After a 12 mile bike ride along Ocean Drive, Mrs. Horne and I decided to try a new waterfront restaurant I discovered on OpenTable called The Reef.
It’s located on Howard’s Wharf which is on the southwest end of the harbor. We were staying at the Newport Yachting Center and it was about a ten minute walk.
The side entrance is unassuming and really doesn’t reveal all of this restaurant’s great spaces.
There are dozens of tables outdoors and some are very close to the water. But it was cool and gray outside so we opted to eat indoors…
The interior is bright, comfortable, and full of harbor views…
The Food
Before I get to the food, I want to give a shout-out to our server Jaycee. It was only her second day serving and she was wonderful and very knowledgeable about the menu.
As we sat down, a plate of Calamari went by and it looked so good that we ordered one before we even looked at the menu…
The beverage menu offered a nice array of signature cocktails, wines, and beers – including two draft IPA’s. I opted for the Cisco Wandering Haze…
It’s definitely a hazy IPA, but lighter than most.
After a brief conversation with Jaycee, I ordered a customized plate of wings…
As a certified (certifiable) wing expert, these were as good as they get. I ordered them plain with both sauces on the side. They arrived perfectly crispy and hot. Ordering the sauce on the side keeps your fingers cleaner and let’s the bones keep the wings hot until you dip!
On a side note, the Maple Sriracha just tasted like maple syrup. Maybe they went light on the Sriracha, but the Buffalo Sauce was perfect, so I’d just stick with it!
Pasta is Mrs. Horne’s Achilles Heel and she’d been steering clear of it for weeks, so she gave in and ordered the Mac and Cheese…
It looked like a work of art and a flavor profile that suited both Mrs. Horne, but even my grandson Jack’s fussy palate.
It’s a lot of food for $16 and The Reef can really elevate this dish with the addition of Truffle Oil ($3), Chicken ($8) or Lobster ($12). This would be a great $28 dish for two as a Lobster Mac and Cheese.
Happy Team!
Mrs. Horne noticed how all the servers and busboys worked as a team. About halfway through dinner a major squall hit Newport and everyone rushed to close the wall of doors facing the harbor…
Lively Bar
Since it was still raining, we took our beers and grabbed two seats at the bar…
Once again, great service and views. It was fine as it was, but once the silly plexiglass dividers come down, I can easily see us eating here rather than in the dining room.
I’d say the only thing The Reef is missing is a little live music on Saturday and Sunday afternoons😁
My Buzzards Bay 
Hi there,
Looks like fun! Miss you and Susan
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Great Review! Definitely going back!
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