I own a 48-foot trawler and spend a good amount of time cruising around Catalina, and Harbor Reef is exactly the kind of place you want to find after getting settled in Two Harbors. It has a relaxed, boater-friendly atmosphere, a big patio overlooking the harbor, generous portions, and solid seafood and burgers. The local swordfish when available is a nice touch, and the Buffalo Milk is basically a Two Harbors tradition. What I like most is that it actually feels connected to the harbor. You can come off the boat, grab a good meal and a drink, and still feel like you're part of the cruising experience rather than suddenly being in a touristy restaurant. After a day aboard a 48-foot trawler, this is exactly the casual Catalina atmosphere I'm looking for. Definitely one of my favorite stops on the island. read more

When in Two Harbors the first night we always eat at The Harbor Reef. So nice after a long day crossing the channel to head to the HR. Always lively and a warm greetings will be your reception. Simple but good choices, a lot of fresh sea food yet the steak and hibachi chicken were also excellent. My accompanied coconut rice was a nice addition. The fish and chips were crispy and light and delicious. The mai tai was also excellent. The service is always good and we enjoyed our experience. Also they have 2 bars, one patio and the other in doors in the back! read more

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Michaela brought her A game. I was blown away by her acts of kindness and service. Not only will I be returning, but I will be returning with a smile eager to eat the amazing food that she provided. Amazing service. 10/10 read more

We usually come to Two Harbors whenever we go on an overnight fishing trip. We get a mooring and paddle board to shore to get dinner. We've eaten here a few times and both times were great. We usually order the burger, it comes with fries for $17. You get a big patty and decent amount of fries. The burger is good, hits the spot when you spent the whole day fishing. Service is a bit slow but it's because they have a lot of orders to fulfill. It's about an hour wait time from placing the order to getting your food delivered to you. Servers are all very nice and friendly. Ambiance is nice, outside or inside seating area. There's usually a band playing live music in the patio/bar area. Definitely a good place to have lunch if you're ever visiting Catalina Island read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - Burger and fries - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

Just come here -- what other choice do you have? The burger is fine, fries are pretty good. The highlight is definitely the laid back vibe and the great service. I think our servers name was Kurt -- Kurt is the man, such a nice dude. They used to have the bison burger but no more rip. Have yet to try the buffalo milk, I'm sure I'll get to it at some point. read more

This food suckkkssss! My 97 year old grandma could make a better quesadilla in her sleep. You know what though. Someone ordered a bagel sandwich that looked good so many get that instead of a quesadilla. read more

Shrimp was very good. Outside sitting is comfortable. People are nice. They close at 3pm, but if sitting outside you can use the area for as long as desired. The bar side opens at 4pm and they do serve food. We had dinner there and it was amazing. They have specials as well as their regular menu. We ordered wings for appetizer from the regular menu and the sea bass (local fresh fish) from the special. It was a bit spicy for me, BUT everyone else at the table very much enjoyed it. One of my friends ordered a side salad, which looked amazing and a small bowl of french onion soup, which she very much enjoyed. Note: their fountain drink soda machine is not the best... Coca Cola doesn't even taste like soda... I trust it was a one time thing. Nevertheless, we didn't get our drinks until after I was done with my food. read more

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Good food, good people. Nothing fancy, but a great hang for locals and tourists. Hang out at the bar, have a drink or three!

Got lunch after a 2 hour jet ski excursion from Long Beach. Order at the counter and find a seat in the non-reservation section, which is very small. It's what you would have expected. Mid food. Enough to be fed. Don't expect flavor town or to be blown away. It was also very crowded. You have to stalk about to grab a table and chairs, and with how busy they are, you end up wiping it down yourself. No other options on the island, but don't expect too much. read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

It was ok being the only restaurant on this side of the island. staff was very friendly. Limited hours due to small amount of people over here. read more

I don't know how to explain how good this place was like the buffalo beef burger is the best thing there and the service was super kind and and it only took us a couple of minutes (4-5 minutes) and I definitely recommend. read more

I ordered a fruit cup and a latte, and unfortunately it was one of the worst experiences I've had. The latte was probably the bitterest I've ever tried, and the watermelon in the fruit cup tasted like it had been sitting around for a week--it had already gone bad. On top of that, the service was not welcoming at all. Definitely won't be coming back, even if it's the only place around and I'm hungry. read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - Outside - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

