I stopped by Rick's Reef for lunch on Sunday after hitting the Cory Street Market. I can say that the food was good but that was the only positive part of the experience. The onion rings were delicious! Rick's is a small restaurant and it got very loud and it was hard to have a conversation. The big problem is that it's obvious that the staff doesn't care. Service wasn't good and the staff clearly lacked motivation. The chefs were the only ones who represented Rick's Reef well. I don't feel the need to return to Rick's. read more

3.5 stars- we drove up to Tampa International to pick up our daughter arriving from California who was hungry as was her dog so St. Pete seemed to be a good place to grab a bite. Ricks was crowded with about 15 people in front of us but the line moved. Our waitress recommended the lobster fries as an appetizer ( good but a bit rich). I ordered the grouben( grouper Reuben) which was small and somewhat disappointing. My wife asked for a dirty martini but they had no olives- my draft beer was good and the restaurant allows pets so it worked out well. Casual attire and fairly good beach fare with nice waitstaff. read more

Rick's Reef - Greuben Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

If you don't mind eating bad quality food that's overpriced, then this is the perfect place. Some of the good things.. - Convenient location since it's a 5 minute walk from the beach. - Casual, beach vibes. Perfect for grabbing a bite while still wearing your swimsuit. - The menu has a lot of options so there's something for everyone. - The seafood is fresh. Now moving on to some of the not so great things.. - The food quality and price don't match. Yes, the seafood is fresh, but they put too little of it on the dishes and every thing else is bad. - First thing I tried were the lobster fries. The lobster was nice, but the fries felt old and had a bitter taste to it. Most of the plate was just fries and sauce and barely any lobster. This was $15. - Then I got mac and cheese with shrimp. The regular mac and cheese is $10 and they charged $8 extra for 6 little shrimp. You can get a lobster roll for that amount. The mac and cheese itself didn't even taste like cheese. It just tasted like heavy cream. It was actually so sweet from it I had to add salt to my dish. - And the bread the served on the side I'm pretty sure it's frozen bread and they just added cheap butter on top. It just tasted oily and stale. read more

Rick's Reef - outside seating area - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

This is our favorite place to eat when visiting. It's always fresh and good. I love the mahi sandwich. Breakfast has some great surprises too. Try it. You will be glad you did. read more

Quick and kind service!! Wide variety on the menu with reasonable prices! And a great beach atmosphere!

When we approached the door there was a sign "please wait to be seated" - we stood there for quite a while, 4 employees passed us, and not one spoke to us... not one said " we will be right with you" or anything like that. Customers should be recognized and greeted, even you can't seat right away. I ordered the Avocado toast - yet the avocado was not as plentiful, considering it was "avocado toast". Fortunately I was pleased with the flavor with the cota cheese tomato & arugula. I had to cut and spread the avocado on my toast as it came with a few slices. My husband ordered the Philly omelette... he said it was "missing something" we speculated they did not season the meat. I enjoyed the potatoes and the vibe of the place. I'm eating this a three star based on the initial service, or lack of, the avocado not being the center point of the avocado toast, and my husbands response to his meal. read more

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Stopped in here from out of town with a few friends. Very friendly place and lost of choices on the menus. The wait staff was great and attentive. So I had the Baja Blackened tacos and fresh vegetables. I can't say enough about how good they tasted. Nothing was left and wanted more. We will definitely have to come back and try this place again. read more

Rick's Reef - Baja Tacos Blackened - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

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Love this place! Great local dive for food, drinks, and fun! Margo is amazing!! Highly recommend read more

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Headed to Upsham Beach and was told this is a great place to dine post beach day. Didn't disappoint. We all got some sort of grouper-sandwiches and stuffed with crab. Our kind of divey place. Outdoor seating plus inside. After the beach the cooler induce felt good. Will definitely go back if in the area read more

Rick's Reef - Monkey business - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

Lobster fries and lobster Mac n cheese were excellent. Can't wait to go back and try the lobster bisque. Very friendly service.

