Restaurant Review - Tequila Reef Cantina

Though the restaurant is decorated with the colors of the Mexican flag and a sombrero is to be seen, Tequila Reef Cantina is a restaurant with a Mexican specialty that offers other kinds of food to suit everybody no matter what age or nationality. There is fish & chips for the Brits, burgers and hotdogs for the Americans, Schnitzels for the Germans, steak for the Australians, traditional Thai dishes for the Thais, as well as Louisiana ‘Cajun’ Specialties, fresh seafood and sandwiches.

Guests are greeted personally by owner Darrell Woolley  who recommended us to try some of his popular margaritas before we ate. My alcohol and food-loving friends & I didn’t hesitate and ordered some rainbow margaritas, blended mango margaritas and hand-shaken regular margaritas (120-140 baht each). Unlike other cocktails I’ve had that came in a small cocktail glass, margaritas at Tequila Reef Cantina came in a size that could get you tipsy with just one glass. Other than these, they also have other kinds of margaritas using fresh lime and 100% agave tequilas plus a wide choice of daiquiri drinks as well as cocktails, tropical and ‘exotic’ drinks. If you get a pitcher size (450-520 baht) the waitresses will also come out and do the ‘shake and dance’ routine for you as well.

For starters I had crispy nachos with guacamole dip. Now this dish is only available when the chef has avocado so if you are going especially for this, make sure to call up first. With a little bit of Cholula hot sauce (Tequila Reef is the only restaurant in Pattaya that offers original Cholula hot sauce) poured over the guacamole, I felt like I was in Mexico. 

Then we were recommended to try the most popular dish on the menu,the BBQ pork ribs. This was by far the best I’ve tried and possibly the best in town. The meat  simply falls off the bone and their home made sauce was just heaven. We were told about the secret of their ribs but we won’t tell you because we want you to experience it yourself. Trust me; you won’t be disappointed with this dish. The BBQ ribs also come in half rack (275 baht) or a full rack (415 baht).

So then we took a little break from the food and ordered a shot of Patron Reposado (1 year) to help wash down the meat. Restaurant Manager Ms. Apinya Srisongpa told us to sip it with no need of salt or lemon. The first few sips you can feel your throat burning a little bit but after that it leaves you begging for more. They also have other kinds of excellent tequilas like the Casa Noble Añejo (5 years) for 400 baht per shot.

Then for the main course. I couldn’t decide whether to go all Mexican since the restaurant offers other kinds of food too. So I ordered a Sizzling Chicken Fajitas (325 baht) and a New Orleans Blackened Chicken and Blackened Duck (from 235 baht).

Served on a smoking hotplate with the tender chicken sizzling on top of sautéed onions, peas and capsicum I couldn’t wait to start wrapping. The tortillas were nice and warm wrapped around the sizzling chicken, Mexican rice, beans, cheese, sour cream, mixed vegetables and topped off with Cholula hot sauce, I was struggling to fit them all in my mouth. With just one wrap, my stomach was already half full.

So then I packed my bags from Mexico and headed to New Orleans for the New Orleans ‘Cajun’ blackened chicken and blackened duck or also known as the ‘cluck & quack’. This was my first time trying duck as a steak and I was not disappointed. The chicken was very tender and the duck did not taste like duck, it tasted like a good piece of steak served with steamed carrots, baby corn and peas as well as a bowl of special sauce that made everything even more heavenly. 

No dinner would be complete without dessert. The dessert at Tequila Reef is ice cream based and since we’re already in New Orleans what would better to get than the Banana Foster. It is a traditional New Orleans dessert made with fresh bananas in special brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and dark Rum sauce topped with vanilla ice cream (125 baht).

In just two and half hours we took a trip from Soi 7 Pattaya Beach Road to Mexico, to New Orleans and back with our stomachs the size of  a four months pregnant woman and with money still left in our pockets.

We seriously recommend Tequila Reef Cantina to everyone as it is easy to reach and is in walking distance from the beach. It is opened from 11.30 am – 1am. The staff are very friendly and restaurant has a relaxing atmosphere. The restaurant can hold up to 55 people inside and 32 people on the patio outside. There is a smoking area just in front of the restaurant as well.

Tequila Reef Cantina also caters for parties both inside and outside of the restaurant. They can negotiate with you what you want to serve and they will make sure that your celebration stays under budget.

If you don’t feel like going out then you can just order from the ‘door 2 door’ service. Tequila Reef Cantina is one of the original 12 restaurants on ‘door 2 door’ and still remains in the top five most popular restaurants.

With its popularity and success, Mr. Woolley has also expanded Tequila Reef Cantina to the Philippines. So if you are going to Angeles make sure to visit the restaurant as well.

The bar at Tequila Reef Cantina is well stocked with 100% agave tequilas that are rarely found in Pattaya.  

Sizzling Chicken Fajitas with original Choula hot sauce that is to die for.

The very tender New Orleans ‘Cajun’ blackened chicken and blackened duck or also known as the ‘cluck & quack’.