The short rib is amazing!! Same with the chowder! E travel over 45 minutes to this restaurant for the amazing food!

I usually don't give 5 star reviews because there is at least one thing wrong with the restaurant. But I must admit, The Reef is amazing. Great view of the beach. Now time for the food, I got Poached eggs (in the form of a sunny-side up egg) with Bacon (looked like ham) with a English Muffin. They combined the items together and I think that has got to be the best thing I ever had. Food came within 15 minutes. I got complementary blueberry muffin and fruit! How can I not give 5 stars! read more

This restaurant has been around for years. I believe one of my parents firs dates was here years ago. I love the amount of water frontage they have. The view while you eat is amazing. We all ordered glasses of wine on happy hour ($5). For house wine, it was good. I was happy. The Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and cab were good. We started with the calamari, pretty average, nothing special. The muscles were good! For dinner I tried the scallops which were perfectly cooked. Really really good. And the shrimp imperial was good. But the scallops. Order the scallops! Our service at the restaurant was outstanding. We enjoyed our time! read more

The Reef - Calamari - Seafood Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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How have I lived in Jacksonville all these years and never made it to the Reef?? Relaxing brunch outside on the patio watching the waves rolling in, pelicans flying overhead and a complimentary mimosa was exactly what I needed. I must say the strawberry cream cheese waffle stack did not disappoint. Waffles were nice and crispy on the outside with a little sugar crunch. Kinda reminded me of a funnel cake The service was on point and there is no doubt I will be back read more

The Reef - Seafood Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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Coconut Coconut Shrimp with fries and small salad. Topped off with glass of wine. Beautiful setting looking out over the open ocean.

We drove by on a Sunday and The Reef was packed - apparently for there popular brunch buffet - I might be willing to come back to give it a try. We chose to come back for lunch on Monday afternoon and it turns out we arrived between lunch and dinner. We were given the option to have discounted appetizers, drinks or the soup and salad menu in the bar area, but no one seemed very excited that we were there, especially the bartender - try as I might I could not seem to get him to crack a smile. So we sat out side on there bar deck with a beautiful view where we spent a lot of money to feel like we were an inconvenience. I did enjoy their coconut fried shrimp appetizer with a cup of yummy seafood chowder. My pinot grigio was a bit warm - but it was hot outside, so that could have contributed to the issue. My husband felt duped by the $19 seafood salad - it supposedly had shrimp and crab in it, but looked like a pile of mush served on a bunch of butter lettuce leaves. So, we had an incredible view, but left spending $50 for lunch wondering why. read more

Great location on the Atlantic beach, fish dishes , dine out doors or inside can t beat the ambiance. Service excellent, nothing more to add except try it and enjoy! read more

Awesome view of the ocean. Great food! Had the Citrus basted King Salmon on a bed of fried, yes fried spinach, Loved it! Most visit!! read more

The Reef - Citrus Basted King Salmon - Seafood Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

Awesome dinner, great service. Had the blackened grouper, seafood chowder, and the Reef Old Fashioned. Highly recommend.

Perfect place for a dinner with a beach view. We came here for my birthday dinner and it was perfect. Our entrees of pork rib eye and seafood were great. My drink was nice and refreshing. I couldn't help staring at the ocean in front of us. Best of all, this restaurant is dog friendly so my dog Mocha Coconut could be by our side. Our server was nice. This is one of those places you would want to go when you are visiting Saint Augustine or you would want to bring out of town guests to. read more

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Had a horrible experience on my birthday. Reservations were made for 12. We waited almost 2 hrs for our food. We were told one of our party was responsible for ruining the dinner. She had questioned the delay in service. The manager supported her staff and we left hungry! read more

Excellent seafood and the view of the ocean!! Great service!! Pet friendly deck and water bowls.

I think this place is great! I have been here twice while visiting local friends. I do not remember what I had the first time besides the conch fritters and wine....but the view was awesome and so was the service! This last time we had Fried Green Tomatoes & I had the crab cake sandwich for lunch, my friend had grilled salmon sandwich and her husband had a chicken wrap. We all enjoyed our lunch and with the view had no complaints! read more

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I didn't like this place. Our kids were served raw pizzas and the fish tasted like it was old a few days ago. When bringing these issues up with management, they tried to play it off like it was all good. So many better options to consider. read more

What great ambiance. Food was fresh. Service was great. Thank you Jessica. If your in the area we highly recommend the fried green tomatoes and the seafood pasta. The special was spectacular. read more

