Devil's Reef

This place is full tilt pirate! They need to work on their food options and drink theatrics, but the decor is PHENOM!

Thanks to Jason & Robyn for opening their bar for Jonathan’s Horror in Clay Mug release party, it gave me a chance to see Devils Reef on a Monday night, this is a night they are normally closed, the Tiki Gods were looking down on me and smiling... what a fantastic space, amazing to think that Jason & Robyn built this bar themselves, it’s a big space too...
Jason’s drinks were fantastic, I opted for 3 x Deelers Choices !!! As long as he used Rum Fire in the last one !!!
Don’t remember too much about leaving, had to be dragged in for a pizza., that probably saved my life...

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.

Wonderful New Bar! Jason and Robin are really on track to Re-creating Tiki of the bygone Golden age.
From the moment you enter, they inspire a classic Tiki-vibe, with well designed and executed wall, ceiling and bar decor and lighting effects. Their 40 foot bar and generous table and booth seating offers both open and intimate spaces to mingle and there are more spacious lounge areas in the rear area.
The drink menu is broad, and True tiki with Quality Rums and mixers where each cocktail is individually created by experienced, personable, and caring bartenders.
Extra Points for quality Exotica background music AND for Omitting VIDEO/TV screens in this place! The owners obviously realize how much video detracts from the authentic Tiki vibe.
It is really great to hear that Devils Reef is succeeding in this town, this location, and at this early stage...only 8 weeks since opening.
Be sure to check business hours before going though! They presently only operate 4 to midnight W-Sat!

They thought it couldn't be done. TWO tiki bars in that "dusty old jewel in the south Puget Sound"?!? Well, Tacoma stepped up and Devil's Reef is an excellent addition to the cocktail scene. Love the decor, the private-ish seating areas and of course the drinks. Always a lovely time!

We had a wonderful evening tonight! The atmosphere was awesome, the server was very thoughtful and wonderfully helpful in providing drink and appetizer suggestions. Devil’s Reef is a pleasantly surprising gem that we absolutely loved and not only are we planning to revisit, we well also recommend this gem to family and friends. Thank you to the owners in helping to make my birthday celebration even more enjoyable!!!

The drinks are a tad on the pricey side. I believe the cheapest menu drink was $12 but the sizes are good and the mixology is top notch. These are crafted drinks and not slammed into a glass by a bored bartender

I didn't hold out much hope for the food. It was looking like it was higher end bar snacks. Man, was I wrong. The food was amazing! There are about a dozen items on the menu and we ordered at least half of them. The only two issues we had were that the Spring Rolls were fresh and not fried and mostly veggies. That was probably our fault in not asking. We assumed.
The only other thing was the tater tots. From order to table it took right around an hour. Even with a couple of orders ahead of us that was too long of a wait but they were delicious.

The general decor we, as a group, were split on. We went in thinking tiki bar but it was about 20% tiki and 80% pirate. The decorations were fantastic but they didn't mesh very well. My personal opinion is that they need to pick one theme and go with it.

Overall the place is fantastic for groups and conversation. The booths are roomy and enclosed enough we could talk in normal tones. The music, in the background, was low enough to allow conversation but enough to enjoy.

Jason and Robyn did an amazing job with this. I'm certain, one day, I'll see an Aloha shirt on a pirate standing at the bar.

Perfection! The Devil's Reef is run by Jason Alexander and Robyn Murphy who both have Tiki and rum flowing through their veins and it shows. The Devil is in the details so to speak. Here's my write up....
http://www.tikiwithray.com/devils-reef-vip-opening-1192018-tacoma-wa/