After camping near the beach for 2 days we were really looking forward to the buffalo burger at the Harbor Reef Restaurant. Our entire group (13 people) headed straight to make line once the bus dropped us off. It was my first time having the buffalo burger and it was amazing!!! I paired mine with cheddar cheese added some mustard and bam! The patty was perfectly seasoned and cooked, the bun was soft yet crispy, and the veggies were super fresh. The fries complimented the burger to the tee! If you're ever on this side of island be sure to try the buffalo burger! read more

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Food takes forever. Waited for nearly 1.5 hours. Not worth it for mediocre food. Server was not sympathetic about the wait too.

To get to 5 stars, we need to see some PAPER STRAWS! Kevin, our bartender, was helpful, kind, and attentive. We had a great discussion about reusable items, which as Californians, we love to hear! The Bison Milk cocktail is excellent! As is the Ahi Poke-perfectly marinated. Great atmosphere, incredibly affordable prices for an island, and we hope that they get on board with Single Use Plastic Awareness. read more

In Two Harbors you are only offered a few restaurant/food joints around... Harbor Reef Restaurant, Harbor Reef Saloon (where is the yelp account for this, as it is entirely different??), and West End Galley. The West End Galley is a walk up and order sort of fast-food joint. The Harbor Reef Saloon is outside of the restaurant and is clearly the bar/patio area (I think people are writing reviews for the Saloon on this Yelp account but I am just anal retentive). And now, the Harbor Reef Restaurant. We always make one night out of our weekend trip to dine here and splurge on a nice fancy (compared to the other options) dinner. The service is always great, and the food items are top-notch. I think we have ordered the calamari, ahi, filet, and seafood pasta. All were excellent. The wine list is also great, as we are usually drunk by the end of dinner here. I suggest coming here to the restaurant for a nicer date night on your journey to Two Harbors. read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - Buffalo Milk - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

You have ruined Two Harbors, don't even know how to make a good old fashioned, you pay for the view that used to be free, service was okay, but not great read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

My husband and I come here every year for our anniversary and we're here again this year as usual (24 years!). We were pleasantly surprised at the upgraded menu here at the Reef restaurant. We had tofu tacos and the heirloom tomato salad and both were delicious!! Can't wait to eat there again tonight! Thank you Harbor Reef and staff who changed up the menu after so many years of the same old thing. Yum!!!! read more

The first time I stopped here mid TCT to have nachos was just okay. My husband and I got 1 nachos to share, 2 buffalo milks with 2 shots of vodka, 1 regular bufflo milk and 1 isthmus breeze. The tab came out to $87 which seems pretty high for those few things... it was all just mediocre. 2 days later when we finished the TCT we stopped here again while we waited for the ferry. My husband got 2 beers from the store nextdoor (cheap & smart). I wanted another Buffalo Milk and had a terrible experience at the bar. I handed the bartender a $20 bill and when he gave me $7 back in change I questioned him because the menu said $10.50. He told me in a matter of fact tone of voice it was $12.47. We went back and forth as I told him the menu said otherwise and he got attitude with me while pointing at his computer screen saying it was, in fact, $12.47. After being tired of the bartender arguing with me I ended it by saying "I believe you, it would just be nice if the menu reflected the updated price." I'm so upset with myself for even tipping him after dealing with his crappy attitude. The audacity of that bartender was UNBELIEVABLE. Everything on the menu is already completely overpriced and they haven't updated it recently which explains why the bill for the first day was such a surprise. Make sure to check your itemized receipt and not to trust the prices on the menu. read more

So my husband and I came in to eat. And only to find out the Chef is from our home in Las Vegas. And he did not disappoint! He definitely brought the great looking Vegas style presentation of food from Las Vegas with the Mojito lime salmon & shrimp plating. The presentation, the flavor was out of this world. My husband is picky when it comes to steak. And he was beyond pleased. As he put it, as simple as steak it can easily be ruined. But he couldn't stop talking about the steak seasoning how it had the right amount of seasoning and came out properly cooked. We will definitely will be back!! read more