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Food was pretty good. Burger was the standout. The orange cauliflower was really good. The watermelon salad was refreshing, but not particularly amazing. The clam chowder was excellent. The fish that we ordered was OK, a little bit dry and didn't tell you super fresh. The stand out, however, was our server, Leah (with 2 Ls) . She was super friendly and amazing and really took care of us. I would come again for certain knowing that I'll get amazing service. read more

Our most recent visit was awful. The food was shockingly bad. The orange cauliflower was soggy and flavorless. The pub burger tasted like it came off a cafeteria tray. It was dry, bland, and low quality. Worse than the food was the atmosphere. The energy in the restaurant was cold and off-putting. The staff all looked miserable. read more

The prices here are what you'd expect--on the expensive side, but no surprise given it's the only restaurant in Two Harbors. Plus, with inflation driving up costs everywhere, it's par for the course. We had just moored about 30 minutes earlier, a bit worn out from the sail over from Dana Point, and everyone was hungry. I was looking forward to a strong drink but, since I was helping instruct a sailing course, I decided to hold off... and got a shot of whiskey instead. Just kidding--I had two shots of Jack. A quick note: there's no table service. You place your order at the bar, and they'll bring it to your table. Don't bother asking the waitstaff to take your order while seated. If you do, you're likely to get an eye roll. How do I know? When I said, "Excuse me..." (insert eye roll here), it was as subtle as cutting off a big Hawaiian at the buffet line--NOT! I could tell she thought I was about to ask if I could order, but instead, I asked, "I heard you have a new chef, what would you recommend?" Instantly, the eye roll disappeared, and she was happy to chat about the menu. The unanimous recommendation: Mojito Salmon & Shrimp. We decided to sit on the patio. It was spacious, and the early evening was pleasant, though it did start getting a bit chilly later on. Photo - https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/harbor-reef-restaurant-two-harbors?select=tQ-nmW6aGuLPcDdC8f3Cnw Interior (Dining Area) - https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/harbor-reef-restaurant-two-harbors?select=75JkO9NtbBTzBzQwO5iSbg My order: Mojito Lime Salmon with Shrimp, Broccolini & Mashed Potatoes: The plate looked great BUT the salmon was slightly overcooked but well-seasoned. The shrimp however, had too much salt. Photo - https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/harbor-reef-restaurant-two-harbors?select=fKTxb9QEmyntoxJj1owpoQ Diet Coke Photo - https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/harbor-reef-restaurant-two-harbors?select=PW0fvA0aFGTQaSRc17bM7w Total: $39 (+ tip) One of the crew ordered a Caesar Salad & enjoyed it! Photo - https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/harbor-reef-restaurant-two-harbors?select=NwRVpM7foaRzEcINfagKxw Another crew member ordered the Pale Ale Fish & Chips; enjoyed it as well. Photo - https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/harbor-reef-restaurant-two-harbors?select=NFaQrkwPomvSZxLScICmJA The place wasn't too busy, but there was enough foot traffic to keep Rebecca, the bartender/hostess, on her toes. A couple of guys were playing pool in the back near the restrooms, a handful of people were at the bar, and a few small groups were scattered around the restaurant. Photo - https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/harbor-reef-restaurant-two-harbors?select=3-hk15ciCAnQn1DbyQSFKQ Bar Area - https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/harbor-reef-restaurant-two-harbors?select=xNCzoO0V2l5YYLAVfv-hIw Overall, it was okay. I had high hopes for the Mojito Lime Salmon & Shrimp, especially since it was raved about in many Yelp reviews and by the staff at Harbor Reef. For a $30 salmon plate, I was expecting more than just "okay." Would I order it again? Probably not. But if the salmon were less dry and the shrimp less salty, I'd definitely consider it. - Big Aloha Food: 3 Ambiance: 3 Service: 4 Value: 2 read more

I came here after a day of hiking, excited for a delicious and warm meal. Unfortunately, I was met at the door by an older white lady (I believe she said her name was Katherine). Not only was she unpleasant from the moment I walked in, but refused to answer any questions I had about the menu (what I assume was due to lack of menu knowledge), and scoffed at me when I asked if dining room seating was available. I got the message from her passive aggressive remarks under her breath and quickly walked past her to the bar, where i was warmly greeted by a younger male bartender. The bar was nice and warm, and the music wasn't too loud which was nice. I ordered the burger and fries, per the bartenders suggestion, and it was delicious. Shortly after having ordered at the bar, I see the same old lady with the hunchback from before sitting at one of the bar high-tops, scrolling through her phone and glaring at guests as they walked past her. Beyond unprofessional. The food and BAR service was great. But whoever that old lady is that I first encountered needs some serious training. I'd recommend putting someone else on the floor if that's how she treats guests. read more

