sure if they have one.

A very disappointing experience. Arrived and was handed a menu that had very few of the options advertised on their web site. The owner claimed they were having staffing issues in the kitchen and that she had called all guest to warn them ahead of time that the menu was limited. We received no such call and she was unapologetic about the bait and switch of her full online menu and the menu being offered. The entree choices of fish and chips Mac and cheese a burger and a few other items was not worth the price and not what I’d expect from the venue. We decided to leave. Beware that if you make a reservation at this restaurant you may not get what you expect.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were told by our waitress that they just had the entire kitchen and bartending staff walk out. We were suspicious when we received just printed menus that had an extremely limited selection from the normal menu. Due to there being no appealing items on the menu, no mixed drinks being offered, and concerns about how the food was being prepared, we ended up abandoning our table and reservation. Hopefully this is something that the management is able to resolve soon, but it worries me that it happened in the first place. With the difficulty of getting weekend restaurant reservations, it would’ve been nice if the problem was communicated in advance rather than us being blindsided by it on arrival.

Today’s menu had a wide selection. I chose the Fish and Chips- a bit to greasy. My wife chose the Connecticut lobster roll but decided she’d have preferred the Newport. Service was excellent. The music a bit too loud, as is always the case almost everywhere.

Sunset was beautiful!!!

They seated us at 7:15 the reservation time. We were served our appetizers 20 minutes later and our drinks 25 minutes later. Our entrees were 90 minutes later. The manager provided a round of drinks to make up for the long wait but the kitchen and the wait staff were very disorganized. I don’t think we will return any time soon.

Celebrate 42years of marriage. Assuming there was a shortage of wait staff it took a while to be served, although our server was pleasant.

Service was friendly. Location near water w view of boats was nice & ocean breeze welcome for both summer heat & infection control. Unfortunately, no specials available. We’d eat here again for sure.

The Reef is great for outdoor, harbor side dining. The food is standard seafood fare. Tasty and serves its purpose for lunch/dinner in New England cities. If you’re fussy it’s probably not for you. The view and ambience is really pleasant. Our server (don’t recall her name, sorry) was perfectly efficient. She didn’t overdo the customer service but took care of us without infringing on our experience.

Wonderful outdoor location! Table clean and great wait staff. I ordered the lobster dinner but was not given a plate to put the shells, extra napkins or a opener to crack open the lobster, had to ask. These are always given to me at every other place I’ve eaten lobster, so that was very odd.

Wonderful ocean front location - outdoor dining (indoor too if you want that). Great selection of food choices. Always a Newport favorite!

The service was good. The waiter could have been a little more lively/personable.

Food was just okay. Calamari was the best thing we ordered. Lobster a la vodka was bland…vodka sauce was very plain the the amount of lobster was small. CT lobster roll was to garlicky. Scallops were bland tasting as well.

Overall I was excited to try this place with the new management/ownership but I wasn’t impressed with the portions or the taste of the food. Over priced for the quality and quantity of food.

The location and view is awesome tho. I don’t need to go back for a reservation for dinner but it would be good for drinks and hanging out.

Here on short vacation

Food was very good. Kitchen did great with a full house. Recommend the calamari. Came out piping hot and crispy. Delicious.
Bar was unfortunately understaffed and sold out of just about all the bottles we tried to order. Something fir management to deal with.
Staff friendly and helpful

The food was just okay. Our dinners were the Caesar salad with grilled chicken and the fish and chips; both were okay not bad yet not great. The restaurant does have beautiful views of the marinas with very high end yachts on either side. They also offer two hours of free parking. Still doesn't beat my favorite Newport restaurant.