Wrecked at the Reef: Rocky Point's Famous Beach Bar -

BY JARED DILLINGHAM

WRECKED AT THE REEF, ROCKY POINT

Wrecked at the Reef is one of the most well-known and beloved bars in Puerto Peñasco. Among its major draws:

The Atmosphere: People enjoy the laid-back, welcoming vibe of the bar, which is located right on the beach in Rocky Point.
Drinks and Food: Wrecked at the Reef serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but people really come for the seaside cocktails and beer.
Live Music: The bar frequently hosts live music performances from local and regional bands, which take the stage afternoons and evenings.
Events: Wrecked at the Reef also hosts a variety of special events throughout the year, including beach parties, karaoke nights, and holiday-themed events.

Directions to Wrecked at the Reef

The restaurant/bar is easy to find, in an almost-rural setting a few miles west of downtown Rocky Point. You’ll pass the growing row of highrise condos and resorts on a stretch of beach, known as Sandy Beach, Playa Hermosa, and other names (depending on who you ask).

You might think you’ve taken a wrong turn, as the pavement turns to sand! Once you hit that spot, you’re almost at Wrecked at the Reef! It’s packed sand, so all cars can make it from town to the bar on the beach.

Wrecked at the Reef: Daytime

The patio is sand-covered, and stretches all the way from the main bar/restaurant area almost down to the waterfront.

You can choose your table, shaded under an umbrella, or sit up on the patio.

The beach has stages for bands, cornhole and other games, plus beautiful views of the clear blue water.

Wrecked at the Reef Hours

Most of the week, Wrecked oens around 9:00am-10:00am
Weekends, doors open around 8:30am
Wrecked stays open until the crowd dies down, which is usually 12:30am on weekends
Sundays thru Thursdays, the bar usually closes around 10:00pm

Wrecked at the Reef Happy Hour

Monday thru Saturday: 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Waiting for more info from the bar!!

Wrecked at the Reef Food Menu

Let’s be clear: you’re not coming here for the food. Seaside drinks with your feet in the sand are really all you need… along with something to snack on.

Snacks on the Menu:

Chips & Salsa: $3
Guacamole $7
Fries $4
Onion Rings $7
Cheese Sticks $7
Quesadillas $7
Chicken Wings $10
Shrimp Cocktail $12
Oysters $12/dozen

Burgers & Sandwiches (with fries):

Hamburger $10.50
Green Chili Burger $11.50
Bacon Cheeseburger $12.50
BLT: $10
Chicken Salad Sandwich: $11
BBQ Chicken Sandwich $11

Daytime Drinks

You’ll see a lot of tables just order buckets of beers, which individually are $3 per bottle. On special event days, like the SuperBowl, a bucket of 10 beers is $25.

Among the other drinks on the menu:

House Margarita $5
Premium Margarita $8
Cadillac Margarita $10
Pina Colada $6
Strawberry Daiquiri $6

By the way, our waiter described the difference between the house and premium margarita, by asking, “Hangover or no hangover?”

Wrecked at the Reef Live Music (Daytime)

Saturdays and Sundays, live music usually starts at 1:00pm
Other bands will play sets through the afternoon into the evening.
Fridays and Saturdays, the Wrecked house band La Merca takes the stage at 9:30pm

It’s Pet-Friendly

A lot of longer-term visitors and residents in Rocky Point have dogs. They’ll bring their pups down to the seaside dining tables to relax in the sand during the day.

Wrecked at the Reef: Nighttime

Wrecked at the Reef gets more crowded at night, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. The entire outdoor beach area transforms, lit by tiki torches, bonfires, and patio lights.

Live Bands at Wrecked at the Reef

Fridays & Saturdays, starting at 9:30pm
La Merca, the bar’s longtime house band, performs a wide variety of songs you’ll recognize from pop music and classic rock. They’re a definite crowd-pleaser!
The dance floor is open right in front of the stage inside:

Security at the Bar

Every time I’ve gone, security is widespread and tight. Sometimes, during the slower daytime hours there’s more security staff than people there to eat and drink.

There are several bouncers at the door and roaming through the complex. They wear earpieces, to help coordinate with each other, if need be.

Firepits on the Beach

Expect temperatures to drop into the upper 40s and 50s in the winter months at night.

The Wrecked staff will build bonfires in several fire pits on the beach, and put blankets out to help keep you toasty.

