Reef

Having never tried this place, we decided to meet friends for drinks one night. After driving circles around and around the place looking for somewhere to park, the valet waved us down and said they'd park us for free. Good enough. By this time it was after 9pm. We had drinks, then decided to check out the place upstairs called Roof. It was still crowded up there until after 2am, at which point we realized Reef had totally shut down and left us with NO keys to our valet-parked car, thus no way to get in it to drive home. What's even worse was that the car was parked in the street out front with the hazzards on. We were finally rescued close to 3:30am by someone who had to wake up sleeping babies and throw them in the car to drive in 30 miles to bring us a spare set of car keys. What could have been a nice experience was completely ruined by what happened at the end of the night. IF YOU VALET SOMEONE'S CAR AND THERE'S A NIGHTCLUB UPSTAIRS OPEN TO 2AM, YOU HAVE TO TELL PEOPLE THEY NEED TO COME BACK TO GET THEIR CAR BEFORE LOCKING UP DOWNSTAIRS. Why assume people would automatically know this if they've never been before? Just terrible. Cons: PARKING PARKING PARKING more

REEF is my new favorite restaurant! It gracefully fuses rockin southern spice into modern dishes. I love spice and good wine and REEF gives me both. The crab cakes are stellar, the gumbo is rockin hot, and the main entrees are just the right size. I couldn't stay for dessert but it looked amazing! (So did the lady climbing up and down the ladder for the wine) The service was a little over enthusiastic but excellent. The ambiance was a little loud, but who could blame them.... this is a great hang out! REEF made my birthday memorable and it's about to make my anniversary the best! Pros: Taste, Wine Cons: Occasionally Loud more

The seafood and service was outstanding. Highly recommend the scallops and the fried macaroni and cheese as a side dish. We had seafood shooters as an appetizer and they were very tasty and fun to watch everyone at the table try. The only down part was the bar--drinks were good but could not carry on a conversation in the bar because of the noise level. We will return for the food. Pros: Modern atmosphere, clean, super fresh seafood Cons: was hard to find, parking is difficult, bar is noisy more

I was there with a group of about 15 people and even with a reservation it took them nearly an hour to seat us so meanwhile we were drinking their super watered down drinks at $10 a pop. \r After being seated, instead of the regular menu with the usual specials and complete descriptions and pricing, they gave us this laser printed menu with a choice of 4 dishes and our party's name on it that didn't even include their signature fish dishes. I had been looking forward to the salmon so I ordered off the real menu and knew exactly what I was getting and how much it would be, but the rest of my party ordered out of the 4 specials and got a nasty surprise at the end of the night when the so called ""specials"" were about $30 more than the average dishes on the regular menu. The dishes were tiny too. \r \r That seems shady to me but we all paid on one ticket to make the server's life easier and overall was very nice to them and on a $1200 tab, left a tip of more than $220 for the server(s) which is almost 20% and what bothers me the most is the servers in plain view were slamming the dishes as they were picking them up and giving us dirty looks as if we didn't tip them enough. I really had to bite my toungue because I knew it would get ugly if I did. \r \r So there you have it. the place is across from a car dealership, overpriced food with tiny portions, and very rude service. There are plenty of classy places to eat at in Houston so skip this one if you want my advice. Oh, and as mentioned there is not even ONE parking spot for this place that's free unless you want to park in the street. And this is isn't in downtown exactly. more

This is a great restaurant. Good atmosphere with a great and reasonably price wine list. The sweet potato ravioli are a great starter. The scallops and snapper are both excellent entrees. \r \r I have been to Reef numerous times and have never had a problem with the valet until this past week. Upon arriving home, I realized two bottles of wine and my sunglasses had been taken from my vehicle (yes, I stopped by Spec's immediately before going to Reef). I called Reef, who was apologetic, but I have not heard anything back regarding what they determined. Shame on me for having any trust in the valet.\r \r Take my advice; find somewhere to park on the street. Do not trust this Valet Company. Pros: Wine List Cons: Sticky fingered vallet more