I'm going to let you in on a little secret in case you're expecting Two Harbors to be like, a town or something. It's not. It's for people who want to disconnect for a while and enjoy simplicity. You're on island time. So for all of you complaining about how slow service is, relax. If you can't relax, you're in the wrong place. That said, 4 stars for Harbor Reef and not because it's the only restaurant option in Two Harbors! We ate on the outside bar/patio both times and the food was quite good. Which is a good thing because your other option is pizza or produce from the General Store. The homemade chips are TO DIE FOR. The crispy fish sandwich is the best I've ever had. No breakfast served here. Service was good, too. No complaints. read more

Only 1 star because my husband took me here for my birthday. First time on Catalina. I absolutely love the Banning House (this is our 3rd day/night here). Banning House has amazing staff here and I feel like they care about me and my experience at the hotel and on the Island. We go to this restaurant (we went the evening before and had a wonderful dinner near the water with 2 other friends) sit off to the side near the bar. We have our drink and food with a sweet waitress serving us. I'm totally enjoying myself and the vibe here. We're about finished and nearly done, I see lil pigeon and threw down a piece of food I dropped on the table and another waitress passing by who is working the beach section comes up to us and says "please quit feeding the birds" and I'm like "I'm so sorry I'm not giving them anymore and totally understand and will stop" but her attitude and rudeness was just so bad and she says "the birds are aggressive so don't feed them" with such attitude. It felt like I was being scolded like a child. Mind you this is my 53rd bday for God's sake! Finally she walked away to the beach section she's working across the walkway. After this my napkin falls off my lap from a breeze so all the birds take off scared from the napkin. When she comes back by I tell her, because I'm still upset she was so rude and condescending to me, I say "hey my napkin scared those super aggressive birds away". Then my husband tells her how she was rude and didn't need to speak to us like that. I say she was being a bitch to us and was way to aggressive in her approach. Now she's pissed & goes running to her manager to get us kicked out. A few minutes later here comes her supervisor telling us he doesn't allow customers to use profanity towards his employees and says we should leave now. We tell him what happened and how rude she was and he says I understand I've spoken to her but I do not want any confrontation and you're in her section (we're not in her section because we have another waitress & the rude one is working the beach side and was just passing us by). So this "supervisors" approach is to kick the paying customer out (we've already spent over $200 at this restaurant alone) and lie saying we're in the rude girls "section". I asked "Does this mean you do not want us ever coming back here ever again"? He says "No please come back we would love to have you but I need to make sure no more confrontation happens with my staff and he doesn't allow profanity towards my employees". I guess saying that someone is being a bitch to you is considered hard core profanity and requires to be kicked out. Also, it's after we're already finished of course. Well, thanks for almost ruining my so far awesome time here and no worries we'll bring our own stuff next time and avoid this restaurant. I will not let this rude girl and manager that let's his employees walk all over him truly ruin my experience in this beautiful island with mostly super cool people. read more

Even worse for 2014. This one time great restaurant now sucks. Bland, dry, tasteless food in the restaurant. Indifferent bartenders, tips not appreciated. Reef bar and restaurant employees hate their customers, customers hate the employees,, everyone hates the management. Manager DeWitt has total contempt for customers. So lost in his arrogance and cavalier attitude he hasn't noticed long time good paying customers and entire mainland and local yacht clubs are now avoiding the restaurant and bar. Rancid appetizers, expensive and just not worth it. Prime Rib was like eating a first basemans glove. Other diners around us were complaining too. We cut up our dinners and fed them to the dogs on the beach. Regulars are complaining on deaf ears. Bar food menu is completely changed and very unpopular. It's all turn and burn tourist trap fare. No security or bouncers and the assholes take full advantage of it. Loyal, long time regulars are giving the Reef up. This place sux,, and they know it and they just don't give a damn. read more