Events at Wrecked at the Reef

Wrecked at the Reef hosts several events through the year, from New Years Eve parties, to Super Bowl parties, to annual festivals.

Mermaid Festival

The Wrecked at the Reef Mermaid Festival is an annual event held in Rocky Point.

The Mermaid Festival typically takes place in the summer months and is a celebration of all things mermaid-themed. The event features live music, food and drinks, games and activities, and a costume contest where participants dress up as mermaids or other sea creatures.

In addition to the costume contest, the festival also includes a mermaid parade, where participants march down the beachfront in their mermaid costumes.

The Reef Pirate

The Reef Pirate is a popular pirate-themed event held annually in the fall at Wrecked at the Reef.

The restaurant is transformed with a pirate-theme, and people come dressed up as pirates or other nautical characters.

In addition to the costume contest, the event also includes a pirate parade, where people walk down the beachfront in their pirate costumes.

History of Wrecked at the Reef

Wrecked at the Reef has built quite a reputation and following over its nearly 15-years in business on Sandy Beach.

In 2010, the only building on the beach was a small, concrete bar known as “The Reef.” New owners bought it, and started expanding the small bar into the sprawling complex we know today.

The same group has bought, designed, operated, and sold several other bars in Rocky Point over the years.

Resorts Near Wrecked at the Reef

There are several resorts and hotels located near Wrecked at the Reef in Rocky Point.

Select dates to see prices for rentals in Rocky Point.

Keep in mind: Many condos in the resorts on the beach rent as VRBOs:

Las Palomas is the most well-known, and features several towers on the sandy beach. The resort has hundreds of spacious condos with full kitchens, multiple pools, a lazy river, and an on-site golf course.

Click to Book:

Las Palomas Resort

Some of the resorts on the same beach as Wrecked at the Reef include:

Sonoran Spa Resort: This beachfront resort is located just a short walk from Wrecked at the Reef, and features spacious suites with kitchens, multiple pools, a spa, and on-site restaurant.
Princesa de Penasco: This resort is located right next door to Wrecked at the Reef, and offers oceanfront condos with balconies, a pool, and an on-site restaurant.
Bella Sirena Resort: This upscale resort is located just a short drive from Wrecked at the Reef, and offers oceanfront condos with high-end amenities like granite countertops, marble floors, and Jacuzzi tubs, as well as multiple pools, a fitness center, and an on-site restaurant.

You can find photos of the best resorts, along with detailed information:

Jared’s Detours Blog

Click ➡️ Best Hotels & Resorts in Rocky Point

Activities Near Wrecked at the Reef

The pier at the reef, along the Sandy Beach / Arenosa Beach area great for a stroll. It’s also popular to fish from.

You can park at the restaurant, and walk down to the pier, which is made of giant blocks of cement, piled on top of each other. You can see Wrecked at the Reef right next to the start of the pier:

You’ll see people fishing along several of the beaches in Rocky Point, including the beach right in front of Wrecked by the Reef.

The pier is especially popular for surf casting. You’ll find a mix of tourists and locals casting into the sea.

From an aerial view above Wrecked at the Reef, you can see how popular the dunes are for riding ATVs and quads.

You’ll have more than a dozen ATV and quad rental companies in Rocky Point. The best deals might be found in town, where several businesses compete directly across from one another.

It might be a bit pricier, but a great ATV rental spot with a lot of selection is next to Garufa, the steakhouse. It’s adjacent to a huge desert/dune area to explore.

The costs vary. It’s $30 for an hour on the smaller ATVs, and $45 for an hour on a four-wheel-drive.

The larger four-person ATVs are $230 for an hour, while the two-person Kawasakis are $130 for the hour.

You can take them anywhere in the desert, but not on the beach. They’re open from 9:30am to 6:00pm, and you have to be 16 years-old to drive.

The best place to find horses to take you for a ride in Rocky Point will be next to the entrance to Wrecked at the Reef. This is just west of the resorts along the Sandy Beach / Hermosa Beach area.

The horses will take riders along Rocky Point’s sandy beaches, and also through the adjacent dunes.

The cost for horseback riding when we asked was $30 per person, for six people.

Prices are negotiable, and you’re likely to get a better deal if you bring more people.

Down the beach farther from Wrecked at the Reef, you’ll find kayaks to rent in front of several of the resorts in Puerto Peñasco. Sonoran Scuba, right at the Sonoran Sea Resort, is a great option.