I had been to Reef a couple of times with friends and liked it so much that I decided to take my husband for his birthday. I am happy to report that this restaurant continues to perform above my expectations. Our waitress was very attentive and knowledgable about the food and when we had a question about champagnes, she brought the owner to the table since he picks out all the wines. We had the crab cake, which is one of the best I have ever had, and the fried shrimp with spicy sauce for appetizers. They were both delicious. I had the slow baked salmon with lemon risotto, which is excellent, and my husband had the redfish and fried mac and cheese. The mac and cheese is a very interesting preparation and tasted cheesy without swimming in cheese. We had the chocolate molten cake for dessert and it was excellent also. Although the decor of the restaurant is very minimalist, the room was really lovely at night with the overhead large globe lights. I would highly recommend this restaurant for any special occasion. Pros: Excellent seafood, great space Cons: Valet parking still hard to navigate more

We visited Reef on Saturday night 2/23/08. It was loud, crowded and rushed. Our waitress told us if we did not order immediately our dinner could take as long as an hour to be served. There are no specials because the ""chef is proud of his menu as it is"". We ordered the scallops and our guests ordered flounder with the mushroom ragout over polenta. Our guests were sick most of Sunday from their meal. We did not finish the 4 scallops shared between us because they were inedible. Perhaps that saved us from getting sick.. The only winner was the crab cake. Order it to go. Pros: Crab cake Cons: Everything else more

Nice restaurant, great location. The scallops are incredible, order the scallops! I enjoyed the decor and will definitely make a return trip. Solid spot, not much more to say! Pros: food, location, service more

My experience started when we pulled up to the restaurant and the valet didn't even want to park our car. I know our Toyota isn't a Lexus, but still where is the customer service? We proceded into the restaurant while getting the funny eye from the valet's and were seated. Our waitress was decent until the middle of dinner when I asked for mashed potatos because my salad was way too oily and too salty. The crab cake was too tiny to pay $18.00 for. Their whole theme is sea salt in that restaurant and I don't think they know when it's overkill. The Grilled Chicken was $15 and it consisted of 2 tiny, poorly seasoned chicken cutlets with that over salted/oily salad. My waitress now wasn't too attentive and forgot to fill my soda back up and didn't come back for a while. The only thing that my husband and I finished was the Chocolate Cake, the one thing they didn't screw up for us. We went home still hungry. I went here with a gift card and I am glad because I would hate to pay for that food out of my pocket. I will definitely not be sending my guests here. Pros: Decorations Cons: Everything else.. more

The food is on par with comparably priced restaurants. We were disappointed when informed by wine captain that the ""innovative cocktail"" referenced in editorial review was unavailable, but the plain Mojitos were satisfactory. The Kumquat Mojito still shows on website menu, so perhaps it was just a misunderstanding. The ceviche was fresh and nicely presented. The grilled shrimp was reported to be on the salty side, but spearfish entree was grilled to perfection. A side order of fried mac and cheese was creamy with a crispy crust, but the flavor wasn't memorable. The proportions were on the large side for us, leaving us filled before dessert. Based on food alone, I'd have given it 4 stars.\r \r The service we received was top notch. Our Open Table reservation details were followed to the letter. We had an early reservation in order to attend a musical. The staff asked at the beginning what time we felt we needed to leave by. Our 2-person team was attentive (if only slightly hovering at the beginning, but that ceased as the restaurant filled). In addition, they comped us each a small liquored milkshake on a decorative platter and enthusiastically, but discretely, wished the wife a happy birthday. They earned their abundant tip for the evening. We were back at the valet at the precise minute we had specified upon our arrival. This restaurant will definitely be added to our monthly list.\r Pros: Service, separate rooms for large groups Cons: Concrete floors need covering to dampen noise more

After much anticipation, our Friday night dinning experience was quiet the dissapointment. Our waiter, Carlos barely made eye contact with us, had to ask him twice for water and he had no personality whatsoever! To top it off, the dishes we ordered were over priced and nothing to write home about. The scallops, 3 to the plate was $23 and the salmon was non-discript for $22. The only positive moment was the chocolate cake dessert. Needless to say, we will not return. more

What a great place for seafood. I love the ambiance, as well as the food. Just a little expensive... I can't wait to go back, though! more

It has been a long time since I could say this about a Houston restaurant. The food was outstanding and fresh and the wine was wonderful and reasonable. Be sure and try the mussels in Shiner Bock with a kick, enough of an appetizer for 4. The delights of the evening were our waitress and our ""wine guy"" better known as Bill Floyd, owner/partner. This will become a regular stop. Pros: Food, Wine, Staff/Owners Cons: Did not find any more

