ragin' reef — Restaurant in Frederick

It's late Thursday night and I can't sleep. I watch re-runs of Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsey. Mostly mundane and boring, but then someone takes a chance and serves him a plate of english Fish and Chips. I thought for sure he was going to tear them apart, but he unexpectedly loved them them. And that's when it sunk in. I NEED some Fish & Chips as soon as possible (I'm easily influenced). So the next day I looked into who makes the best F&C's in Frederick. The name that came up the most was Ragin' Reef. It's Frederick, so I didn't expect great British Fish & Chips locally. But I was completely proved wrong. The next day we B-Lined it to RR for some F&C with minimal expectations. The restaurant tables were full so we had to sit at the bar, which at first was a bummer, but ended up being a blessing. Noah was our bartender and he was absolutely AMAZING. So nice, knowledgeable , and he guided us through the menu since it was our first time there. Literally, could not have been more friendly and helpful. Fantastic guy! The Salad/vegetables arrived and, although I was skeptical at first, the tangy dressing was a perfect match for the salad. Next came the Entrées. The Fish Tacos were good. I feel like the fish needs much more seasoning and less tomatoes, but overall enjoyable. The star of the show was the Fish & Chips. Absolutely awesome! The fish was crispy, perfectly seasoned. and piping hot. 10/10!! And I lived in London for a while so I know a great F&C when I taste it. Could not have been better. Even the Tartar sauce was amazing (I took extra home). Yes, I wish the chips were bigger like in the UK instead of French fries, but come on - it's all about the fish, really. And they even had Malt Vinegar!! YES!! Definitely check out Ragin' Reef. It's food and service lives up to it's high ratings. Love this place and will...

Where do I even begin with Raging Reef? The moment you walk in, you’re hit with the aroma of what I can only assume is low tide in July—authenticity at its finest. The decor truly captures the essence of a pirate ship that lost funding halfway through construction. I especially loved how the chairs wobbled slightly, keeping me alert and engaged throughout my dining experience. It’s not every day a restaurant forces you to fight for balance while enjoying your appetizer—talk about immersive!

Speaking of food, Raging Reef takes bold risks with flavor that most chefs would never dare. My calamari was a thrilling culinary mystery—part rubber, part something vaguely lemon-scented. It’s like they asked, “What if seafood didn’t taste like seafood?” and then fearlessly delivered. My entrée, the “Poseidon’s Platter,” was a masterclass in portion distortion: three shrimp and a scallop doing the backstroke in a puddle of mysterious orange sauce. A true statement on modern minimalism—less is… well, less!

And the service? Unbelievably consistent. Every staff member maintained the same dazed yet determined energy, as if they were all halfway through solving a riddle only they could hear. Our server, Chad (possibly a sleepwalker), managed to bring every dish ten minutes after we forgot we ordered it—a fun little memory game to keep the evening lively! In short, Raging Reef is a must-visit if you’re craving seafood with a side of existential reflection. Five stars for pure,...

We're returning customers and wanted to check out the brunch menu. We ordered the Scallops, and the Ranchero Benny, specifically because of the Ranchero Benny poached egg and breakfast potatoes.

The Ranchero dish was way off from its menu description. The egg was mostly hard boiled and dry, there were no "breakfast potatoes" but french fries instead, and not sure if there was hollandaise sauce at all. The tortilla was not crispy, instead we got a regular slightly toasted tortilla. The red beans and rice were the highlight of that dish.

The Scallops dish was on point.

We sat at the bar and the service was good. Our server asked how our meal was, and we explained that the egg was over cooked, and the french fries were not the breakfast potatoes, and very little, if any, hollandaise sauce was added. Our server offered to have the dish taken back and replaced, but we didn't want to wait because it was starting to get busy and we already had the scallops dish served to us and didn't want it to get cold.

We tried to find an email address on the company website but didn't see any contact email information.

Disappointed that the Ranchero dish wasn't prepared according to the delicious sounding description as stated on the brunch menu. We used a gift card and our brunch and drinks came in at $94.00.

We hope the manager sees this post, because that Ranchero dish really sounds delicious but it isn't what we...