The absolute best spicy cheese curds you can find. It's so hard to share this appetizer so just order 2 if someone's with you. They always have some great specials and I'm pretty sure Hailey just sleeps there because she is working every single time I go. read more

We got hungry while poking around Pensacola beach and were sucked into The Reef by their sign that reads "Worlds Best Smashburger." It did not disappoint. Our waiter, Jared, was excellent. He was friendly, outgoing, and helpful in a genuine way. Not one of those annoying, phony, over the top sugary types. Just a great guy serving great food. We both ordered the smashburger of the month, which, Dec 2025 was a double smash burger with arugula, pecan smoked bacon, goat cheese and fig jam. I ordered Cajun spiced onion rings with mine, and my husband got plain French fries with his. Jared recommended their remulade dip that comes with the gator bites to dip our onion rings and fries in, and it was spicy and scrumptious. The burgers were amazing, better than expected. Fries and onion rings were perfect. Crispy and not greasy. Same goes for the bacon on our burgers. No slimy, greasy bacon! It was cooked to a nice crispy texture but not at all burnt and still held that great flavor! The restaurant was decorated for Christmas with Buddy the elf and it looked great. Restrooms are next door shared with the bar and are clean and well kept. Excellent all around. Highly recommend! read more

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Was recommended to come here by a local for a good burger, and the Reef delivered. This is a place that locals eat, so it has a no-nonsense interior but with very friendly and helpful staff. The burger hit the spot for an excellent price. Would come here again and again if we lived nearby read more

The Reef - Hamburger - Chicken Wings Near Me - Pensacola Beach, Florida

Outside, on a dock area at sunset was great! We lucked into a table (seat yourself but DONT move the tables ¯\_( )_/¯ ) or you will be nicely scolded. Cold beer, live music and the car show drew us in. It's in the back of a motel so unless you know it's there you won't find it. Sunset was gorgeous, live music is always good and the dried shrimp basket was on point. Will definitely visit again. Maggie (our server) was a good sport with our shenanigans. read more

The Reef - View from the dock area. - Chicken Wings Near Me - Pensacola Beach, Florida

This was the friendliest, tastiest, and affordable diner/burger place I have been to in quite some time. I was at the beach overnight and wanted a burger from a local family-owned joint. I ordered their burger of the month and it was excellent. The fries were even better. The staff were friendly, attentive, and really seemed to be happy! It was awesome to see. It made me think that the place had great vibes overall. Thanks for the great meal and the hospitality. read more

The Greek salad was huge, loaded, fresh and wonderful. My husband is picky and loved his double smash burger and fries. Reasonable prices, great service. The owner greeted us promptly and accommodated the fact that we had an event booked and were in a hurry. Another guest came in drunk and became disrespectful and foul-mouthed. She asked him to be respectful, and when he didn't she asked him to leave and apologized to us. Bravo. read more

The Reef - Greek salad and double smash burger - Chicken Wings Near Me - Pensacola Beach, Florida

10 out of 10! We love finding hole in the wall restaurants because they typically have the best food and The Reef did not disappoint! The place was very decorated for Halloween and was so cute. My daughter loved the skeletons. I had their Black Widow special burger and it was perfection. The wings were amazing and the regular smash burger was great! Sides were fries, okra and onion rings and they are seasoned with Cajun seasoning. I thought they were good but if you can't handle much spice then I'd get them plain. Server was fantastic and brought us a game for my toddler to play while we waited. We will be back. read more

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Cute little place with great food! Our server was so sweet! The seasoned fries were some of the best fries I've ever had and the cocktails were delicious. read more

Small yet comfortable atmosphere, it was a Monday night and not very busy. We were seated right away and we received prompt service. We started with the fried okra which was super crispy. I also had the wings which are the Monday night special, they served them naked for me with the hot and extra hot sauces on the side, Yes the extra hot was quite spicy and delicious! They do have a full bar there too. read more

The Reef - Wings with sauce on the side - Chicken Wings Near Me - Pensacola Beach, Florida

Small place but booming with personal service. The wait staff were on top of everything and very polite. The food was fast and delicious. The restaurant connects to the bar next door which has pool tables in case you wanna play a little 8 ball after eating. read more