Great location, just 2 blocks from the beach. Fun atmosphere with a nice indoor/outdoor bar area. Lots of patio seating. Friendly service, and food was very good. read more

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Delicious place and fun atmosphere. Service and food was good. Defs a place for getting your cravings/snack food. Recommend read more

Rick's Reef - Shelly Sandwich- Crab Cakes- Fresh Grouper Dinner - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

Such a cool environment to eat in... The service is exceptional! Our server, Sarah, was great and supplied our needs quickly. I cannot describe how amazing the food was! It came very fast and everything was delicious. They have a good, wide variety of foods to choose from. Not to mention, everything is fairly priced. So...if your in the area; try to stop by..you won't regret it! read more

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Food was okay, not great. The service was great. The drinks were mediocre. The atmosphere is fun and inviting. It's hard to give it bad reviews. Just not the greatest food read more

This restaurant was highly recommend from a lot of local people from the waitress from our resort. So we decided to give it a try and this place was FIRE!!! We tried everything it's a small local restaurant and the waitress was absolutely amazing and what was recommended. We tried 4 appetizers alligator bites, peel and eat shrimp, fried pickles and mussels I would recommend all of it!!!!! For dinner we ate the Mahi Mahi dinner, grouper fajitas shrimp fajitas, fried jumbo shrimp and all of it was delicious But the one thing I loved the most was there key lime pie!! It was the best in St. Petersburg hands down We went back before our flight to get one more piece and it didn't disappoint!!!! Please this restaurant is highly recommended from us read more

Rick's Reef - Ricks Reef - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

This is the hidden gem of St Pete Beach. Huge menu and very reasonably priced. We went for breakfast and had the grouper Benedict and fried chicken n grits bowl. They also have a massive Bloody Mary bar for brunch and a hot sauce bar. One of the neighbors at our hotel kept talking about the lobster fries so we had to check it out. Yup! I will be thinking about this dish for awhile and if I'm ever back in this area, I will surely come back to visit this place. read more

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The service was incredible, we brought our dog and the waiter brought a bowl of ice water seconds after we sat down! The food was great too, very unique menu items that were all delicious. read more

I've been to Rick's Reef a number of times and for whatever reason, I never remember to review it. If you are looking for breakfast on the beach, this is a fantastic choice. Spicy Bloody Mary's, delicious bacon and eggs. I love the Fajitas and Taco Tuesdays. Excellent location on Gulf Blvd and an easy stop after a long day on the beach. I love the outdoor seating and we have always had great service, too! read more

Rick's Reef - Spicy Bloody Mary! - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

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For a spot that looks like it specializes in cheap beer and loud nights, this restaurant packs a serious culinary punch! The ambiance is great... old rustic seafood restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. But the food is spectacular! The menu is very diverse with many different cuisines offered. Lots of flavor going into these dishes as well and the portions were impressive. Both the blackened chicken sandwich and grilled Mahi were solid choices. The mashed potatoes were also quite good as well. Staff was accommodative to requests to make dishes lighter/ healthier as well. read more

Rick's Reef - Grilled Fresh Mahi Dinner - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

I rate this 4 stars because they advertised a Bloody Mary bar, and when we arrived they only offered $2 bloodys with no toppings. The bottomless mimosas were good for the price. For food the eggs Benedict was to die for. The corned beef hash was okay with a bit too much ketchup flavor. The bathroom was disgusting and I think if they fixed these issues this could be a 5 star review. Parking was also slim so at a busy time you might be better off getting dropped at the door or walking. The price was very good. read more

Rick's Reef - Eggs Benedict with Homefries and a mimosa. - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

The Bloody Marys are close to perfect with their in-house made mix! It's the reason we returned! Been here twice after two Triathlons at Ft De Soto! Awesome! First time, I had the Veggie 1Omelet with Spinach, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and mixed cheese! Love the way they make their omelets! Great selection! This latest visit involved Biscuits & Gravy with two Overeasy Eggs! Yummy! Good protein. A solid locale for a solid breakfast and good value! The servers, bartenders, and managers are always friendly and they make your visit a pleasant one! Being on the beach, I love this place with their fab atmosphere! We will return! read more

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Food was good, fun environment. Brunch on weekends until noon. My kids enjoyed it too.

