The Reef

dine out 2016 disaster!
the food was horrible.
apps were bland and meant for children.
soup was tasteless.
fish was fishy and tasteless, no seasoning.
meat was dryyyyyy.
dessert was soggy, probably to make up for the incredibly dry beef.
first time there. last time there.
tip: ask for lemon if the fish is fishy

My lovely and I came here for a weekday afternoon lunch. I love the Caribbean music and the island vibe. We shared the Jerk Chicken Treasure for Two, which comes on a platter with rice ‘n peas & coleslaw. The chicken was really nicely prepared, very tender, but could have been spicier in my opinion. We aren’t big eaters, but found that the amount of rice and coleslaw served on the platter, wasn’t enough for us. Despite attending to all of the tables as a solo act, the server managed to check-​in on us and keep the water glasses full.

The vast majority of my reviews are positive
but I am going to make an exception this review. Right off the bat the server, who idicated she was either the manager or the owner, handled us more like we were an inconvenience rather than well intentioned paying guests. Their house special drinks were disappointing and our meals were just left of center of average. I make a pretty mean jerk chicken so I was
disillusioned when my jerk chicken order ended up being underachieving in every regard. We won’t be returning, there are just too many other great places on Main St. to try.

My friends and I decided to go here last minute, seeing as thought it was almost midnight and we hadn’t of eaten any dinner yet! It was alright, the food didn’t have the flavours that I had expected (garlic, spicy, and saucy). I got a wrap, it was huge! It tasted really healthy (bonus!). I’d go back again to try something else :)

A little lower rating because we came in really really late and I am talking walking in just a bit before 12 am! We just got stuck on having a few dozen drinks before coming down!
The service was great and the drinks were decently priced! I love their Jamaican patties and the jerk chicken w/​rice was nice as well!
I’ll definitely be giving this place another chance because i don’t feel this review was fair due to previously mentioned drinks!

I ordered the buttermilk chicken with mashed potatos.
The batter did not stick to the chicken and the chicken was dry. The mashed potato was okay but not very flavorful… bummer because we were out to celebrate a friends passing…
Fail. I won’t return.

The food is really good. Don’t eat too many Johnny cakes are you won’t have room for your meal. I’ve been here a bunch of times. I really enjoy it in the summer time. They have a patio and it gets pretty busy.

This is a fun place to be. Entertaining Reggae DJ on the weekends, usually busy with lots of younger and older patrons, great patio with heaters and cocktails on special along with complimentary johnny cake’s. I can’t say I was that impressed with the Jerk Chicken Poutine but I am also biased due to my caribbean-​background. I would defnitely recommend this resto for anyone looking for a relaxed-​vibe, good rum cocktail list and solid environment that avoids the sketchers hanging around Calabash in Gastown.

It was my first time to try Caribbean food. It’s a very casual place with OK price and friendly staff:)
They have a happy hour every day 4 to 6, special drink and half price for some appies, so if you’re not sure if you would like Caribbean food, go here for happy hour:) I really liked Plantain Chips (specially jerk mayo!!) Taco was ok, West Indian Roti with Jerk Chicken was good. I definitely go back here to try different Caribbean dishes!

We enjoyed the casual atmosphere at the reef for lunch and dinner and tried breakfast for the 1^st time: the salmon Benny breakfast, crab cake. It was good but not amazing as my friend believe. Judge for yourself with the pics. We were surprised by Johnny cakes and the kids loved it. Such a casual friendly place and they catered to even our specific need of bringing a b day cake!

Definitely one of the better Caribbean joints in Vancouver if not the best. They do have an extensive drink menu, mostly rum based cocktails. You start with a complimentary round of not so sweet doughnuts (Johnny cakes) with butter. The plantain chips are a must try. Thinly sliced (vertically) plantain chips served with jerk mayo, YUMM. The doubles (Spiced chickpeas served on a deep fried bread) are pretty good too. For mains, I had the jerk chicken roti which was great. Much better than couple other Caribbean places in town.
Food: Good
Service :Friendly
Ambiance: cozy but a bit loud
Worth the price: Yeah Man

I recommend the place for you guys to try, neat place from the entrance to inside its like you are on vacation somewhere in the carribean…“u can feel the beat now”, service very good food excellent, street pay parking… Noise level moderate they have outside table and sitting… decors omg im loving it… cant wait to come back and bring un some more friends… Jamaican foods rocks! Love it

THOSE CHICKEN SKEWERS! omg YES!!! tender and perfectly cooked (I’m anal about chicken not being cooked properly lol)
Their plantain chips with the jerk mayo was so tasty!
Get the prawns with avocado aioli, not too much breading so you actually get to enjoy the prawns.
The sweet johnny cakes remind me of summer and the mini donuts at the PNE — these are way bigger though and a little more moist when you bite into them.
Had their Dark and Stormy — delicious! wasn’t too spicy and I will almost always order wine when I go out to eat but I really enjoyed this little concoction!
This place has a really cool vibe — I am dying to visit Jamaica so this place definitely satisfied that craving for now… haha
Got a couple of their marinade jars and can’t wait for Rick to make me some jerk chicken Reef style

I decided to try this restaurant because of the Unilocal Elite Party they hosted last week and the food was delicious. And for the second time, The Reef didn’t disappoint me.
We had free Johnny cake it was delicious with the sauce. We also had chips plantain with their delicious Jerk Mayo. This is a must-​have. And the main dish was «crab me Jamaica) that is actually eggs Benedict with crab cake, also very good. I notice that there was curry on the crab, which I am not a huge fan, but the mixture was quite interesting.
I also had a very tasty Piña Colada that comes with coconut milk, Rum and pineapple.
The reef reminds me a lot being at the beach in South America or Hawaii, so I will definitely come back soon to have this feeling again and eat their great food. ;)

Delicious nummies prepared with love! Must return for more of those crab cakes.
Friendly staff, great bartender. Must have another «Dark & Stormy» with house made ginger beer.
Thank you Simon and wait staff for a wonderful evening!

