Devil's Reef

The Atmosphere is a huge improvement over Tacoma Cabana, and the drinks are somehow even better, but the service and food are holdovers that are keeping this place from being top-tier IMO.

I was really looking forward to visiting Devil's Reef. It has had great word-of-mouth and a stellar 9.1 rating here on Critiki. The photos I've seen of it look great. I was hoping for a marvelous experience.

I didn't have it.

I don't know if it was just an "off night", if the servers there are ageist/sexist (I'm a middle aged man...not some sweet young female), or if i suddenly turned invisible---but I had the worst time trying to get served. I was seated right in the middle of the bar--not tucked away in a corner. But I almost had to reach out and grab someone every time i needed something.

True, it was a Saturday evening...but it was early and the place was not that busy yet. Hello? I had walked right in and found a seat. No problem.

It took forever to get a menu. It took twice as long to get my order taken. And then, just getting my order was an eternity (was I forgotten?). I only had ONE drink (the namesake cocktail, a Devil's Reef). I would have ordered others (there were several that looked interesting. I had hoped to try a Voodoo Summoning next), but it took so dang long for anyone to pay attention to me again---when I am sitting there in the middle of the bar with an empty glass---that when I finally flagged someone down i just asked for my check and left.

The decor was amazing. The drink was just okay (I'm not fond of spiced drinks). But the service was HORRIBLE. It was so bad I almost skipped the owner's other bar, Tacoma Cabana just down the hill. I'm glad I didn't because, even though it was not nearly as nice inside, the drinks and service were wonderful there.

Devil’s Reef is an amazing and high-quality cocktail experience. For sure it should be considered in the upper echelon of tiki bars in the United States and certainly is the best bar north of Portland. The extensive menu of original tropical drinks is a very high quality (you can still order standard tiki drinks like a Mai Tai).

The decor is “dark” nautical style tiki, and has a horror subtext. Which isn’t to say it isn’t fun/escapist or a bad place to hang out. The music is straight exotica including both classic and newer musical artists (Les Baxter to Ixtahuele). There is a very large bar with seating, as well as tables and a number of large and enclosed booths. The booth experience is like an escape inside an old pirate ship thanks to the nautical decor, mood lighting, and lounge pillows.

There’s an private room overlooking that bar that is coming soon and is definitely worth booking for private events once that’s available. The back part of the facility heading back to the restrooms features a different decor and honestly a little strange. Not that you’ll care after having a couple of the amazing and strong drinks here...

The food menu is a bit limited but seems like something that also will grow over time. I’d love to see are more elaborate and formally printed drink menu as well.