Coral Reef - extreme reviews

[epcotobsessed]

We will be trying Coral Reef for the first time this trip and I am mystified by the reviews - people love it or hate it. Most reviews are 1 star or 5 star - very few in between - it's almost like there are two different Coral Reefs, even though I know there are not. Can anyone who has been there shed some light on this? We are going to try it no matter what, I'm just so curious.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

It certainly gets a lot of hate, but we like it. It was better on our 2012 trip than in 2015, but good both times we were there.

 

[married2mm]

We went for the first time this month after contemplating visiting during previous trips.

I thought it was truly wonderful.
The food , the service & the ambience.
We went for a late lunch-I don't know if times make a difference?

It was actually my dds fave restaurant in Epcot.
It's on the 2019 list for sure.

 

[dizneefan13]

We thought it was great. The atmosphere is unique and very pretty. Of course you have to enjoy sea life, which we do.
The service was excellent.We were seated up a level and had a great view of the aquarium.
Our waiter was very professional, yet just friendly enough. My husband ordered some sort of shrimp skewer which I don't see on the menu anymore... when he (waiter) was removing the shrimp from the skewer, he dropped one on the table (not the floor), and brought him a whole new skewer. Though that was real classy. Hubby had twice the shrimp!
Daughter had the steak and she loved it. I had the salmon and it was good but wish I had ordered the steak, it just looked so good.
Only complaint is our we were seated like 20 minutes after ADR, but no big deal. I recommend this place for a nice dinner.

 

[Mr & Mrs DD]

We have eaten there 4 times. We find it to be a bit inconsistent. Twice it was really really good. One of the best meals that I've had at Disney. The other two times that we have eaten there, it was just very mediocre. We always consider going again based on the two really great meals that we had, but we just don't know what to expect. It has been a roll of the dice for us. The Bailey's & Jack Daniels Chocolate Mousse Dessert that they have is very good. I've had it on all 4 visits there.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've eaten there three times. It was nothing to rave about, but it wasn't terrible, either! I always find it's a good choice if we are doing a lot of touring in FW in the morning and we aren't ready to head into WS quite yet.

 

[epcotobsessed]

Thanks so much for all the feedback. We're on a dining plan for the first time in a while (Deluxe) and so if it's an off day for the restaurant, we will have many snacks and another TS meal (Hacienda) later that day, so we will be fine. I am excited for the ambiance/aquarium most of all.

 

[Nancyg56]

We have dined here a few times and it is very inconsistent as far as our experience. We are going again in DEcember and hope it is one of our better times.

 

[Shanti]

We will be trying Coral Reef for the first time this trip and I am mystified by the reviews - people love it or hate it. Most reviews are 1 star or 5 star - very few in between - it's almost like there are two different Coral Reefs, even though I know there are not. Can anyone who has been there shed some light on this? We are going to try it no matter what, I'm just so curious.

People really exaggerate restaurant experiences, both positive and negative, on these boards. My advice is to try any restaurant that you have an interest in with an open mind, but also don't have pie-in-the-sky expectations for any restaurant.

As for Coral Reef, we ate there once and it was fine.

 

[Mr & Mrs DD]

Thanks so much for all the feedback. We're on a dining plan for the first time in a while (Deluxe) and so if it's an off day for the restaurant, we will have many snacks and another TS meal (Hacienda) later that day, so we will be fine. I am excited for the ambiance/aquarium most of all.

You may want to consider asking for a table next to the aquarium. It will enhance your visit there. We asked for a table next to the tank and they gave it to us. We had to wait maybe an extra 10 minutes for a table. I agree with the above post from "Shanti". You should always try things for yourself despite what you read. Hope you all have a great dining experience.

 

[CynBeth]

We have been there 4 times over the years either for lunch or dinner and had great experiences with food and service.

 

[Lovetherodent]

I think one of the best things we ate during our last trip was at the coral reef (shrimp and grits). However, while that dished wowed, the others were really, really bland. Calling them average would have been a little too complimentary! You really have to ignore the reviews, and try it for yourself. If you think the menu looks good, give it a whirl.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I've avoided booking it for years but we tried it in February and I was happily surprised by how much we enjoyed it.

 

[Teresa Andreani]

We went there during our honeymoon in 1987 and decided to take our adult kids there when we were there for our 25th anniversary. We enjoyed it both times.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Thanks so much for all the feedback. We're on a dining plan for the first time in a while (Deluxe) and so if it's an off day for the restaurant, we will have many snacks and another TS meal (Hacienda) later that day, so we will be fine. I am excited for the ambiance/aquarium most of all.

I think it’s a great choice for a 1 credit meal on the DDP. Whatever you do, order the Jack Daniels/Bailey’s mousse. It’s one of the best desserts in the World.

 

[Pmlocke]

I have eaten there every year for the last 6 years. Love it. Last year I was enjoying my meal while the group at the table next to us could not find anything about the meal or service they liked. The server, who also took care of us, was running his you know what off for these people but it was never enough. They complained in a loud voice how the food and service was not up to "thier " standards. The problem with these sites is you will have people like me who had a good experiance and will comment affrimatively on it and people who perceived they had a bad experiance and also comment. I always tell people to try it for yourself. If it was truly bad, I apologize. If it was good, then congrats. I guess what I am trying to say, you have your own taste and expectations. You are going to have to try for yourself.

 

[DisneyHardin]

We’ve eaten there twice and really enjoyed it both times. Neither time was “out of this world”, but good food and good service. Some reviews complain of the restaurant looking dated, but I love the ambience.

 

[Kaleidodad]

We liked it in February and will be going back in June. Our older daughter (8) fell in love with their crab cakes, I enjoyed the shrimp and grits.

 

[holden]

The atmosphere is nice. I’d try it at least once for that.

The food is just ok IMHO, but I feel that way about most restaurants in WDW. Few are great, most are ok/mediocre and some are downright terrible.

 

[Kae]

We have always had good food & service at Coral Reef. Our only bad experience there was when we sat by the tank & people let their kids push by you to get close to the tank. We prefer the second level.