I was on vacation, late night dinner at 12am & the food was absolutely delicious. We were a party of 3 and we all agreed. We loved it! Best Grouper Reuben sandwich I've ever eaten. I would drive back there in a heart beat just to eat it. My husband's fish tacos were amazing, and our friend's chicken buffalo brioche sandwich was incredibly tasty. Don't forget to order the Mac and cheese as your side. All I can say is Yum!!! read more

Very casual atmosphere, good food and nice staff - the kids loved the burgers and my tacos were amazing

I love this place! We were so glad that during Covid they were still open. We sat outside where everyone was socially distance and staff was wearing masks! Even though it's hot as heck, they have fans that make sitting outside enjoyable. We started with the peel and eat shrimp. Always my favorite. Seasoned perfectly and the portion is always generous! For dinner, I went with the shrimp scampi. All I can say is, YUM!! The delicious garlic and lemon flavors won me over after my first bite. I couldn't stop eating it! The portion was HUGE and there were so many shrimp in this dish I was sharing with others, which usually I refuse to do because I want to eat every last bite myself My boyfriend went with the blackened grouper sandwich. I'm pretty sure the fish fillet was a foot long! It was cooked perfectly and we loved the homemade tarter sauce it was served with! The fries were hand cut which are always the tastiest! We had a wonderful time and can't wait to return! read more

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Ricks Reef is an amazing hidden gem at St. Pete Beach! They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner and are open from 7:00am-1:00am so no matter what time you need food or a drink they have you covered. BREAKFAST For breakfast I had their pulled pork cinnamon roll. Don't judge it until you have tried it! It is so tasty and the icing topped it off! It had pork baked throughout the entire things and is a must try! I will definitely be getting it again next time I go! Then I had their chicken and waffles which are breaded in captain crunch cereal and has the perfect waffle/chicken ratio. Very tasty! They also have your traditional Benedict's and omelettes if you aren't feeling adventurous. We ordered the grouper Benedict which was good and you can't always get grouper Benedict when you go to restaurants. LUNCH For an appetizer we had the calamari and it is fresh and really good to share! Their Lobster mac n cheese is a MUST!! I have honestly never had such delicious lobster mac n cheese and I have tried to find a good one at a bunch of different places! Please do yourself a favor and order this! They are not skimpy on the lobster either! We also had the Baja Tacos which came with two tacos and fries that they cut every morning. The last thing we had here was the Mile High Meatloaf and it was huge! At first I wasn't sure about getting meatloaf when there are so many options but it was really good! To drink we had their Blue Hawaiian and mimosas. Can't wait to try out here on the weekend! They have their build your own Bloody Mary Bar with a ton of different liquor and topping options! read more

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Great breakfast options. My wife had classic Ricks Breakfast while I enjoyed the Mexican Omelette. Side of grits were so good, no sugar was needed. Quick service too. read more

This place was good. We had the crab stuffed grouper and mahi sandwich. Nothing incredibly extraordinary, but worth the trip. They had a few local beers on tap and the sangria was delicious. The service was fast and it was nice the menus were paperless, we appreciated that. read more

My food was really good for a small spot like this. It's definitely a gem. I had the stuffed grouper which was stuffed with crabcake real crab meat. Very tasty. read more

On vacation and of course we want to support the local small businesses. We decided on Rick reef. First things first we did not make a reservation. They had plenty of seats and mask were required when walking around. I had the shrimp tacos they were ok, I felt the cabbage was dry and there was no relish or sauce to tie it in.. I think there was suppose to be a chipotle sauce but there wasn't... My dad got a simple burger and it never came out, so he just begged us for food, don't worry we fed him!! No one came and asked us is we needed condiments or napkins or if we were ok... The kids burger bun was rock hard, she order medium rare came out well done burnt... so we sent it back.. The service was mediocre, the food was just ok, the drinks were ok. Which is why they received two stars, we all had drinks.. I do not recommend this location, stay close to the beach, plenty of other location to choose from if your visiting.. They did remove both burgers from the meal... read more

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This was our first experience at Rick's Reef and we enjoyed the food. We ordered the jumbo fried shrimp dinner with fries and potato salad as sides $14.50 & we ordered the blackened grouper dinner with fried corn on the cob and garlic mashed potatoes $16 . The shrimp were a good size and tasty. The fries were fresh natural cut, not crisp but tasty. The potato salad was chunky and lightly tasty. The serving was a bit too large for the light taste. I probably should have asked for a little mustard or bbq sauce to add to it. The blackened grouper was flavorful and not too spicy. The garlic mashed potatoes were very tasty. The fried corn wasn't what we were expecting as it wasn't battered and fried, just fried. Service was good. They offer indoor and outdoor seating and we chose outdoor being close to the water. Big mistake as there are plenty of smokers. Our server wore her mask as did we. None of the other guests even had a mask and the server for the table beside us didn't wear one either. People came in after us and sat at the table right beside us rather than skipping a table . This along with the no mask was quite disconcerting and very uncomfortable. The food is very good and we recommend. This is a very casual bar restaurant. read more

