Coral Reef -- Let's have it

[BabsBunny]

Like it
Dislike it
Could take it or leave it

Why?

Where else in Epcot would you rather eat?

 

[OhThePain]

CR has gone pretty downhill over the past few years. It used to be on my "must do" list. However, after the last few visits, it has dropped to my "won't be going to anytime soon". The menu and quality is not what it used to be and what was once a nice, quiet, peaceful meal is now anything but that (as far as our last couple of visits have gone). I usually try to defend the dining plans, but I think this is a good example of the dining plan destroying a once great restaurant (again this is just my opinion).

I would rather eat at either of the Mexcian restaurants, Biergarten or Les Chef's if I had to stay in the park or would walk to either Cape May (BC) or Flying Fish (BWI).

 

[Pugmalion1]

To me, the place is strangely divisive. I think the atmosphere, while fun, can be a bit annoying. It's very loud in there, due to the amount of people in the restaurant and the stadium-style seating, and it's usually a little warm in there, for some reason.

That being said, it's a nice theme park dining experience, and I've never had a bad meal there. I like it.

I think it's a mistake to go there of you don't like seafood, though.

 

[sydneysmom]

We went last Sept and we absolutely loved it. We waited for a table right next to the tank and got a fantastic table. Our "table mate" wound up to be Crush the huge sea turtle. He sat next to our DD the whole meal, so she was just enthralled watching that turtle. We had to make her eat her meal and stop watching everything swim by her!!

Our server was very attentive, very nice and was never far away. There was this completely obnoxious group of like 15 people next to us, and you could tell, it was driving our server mad, but he held it together.

The food was terrific.....very fresh and tasty. The food seems to get bad reviews, but we really enjoyed everything.

It's worth going to, in my opinion.....if you can wait to get a seat right next to the tank, it's even better. It's really beautiful in there.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

I love it. We've been there four or five times and enjoyed everything we've ever ordered there for lunch and dinner. I think that in particular, it's an outstanding lunch spot. We've only ever ordered seafood entrées, though. I wouldn't recommend the restaurant to anyone who doesn't enjoy seafood. I also wouldn't recommend the restaurant to anyone who dislikes a leisurely-paced meal. Service here can be slow and the dining room is usually very full.

 

[River Country]

Used to be a must do on every vacation until the last time which was May. teh place is always packed you are not guaranteed a great view of the tank and to be honest the food was just OK IMHO.

I remember it being much better, whole lobster's, surf and turf, etc

Now it is just an average restaurant.

You want better 1TS in Epcot try Garden Grill, LeCellier for Lunch, Biergarten, Akershus, Rose and Crown, Tutto Italia, Teppan Edo, just to name a few

 

[BabsBunny]

River Country--now that's something I miss in WDW.

My ADR at Coral Reef is for just my husband and I, so it's all about the leisurely, quieter dinner.

 

[Pakey]

River Country--now that's something I miss in WDW.

My ADR at Coral Reef is for just my husband and I, so it's all about the leisurely, quieter dinner.

Leisure you may get because the service is so slow. Quiet is not going to happen, my husband and I find Coral Reef to be one of the noisiest places to dine at WDW.

Ten years ago we enjoyed Coral Reef. Our last few visits have been lackluster. They have dumbed down the menu, removed all of the unique dishes. So you are left with noise and slow service.

For adult only dinner, I'd leave the World Showcase, walk over to the Dolphin and have an amazing upscale very quiet dinner at bluezoo. Their fresh fish and seafood are outstanding, along with the service. Unless there is a convention going on that draws the drinking crowd, the restaurant is almost always very adult and quiet.

 

[everythingALICE]

I thought it was good, but it definitely isn't a "must" for me. I was pleasantly surprised though, after reading so many negative reviews before my last trip.

From what I remember, many complaints I read had to do with poor service and poor quality of food (somtimes not hot enough or overcooked). We had an ADR for a late lunch and didn't have to wait at all. The server was attentive and the food (although nothing to really rave about) was good.

I think having an ADR at a non-peak dining time can improve the experience (better service and possibly more attention to the quality of the dishes going out?), although as others have pointed out the menu is pretty limited. I wouldn't hesitate to go back again if someone I was traveling with wanted to go...but I enjoyed my meal at other EPCOT restaurants more (Rose and Crown, Chefs de France, Akershus).

 

[TDC Nala]

River Country--now that's something I miss in WDW.