Two Harbors, Catalina is awesome...period! This tiny community is staffed by kids - and a few locals - that come here every year from all over. The patrons are mostly crews off the boats in Two Harbors marina. The other visitors come over on the ferry from the mainland for day trips, school trips or to camp. This place is very special and unique. Yes the mood is laughter, fun, innocence and super friendly. Lots of music, a DJ or live band, lots of annual events and delicious Buffalo milk (not actually milk). The restaurant/bar - pool table and a large screen TV indoors - is the place that brings everyone together. The mainland can barely be seen and worries, stress and cares become as distant. This is not a place to be lonley. Forget your email, your cell phone, reality TV shows and corporate deals...instead kick back, dance barefoot on the large wood deck, flirt, laugh, enjoy the food and make instant friends with the table - or dinghy - next to you. FYI - there are no shops and only one small hotel on the hill, perfect for Honeymooners. There is a tiny post office that sells ice cream, supplies and groceries for the boat crews. If you want more, you should go to the other end of the island, to the only town, Avalon, with multiple shops, restaurants, accomodation and historical sites. read more

Loved this place! The bar rocks. You would think that an establishment in such a premium location with no competition and an upscale yacht-ish clientele wouldn't be the ultimate for this low budget camper, but it was a ton of fun. The bartenders were very skilled and friendly, and I do believe their most expensive cocktail (the infamous buffalo milk... such a girly drink, but so good that even the beefcake guys were drinking it!) was $6. They had live music during the day and it just had a great vacation vibe. The "saloon" grill attached to the bar was also a nice respite from camping food. I had a good eggs n potatos breakfast as well as a tuna melt. So pretty, so lo-key-- and even though they have a complete monopoly on this little beachfront area , totally affordable. read more

We had breakfast here and everything tasted great, we got avocado toast with a side of watermelon and my friend got to build her own breakfast plate because of many food allergies, but they forgot our order and we had to go ask for it. We came again for dinner, service was a little faster. We got the watermelon salad, ribs, burger, and blackjack bowl. I was highly disappointed when the blackjack bowl because it was very underwhelming and just okay, especially for the price point. I definitely would not recommend it. My friend's burger came out wrong because she had to make a lot of changes, again due to food allergies. The waiter was great and wrote it all down and asked the chef, but they didn't read the ticket and we had to send the food back. They fixed it the second time around at least. The watermelon salad was great and the ribs were okay. read more

Was here for a spontaneous Sat trip to Catalina and this place produced the atmosphere my group was looking for. They had live acoustic going, buffalo milks flowing and bacon buffalo burgers coming off the BBQ. I was most surprised by the burger. The bun was buttered and grilled giving that slight ring of crisp on the outside. The bacon was thick cut which I prefer over the transparent slides of bacon that were cooked the night before and warmed up. It's all about the atmosphere and you feel like you are in a different country when you are looking out over two harbors. Only spot in two harbor so it does get busy on the weekends. read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - Buffalo bacon cheese burger flanked by a buffalo milk and onion rings. I went western bacon on that patty with an onion ring topper. - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

The only game in town. Town , well it's small and compact. The restaurant is ok but since it's the best in town it gets s solid 4 stars. read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - Restaurant / bar just steps from harbor. - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

The only game in town and thankfully it's OK, only problem is they are dog Un-friendly! What's up with that?! Wrigleys? read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - Friendly Dan, the bar tenderman, from Pasadenaland - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

Good drinks. I ordered the famous Buffalo Milk drink. I recommend that! Lots of bees... read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - Buffalo Milk Drink! - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

First this is a review for the Restaurant not the Saloon. Came to two harbors for a birthday get away from everyone and it delivered. we went here in November and it was amazing. Only a few locals and boat people where there ... (funny hearing them talk about crabbing? and then talking about reading Hollywood scripts in development I'm sure its an interesting life) there was some local that every one came in and said hi to, I image him the mayor or sheriff of the town. had the Blackened Swordfish and the Primavera. all very good, expensive yes and perhaps I was under some island spell but it was really worth it read more

Overpriced food with small portions. Burgers are burnt and the quality of the food is suspect. One morning after waiting in line for a while, I was rejected from ordering until a half hour later when lunch started even when there was still that half hour for breakfast ordering. Nice security guard let me come back and order after saying it was "a misunderstanding." Should have another option for food on this side of the island. read more