After four days and three nights of backpacking food, lunch at Harbor Reef Restaurant felt like a well-deserved feast. I ordered the fish and chips (sweet potato fries), which was truly delicious. The fish was lightly fried, fresh and tasty; the fries were crisp and not overdone. My dining companion described the burger as just okay. Drinks are serve-yourself at the drink bar including free refills. Service was pleasant and helpful and pricing was actually reasonable considering you're on an island. The view of the pristine harbor is stunning and worth the price of lunch. read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - Fish and chips - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

Just a few notes on the only restaurant area they have : 1. They have different lunch and dinner times so you have time guidelines for food 2. Patio and restaurant ordering are different but you can order from the restaurant and get it to go to eat on the patio ( ‍) 3. Bees love the bar area so hopefully your not afraid of the bees Food is expensive but to be expected .. it's an island .. where else you going to eat Overall wait times not too bad , food was decent . Staff was friendly . Took a star away for all the confusion of ordering in the restaurant but then had to reorder from the bar only to have to go back into the restaurant to get one item ( crazy part - it comes from the same kitchen- insanity at its best ) read more

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We ate lunch, dinner, and breakfast at the restaurant in Two Harbors and were very happy with the (1) quality ingredients, (2) price, and (3) generous portions. Perhaps it was due to being on the trail for multiple days ahead of eating here, but everything we had other than the fish sandwich was amazing (it was only ok). Pictures here show burgers, wings, garden salads, a club sandwich, and my favorite, chilaquiles! The decor is simple and nothing fancy. The staff were all very friendly. We appreciated being able to fill our bellies at such a great eatery before hitting the trail. read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - Chilaquiles and iced coffee - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

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We love coming to the Harbor Reef formally known as Doug's Reef for the old timers. The food is solid and the service is always friendly. Our absolute favorite is Mike the bar tender. He makes everyone feel welcome and greets them with a smile. Looking forward to seeing him again when we go back later this month. read more

This is my third time visiting this establishment over period of years and the food is always on point. The other reviews I'm always amazed that they expect higher quality service or cheaper prices. This place is more on the level of a divey bar with a restaurant capacity. This is not your typical restaurant where you're gonna get tableside service so there is some active involvement in placing your order and making sure you get it. The food is great. The staff have always been friendly. This time I was able to sneak in before buccaneer weekend, which was good as I imagine this place quite lively read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. This place thinks that since they have the market cornered at the Isthmus, anything is acceptable. It has officially been 2-1/2 hours since we ordered food. Yes, we have a party of 20. So yes, we feel stuck here and can't leave or half of our group would have by now. This is what you now get for fish and chips. This place has been steadily going down hill for years. They need some competition. We used to enjoy coming here. Now it's just sad. read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - Fish and chips - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

What a turnaround! Menu options show creativity. While not everything was a hit, it was way better than the past few years. Chips are homemade and tasty. Grinder sandwich was packed with deli meats. Korean chicken sandwich was tasty and well prepared, if not a little messy. Burger was good as always. Cocktail menu finally recognized the Westerly- a drink one of the bartenders was unaware of a couple years ago. Keep it up! read more

Gotta share this was the best meal I've had at Doug' Harbor Reef in a while. Ordered the market fish. The plate was too hot to touch and the fish was perfect. The polenta side was buttery and delicious and I added the shredded Parmesan I asked for. The asparagus was just right. Simplify wonderful. I'm doing a rack of lamb on the boat tomorrow, but I'll be back at Doug's (it'll always be Doug's to me) on Tuesday! Thanks chef!! read more

I dropped in while waiting for the boat back to the mainland. Had a few drinks here. No food but the food looked and smelled delicious. Neat spot. Big menu. The bartender was really nice. She was friendly. I like their atmosphere and ambiance. Nice decor too. Beachy feel. Old, classic bamboo furniture. Jimmy Buffet style restaurant and bar. read more