We were on the hunt for a good smash burger and we found this place. We came in on a Sunday afternoon. Small establishment and it was pretty packed. We sat at the middle table that's set up like a family style table for multiple people. We ordered the "burger of the month" which was a double burger with a bacon/mayo sauce, cheddar, lettuce and tomato. The burger was decent but looked more like a frozen patty instead of a smash burger. We also had the regular "smash burger". which didn't seem like a "smash" burger. Cooked well and decent. We also ordered the pork skins. Best pork skins I've ever had. They were hot and popped every time you picked them up. Service was great. Someone checked on us frequently. read more

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Happy I found this place. They produce great dishes at a reasonable price. They profess to have the best burgers and wings, but I haven't had any bad meals from there. read more

Let me count the ways why we loved this place. First, the staff was super friendly, welcoming, and attentive. A fun atmosphere. Reasonably priced restaurants in this area are hard to find and these guys are nicely priced with an exceptional value. As a vegetarian, finding food here has been challenging. However, they have the best Brussels sprouts and veggie flatbread I've ever had. Sooo good! My meat eating husband was not disappointed, however. He loved his chicken sandwich and we loved the fries. No one else appeared to leave hungry! We ended up visiting twice during our weekend trip. And we got dessert to go our second visit ... which we just finished. Chocolate, caramel cheesecake. OMG. We will fly to the area again. For the beach and for Reef! read more

Oh yeah this place was surprisingly good! We had a nice meal here and everyone enjoyed their dishes. I got the salmon salad and there was a good amount of food, tasted great! We had apps and everyone else had drinks. Service was wonderful and the atmosphere was casual and relaxed. Very nice! read more

The Reef - Nice place for a dinner - Chicken Wings Near Me - Pensacola Beach, Florida

Our family walked into The Reef for lunch after spending the morning at Fort Pickens. The restaurant was not very busy. We were seated, and there was a nice selection of games to play while we waited. Our server was friendly, and she refilled our cups multiple times. The food was excellent. We all really enjoyed our meals. As a group we had the steak and cheese sub, smash burgers, pizza, and corn dogs. The Cajun fries were amazing, and with a little salt and pepper, the regular fries were really good as well. I would love to try everything on the menu. The Reef is a very small restaurant at Pensacola beach. It's a hidden gem in Florida. I would definitely recommend to anybody vacationing in this area. read more

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Y'all. This is the spot. We didn't want to eat the food the hotel had to offer so we found this place and tried it based on reviews. 8 minute walk from the Holiday Inn. The food is AMAZING! For apps we got the Pork Rinds, light as air and still popping when they got to the table and we also got the Brussel Sprouts, perfect amount of crispy with a drizzle of balsamic. I got the regular smash burger and my husband got the special which was a smash burger with different toppings. Both were so so good!!! This was probably the best experience I've had at a place this year. Lyndsie and Haley work so well together, it's like you're at their house and they are family. The food was top tier, the service was even better and the place has a vibe. We were going to go to a fancier place for the second day of our trip but we are going back to The Reef instead. We love it there. read more

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Service- Excellent! Food- Excellent! Worlds best smash burger and my wife loved the steak taco special Ambiance- Excellent! Highly recommended!!! read more

Got a starter of spicy cheese curds and they were delicious and definitely on the hotter side! also the cheese pull was great. The smash burger was a double patty with american cheese and was pretty filling! The cajun fries had a good kick but weren't as spicy as the cheese curds. Our waitress was super kind and got everything out in a timely manner. The interior was small but cozy! Arriving at 3pm on a wednesday there was no wait :) read more

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After arriving in town we were looking for a place to grab a quick bite to eat. The ref was near our hotel so we decided to give it a try. We had the Greek salad Smashburger and the mashed potatoes. All were delicious and the burger was exceptionally amazing. I would happily go back again. read more

The smash burger was amazing. It was cooked just right and the Cajun seasoned fries were a perfect compliment. The fries were seasoned just right, not over seasoned. It is no wonder that they were a final contender for the best burger in Pensacola. The service was very friendly and appropriately attentive. The ambiance is casual and welcoming. read more

Hidden gem! We were a party of 4 that ordered and shared everything. The smash burger, wings, flatbread and Philly cheesesteak. The Philly cheesesteak took the cake, full of flavor and left us wanting another bite. Service was phenomenal- Carmen was fun, energetic and very kind. The team worked well assisting with delivering food to tables and checking in with tables for refills. Highly recommend checking out The Reef. read more

Absolutely love this place. The meatball sub is unmatched, the smash burgers are perfection, and the chicken wings never disappoint. It has that cozy, home-style feel you want in a neighborhood restaurant, and their specials are some of the best I've ever had. read more