Jorge was a great bartender but the food was ok. We came in between serving times so had to go to the counter to order. The door in the photo is old and represents all the bartenders that have thrown the empty bottles into the garbage banked off the door beautiful cove! read more

Harbor Reef Restaurant - American Near Me - Two Harbors, California

Two Harbors, GO! The service was awesome. We were pretty much the only peeps sitting in the restaurant. GO OFF SEASON. The food was good and fresh. Fresh catch was a delicious Salmon and the Calamari Picatta were pretty damn good; and I mean damn good. The barkeeper was cool and made us strong drinks. If you are in the Isthmus and you want to spend a night out for some good foods, you definitely should go here...not that you do have a choice :)) being the only restaurant in town. And try the flour-less chocolate cake. read more

Ekaterina was the most phenomenal server! She was extremely attentive and personable. The menu was not amazing but Katya made the experience memorable and worthwhile. Will be coming back often :) read more

Only choice here at two harbors for a restaurant! Halibut was just ok...very plain. We enjoyed the clam chowder however, and our friends said the prime rib was great. The live music beforehand at the bar deck was great! We all enjoyed our buffalo milks too! read more

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Well it's the only stop on this side of the island!! So it is definitely narrowing any other options. Outdoor area was nice and covered for part of it. Happy hour on a Sunday is great. Good price for beverages. This is the drop off for Catalina express from San Pedro to the two harbor drop off. read more

We had an amazing experience at the palapas. Kevin was our server, and took care of us all day with the perfect blend of professionalism and personal touch. He went out of his way to make sure we had everything we needed. I can't speak highly enough of our experience, and recommend anyone spend time here! read more

The Harbor Reef Restaurant has been good in the past, but not now. We had a 6pm reservation, we didn't get our food until 8pm. The restaurant was not crowded, or full. We spend $100 for two, and we were served cold food. read more

I really enjoyed the interior decor, all boaty and such. The food was very satisfying for a small seasonal establishment. We enjoyed playing pool at the conjoined bar. Although the music from the bar's jukebox was a little distracting while trying to enjoy a romantic dinner. read more

Had a great time drinking and eating food here. It's for tourists, so it's a little more expensive. The service was friendly and accommodating. The food was quite good. Our drinks were strong and the view was beautiful. I highly recommend in between all the fun activities. :) read more

After a 3 night backpacking trip, Harbor Reef hit the spot. My enjoyment may have had something to do with it being the only restaurant in the area and it had been days since I had an iced cold drink or fresh meal, but I had no complaints. We were seated right away (Monday early afternoon in August). The staff was pleasant and the place was clean. The prices were a little high but not too bad considering there are no other options. A 6 person lunch with 8 alcoholic beverages, an appetizer and two soda's ran us about $200.00 with the tip. We all had a sandwich or burger. At his time of day only the outside patio area was open. I'd come back if I were to visit two harbors again, but Could see it getting pretty expensive if you ate every meal there. read more

Located on the isthmus of Catalina Island, Ca, it is a wonder. This end of the island is not a tourist Mecca like Avalon. It is mostly sailors, like myself, and campers on this end of the island. It is surprising to find a restaurant serving this quality of food. I had the calamari which was tasty and the portions were generous. Our table of ten enjoyed very good service. The weakest part od the dinner was the Buffalo Milk drink. We have had much better and in this restaurant. Considering the location this is a great place to eat. Food = 4, service = 5. read more

Drinks were delicious along with the food. The only reason for the 2 stars is because of the staff. My friend went up to get a drink and there was an older gentleman sitting at the bar with is large dog. The dog bit my friend's hand and the owner of the dog didn't seem to care. When I told the bartender, he told us that if we had an issue to call bay watch. Who says that to paying customers?! He said "I've known that dog for five years and he's never done anything". I was outraged! It was so rude! I wish I could say I would never go back, but it's the only place in that area to get any food or drink. read more

Forgot to checkin. But had dinner here last night. Overall, excellent. Being the only place at the Ishmus, they could sit back and be mediocre but they haven't. Great service and the swordfish was hauled out of the ocean yesterday. Doesn't get any fresher read more