I took a group of friends for a Christmas dinner on a Saturday night. Definitely make reservations for the weekend...it was full! With our reservation, we were promptly seated. No complaints about the food whatsoever. Seafood hotpot, scallops, shrimp...amazing! The service needed improvement. Maybe it was just our particular waiter. First, he wrote down my order incorrectly, but I brushed it off and ate the misordered plate. We needed refills, silverware, and plates. Looked around for our waiter for literally 15 minutes (after our food arrived) before he even showed in the dining area again. I think he was waiting on another table. They also seemed confused as to where he went. What I didn't expect was to be charged for the original meal in the end (which was $10 more). It's $10, but I was a bit upset at this point, and just wanted to get out of there. If the service was improved upon, I would see to it that I come back for an overall positive experience next time around. Pros: food, romantic ambience Cons: what seemed like inexperienced waiter more

We make it a point to try all the new hot spots and REEF was the latest and greatest, so we had been told. It certainly didn't live up to our expectations. The atmosphere was cold (almost like being in a school cafeteria) and extremely loud. My meal was bland, however the dessert was yummy and the wine selection was excellent. I wouldn't rush back. There are too many restaurants in Houston that top this one. Pros: Wine selection Cons: Atmosphere, Quality of food more

My wife and I live in midtown and we definitely know what to expect from restaurants that wish to be in a class of their own. I can unmistakenly say that the bartenders and restaurant owner, actually it may have been the staff manager, were conspicuous about wishing to avoid us for at least 10 minutes after we sat at the rather empty bar. We left without a single greeting, which is just far enough to avoid this restaurant in the future. Cons: service more

BRING EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO REEF!!! Recently, I went to REEF with a friend of mine for lunch - I had the sliders and he had the scallops - let me tell you -lunch was FABULOUS! So, last night (9/21/07) I called REEF at the last minute to see if there were any reservations available - Vicki was fabulous - she told me that they were booked, but if we came in she might be able to squeeze us in or she would ask the chef if we could eat in the bar. When we arrived - Vicki was more than wonderful to us - she was able to squeeze us in after we had a few magical drinks at the bar (ask for their specialty drink menu and have the lemonade!) When we sat down, we were introduced to Bill who we asked to recommend a fabulous wine for dinner (as we wanted to try something other than our normal favorites)- he chose one of the best Petite Syrah's I have ever had - and let me tell you - the bottles of wine are not overpriced like most restaurants in Houston. We ended up having TWO bottles. I had the Crispy Snapper, my husband had the rib eye and our friend had the grouper - there was silence, along with several moans of happiness, at the table as we ate - the food was so good we were all speechless. In short - DO NOT MISS OUT ON REEF!!! Pros: THUMBS UP all around - Drinks, Food, People, Waitstaff, EVERYTHING!!! A new GEM! Cons: Make sure you get reservations if you are going for dinner....and Valet your car! more

Nothing memorable here. Early American warehouse decor, painted in sea tones, for effect, I guess. The food wasn't memorable either, for the price, I'm sorry to say. Nothing terrible, just nothing special to go back for. Tried the gumbo and a piece of fish that was over cooked. Won't say I wouldn't eat here again, but never if I'm paying... Pros: pleasant waiters Cons: mediocre food more

The food is great! The crispy salmon was outstanding (just like everyone else said) as were the mini-burgers, the chicharones, and the heirloom tomato salad. The grouper had a great citrus sauce that the everyone at the table loved. We had a reservation and were immediately seating (on a Friday night). I didn't think there was a noise problem, maybe they took care of that, and our waiter, Erin, was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I think they really heard the few complaints from the reviews and rushed to fix them. The crowd is definitely young and midtown style, and the bar seems to get pretty noisy on the weekends but I didn't go there. Also, the prices are reasonable for this high quality of food (especially the wine). Pros: food food food, nice waiters, sleek atomsphere without being snobby Cons: none so far more

DELICIOUS food, resonable pricing and very friendly waitstaff! Our drinks were absolutely amazing and the food could not have been better. Beautiful atmosphere. Complimentary valet. Will visit again and again! Serves food until 1 am!!! Pros: Complimentary valet, wonderful food, great ambience... more