Ahhh, Mango Reef… how we love you so. This is the place to go for excellent, well-prepared food in a casual setting right off the beach. The large outdoor seating platform overlooking the beach is the perfect setting for a great meal, and we’ve made this our final night dinner stop on both of our visits to Provo. We’ve eaten here four times total, and outside of one iffy curried lobster dish, everything has been fantastic.
The beauty of the Mango Reef is you can take the family, make it a fancy date for two, dress up or dress down; it works across the board. What’s also a draw is that while Mango Reef has all of the standard seafood, chicken and steak offerings you’d expect, the menu also features a bunch of spicy curry options and some Asian twists to mix things up.
Our personal favorites were the watermelon and feta carpaccio – which might seem a bit boring, but was exceptional, and the Thai tuna salad. The tuna was perfectly seared, the vegetables were fresh and the spicy Thai dressing had a great kick. On our second visit, we ordered these two dishes along with some tasty dumplings (who doesn’t like dumplings?), and then we split a grilled snapper fillet since we ran out of gas on entrees during visit number one. Nothing here is particularly fancy, but all the dishes are tasty and the view is unbeatable, so the place is always packed.
Prices are reasonable (for Turks) at Mango Reef and you can find a decent wine under $50. There’s also a nice outdoor bar at the base of the restaurant where you can grab a drink before or after dinner… or in our case – both. It’s probably one of the few restaurants on the Grace Bay strip where both locals and tourists eat, a testament to its great vibe.
We hear the restaurant may be moving which will be a shame for the Alexandra, because Mango Reef is its best feature. If you’re headed to Grace Bay with or without the kids, make sure to put Mango Reef on your itinery.
As a bonus – look for the new family of kittens under the deck!