We ate dinner here every night during our 3 day stay in Two Harbors and the food is excellent! Being the only restaurant in town, they could get away with low effort, but the menu options are unique and obviously crafted with care. My son loved the shrimp pasta, and I loved the steak. We tried a few things on the menu and everything was good. It's a festive environment with all the town people coming in and out, and mixing with tourists and backpackers. We would love to give a shoutout to bartender Kevin who took extra steps to ensure we had a nice dinner on a sleepy night when a storm was coming in. He (correctly) advised us to consider shortening our trip in order to get back to the mainland before the storm caused boat cancellations. Well - he was right! Thankfully he had generously given us his cell number and he actually ended up driving us to Avalon the next day so we could get one of the last boats before Christmas! He gave us an awesome impromptu driving tour and we learned a lot about the history of the island. We really appreciate his extra effort, especially a couple days before Christmas when he surely had his own tasks and commitments to tend to. This is the sort of customer service that's really rare and we will never forget his kindness. read more

Spent a few days in Two Harbors and enjoyed the food at Harbor Reef. The service was excellent and the vibe was cool and laid back. Definitely recommend! read more

Do not Oder the Korean chicken sandwich the flavors where not good. Trust me! Tastes like fried chicken liver patty. Stick to the basics

Food has been revamped (new chef, new menu)... Fish and chips has dipped from what I remember, but everything else is better. I had the hamburger, the swordfish, the tuna poke chips, clam chowder, mahi sandwich and the fish n chips. All were great (again, fish n chips used to be better)! Lunch and dinner menu is slightly different (swordfish burger was dinner only - one of my favs!) BIG shoutout to Juan Olvera. He was working long hours and was as great during dinner as he was during lunch hours (on the same day!) Same familiar decor and nautical theme in the restaurant and bar. Also thanks to Becky behind the bar. While I do miss the old fish n chips, quite happy with the revamp and FANTASTIC service! Buffalo milk also used to be a bit stronger before, but still a must order (had to ask for an additional shot to bump the strength a bit). read more

Our server Angel definitely took care of us! The food items we ordered were delish! Loved my fish and chips and cheeseburgers were yummy! The guacamole was super fresh and yummy too! So happy we visited the other side of the island for lunch and hike. read more

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This is a wonderful place to come and visit, play Disk Golf. Go camping and hiking to your hearts delight. Come to TWO HARBORS, Istmus Cove. read more

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Best staff ever! Mike went above and beyond near closing as we just completed an 8 hour hike and were starving. Him, Juan and Jacob were heartfelt and accommodating to my fiance and I and proved that the art of excellent customer service is not lost. Thank you thank you for your personal touches as we will never forget it. P.s. the Swordfish sandwich and bread pudding are to die for. No complaints here and the artwork is lovely. read more

Friday night in late June and we arrived at 8pm. They refused to seat us and said the kitchen won't accept anymore guests. However they were seating people who maybe put their name down 10 minutes before. read more

Keep in mind that if you are staying at Two Harbors or spending time on that side of the island you are very limited as far as food, drinks and shopping goes. Literally one store, one restaurant and one cafe. We had put our names in at Harbor Reef, but we're enjoying overpriced drinks at the adjoining bar next door and waiting for appetizers when are table became ready. When seated we let Stefany, our server, know that we had ordered and paid for apps at the bar. Unfortunately in the rush to get to our table we forgot our numbers. Stefany attempted to find our appetizer order. She was unable to locate mine. I said, well, I never received it and I'm not going to pay for it a second time. She said she would have her manager come talk to me. Never happened. She brought me a receipt to show a refund had been made to the only card she could find with the order on it. Told her multiple times that was not my card and don't know who she issued the refund to. I even pulled up my bank screenshot to show I absolutely was charged. Not sure why it was such a big deal to just bring me a bowl of soup instead of pissing off a customer. Even at the end when the bill arrived the soup was still on it. At this point I'm thinking take it off or consider it your tip. I assume after talking to the manager that never wanted to show her face, it was removed from my bill. As far as the food, edible. I had the clam chowder, ribs and fries. Clam chowder was okay. Ribs were the tastiest of everything I put in my mouth. Had one fry and that was it. They were so dry and overdone not worth eating. read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

