The main draw for Mrs. Mai Tai’s inclusion on our Tacoma weekend was to finally visit Devil’s Reef, which she’d missed through a series of circumstances in the past. The tiki bar and restaurant remains a stellar representative of the genre, featuring a dark theme, superb music, and amazing cocktails.
Over the course of two evenings, we opened the bar and got to experience some amazing drinks. The cocktail program is the brainchild of co-owner Jason Alexander who was on hand overseeing the shift both nights. We were honored to receive a special Mai Tai prepared by Alexander himself featuring Rare Cane Jamaican Rum and perfectly balanced with some funky 68% ABV rum, shooting straight to the top of our running Best Mai Tai of the Year list.
The cocktails at Devil’s Reef have a bit of variety but are mostly rum-based and served on crushed ice. We really loved the Gilman House Special, featuring berries and pineapple rum, and the delightful grog variant called Red Right Returning with passionfruit, cinnamon, and Mister Fogg Navy Rum. Julie tried some that I’d loved before including Captain Obed’s Grog that includes spices and maple syrup, plus the coffee-forward Eldritch Cartographer. We also loved the Serannian Sling, a gin cocktail with spices and Cassis.
We must salute the bartenders who work so fast but deliver consistent quality. Generally, you have got to bar to order drinks that will be delivered to your table, and we found the turnaround to be unexpectedly quick even after it started to get busy. We enjoyed sitting at the bar for a portion of our visit, though the booths are more conducive to conversation with locals who we met up with. Be sure to check out the drink mixer for a little memento of our visit, place there by the staff.
Like we always say, the best tiki bar in Seattle is in Tacoma.