My husband got the swordfish and he enjoyed it. I got the denver steak with their homemade steak butter, it was also pretty good. With them being the only restaurant on that side of the island it was pretty nice. If you don't like it too warm sit close to a sliding glass door than can be opened. Service was very friendly too! We got here by the "Sundown Isthmus Cruise to Two Harbors," which I highly recommend! I would like to comment on that but see no where I can review. :) read more

Harbor Reef is great. We sail to Catalina in the summer and always plan a night out at the Harbor Reef. The food is amazingly good for being the only restaurant on an island in a tiny camping/boating town. This weekend we had the grilled Halibut. It was perfectly prepared and our salad was very fresh. The kids were happy too with steak and chowder...do offer regular kids menu options as well. Our server was Tom C. He really knew the menu and the island. He was funny and cute too...what else could you ask for. If you want a more casual, less expensive, option they serve a "bar" menu dinner out on the patio. I remember having some amazing fish tacos last year. (don't get these confused with the fish tacos from the grill restaurant at lunch...not so good). Once again, a great experience at the Harbor Reef. read more

Just finished hiking for 3 days and came here to eat before heading home. First picked up a couple beers to drink on the patio from the store next door. I seen 3 other parties do this and thought it was perfectly fine. We finished one beer and got kicked out because we had alcohol. I asked where can we drink these? The man said "on the other side of that sign that says no alcohol beyond this point" ...? So we took our alcohol beyond that point and enjoyed our beer while we watched all the other parties inside enjoy theirs on the patio. I will gladly eat my last protein bar from my hiking trip than give you a single dollar. I know I'm dirty and all from this long hike, but they really made us feel beneath them. Will not stop in two harbors next hiking trip. #racialprofiling read more

Reason for 1 star review : extreme rude and obnoxious bartender. If Yelp has a Zero star rating, I would give it to this restaurant and its bar. Daughter (who is over 21 years old) went to buy a drink at the bar, since she has no id on her, I came over the bar and paid for it. We went back to our table after the purchase. I had the drink in front of me and we then took a group picture. My daughter then took the drink and had a sip. As soon as that happened, the bartender swooped over and snatched the drink from us. I was too stunned to even react !!! Had I reacted, one of us would probably spend some time at the emergency. Family members were holding me down while others complained to the manager who promised to have a talk with the bartender - not holding my breath anyway. I got my refund back from the restaurant manager but the bartender managed to ruin the experience. read more

This is a review of the coffee shop adjacent to the Harbor Reef Restaurant which is open only for dinner. Food is mediocre. Chicken strips were over cooked in fryer. French fries over salted. Grilled cheese w/ bad fries for $8.75 was made with fake Velveta cheese. Awful! Yellow jacket infestation outside drove us to interior of coffee shop for lunch. Dead yellow jackets and a trail of ants along window ledge by table welcomed us. On top of the food, they add sales tax and THEN a 3.5% "Eco Fee" to preserve and protect natural resources. I asked counter staff what it was used for. Answer, "I have no idea". read more

We have been going here for years. They have always provided good food at a fair price and decent srvice. A 4 rated place in my opinion until now. Dinner last night was apparently a challenge for the kitchen and the wait staff. My prime rib was first delivered and I took one bite but had to be taken back as it was actually for someone else. I saw that person had to wait about 20 minute to get her order. I accepted what had been deivered first to her to be my original 14 Oz rib eye. It was terrible. Not only was it under cooked for medium rare it was so full of fat and grizzle that my knife could not even cut it. I would have sent it back but watching the woman wait for her order I just picked and left most of it on my plate. The waiter asked me if I wanted to take it home. Might have been better to ask if anything was wrong. Besides it took over two hours from sit down to finish a s single course and the place only had maybe 20 people. What has happened to this Two Harbor mainstay? read more

Pretty cool casual restaurant with live music. Very laid back island life scene. We rode out from Long Beach CA on the Jetski trip and worked up a good appetite and this place did not disappoint. I had Greek salad with shrimp and the salad was cold and crisp and the shrimp hot and cooked perfect! Kudos to the Chef. read more