Nantucket's Reef - Rockville

We came here for dinner on Saturday, 2/1/20 at 7:30 pm. It was our first visit, and we didn't have reservations. Although it was a rainy day, the place was full. The host was very friendly and was able to find us a table in the back room where a large group just finished dinner. We practically had this room to ourselves. Our server was friendly and attentive. She came to our table to take our order within minutes and answered our questions. She checked on us periodically and got drink refills. We got calamari for an appetizer. Our entrees were Norfolk Medley (scallops, shrimp, and crabmeat combo) and Crab Cake (5 ounces with no filler). Each entree came with 2 sides. The entrees were served within 15 minutes. The only problem was the crab cake. My husband said there was not much lump meat in the crab cake, but more like claw meat. This is based on comparison of crab cakes we tried at other local seafood restaurants such as Timbuktu's and EJ's Provision Company.

We enjoyed a fantastic late lunch here on a Tuesday. The staff were attentive and polite. The staff dress casual. The atmosphere is somewhat upscale, less the table cloths. We started with raw oysters. They were very fresh and of decent size. For our main dishes we went with the crabcake salad and the lobster roll. Everything was very fresh looking and well presented. The crabcake was well seasoned and prepared. The dressing was flavorful and complimented the dish well. I enjoyed the lobster but would order the crabcake next time.

I hope the other review doesn't disappear because I'm making a new one. I just wanted to add that we returned to Nantucket Reef a year later from our first visit and this place is even better than before... if that is possible. Seriously... service and food here could not get any better. The oysters are so fresh it feels like you are getting them out of the water yourselves. This time I forced myself to order something new and tried the Cioppino.... OMG! this was soooooo good. The broth was delicious served with fresh seafood and crusty bread... again a have a new favorite. My wife ordered the crab cake which was succulent, big lump pieces of crab meat in a very light batter. Feels like heaven. And the wood plank salmon was juicy and smoky not dry at all. The corn on the cob was also juicy and sweet. I can't wait until I have to be in Rockville again just so that I get to come back here. It is truly a nice place. Big thumbs up !

Nantucket Reef has been on my To Try for Happy Hour list for quite a while. Now, it is checked off, and I have mixed feelings about whether I will go back. It was not a negative experience, nor was it positive. And fortunately, we were able to choose to laugh rather than grumble about all the frustrating things that unfolded across those couple of hours. According to their website, happy hour is from 3 PM to closing. Upon arrival, we were told that happy hour is actually only from 3 to 7 PM. We were also told that happy hour was only in the bar area, which wasn 't a surprise, except that the bar area is incredibly tiny and there were no wheelchair accessible places for us to settle. I asked if we could be seated at a table right next to the bar area and still enjoy happy hour because of my wheelchair. The two ladies at the reception desk said no. So I asked to speak to a manager, who said yes we could actually sit at a table next to the bar area, but that he couldn 't give us bar menus because if he gave them to us, then he 'd have to give them to everyone. Our server came and when I asked what type of light beer they had, he asked what color light I was looking for. I said no, light beer like Michelob ultra or something like that. And he said is that a yellow color or a golden color, how light of a color are you looking for. He really had no clue what I was asking for when I asked about light beer. Then we asked about the day 's market price on things like the crab cake, the lobster roll, and a lobster salad. He said there were $11 each. When we asked him to doublecheck before we ordered, he came back and said they were actually about $23 $25 each. Hmmm... more than twice what he said was the price. Good thing we asked for verification before placing an order. So we began with the fish taco HH appetizer for $7. I was actually very pleasantly surprised to see that two good size tacos on a plate with french fries arrived for that price. I ate one of the tacos, and the friend I was with had the other one. She commented that the fish was pretty good. That was when I realized there was no fish with my fish taco, it was only lettuce and tomato and they have forgotten the fish and the sauce. When I did taste the fish taco, with actual fish in it, she was correct that it had a nice taste. A shame I missed it in mine. The fries were hot but not really crisp or flavorful. Didn 't stop us from eating them tho : We also tried the shrimp dinner and a crab cake on the side. Shrimp was good sized and tasted okay. The crab cake was very meaty with very little breading and a nice flavor (better than the shrimp but had little bits of shell in most bites. The cole slaw was just meh and a very small portion. We ordered the free Caesar salad that was part of the Yelp app check in special. Glad it was free cause we didn 't eat it it was very limp and not a good salad at all. There were other things that happened during the evening with the waiter and with the neighboring table that could have ruined the night, but we allowed it all to amuse us instead. And not that this should matter but it kinda does. The cell reception was so poor no WiFi available that we could not send or receive messages (or check into Yelp without going outside : So some food was good, and some not, and some came missing parts (like fish on a fish taco and some came with extra parts (like shells in the crab cake . I don 't have a desire to go back, but if a group of friends were gathering and chose Nantucket Reef as their destination I would go.

I came to Nantucket's Reef expecting more, but in the end, this is just a slightly-above-average restaurant. Upon entering, I was greeted and seated. My server took my order in a reasonable amount of time. I had the raw oysters and the Baked Stuffed Cod. The oysters arrived very quickly. They tasted fresh and came with the standard garnishes on the side. The Baked Stuffed Cod came after a brief wait. But unlikely the oysters, the cod was somewhat of a disappointment. While the cod was tender and cooked perfectly, it was over-seasoned with lemon. In fact, the cod virtually tasted of lemon, and after I finished my meal, I got a stomachache.