My husband and came to the Reef yesterday for Sunday brunch. The restaurant explained to us that due to Covid that brunch would not be a buffet but there was a special brunch menu and we could order off the lunch menu as well. Due to a misunderstanding we arrived at 10am and were told the kitchen did not open until 10:30 but we were welcome to have a mimosa or coffee while we waited. We were more than happy to wait and our waiter Zachary was very attentive bringing us drinks and checking on us while we waited. There was live guitar music, the view of the ocean from our table was beautiful, and the mimosas were delicious. At 10:30 on the dot Zachary was at the table to take our order. He was pleasant and attentive the entire meal. We could not have asked for a better waiter. The food was phenomenal! My husband and I are native Floridians so we are picky with our seafood. This restaurant did NOT disappoint. The shrimp cocktail was delicious, the steamed mussels were cooked nicely and very flavorful. My Ahi Tuna steak was cooked to absolute perfection and my husband loved his Mahi tacos. We were impressed and pleased. We will definitely be back again. read more

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This place is all about ocean front dining. Good happy hour with appetizers included. Good staff. Food is good not stellar. Great place for special occasions. read more

Aight. This one is a pleasure to write. First off lemme preface this with a note, we went in there fully expecting a pretty good meal. And we got it. The wait staff was pleasant, the ambiance was nice with the ocean view, and the building itself had a solid mix of rustic and classy decor. That's all well and good, and itself wouldn't make a super great review in my eyes. I can't eat a sunset. But it sure didn't hurt that we had such a view when our food arrived, and was absolutely spectacular. The fried manchego cheese appetizer is probably the most eyebrow raising fried ball of whatever that I've ever had. I could order 2 of those and be happy, no entrée needed. But we did order entrées. She had the Duck, and proclaimed it the best she'd ever had. I had the prime rib, which was -perfectly- cooked and looked like it could have come from a magazine ad. Stellar job. The seasoning crust, and horseradish sauce was something I actually said wow about. We liked it so much we ordered desert, and even the Key Lime Pie was top shelf. Needless to say we plan on a return trip very soon. Places like this deserve to be complimented. I can only hope someone there sees this review, as they're doing an excellent job. read more

Visited for the first time on Thanksgiving 2018. Couldn't get a reservation so we were walk ins. Didn't mind that except it was wait an hour for an indoor table or be seated right away for an outdoor table. Normally this would have been really nice but it happened to be cold and blustery that day lol. Oh well we made the most of it The service was fairly good and I enjoyed having a variety to choose from (this was a Thanksgiving buffet). The seafood, meats, sides, salads and desserts were all plentiful. It was nice to have a Thanksgiving in which I didn't have to cook nor clean up afterwords! read more

Love this place for the view. Sit out on the porch if you can, it's right on the ocean. The food is great, and you won't be disappointed. Went here for a wedding once and they did a bang-up job! Awesome! read more

We visited as a big family back in July 2022. Unfortunately despite making a prior reservation our party was split into two separate tables, which was disappointing. The only thing this restaurant can boast really is that it's right on the beach, so the views. Outside of that, for the price that they charge, the service was ok, the atmosphere was ok and the food was underwhelming to be honest. Just know you are going to pay mainly for eating underwhelming food with a view at the ocean. read more

Had a party of seven adults. Ordered salmon, halibut, Brie LT sandwich, burger and blackened shrimp. All food had good presentation. Nice veggies with fish dishes. Nice views of the ocean from dinning room. Appreciate the N.A. beer option (Stella). read more

My wife and I went to The Reef Restaurant yesterday for Brunch and the meal-the service and the atmosphere were unsurpassed. My wife and I are both in Health Care and we really needed some away time and the delicious food and The Reef Restaurant atmosphere made it happen. I had the Large Shrimp Cocktail Sauteed with Datil pepper lime sauce, with Grilled Mahi Fish Tacos and a Caesar Salad. My wife had the Award Winning Seafood Chowder and the Herb Crusted Saku tuna-seared rare, with pickled ginger,with wasabi dipping sauce. We shared a bowl of Garlic Saffron Mussels with diced peppers, saffron, white wine, cream, fresh herbs, toast points with 2 rounds of Mimosa's and Live Acoustic Guitar by Richard Kuncicky and a beautiful view of the Ocean. When we left we felt rejuvenated. Kudos to the Chef-The Reef Restaurant and the Wait Staff especially our server Zachary! WE WILL BE BACK! read more

This is a beautiful ocean view venue... but expensive for the quality of the food, which is nothing (positively) memorable. DON'T get the grilled cauliflower, unless you like it microwaved to soggy, then grilled. The crabcakes are better in North Carolina. It was overall: mediocre. read more