Rick's Reef - Blackened grouper dinner - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

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Best food we've had so far!!! Also the cheapest food we've had so far! The bowl of She crab was AMAZING!!!! I also had the shrimp Alfredo and it was sha-banging. My husband raved about the fried corn and he had the fish and chips and said it was very good!! Highly recommend this place!! read more

Rick's Reef - Shrimp Alfredo and fish and chips - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

Can't go wrong here Good selection Great atmosphere Good food Hand made burger cooked right at medium as requested read more

Overpriced and nasty food. Within 5 minutes taking the first bite me and a friend of mine ended up in the bathroom. Super greasy and funky tasting. The whole place gives you a dirty and skunky feel. The sanitation department record says it all, 21 violations in Dec 2023, shut down in 2021. https://data.tallahassee.com/restaurant-inspections/pinellas/ricks-reef/sea6216846/6521445/ read more

I have always lived this place however the food has gone downhill. We came here for mimosas I was given a boiling hot glass of champagne for the " bottomless momosas" which I could not take a second sip of. I returned it just to get a more expensive mimosa which was even hotter. Don't come here for brunch. Bloody Mary bar was full of a giant swarm of flies! Disgusting read more

What a great surprise. Arrived onto St Pete Beach & decided to eat before checking into our hotel. We had THE best bang, bang shrimp we've ever found. Super large, firm, nicely breaded shrimp, sauce could have been spicier for our liking but that was easily fixed with a few selections from the hot sauce bar! The onion rings were huge & our grouper reuben was the real deal, delicious potato salad on the side. Try this place. Almost everyone was having the fried fish special for Mondays which includes your drink. Nice! We'll be back. read more

Rick's Reef - Onion rings, bang bang shrimp, greuben, some beers & hot sauce. - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

Nice spot, great inside/outside bar too. Food: good! I ordered a very standard breakfast meal - over easy eggs, bacon, house potatoes, and toast. Hard to mess up or make exceptional; this was just what I needed. Service: really nice server and host. The entire staff were wearing masks (not the bartender since it's open air) and all were very pleasant people. read more

Rick's Reef - Inside - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

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We went to Rick's Reef because they were supposed to have one of the best the best Bloody Mary's in Saint Pete Beach. The Bloody Mary was just average. Our waitress was very nice and polite. Our food was very good as well. read more

Can't say enough good things about Ricks Reef! Atmosphere was amazing, really gives the "island vibe". All of the servers and host were so helpful, and so nice! I wish i could remember our waitresses name, but she was amazing! Wish we would have went earlier on in our trip, but we went two evenings in a row. Food was SOOO good! Everything all of my family ordered came out hot, fast, it was flavorful, and huge portions. Everything was well priced. They have some really good daily special deals too. I would love to come back and try their breakfast!!! read more

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Life changing. All I could do was shake my head the entire time. This Pulled Pork Cinnamon Roll is $%#%ing Amazing.( Excuse the language). I love looking for different items and after coming across this menu item...I just had to try it. I'm normally not a pulled pork fan, but Lawd...Rick's Reef has turned me out!! Lol. It's soft, with a slight crispy edge, sweet and savory and fully of delicious meat. I had to slow down eating so it could last longer as the inner fat kid wanted to order one to go but that would delay my summer sexy body...soooo...I refrained. Fruit bowl was a generous portion for those that felt as guilty as myself by ordering a Cinnamon Roll and the Mimosa gives you a money's worth of champagne. Thank you for being amazing. I was here alone and enjoyed every bit of my guilty pleasure. I live in Tampa but will gladly make this drive for this....after I master this workout plan. Folks..get here fast...it's worth it! read more

Rick's Reef - Pulled Pork Cinnamon Roll, Fresh Fruit, and a Mimosa. - Seafood Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida