The Reef At Manhattan Harbour

The Reef has been on our list for a while now, anything with waterside dining is on the list this summer! After seeing their burger pop up quite a few times on the Burger Week feed I thought it would be a great time to go. We pulled up Friday evening around 7 and there was one table left for us to squeeze in to. All of the burgers sounded great on the menu, but why not go with the one on special for $ 5? We also both ordered a side salad.
This burger is massive. And delicious. The meat itself was really tasty and I loved that you could tell this didn’t come out of a freezer pack. Even though we ordered a side salad we still got the chips on the side (A for effort to be healthier?) The saratoga chips were so good! The salad was probably the most interesting part in that it is served in a plastic to go container, but hey, all the better for dumping on your dressing and shaking to cover!
We will definitely be back to try the other burgers and maybe catch some live music that was setting up as we were leaving!

I really, really wanted to like this place – especially since it has been getting so much buzz for Cincinnati Burger Week. But it was just meh. Not great, not awful. Someplace in the middle. After arriving at 7:30 on a Friday evening, it took almost 20 minutes to be acknowledged. I know it was busy but at least bring us menus or offer us drinks! So, right there that was frustrating.
Once the waitress did arrive, our service was prompt and efficient. We all wanted the Burger Week Burger, the Manhattan. It’s normally a $ 12 burger but for Burger Week it was only $ 5. This was truly a bargain. It included a beef patty topped with BBQ sauce, bacon, fried onion, an egg, and cheese. The fries that came with the burger were delicious. We really enjoyed how crisp they were. With regards to the burger, it was good but not great. I wouldn’t put it on a list of favorites by any means but for the $ 5 dollar special I was more than satisfied! I can’t say I’d go out of my way to eat it again, especially if it were full price.
As far as views go, it was nice being outside on the water. I saw one review that described this place like being in Florida but in N. Kentucky. I think that’s a stretch but there was tropical music and decorations and a nice breeze from being on the water. This place is exactly as you’d expect it to be – slightly tacky with average food… however, I could see myself coming back with a group of friends to chill for a few hours on the patio enjoying some beer.

I don’t like negative reviews but this was so disappointing. Went with a group of 8 for dinner. Decided to come here while out on our boats instead of many other options on the river. We’d heard all the hype of new owners and how they were turning it all around and decided to give it a shot. Never again. The food was terrible and extremely overpriced. The nachos pictured here were $ 11! The habenero bites that came highly recommended by the server were less than average ($ 9). The server steered us away from ordering pizza because they had recently served it raw in the middle. It was all just bad. A few in our group ordered burgers and the club and had the same feedback. I will not be eating here again any time soon. It couldn’t have been more overpriced and less appealing. The service was not very good either.

What a great spot on the river! They have recently come under some new management that seems to be whipping this place into shape quite nicely!
The food the night we went was delish, fresh, and inexpensive! We got the wings that were fresh off the grill and were just $.50 a piece! Score! The only minor complaint I had was that the service was a bit slow, but luckily that night we weren’t in any hurry.
The crowd on the night we went seemed like regulars and skewed just a bit older than what is the usual bar scene. But everyone was friendly and seemed genuinely happy to see fresh faces and share their favorite spot!
The view of the river was perfect! What a neat spot to just relax and enjoy yourself!
Parking is easy in the parking lot and then just head down the ramp and veer left for a great evening!
Be sure to check this place out if you’re not in a hurry and ready for great view and tasty food!

I tried; I really did to get behind the new owners of this place. When I heard that they also owned Mint Martini, I was super excited that the place would receive the necessary attention to make it swim not sink.
Instead, what we got was a multitude of Christmas lights, blaringly loud music, and craziness in the harbour. For example, music so loud while trying to pull multiple boats out of the water, drunken people screaming at each other and no one could hear a thing. A few separate occasions I witnessed near miss accidents.
I suppose the new owners are more worried about holding bikini contests then the safety of those who actually boat there and pay their bills.

This was a good place until 2012. Marina went down hill and took the restaurants and pool with it. Run away from this place!

I really enjoy this place. Probably the best harbor on the river. The staff is very knowledgeable and always goes over the top to help. They are also VERY organized so even after hours when the staff has gone home for the night they have wheelbarrows placed so you can carry stuff from your boat to your car easily.
On several occasions they have been already closed and the young men actually saved us by reopening to fill us up with gas. They also give a 5% discount on gas if you are a member.
All good things. If you are a boat owner or just a passenger you will feel very taken care of here.

Best Frozen Margarita’s and service is slow. Blackened grouper sandwich was good but it needs a different bun (to big).

I was told about The Reef at a party after possibly one too many drinks by everyone in attendance.
«Oh man, it’s so great. You sit outside and you drink drinks and there’s a pool and you take your drinks into the pool and then you drink your drinks in the pool,» this person said to me.
How could I resist a place like that?
The Reef is a no frills summer spot for exactly what they said above. You drive past Bellevue into Dayton, KY and basically as far down as you can get until you hit the river. Then there’s The Reef, a restaurant built into a dock (and you’ll see boats come in and go out for the entire time you’re there). There’s a dry upstairs part with a giant bar and a section for people to play music (while we were there, there were two guys doing decent covers of things like Mellencamp and Springsteen.)
On the bottom level is indeed a pool and people were indeed drinking in the pool. It was a very strange mix of people in the pool though — young people tanning and sipping on hardcore alcoholic beverages and families running around with kids. I guess this is a place for everyone.
(There was a sign near the pool said that it was only for members and patrons of The Reef, which I guess means if you buy anything, you can use it. We didn’t even try, happy to sit above.)
The Reef has your normal mix of summer mixed drinks and domestic beers, served in plastic cups of course. Snag a menu and you’ll see it’s full of, again, summer staples: burgers and nachos and all the stuff you crave sitting outside. We go a dip sampler and it was solid — buffalo chicken dip, spinach artichoke and a seafood dip. None of them amazing but not terrible either, and they came with both chips and bread, which I loved.
This place isn’t going to wow you, but it’s not trying to. It knows exactly what it is and it does it well. I think that deserves a solid four stars.

First time Visit. Sunday night sunset dinner poolside on the river at the reef. Service from Tamesha was perfect wings and beef nachos great. Lots of eye candy in the pool. Very enjoyable evening with the woman I love.

The Reef is a place that knows exactly what it is. It’s not fancy. It’s a dockside restaurant and grill, serving up all of the greasy American fare you’d find on an Applebee’s menu. I would much rather go back to the Reef than set foot in an Applebees.
There are two levels — an upper deck with lots of tables and a bar. Then there’s the lower pool area, filled with families and lots of moms in bikinis when I was there. Drinks are served in plastic cups. If you order some kind of fruity tropical blended drink, it’s coming from one of those machines that slushies are traditionally served from.
Our waitress was very nice, attentive but not overbearing. She remembered the little lime wedge for my can (can!) of Corona. It would also be foolish to come in here in a rush. This place is made for kicking back poolside. Flip flops pretty much required.
We started off with a sampler platter of dips. That buffalo chicken dip that Cincinnatians must have at every gathering, a warm seafood dip and a spinach artichoke dip arrived. The bread accompanying was slightly stale, but the dips were just fine. We moved on to a basket of fries, and they were nothing special, but still managing to be warm and properly crisp on the outside.
The Reef really is a completely average restaurant that happens to be right on the Ohio river. You can almost pretend you’re somewhere else if you squint at the plastic palm trees.

woohoo! LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! The service is great! i love that you can eat and drink by the pool side. The locals are nice to talk to. The food is filling and yummy, nothing fancy but who needs fancy when your relaxing by the pool with an awesomely made long island. I have been to this place twice and it’s a great hang out. To top it off, there’s free parking all day.

You drive through slightly run down streets, pass through a levee opening, and have suddenly been transported into another world. Before your eyes is an image that looks like it has been cut and pasted from much more posh surroundings– perhaps a vacation spot in an upscale town along the coast of Florida.
You share a parking lot with large boats, walk across a pier and past yachts, and enter into The Reef bar, which is part of a large floating complex on the river. This is where my mind was completely blown. There is a SWIMMING POOL on the deck of the bar. And not some little kid splash pool either– a genuine, adult size swimming pool! And people are sitting around this pool with their drinks from the bar.
The drinks are reasonable– if you’re just looking to chill they had domestic buckets of 5 beers for $ 10. Nothing fancy on the food menu, but plenty to keep your belly happy, including food made by a guy standing poolside at a huge grill dishing out some delicious smelling grub.
How did I never before know this place existed? Extra star because there is a pool at the bar. Where else do you find that in Cincinnati?

Located at Manhattan Harbour, formerly named Watertown Yacht Club, this is the outdoor bar/​restaurant at the marina. With it’s beachy, island décor, it’s a relaxing place that overlooks a small pool area and the marina.
We had an early lunch there on a quiet Sunday. My husband said his burger tasted like one his mom would prepare, so I think that’s good. I had the buffalo chicken wrap which was plenty spicy, I just had trouble keeping my wrap ingredients inside the tortilla. Both choices came with chips and a pickle slice.
The Reef is spacious with a stage for live music and a pool table. I’d say it’s hopping on weekend evenings.