Giving DEVIL’S REEF another chance — and LOVING it!

A couple of years ago (2019), I visited Devil’s Reef, a tiki bar in Tacoma, WA. It looked nice, but I had a terrible experience. I had gone alone. As a middle-aged man on my own, I found myself sitting at the bar, in front of all of the bartenders and servers, waiting endlessly for service. I was invisible, virtually ignored.

Understandably, I wasn’t keen on returning any time soon. However, I had a friend visiting and we were checking out Tacoma. Did he want to visit Devil’s Reef? Sure.

So, we went.

I wasn’t expecting much at all. I wasn’t thrilled about returning, either.

Devil’s Reef is a fascinating-looking bar. It has a nautical theme, but to me, it reminds me of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. The seating areas, to me, almost suggests an old, Caribbean port town (but somehow darker and more sinister), complete with protective cannons protruding from the town walls. There are also nods to legendary horror author H. P. Lovecraft throughout. (The name of the bar as well as those of the drinks are all inspired by his work.) It is pretty impressive.

When we arrived, we were told we’d have to wait about an hour or so to be seated. It was early and didn’t look that crowded even though it was a Friday night. After my previous experience, I was almost expecting something like that to happen. We were two older guys—not some pretty, young things with shapely figures. I was beginning to feel invisible there once again.

We decided to wait and eventually received a call saying our turn at Devil’s Reef had come up. We went back and…were seated at the bar. The far end.

Swell.

As we looked at the menu, the man who was to be our bartender started chatting with us. He was a really nice fellow, wearing a cool fez with a long tassel. He was a busy, but he amiably chatted with us as he could and whipped up our cocktails. Although the evening had just begun, I was already finding myself feeling at ease and actually enjoying myself. I hoped that the evening would be better than I had been anticipating.

The menu is not like anything you’ll find in any other tiki bar. You won’t find any Mai Tais, Zombies, Painkillers, or Chi Chis like you’d expect. Instead you will find completely original cocktails on the extensive menu.

Our first round was delicious. I started off with the (nearly) namesake Devil Reef, a blend of rums, pineapple, citrus and cinnamon. My friend opted to try The Second Oath, a wild mixture of juices (lime, orange, pineapple, and passion fruit), vanilla, and coffee rum.

While we sipped, we thought we’d order something to eat. We decided to try the chicken nachos. Loaded with jalapeños and cheese, with a generous helping of salsa and sour cream, they were huge—and so good.

Round two had my friend sipping an Angler’s Fang (rum mixed with lime, grapefruit, and passion fruit) while I sampled a Dagon’s Tooth, a drink swirling with pineapple, lemon, vanilla, and cherry in a sea of rum. Mmm. The evening really was turning out quite nicely.

As we were contemplating our third and final drinks for the evening, we came across the ingredient falernum on the menu. Falernum? I had seen it listed dozens of times in as many tiki bars over the years. But I am a drinker, not a mixer. I had no idea what it was.

We were discussing the falernum in hushed tones, contemplating a drink that contained it. I certainly didn’t think the bartender, who was very busy, could hear us, when suddenly he asked if we’d like to try some falernum.

Sure.

As we sampled it, the bartender revealed that they made their own falernum — a mix made of almonds, ginger, lime and other spices — at Devil’s Reef. In fact, I believe he said they made a lot of (all?) of their own mixes there. How very impressive.

We ordered our drinks. I asked for the Celestial Navigator (Jamaican rum, lime, vanilla, falernum, and curaçao), while my friend (who had tried mine) ordered another Dagon’s Tooth.

As the bartender expertly made our drinks, we chatted some more. We were complimenting him on the drinks and the bar in general. We learned that his name was Jason, and not only did they make their own mixes at Devil’s Reef, he was the one who had created and concocted the amazing cocktails.

What!?!

We were being served by Jason Alexander, the co-creator/co-owner (along with partner Robyn Murphy) of Devil’s Reef. I was utterly blown away.

All too soon, we found ourselves sucking air from our straws. Our final drinks were finished and it was time to leave.

Returning to Devil’s Reef had not been high on my list of things to do, but I am so glad we went. The experience that night was the complete opposite of what I had experienced several years earlier. Everything—the food, the drinks, the service, even the bar itself—are top-notch. I hope to be back for another round or two very soon.

Devil’s Reef
706 Court C.
Tacoma, WA 98402
(253) 983-7850
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=197363251002105
Critiki: https://www.critiki.com/location/devils-reef-tacoma-1096/