My ADR at Coral Reef is for just my husband and I, so it's all about the leisurely, quieter dinner.

I hope you get it.

I went to lunch there a couple of years ago - it was during free dining but now free dining is available a lot more than it used to be. I guess it's the presence of the fish tank, but it seems to be encouraged that kids treat the restaurant like a playground. There were kids running and screaming up and down the aisles, parents lifting the kids up to the tank to take a picture (the kids would then put their feet on the table by the tank - nobody was sitting there at the time but someone probably would have later), kids crowding around the tables to look at the tank, two boys throwing pizza at each other at the next table.

The restaurant's kind of like a cave - there's nowhere for the noise to go - so if you're there at a busy time it is going to be very loud in there. I think Coral Reef was envisioned as a "quieter" restaurant but that is not necessarily going to be the case.

The food wasn't too bad a couple of years ago, they had a really nice almond gelato dessert, but I don't have any idea what it's like now. I do know the entree I had is no longer on the menu.

I am not sure you will get quiet anywhere in Epcot, not even Bistro de Paris, which would be the first choice for a quiet meal.

 

[penguinmickdis1]

I'm indifferent. The only thing I know about it is the stuff that happened in the Disney world episode of Full House.

 

[candielips]

We went for the 1st time last yr and made our ADR for when it first opened for the day. Around 11:30, I think? Because we were there when it opened, we had no problem getting tank side seating. Which was important to us as we have little ones.
We all really enjoyed the food there and are returning there in 6 wks!
It is now one of my DH's top picks.
However, as a PP mentioned some parents let their kids do what they want and we had children wedging in between our chairs to get up to the tank, which I thought was rather rude, but what can you do.
As a side note, I was the only one in our party of 12 that ate seafood. A few people didn't want to see what they were eating swimming beside them.

 

[Pugmalion1]

A few people didn't want to see what they were eating swimming beside them.

Are you kidding me? That's the best part! I can't wait until the day I go there and see grouper on the menu. I will promptly order it and eat it with obvious zeal every time I see one swim by.

 

[Silver Queen]

Interesting, we had the experience of having grouper there and watching one swim by. It seemed more humorous than strange and didn't negatively impact our enjoyment of the meal. We've been generally pleased with our dinners at CR. We've never been there for lunch. Perhaps that's why we've never experienced a lot of problems with unruly children even though we've routinely been seated next to the tank.
In March we tried Blue Zoo for the first time. We were really looking forward to it after reading so many rave reviews. I have to say that we were disappointed. The restaurant was very noisy with many tables of adults who were obviously there for some type of business conference. Service was quite slow and we were ignored for a while. Finally, the head waiter (or a supervisor) stepped in and began serving us. The food was good, but not outstanding. I had a bass entree and quite frankly, the bass that I had earlier in the week at CR was at least as good, if not better than the entree at BZ. We had really wanted to add BZ to our favorites list but this experience didn't warrant that. I'm sure we'll try it again sometime in the future and hope for a better meal.

 

[goofy78]

We haven't been since 2006 but we enjoyed it very much. My husband had the blackened catfish (thought this was one of the best meals he's ever had) which is no longer on the menu but he still wants to make this a must do for our upcoming trip in September. Hopefully we won't be disappointed!

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

My DH loves it. It is his favorite restaurant at Disney & the only one he requests.
I don't eat shellfish as it makes me sick. And I eat very little fish. Still I really like the food. And their desserts are delicious too.
We are lucky & have always got a tank side table. We usually request it & wait longer if necessary.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I loved Coral Reef when it was a signature restaurant.

My past two meals there have both been beyond mediocre. Even for Disney standards, it's overpriced. I honestly feel that Applebee's has better food now, and I won't be going back.

 

[GinCar]

I like CR for the Mahi Mahi.

I think it is a nice atmosphere for a Theme Park. I have eaten there with the kids and with just my DH and I.

I know everyone will think I am crazy, but I have never noticed the noise. We tend to eat a REALLY early dinner, though.

 

[vinotinto]

I voted "like it". We ate at CR in September 2010 and in June 2011. I thought the food was pretty good. Not amazing, but pretty good. The trout with beans was nicely seasoned and cooked. We lucked out as there weren't any kids running around or going up to the tank. We are not returning any time soon, but not because we did not like it, but because the menu seems to be the same as our last two visits, and we want to try new places.

 

[bitohoney]

Must do Coral Reef every trip.