Pelican's reef really hits the spot, if the spot you are hoping to hit is deep fried goodness. I had a craving for calamari, fish and chips, and a burger. So, I ordered the calamari, fish and chips, and a burger. The calamari was crisp, well battered, and the dipping sauce was amazing. I was expecting it to be appetizer portions, and I was wrong. It was a whole meal's worth of calamari goodness. The burger was fine, but not too interesting or unique. The fish from the fish and chips were crisp, moist, and flaky. Overall, I was super impressed, and left full of deep fried goodness. read more

We just happened to come across this restaurant and we are very satisfied! Great food and great service! The only problem we encountered was what to order! Great Job! read more

I love it when I get a chance to come to P. Reef! It's like being back at the Gulf, only no plane ticket. The grouper Sammie was so good, and my buddy loved his blackened mahi tacos, too. read more

Ate here a few months ago. They were super busy around 9 on a Friday, but we knew that going in. The parking lot is limited and usually full when we passed by. When we did get seated, service was very quick and friendly. Lots of people had their little ones so our two year old wasn't out of place at all. My hubby ordered a burger, I had the stuffed sole fish. Everything was absolutely delicious and there were many things we want to try. We can't wait to go back and check out the reef top :) read more

best sweet potato fries i have had. The Fried Grouper was excellent and made me feel and taste like i was living on the coast of Florida. The oysters were nice and fresh. Thanks you Pelicans Reef for freshest seafood smack in the middle of the USA! read more

Wonderful! I ordered take out for my fam. Crab cake platter ,stuffed grouper platter, counch chowder, and two kids shrimp baskets. We will definitely be back back to dine in!! read more

Really greasy! Fish wasn't that great! We weren't impressed by the food or the service. We went in early to beat the rush. Can't imagine having to wait for this quality of food. We won't be back. read more

I went here with my spouse last week. The server was very friendly. Service was quick. I ordered the lobster bisque soup. It was pretty good though not really much different from other lobster bisque soups I've had at other restaurants. The hush puppies were good. My spouse got fish tacos which he said were real good. read more

My wife and I visited Pelican's Reef for lunch. Usually we love eating here but this experience ruined all the previous good experiences. We placed our appetizer order for lobster fritters and crab & cream cheese wontons. Five minutes later our server came and told us the fritters were unavailable. We were bummed but understood. We placed our entree order. After ten minutes of waiting our server came back and said that she is sorry but they are out of my wife's entree selection. This really made us upset, not that they are out of it, but because it was the second item and it took them ten minutes to figure out that they didn't have it. My wife ordered something else. When they finally brought our food out after an additional 30+ minutes they had forgotten my wife's side and her tartar sauce for her fish. I told them and they brought the side out and we had to ask again for the tartar sauce. After all this the owner came out and instead of apologizing she belittled us and talked down to us. She said, "it isn't our fault that we don't have a menu item. Its a pandemic and we can't get certain things." I told her that was fair and I wasn't upset about them being out of something. I was upset that it took them so long to tell me they were out and then they forgot half of the order my wife didn't want. The owner then said after throwing her arms up at us and as she walked away she yelled across the dining room "whatever, don't worry about it. We'll cover it." After the way she treated us we did not touch the food. She can keep her hate filled food. We not once raised our voices at her. I even agreed with how hard it is to receive items from suppliers during this pandemic. I just informed her that she needed to inform her staff better so they can educate their guests on what offerings they may or may not have so the guest isn't upset when they 86 an item. Long story short, we will never go back, not because of the food but because of the evil hate filled owner who likes to argue and belittle her guests. read more

Another trip to the reef. Returning as a vegan and still had a great meal. We sat upstairs and loved it.

I had the cod and oyster basket. Food was hot and fresh. Service was good. No complaints here.

