Coral Reef or Via Napoli

[Susan121302]

I am starting to pull together a rough plan on what ADR's we will need to make. I have all of our days pretty much set but am struggling between these two restaurants. DS really wanted to see the fish at Coral Reef but I have heard some not so great dining reviews. A friend of mine just came back to Disney and told me that Via Napoli is a must do, as it was the best restaurant they ate at during their visit. DS eats pizza almost every day, so it would work well, but it just makes me kind of blah. Anyone care to shed some light on either of those choices?

TIA

 

[figment_jii]

When are you going? Late last year they were having problems with the tanks at the Seas pavilion and it was impacting DiveQuest and some folks reported saying that there very few fish in the tanks visible from within the Coral Reef. I couldn't really find anything about the pavilion's status, so you might try asking over on the Theme Park board.

I haven't eaten at Coral Reef in a really long time, but I did eat at Via Napoli back in October. The food was really good. I especially liked the appetizer platter, the proscuitto e melone pizza, and the Copa di Brutti Ma Buoni (ice cream sundae). I posted some pictures from the lunch in the Food Picture thread:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43283968&postcount=2123

 

[KingdomKeepersFinn]

My family and I just went to Walt Disney World back in December and had reservations at the Coral Reef. The food and the atmosphere was pretty amazing because we were seated right near the tank, but it was a little pricey. We haven't ate at Via Napoli in a while, so I can't really tell you about that since the menu changes. Have fun and good luck

 

[cbg1027]

I've eaten at both places and liked Via Napoli much better.

Coral Reef was just kind of blah.

VN was excellent. The pizza is true Italian style so it's probably unlike anything you've ever eaten. I feel like the majority of people who give VN bad reviews were expecting something different, so they were making an apples to oranges comparison and not judging the pizza by it's own merits and how it supposed to be.

It's not American style like Pizza Hut, and it's not NYC style.

Italian style pizza is made in a wood or coal burning oven, the crust is slightly charred, and there is no sauce - the red stuff is crushed tomatoes, they're not cooked. The cheese is generally fresh mozzarella and a very light sprinkling of it.

I've eaten real Italian pizza in Naples Italy, and if that was a 10, the stuff at VN gets a respectable score of 8 from me. It's the closest I've found to real Italian pizza in the US so far.

 

[Dreamsdocometrue9112]

I agree with PP that Coral Reef is kinda blah. The atmosphere really is fantastic, though. If you chose to do that, request a good view of the tank.

Via Napoli had to be one of our favorites. We both like pizza (don't eat it too much), but were pretty blown away at how delicious it was. I would definitely recommend it.

 

[gabzee]

Your DS can look at fishes in the Nemo exhibit. The food at Coral Reef is not good and the only plus is the fish tank. Like I said, your DS can see fish at the Nemo exhibit. I would suggest Via Napoli of the two.

 

[AngelStitch]

I have eaten at both. I think Via NApoli is a lot better than coral reef. Coral reef is O.K. Not the best, but its fine. Via Napoli is much more fancy, and has better food.

 

[LJSquishy]

I think all around people prefer Via Napoli over Coral Reef, but they are very different so it ultimately depends on what cuisine choices you want. Via Napoli has non-pizza choices that are supposedly quite good. Coral Reef has a more unique atmosphere and has a lot more options menu-wise...something for everyone. People either love or hate Coral Reef, and same with all other DW restaurants. I would take dining reviews with a grain of salt.

I have not dined at either restaurant -- I'm taking my first DW trip in 2 weeks. But, I have ADRs for both places. I am more excited for Coral Reef to be honest, because of the different menu choices. I can't decide what I want to eat there yet. At Via Napoli I'm going because people say it's so good...but it's pizza. I'm more looking forward to the desserts at Via Napoli over the pizza, haha.

 

[Pakey]

I've dined at Coral Reef several times and Via Napoli twice. So my opinion is based on an average. Via Napoli definitely has better food. I'm a huge fish lover and prefer it a thousand times over pizza but Coral Reef's food is only average. There are a few dishes that are better but most are forgettable. Napoli's food was above average.

There is no question that the interior of Coral Reef is unique and the reason we still dine here occasionally.

 

[nkereina]

I'm a basic type of eater - meat and potatoes type, and nothing on the Coral Reef menu appealed to me. It has a different type of fare. Since you aren't guaranteed a seat next to the tank, it loses it's luster a bit if you can't get a seat up close, IMO. We did Via Napoli on our last trip and it was very good. The atmosphere inside was nice and the food was good. I would pick Via Napoli over Coral Reef.

 

[CWarkenthien]

I haven't been to Coral Reef, but I went with my family (all adults) in October and we went to Via Napoli TWICE because the food and service were fantastic. Their Aranacini is delicious, as are their pizza's (if you like wood burning oven pizza), and pasta dishes.

 

[Aquagirl]

Does Via Napoli have a kids menu?

Never mind I found it.

How did everyone's kids enjoy Via Napoli?

 

[izzie-wizzie]

Everyones opinion is different - I actally preferred Coral Reef to Via Napoli!

The food is really good in both places - so if it's food quality / taste I really don't think you can go wrong with either option! I suppose which ever menu appeals to you most?

With regards to service - unfortunately we recieved just about ok service in both places - so nothing to write back about here.

Which leaves atmosphere and this is where Coral Reef sticks out to me - there was just more of a buzz about it - obviously helped with the massive fish tank being a bit differenct. The atmosphere in Via Napoli was forgettable. A bit like a massive hall - it does have the stone ovens with the faces but we couldnt see that where we were sitting.

 

[Susan121302]

I haven't been to Coral Reef, but I went with my family (all adults) in October and we went to Via Napoli TWICE because the food and service were fantastic. Their Aranacini is delicious, as are their pizza's (if you like wood burning oven pizza), and pasta dishes.

I think this alone just sealed the deal for me. Arancini is absolutely one of my favorite dishes of all time. And another previous poster brought up a good point, we can check out all of the fish and aquariums at the Nemo ride. Thanks for your help everyone!