I had occasion to sample selections from the menu at a recent Unilocal elite event. The owner Simon was a gracious and generous host sparing no indulgence to make for a perfect evening.
–With Red Stripe beer in hand my Caribbean culinary adventure began…
I tried Miss Paulette authentic homemade jerk seasoning on chicken skewers that were tender and well-​spiced. Trust me this island gal knows good jerk when I get it. Next up were mini patties both veg and beef. Delish and flaky crust (didn’t need any secret sauce topper). Mini moist patties are tricky but they pulled it off well. Next up was crab cakes with an aioli. Excellent flavour textures was a bit too soft for anything bigger than bite size. Food «star items»: oh soooo tender braised beef and amazing and large coconut prawns. Plantain chips were served with a mayo dip. There were just the right thickness (sometimes folks slice too thick) and very very lightly salted with no grease. Mayo is about 150 cal per tablespoon so NOT a fan especially if there is a drink available instead. I loved the Dark n Stormy (ginger beer rhyme bitters) waitstaff said it was a Burmudan drink but with parents from both Trinidad and Jamaica I Know other islands lay claim to the drink as well. Parallel 49 gypsy tears went really well with EVERYTHING. All in all a very very tasty and spirited Unilocalers delight and in time for celebrating that FEBRUARY is Black History Month.

I’m a regular here as I work in the area. And I’m not «Jerkin’» around when I say this place is a must. It has a great atmosphere for any occasion. There are also some local art pieces for sale.
They usually start you off with «Johnny Cakes» which are delicious balls of deep fried dough… probably pretty high in calories but worth it.
I recommend anything with Jerk chicken. My two favorites are the Jerk Bun and the Kingston Quesadilla. Great portions and good service especially around lunch time when it’s busy.
It’s casual and laid back great place for lunch I would say the atmosphere is similar to Havana if you’ve ever been. Free parking in front.

Yayy Carribean food! I also happened to have a coupon for a plate of free plantain chips… win!
I had the jerk chicken, large portioned, the jerk sauce was yummy, and so was the rice!
The plantain chips were awesome, crunchy, darling little things!
Oh, and free Johnny cakes (sweet balls of fluffy joy) doesn’t hurt either!
Located on main, their patio is super warm, even in the winter!

I’ve eaten here probably fifteen or twenty times all told.
I always order the same thing — Jerk Chicken Trini Roti with Plantain fries as the side. For $ 12, this is more than most people can eat in two sittings! The dish has spiced chicken (not too spicy), potato and a few other things and is delicious. The roti is light enough not to notice. Usually they bring out johnnycakes with some butter as a complimentary starter. It used to come out sprinkled with sugar but the last few times has not had any — change in recipe perhaps? I much prefer them sweet rather than savoury. As for the plantain fries, they are usually to die for. The dip that accompanies them is perfect on the side.
On several occasions we’ve had a drink or two with the meal, and though they’re of a decent size, and quite strong, they do tend to be pricy. $ 6 and up for a beer, $ 7+ for a cocktail, you get the idea.
As for the service, it can be hit or miss. We once visited on a weeknight evening when the restaurant was nearly empty, only to be ignored by the male server who was hitting on some women at another table. He only took notice when we walked out. Usually the female servers are efficient, if a little brisk. The restaurant does tend to get noisy as the music is louder than it needs to be — and so people tend to shout at each other to make themselves heard. I wish they wouldn’t turn the lights out at night and light the candles — it doesn’t seem to me to be a good date-​night venue.
Overall, The Reef isn’t perfect, but it gets the job done. I keep coming back for the Trini Roti, and probably always will. I’ve had better service at the Commercial location, but the Main St Reef is much more convenient for us.

Oh man the outdoor seating is SO WARM! After a chilly walk up and down Main Street trying to find dinner, we decided on the Reef because we were seated immediately outside. The environmentalist in me abhors the idea of propane heating the air, but it allowed my party to sit outside and enjoy our tropical cocktails while it was below 10 degrees just outside our heat bubble.
As appetizers, each table at the Reef gets Johnny Cakes… basically giant donut holes rolled in sugar. Sometimes filled with jam, sometimes not… as was the case with our table. Usually they’re piping hot, this time they were lukewarm. Having plantain chips with jerk mayo helped rectify the situation.
I had two cocktails (Dark and Stormys), which were perfectly balanced and the real ginger beer helped calm the tickle in my throat. At $ 12 a pop, it was a bit pricey since I had two, but I could’ve chosen something cheaper with less quality rum. Since they are a Caribbean resto, they have an amazing array of rum here!
For dinner was the Island Thyme Chicken (get it!!!). Perfectly done with a good amount of gravy to soak up the seasonal vegetables and mashed potatoes.
Would I go back? I always do, it’s a good standby on Main Street and always seems to have room for me and my party. Having the appetizer, two drinks, and dinner was about $ 50, so not super cheap… but I felt full and content (and a little bit buzzed?).