The Reef - Seafood Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

Exceeded our expectations - the food , ambiance , location, etc. very nice to have this option so close to the hotel in Vilano . Terrific hard packed beach right out back perfect for our little doggies tired paws to stretch out a bit on . The hostess took about five minutes to acknowledge me, true, after strategizing with a pencil and eraser over the right spot for the couple ahead of us. It was like watching a recreation of the storming at D-Day. After the planning and considering and erasing and finally seating them she returned to "the bunker" and commenced to completely ignore me and continue strategizing and erasing. After about three or four more minutes of this I had the temerity to inquire whether we might be seated . She looked at me as if I'd asked where the free food and drinks were . Anyway. Onward and upward . Terrific outdoor seating and that view . Nice mussels to start in a fine saffron sauce . I like that a spoon is included to scoop up that delish sauce too. The toast points included for dipping and dredging That sauce was rather minuscule - I suppose we could have requested more but we didn't . Maybe you shouldn't have to . Wonderful cuts of ahi tuna and nice examples of shrimp tacos we shared . Some local crafty drafty brews and a very professional longtime server rounded out this afternoon meal in a wonderful setting out on that deck . read more

What a nice view of the ocean. The food was very good but the portions were small. My boyfriend only got like 8 fries and not much meat on his prime rib sandwich. The coleslaw was horrible . I got the chicken salad and there was not much lettuce and 4 very small chicken tenders. It was our first time there not sure if we will go again to pricey and leaving still hungry. read more

The Reef - View - Seafood Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

My husband & I went to St Augustine for the weekend. I wanted to go to dinner somewhere on the ocean & the owner of the B&B we are staying at suggested the Reef. We are so thankful he did! The restaurant over looks the ocean, which was lit up with a gorgeous full moon. The service was excellent from the moment we walked in to the moment we left! I ordered the lobster & shrimp risotto. It was very good with large whole shrimp, topped with a large lobster tail. It was delicious! My husband had a Shrimp Alfredo pasta. He also enjoyed his meal. They had inside & outside seating. There is also a nice bar area. We will definitely return if we ever go back to St. Augustine! read more

Love the Restaurant, has en espectacular location on the beach , inside is very nice great ambiance, the food is good the only thing that wasn't to good was the waiting time for our food it took almost an hour I did not mind at the beginning because it was such a nice place an everybody was nice but when my husband and kid started to complained it started to realized that it was a little to much the waiting , but everything else was a plus so I would recommend this place because really is a nice place . read more

This was my first time visiting The Reef. I'm disabled, walk with a cane and have balance issues. Walking up and down the ramp was a little steep for me. They have a rail to hold on too and a rug for traction, but I can't imagine pushing someone in a wheelchair. I mean leaving the place might be fun.... WEEEE!! On the inside you're greeted by a nice welcoming young lady and a good sized fish tank. I didn't see any fish in it, but is that really the view we want to see?? Of course not! The restaurant sits right on the beach!! The whole backside of the restaurant is windows. I'm talking big WINDOWS!! Looking at the crashing waves, made me forget all about the empty fish tank. The young lady walked us to our table which had the white table clothes and a great view. The waiter we had, I believe his name was Jeff, was awesome! It was seven of us and no one's glass was empty at any time and dirty plates weren't sitting in front of us for a long time. He knew the menu very well and he helped us with picking out our lunch entrees. I got the grilled salmon with blood orange beurre blanc with fries (instead of rice) and veggies. The salmon was cooked to medium like I like it and the flavor was delicious. I didn't taste much blood orange but it gave it a little sweetness. The veggies were broccoli and different colors of cauliflower. The portion of food was smaller than I hoped. Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the food, I didn't eat that morning, I was hungry and forgot to take a pic. Anyway, I got a small portion of fish, a handful of fries and 5 florets of veggies. I guess that was the lunch portion, which means, I had room for dessert! It was a hard decision between the bread pudding or chocolate cake. I went with the chocolate cake. It was ok.... nothing really special. (Thinking I should have gone with the bread pudding.)The slice was small. I was thinking for $7 you would get a slice closer to the other restaurants. Overall it was a nice experience, and I would return. I'll just make sure I eat before! read more

amazing seafood place with the best view! enjoyed dinner on the deck overlooking the ocean. mahi mahi was to die for!! read more