Great neighborhood place with quality seafood, good service and fair prices. Consistently busy and always enjoyable. For a casual night out, you can't go wrong (if you can get a table). read more

Food was awesome Mahi and beer battered cod very good. Sweet potato fries came out burnt. Waitress was on it and fix it quickly. New batch was good. Noise level high good place for groups read more

Food was fantastic!! My wife had the Asian tuna wrap special and I had the cod basket. Both were simple (I don't think that there is too much here that would be fancy or chic) but very good. Our food was piping hot with great flavor. Our sever was friendly and service was quick. The menu is pretty good size. This place would be good for families or an easy night out with the significant other. We will definitely be back! read more

Always a go to place for great seafood. I haven't had a bad dinner here yet. A hidden gem on the east side. The flavor combinations may not be that of a upscale gourmet restaurant, but the "Florida experience" flavor of a fresh fish comes with every dish. read more

Clam chowder was great. Portion sizes of fish on tacos and mahi mahi sandwich were extremely small for $14

Best seafood restaurant in the Anderson area of Cincinnati. Blackened grouper is awesome and always check out the daily specials!

Good food, friendly host, excellent place to celebrate something special.

I've been going there for the past 8-9 years and always find the food truly amazing. I moved further away a couple years ago. Instead of a 20 minute drive, it now takes me almost 40 minutes to get to the restaurant. Now I don't go as often but, when I do want that Florida Keys feel and a great grouper sandwich, I find my way there. Also, my wife loves the salmon and Friday night asparagus special. If they opened one near Florence, KY, I'd go a lot more often. read more

Took the wife out tonight to celebrate a romantic evening ( no kids). We stopped by and had some amazing seafood and great drinks.. and some homemade peanut butter pie ( so delicious ). This is most likely the best seafood to be had in Cincy read more

Went here on a Tuesday night while our daughter was at rehearsal. Received a table instantly, service was quick. Wine and beer selection and pricing was great, menu was a bit overwhelming. We started with the lobster fritters... Mostly just $11 hush puppies... Couldn't really find much lobster, but we'll just get something different next time. I had the seafood stew; it was great! I will order it again. Mahi tacos were okay, we will probably get a sandwich instead next time... We were eyeballing other tables food. Overall, was busy, service was great, and food was decent. We will be back. read more

Love this place and so happy we found it while in town for a soccer tournament! Will be back! Fish tacos were delicious! Peanut butter pie... OMG!! It's a buckeye in a pie!!! read more

It was great, nice and friendly and great food. My husband and son had trouble choosing their meal.

We were skipped over by the hostess. We waited over an hour to be seated as people came after us and were seated. After checking with the hostess, she claimed she called our name and someone else claimed to be us. Our name was never announced. Waitress was more attentive to 2 tables with a party of 4 than our table of 2. I had to ask her to bring my husband his drink after he waited for a long while after ordering. She never asked me if I wanted another drink even though mine was empty so I ordered my own drink from the bar. We had to ask for our bill. She still ignored us when we were ready to pay. I had to take the check to her and told her we were never more ignored as we were that night. Food was delicious and the busboy or cook was the only person other than the bartenders that made us feel as if our business was appreciated. I'd recommend for food only. Spent over 2 hours there and felt invisible nearly the whole night. We are great tippers and never complain. Just very disappointed in the customer service tonight. read more

It was the first time we tried Pelican;s Reef and we definitively go back. Fish was fresh, came to the table piping hot, service was great. Calamari was close to the best I ever had. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is the parking is awful. read more

We have been to Pelican's Reef many times and it is one of our favorites. Located in a small strip mall, it is easy to miss but it is obviously a favorite of the local community. I have tried many things on the menu, some of my favorites are the chicken sandwich, the conch chowder, pulled pork sandwich and they have a great burger. Of course the calamari is outstanding. My favorite thing about this place is the specials. It is clear the chef takes great care in concocting seasonal specials with fresh ingredients and I look foward to seeing what special appetizers are being featured. The price is very reasonable, the vibe is casual, we have stopped to have chilled shrimp and beer after work or dressed up for a Friday night out. Service for the most part has always been fast and friendly. It can feel a little cramped, especially if waiting for a table. read more

Excellent seafood. The crowd tends to be mostly raisins, but they tend to flock to best value for the buck. Great bar, too.