Great sandwiches, atmosphere also, beer selection, even pricing. Wait time was lengthy but we came on the rush our! read more

The Reef - Mediterranean (or Greek) salad with gyro meat. Very good, lasted 2 full meals and 1 snack! - Chicken Wings Near Me - Pensacola Beach, Florida

It is all premade stuff now. It is ok but not as great as it used to be. I won't be back read more

What a fun night out. Great atmosphere. Food was tasty, service was top notch. Local spot made us feel right at home. Had the buffalo chicken wings and flatbread. Would recommend both. read more

Nice chill hole in the wall place to grab a bite after hitting the beach. Easy to miss since it is tucked amongst a few other dives in a little strip mall, but glad we found it! Everything was delicious. Our sandwiches and burgers were very flavorful, and the fries well seasoned. Don't skip dessert either, they are surprisingly good for a burger/wing place. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly. read more

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Excellent food and service. We both had the smash burger one with a side salad and the other with the deviled egg potato salad. Got a piece of lemon cream cake to go. Walked from our hotel. Parking lot was full but it is shared with several other places. read more

The Reef - Smash burger with salad - Chicken Wings Near Me - Pensacola Beach, Florida

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Great place to eat on the beach. We are never disappointed. Mix btwn locals and tourists. Food is fresh. Highly recommend the cheesesteak, smash burgers and most importantly the potato salad. Service is great and personable each and every time and whether busy or not. It's on the small side but we only had to wait once and it was for a brief period. Oh and it's very clean! read more

Friendly, quick service. Fantastic smash burger and the cheesecake was divine! The salad was so large there was no way to finish it all!

I had the special smashburger with goat cheese, arugula & onion jam & hubby had the regular smashburger. Both were excellent. Fries and onion rings were great, too. Good service. read more

Amazing service and dynamite burgers. I had a patty melt and I literally couldn't get it into my mouth fast enough it was so good. The staff was beyond friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed but clean. Service was quick and easy. There were specials made with local ingredients. I mean cmon how cute is that. 10/10 read more

The Reef - Patty melt with onion rings and fresh fried cracklings - Chicken Wings Near Me - Pensacola Beach, Florida

Customer service is great.. owners take pride in this restaurant. Ruben Smash burger was excellent, chicken cordon blu was good. Fry's were great. Alligator hush puppies were good and the dipping sauce. Great music playing in the background. Obviously a favorite of gulf breeze read more

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The smash burgers here are amazing, and the fries come with seasoning with a nice little kick (not too spicy). Service was great and prices were very nice! read more

We had the chicken and shrimp pad tia special and it was very delicious. We have been to this restaurant enough times to know, whatever they serve will be better than average no matter what! Can't wait to try more of their dishes. They are also very reasonably priced. read more

The food was phenomenal!!!! Everything was so quick and the service was amazing. Highly recommended. Great for families. You need to try this place for sure.. you won't be disappointed! Our family had the smashburger, the wings and the chicken salad. They always do a burger of the month and we tried the pimento cheese smashburger which was also amazing. read more

The Reef - The smashburger - Chicken Wings Near Me - Pensacola Beach, Florida

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Great food and Service. Christina was wonderful. I would highly recommend visiting The Reef. The smash burger was great.

We took our 6 year old and 4 year old kids and the atmosphere was too notch! The servers were incredibly friendly to us and my kids. They brought the kids' food out before the adults (because let's face it, that's the smartest dining experience with hungry kids). The food was fantastic. I highly recommend trying their smash burger. We will definitely be back! read more

This place is sooo good! We go about once a month and love trying the specials. Great local restaurant. read more

The Reef - October 2024 SMASH BURGER OF THE MONTH: THE VAMPIRE SMASH BURGER! ‍ - Chicken Wings Near Me - Pensacola Beach, Florida

Best food in Pensacola Beach. Great alternative to the seafood factories. Added bonus, there is a bar attached with pool tables. Seems like a local bar filled with friendly people. read more

We choose this place based on all the reviews. It has a nice energy to it. Good tunes playing in the background. The menu is limited, but I think they executed what was on it well. I enjoyed the smash burger. The fries had a really good flavor. My husband had the Octoberfest burger. He said it was good, but the brat in it could have work. The cheese curds were hot and very spicy! I really didn't care for the margarita. The flavor combination for me just wasn't appealing and I really didn't think it was a strong drink. We were happy to try someplace new. read more

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