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What a lovely gem right on the ocean! The drinks were excellent, and the food even better. The wait staff was helpful and congenial. We arrived around 3:00 on Saturday. We were able to get a parking spot right there, although the lot is small. There is a large lot across the street too. Since it was so late in the day, we each just had an appetizer. My husband had the spinach artichoke dip, which was spiced nicely, not too salty. It was accompanied by toasted brioche. I had the brunch lox and bagels. They prepared the salmon themselves, and it was nicely done. It came with a blueberry muffin, and a small side of fresh cut up fruit. You could tell the chef takes pride in his/her work. It also included a mimosa or glass of champagne. For all that (my lox/bagel), the price of $17 was very reasonable! I had plenty to take home. We were seated right away. Although we sat inside at a lovely window view with white linen tablecloth, we could easily have sat outside under their large umbrellas and enjoyed an even closer view of the beach as the breeze was beautiful. We will come here again when we're back in town! read more

Love going to The Reef for brunch. My go to place. On Beach for a great view. Food is awesome with free flowing mimosas. They will also do made to order Eggs Benedict from waiter in addition to the Buffett. Lots to choose from including shrimp and crab legs. I think I need to go back this Sunday... Great for a girlfriends brunch! read more

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The view on the beach is great and our sever was friendly and provided great service. But we were not impressed by the food it was ok. Not quiet what we expected. read more

The Reef - Mimos and crab cake - Seafood Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

The ambiance at the reef is great over looking the ocean. The food is good but not prepared correctly, my salmon was over cooked and my green beans were practically raw. I requested bread and never received any. The service was not friendly at all, our server entitled, not interested in providing a good customer experience. We will not be back. read more

Absolutely beautiful location! Long time fan, first time diner as of a few weeks ago. I went here for an anniversary party on a Sunday. It was during the brunch hours. Parking was available. Live music as you walked in. The guy playing the instrument and singing was fabulous! Our party was upstairs in a private area. The view was incredible, breathtaking actually! Our server was Ben. He took care of our entire which consisted of almost 30! He was amazing! He also made it look effortless which tells me he takes great pride in his position and it shows! The brunch menu had plenty of options and the lunch menu was also available to us which including multiple options as well. The drinks and food all came our promptly. Bens attentiveness was above par. We all enjoyed our selections, laughed and chatted amongst one another and then a few of us went onto the balcony to get a better view of the ocean. It was bitter sweet when we left as it was such an incredible experience! Thank you Reef for provided all of us with excellent service, gorgeous views and delicious food! read more

We sat at the bar and Sharon or Shannon the bartender or whatever it's name was , was really unprofessional. First of all she made the most horrible mojito and when I asked if we can have a burger she said... this is not Macdonald's we don't serve burgers all the time! What! This is the rudest person I've ever came across with. She's such low class for that beautiful restaurant. read more

They shut down their kitchen after 3 for a while. Didn't know this or we wouldn't have stopped. We had 2 elderly parents and needed a bit to eat. Service was OK, waitress was real "fake happy". We had drinks and apps. A bit overpriced but we all enjoyed what we ordered. Not a great experience. Nice view of the water anyway. read more

Huge disappointment! In town for vaca and booked this one for Sunday brunch way ahead of time. First meal in St Augustine and unfortunately the worst so far! I ordered the crab Benedict and when it was brought over, there was no crab at all, not joking, literally just egg and some spinach on a firm biscuit. I kindly asked the waitress where is the crab, she admitted 'I don't see any either, sorry' and brought it back to the kitchen. I further asked will it be fresh crab meat, she said no it'll be from some can. For a second I honestly thought she was being funny, then I realized she was serious. oh-kay... Anyways you'd thought they would at least spoon a few more canned crab on it since it was sent back to the kitchen? Think again, the picture here was the dish they brought to me for a second time, which contains few tiny teeny canned crab residues. The muffin was very firm, egg and spinach untasty, and this is one of the more pricey items on their menu. My friend ordered salmon Benedict, commenting any place in nyc would be better than this. Location/View 4, service 3, food 1. Not recommending. read more

The Reef - Just sad! - Seafood Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

Went in tonight for a quick drink ended up staying for over an hour!! Chelsea the bartender was amazing! super sweet and made delicious drinks . First time here definitely coming back! read more

What a great find. We happened across this place driving up from the coast after a day on the beach. They were welcoming, despite our beach-wear. It happened to be happy hour, so the already reasonably priced appetizers were $2 off. In addition, so a whole selection of wines were just $20 per bottle. That's unheard of when you combine with the views. We had the oysters, seared tuna, and mussels. All were delicious. We may have also had the seafood pasta, also great. Compliments to the chef. Our server Mallory was friendly and attentive. Great experience, great place. Can't wait to return. read more

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