I've lived on the East Side of Cincinnati almost all of my life and only recently visited pelicans reef. This place is wonderful! I haven't tried a single thing that wasn't delicious from the shrimp, clam strip and oyster platters to the po boy sandwiches, sides and crab cakes it's all delicious. I'm so happy to have discovered a local restaurant that tastes like real, fresh, delicious food. Pelicans reef never disappoints. Be prepared to be rolled out of there, though. The dishes come with enough food for dinner and lunch the next day! read more

I think this place is great. Totally unpretentious, and the food is really good. We eat there every couple of months and always get the crab legs (I like to dip the crab meat in green Tabasco!). They have a good beer list too. If you get down from some winter blues, go to the Pelican's Reef, you'll feel like you walked into Florida. read more

Someone recommended this place to me and said it was very good quality seafood. Wrong . The place has terrible parking. And is kinda crammed. But it was very inviting. The service was great but the food was not at all what I had hoped for. Overpriced for what you get and not as tasty as I had anticipated. All of the food, fried or not, was very greasy. Too greasy, leaving us with belly aches. I would not recommend it. We will not be returning. read more

Best seafood in Cincinnati hands down. Weekly specials, all flown in daily. Everything I've ever had here is beyond excellent. full bar, good service. Is very loud ambiance. Hard to hear others talk. Not a good first date stop or a place for lots of conversation. read more

It was hit & miss. The atmosphere is great. It reminded me of some favorite restaurants in Florida. The service was just okay. Some of the dishes were delicious, but avoid the lobster fritters. Not delicious. read more

My husband and I are skiddish of any seafood. The soft shell crab and yellowfin tuna were superb. Even the asparagus, coleslaw, and chocolate eclair were perfect. We'd come back! read more

I personally love the lobster bisque because I am a big lobster fan. Anywhere I can get lobster I try to order it.

I don't get why this place is so popular, the is the equivalent of s greasy dinner, service is adequate, and decor is dated. The sticky floor adds to that greasy spoon dive. I had the beer batter cod fish sandwich which was mostly fried breading and over cooked sweet potato fries... read more

Special night out was a disappointment. Steak burnt on outside cold on inside (no; it was ordered medium) showed that it had been cook from frozen- not tasty , or safe to eat. Also oysters that were so not fresh (as the manager assured us that all sea food was fresh) should have not been served. Being in food service for over 30 years tells me this was not a safe place to eat. And managers attitude made a bad food experience into a total bad experience. read more

1st time here in quite awhile and it was as great as I remember. Service was great and food was excellent! Everything we had was fresh. The oysters were fantastic. Mahi mahi delicious and my husband had great crab legs. The team at Pelicans Reef were friendly, efficient and informative. It was a great experience. read more

Its really sad when you have been going to this restaurant for over a couple of years and spending some money too and every time (literally) you find the "so called" owners to be absolutely rude! We actually kept hoping, because the food is good, that we could get past the owners and how they treat their guest along with the people who work for them. We always have a nice group with us and this last time was the last time for all of us - no details on what has happened just no need to go anymore! read more

This area is new to me but my wife and I both work close. We decided to meet up here after work one night. I loved the atmosphere. We ordered drinks and they were fantastic. For dinner we ordered some light items, shrimp Po Boy and fish tacos. They were great and our waitress was lovely. read more

Love the atmosphere... makes me feel like I am near the beach! I have visited on a couple occasions. The first time I got coconut shrimp which was delicious. Generous portion, too. During my most recent visit I got blackened mahi mahi tacos off their specials menu, with a side of sweet potato fries. The fries were delicious- exactly what you want in a sweet potato fry, very crispy! I was underwhelmed by the tacos. The fish didn't really taste blackened and was over cooked. The tacos had some type of slaw with a chipotle dressing, but I felt like something was missing in terms of flavor. It needed something else to liven it up. We will be back, but i just won't be getting fish tacos again. read more