Talk to me about Coral Reef

[smiths02]

I am not a food snob. I eat sushi from the grocery store. I really like Red Lobster. I've eaten at Captain Ds even...

We went June 2015. The calamari appetizer was good, we ordered 2 of those. But that isn't included on the DDP
Our bread was cold (this was lunch)
The kids meals fish (salmon) was Red Lobster quality (like a baked fish of the day), it was pretty good.
The kids meal mac and cheese was fine.
Their specialty Mahi Mahi with shrimp was not good. I ate it all (it was a small portion), but it was seriously Lean Cuisine quality (I do eat Lean Cuisine fish entrees from time to time)
The chicken Caesar salad that my DH got was nothing special.

It was overpriced for portion and quality, even by Disney standards. I guess that doesn't matter as much if you are on DDP.

 

[Hikergirl]

I went there 2 years ago on my Honeymoon and loved it (we also did the aqua seas tour later on our trip which was why we ate there in the first place). We are going back to CR in May for my birthday and fingers crossed we will love it again.

Dh and I did that tour and then ate at CR for dinner that night. We were lucky to get a table right next to the aquarium and its a wonderful memory of our anniversary trip.
We thought the food was good and so was the service. OP, it is definitely worth a try if you are looking for somewhere new to eat with your family. If you don't like it, there is always another new place to try next trip.

 

[prprincess]

Dined there for the first time in August on the DP. Otherwise, it's a bit too pricey for me to eat at. The food and service were both mediocre, at best. But my boys really loved the atmosphere and that they were eating in an aquarium. I think it's good to try once, but I don't think I'll be back.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

We ate there in March 2015. The food was meh but the kids are still claiming it's their favorite restaurant. We had to wait a while for our table and I was a little disappointed because the picture Disney has (or had) online gave the impression that there were tables next to the tank and across the aisle so I thought the restaurant just went all the way around the tank that way. My fault for not doing my homework but it was still disappointing that we were seated farther away. We did get a great server though. My DD lost a tooth at dinner and the waitress brought her a little box and told her that she sent TinkerBell a message to have her tell the Tooth Fairy where we were.

 

[Praying Colonel]

We ate there a couple of years ago for dinner. The food was fine but it seemed very loud and not a relaxing meal, even with the aquarium view. I'm glad we did it once but probably wouldn't do it again. Too many other restaurants in EP that we prefer.

 

[luvmyguyz]

Thank you so much for your replies! Lots to consider, but I think we may book a meal at this restaurant and give it a try.

 

[DeanDoug]

I know it's a restaurant, but you don't go to Coral Reef for the food alone. It's NOT a seafood restaurant. It's an experience. Do you want to dine in front of the biggest aquarium in North America? If so, the menu could be hot dogs and it may be worth the cost. All of that said, we have eaten at CR several times and have never had a bad experience. Sometimes the services is a bit better... or worse... sometimes the entrees are "meh" or "wonderful"... not unlike any restaurant. I'm not suggesting that CR is mediocre, because it's not... I have had some wonderful meals there. It can, however, be a bit hit or miss... but the aquarium always pushes the experience over the top!

 

[rchampagne]

We're in almost identical situations... returning in August with free dining (via bounceback) with our two kids, 11, 9 (but girls). We ate at Coral Reef last trip, and I have no memory of whether I liked the food. That means it wasn't horrible, and it wasn't fantastic. I think you should try it once, just for the experience. That being said, we're skipping it ourselves on our next trip.

 

[smiths02]

Thank you so much for your replies! Lots to consider, but I think we may book a meal at this restaurant and give it a try.

It was worth it to try once for us for the experience. It's way overpriced, but we tried it for lunch with TiW discount and you said you are using a dining credit, so if it is an experience you want, that is the time to do it.

 

[wrlippert]

I think this is one of those situations where someone tells you not to touch the stove because it is hot, but you feel compelled to do it just to see for yourself. The reviews have been consistently fair to poor for this location. One food critic said it was the second worst value at Epcot. The guys here (Pete and crew) have done some recent reviews and the consensus is that they won't go back. There is often a wait even with reservations. The room decor is dated and people report poor air quality and a high sound level. All that said, there will be some people who love it and others who just have to see for themselves is the stove is hot.

 

[luvmyguyz]

I think this is one of those situations where someone tells you not to touch the stove because it is hot, but you feel compelled to do it just to see for yourself. The reviews have been consistently fair to poor for this location. One food critic said it was the second worst value at Epcot. The guys here (Pete and crew) have done some recent reviews and the consensus is that they won't go back. There is often a wait even with reservations. The room decor is dated and people report poor air quality and a high sound level. All that said, there will be some people who love it and others who just have to see for themselves is the stove is hot.

This is a fair point and probably true. I do hate to dismiss something without trying it myself. I looked at the menu and I'm not sure if I like it, so maybe we'll skip it. I'm just not sure yet.

Hmmm - decisions, decisions. 11 more days to decide!

 

[PrincessV]

FWIW I wrote off CR for years and years due to scathing reviews, but my teen son really wanted to go there this past summer, so we tried it... and had one the the best meals I've EVER had in 20+ years of regular WDW visits! IDK, maybe we just got lucky, but our meals were fantastic, the quality and presentation superb, service terrific. We were there for the view, but everything else was even better!

ETA: and I live on the Gulf coast of FL - I'm very well acquainted with fresh, wonderfully prepared seafood

 

[Cheetie]

Our first time at Coral Reef was probably four years ago and we enjoyed it. Went back a couple of weeks ago and it is no longer on our list of restaurants we enjoy. We had 7:30 dinner reservations and we were seated right away at one of those giant booths that faces another giant booth. Uncomfortable and weird to be staring at another family so we moved to a table.

Service was okay. Food was okay. Atmosphere was loud and too well lit, like hurt your eyes bright. The whole place seemed a little dirty and worn.

We won't be going back.

 

[julieFitz]

Although our food was decent there, and we had a very nice waiter, my kids (5 & 7 at the time) were not as impressed with the giant aquarium as I thought they would be. I'm glad we went and experienced it, but it will definitely be a few years before we head back.

 

[LovesTimone]

We had dinner there on February 2, 2017, It was DH and DGS (2) and myself. DD and SIL were suppose to have dinner but we decided to give them some mommy and daddy time on there own. So it was the 3 of us, and we had great time, food and service were on point, and the "fishes and SHARK" were loved by my grandson. We were on DDXDP - Appetizers- DH ordered the Calamari and I ordered the Crab and Spinach Fondue, We shared the calamari was our favorite, the fondue was good but had a very peppery taste. DH went with Shrimp & Grits, I had the Salmon with risotto. Both dishes were tasty and well prepared. For DGS we ordered him Fish and chips it also came with a side of broccoli, he ate a lot of it, I did taste everything and it was quite good, and not overly salty. It was a large portion... 2 small kids could easily share one. DGS had vanilla ice cream, DH ordered the Chocolate Wave and for me the turtle cheesecake with caramel. It was a solid meal from beginning to end.

There is nothing more beautiful than watching the tank, a really great venue.