My boyfriend and I camped at Two Harbors for a weekend in July. I'm glad we brought some food with us (mostly breakfasts and lunches), but treated ourselves to eating out for a few meals as well. We ate dinner Friday and Saturday night at Harbor Reef. When we arrived for dinner around 6pm we were told there was a wait to eat inside the restaurant (you can make reservations ahead of time, which we did not), but that there was no wait to sit outside (on the beach, basically at "harbor sands"). So we went and had a beautiful sunset dinner on the beach (with the same menu as Harbor Reef dinner menu). It gets a little chilly as the sun starts to set, so bring a sweatshirt! Service was always super friendly and helpful. Saturday evening they warned us there was a big party inside, so we should get our whole order in at once. I had to try the famous buffalo milk, a little pricy but super tasty and in my opinion worth it (similar pricing to cocktails at a bar in san diego..). Also a decent selection of beers and other cocktails. We split the ceviche the first night which was my favorite thing we ate. The buffalo cauliflower was okay. My boyfriend got the chicken pasta dish which he loved (and made for great cold leftovers late night in the tent). And I really enjoyed the poke the 2nd night. We also had a lunch on the deck here on Sunday afternoon after a hike. At lunch I really enjoyed the mojito lime mahi sandwich and fries! Obviously everything is a little pricier, but you're on an island!! read more

Ordered the iron bound Bay bowl. Realized after it was finished that there was no chicken. Talked to the manager and she said sorry won't do anything since you finished it. No refund, not even a discount for the next time or a free cookie. Was clearly trying to get away from the conversation also because she was too busy for an unhappy customer. read more

I loved this place! The heart shaped swordfish was very fresh, clam chowder was thick and tasty. Buffalo milk was a nice dessert finish! read more

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We spent three extraordinary nights recently in Two Harbors. Not a darn thing to do here and that's how I like it! Such a charming little town. Only one restaurant though so it'd better be good! We ate at Harbor Reef each night and we enjoyed it. The only other meal alternative in Two Harbors is to microwave a frozen pizza or burrito at the neighboring market LOL. The menu right now at Harbor Reef is quite limited. Maybe it's the season, maybe it's the 'rona. Most likely both! Anyway, two soups, no salads, a few heavy sounding hot appetizers and around five main dishes. Over the three nights my wife and I had tried them all. The bar opens at 4:00 pm and dinner service begins at 5:00 pm. The bar area is really nice and fills up in the evenings. The restaurant side is nicely decorated and fits the feel of a place called "Harbor Reef". The banquettes leave something to be desired though. All of the staff we encountered here were so friendly and genuine. On the first night I played it safe and ordered a burger. Comes with the standard burger set and fries. I recommend adding the bacon. It was a nice amount and was overall very tasty, even the fries. Second night I ordered the red wine boneless short ribs. Comes with broccolini and mashed taters. I was expecting a more traditional braised style short rib that was fork tender. The version here was grilled medium rare and sliced for presentation. It was decent, but kind of tough. Needed a steak knife. The taters were really good and hot with a rustic texture. Broccolini was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Although the dish was beautifully presented, I probably wouldn't order it again. Night 3, I went for the interesting looking pasta dish! The menu calls it "Herb Cajun Chicken Pasta Linquine Pasta". Apparently they really want you to know that this is a pasta dish! There's a lot going on with this one, including artichoke hearts, broccolini, maters, chicken, etc. I'm pretty sure they put broccolini in everything here. Unfortunately the linguine was somewhat overcooked and all broken up. Despite the pasta dish being labeled as "Cajun", there was no discernible spiciness to it, although it was richly flavored. The menu description curiously noted "garlic croutons" as part of this dish. I wasn't sure if this was some sort of toast point thing or literaly croutons like you'd get in a salad. Regardless, it was not included in my dish so I'll never know. read more

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Your typical pub. Good service. Decent portions, and fair value. Taylor, our server was very accommodating and served us in the time manner I requested. We got here a few minutes before 12 noon and were able to get a table in the shade, and order before everyone else showed up to lunch. Good selection of beers and wines by the glass. read more

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BEWARE!!! New manager with HORRIBLE service and food. Our Yacht club has been coming here every year for years! It started off well with us being seated right away and our drinks and appetizers came out at a reasonable time. We waited 2 1/2 hours before our meals were brought out. We had to wave our waiter to get refills. When the food arrived, everyone was extremely disappointed. The fish and chips looked like it came from Costco. The clam chowder was very thick and bland like it came from a can. My wings did not come with any celery sticks. The pasta dish is supposed to have clams, but it did not. The fish and shrimp were very salty. The full size salad looked more like a side salad. On top of that, they would not give us separate bills. The waiter said they will only do 1 check and accept a maximum of 3 credit cards. That is absolutely ridiculous when you have a group of 20+ sailors who do not use Zelle or Venmo or carry cash. According to the waiter, the new manager is streamlining the process. I'm all for streamlining, but PLEASE do not make it difficult for the customers. Overall, everyone was EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - Wings without celery sticks. - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California