Coral Reef Review

[Tasmen]

Great review! I'm so excited to go there in May for lunch. It's going to be our first meal once we are arrive at WDW.

 

[NYBlue1]

Make no mistake the reef saw some UGLY days, the food was aweful, the prices were high and unless you wanted to write it all off to the experience of seeing the fish you would not have been happy, the aweful hype was very much earned and deserved. I think the service was so bad cause the wait staff was scared to face the diners after the meal! LOL

However, the food over the past few years has greatly improved and with it the service. The best of the best restaurants have off nights on the floor and in the kitchen but they seem to be far and few between now.

Im acutally bummed out cause people are now discovering a hidden jewel in epcot..dang them

 

[n2mm]

I just made a ressie for Mr 20 for my 5 year old dd and myself. All they had was 3:20. I'll have to keep calling back to see if I can get something earlier. Do they have the same menu for lunch as for dinner? I feel having TS for lunch is a better use of my time. Is that a good use of my credits though? I am a first timer here. It's a nice way to break up the day and then I can get back to enjoying the park. I'll have to try to Chocolate Wave for sure. Thanks for all the reviews. Now I am glad I made a reservation there.

No the menu is similar, but different. The cuts of meat are smaller at lunch and there is no bread served for lunch. We asked for the bread just in case it was a mistake (I loved the bread at dinner) and was told it is only offered for dinner. Plus the dinner menu has a pasta seafood dish that was new and I wanted to try. It is not on the lunch menu and I even asked if I could still order it and was told NO. We had gotten the late lunch because it was the only thing left at the last minute. Next time I would opt for a early dinner to have the different choices. Thank goodness I'll be there next week and will finally get to try the pasta dish for dinner. Even for lunch this is still an excellent use of TS credits. Just make sure you check out the lunch menu vs the dinner menu.

I agree with the other poster who said the CR had ugly days too. Last year we ate there and were not impressed and swore never again. This summer I had a change of heart and tried again and it was 100% better. We went again in October for lunch and again it was good. Next to spoodles it was by far the best meal of the trip and was so much better than LeCellier.

 

[dawgfan]

Thanks for the review.

 

[3epcot39]

Is Coral Reef a good spot for a Valentines Day dinner???

 

[TheDizMom]

It's nice that someone likes this restaurant. We liked the atmosphere and the service if I remember was good. I was o.k. with the food because I like more exotic things and seafood. My DH hated it and refuses to go back although I think it would be fun for the kids. Then again he is a REALLY picky eater

 

[captinhookedondisney]

Any recent reviews of the Coral Reef. Still my favorite resturant. And All my food is compared to coral reef's. I suggest to go.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Thanks for the review. we ate there for the first time last December and really liked it.

 

[Disneydreamer5]

Had to add my two cents worth. My family and I loved, loved, loved everything about Coral Reef. We love it sooo much that we are going there on the first and last nights of out next trip. Something no body has mentioned is the Lobster tails.... I am wondering why that is?.
Are they no longer there? The steak was really good but people please don't tell me that I can't have my Lobster!
I agree with many others that say it is a not to be missed experience. A friend of mine was there in July and was lucky enough to be sitting right next to the tank and guess who dropped in to take a swim>? None other then the big guy himself. M.I.C-K.E.Y. MOUSE!
I know that is extremly rare but just the thought that it could happen while we are there.... Oh you have to at least try.
I hope you have a great time what ever you decide and you must come back and let me know about my Lobster.

 

[G'day Disney]

What's a good time to book for dinner? Do they do the shark feeding at certain times or is it pot luck?

 

[PR-DISNEY]

Thanks for the review.We are newbies going in Nov. and it has
been incredibly hard to figure out where to eat on the DDP. I wanted
to try CR but I was really worried about the bad reviews and changed
my mind. Now it looks as though I can have my tank and dessert too!!
I wonder if Disney changes their cooks and kitchen help often because
it seems as though there are a ton of bad reviews then suddenly the
reviews make a complete 360. Sometimes it makes it very hard to make
an ADR decision. Thanks for the help.

 

[captinhookedondisney]

The best time to go to dinner is around 5 ish right after they start serving dinner. This makes the Restaurant's service better and less loud you also will get the freshest of the food! I will go back to Coral Reef in heart beat

 

[joiev98]

I am glad to hear these good reviews! I have this restaurant booked for dinner in May as part of our Grand Gathering for 18 people! I hope I made a good decision!!

 

[Alltiggeredout]

I saw that someone had said that it was about $230 for 3 people. Can it really be that much?

 

[momof2forever]

No the menu is similar, but different. The cuts of meat are smaller at lunch and there is no bread served for lunch. We asked for the bread just in case it was a mistake (I loved the bread at dinner) and was told it is only offered for dinner. Plus the dinner menu has a pasta seafood dish that was new and I wanted to try. It is not on the lunch menu and I even asked if I could still order it and was told NO. We had gotten the late lunch because it was the only thing left at the last minute. Next time I would opt for a early dinner to have the different choices. Thank goodness I'll be there next week and will finally get to try the pasta dish for dinner. Even for lunch this is still an excellent use of TS credits. Just make sure you check out the lunch menu vs the dinner menu.

I agree with the other poster who said the CR had ugly days too. Last year we ate there and were not impressed and swore never again. This summer I had a change of heart and tried again and it was 100% better. We went again in October for lunch and again it was good. Next to spoodles it was by far the best meal of the trip and was so much better than LeCellier.

Thanks for the review of CR.

What time did you do Spoodles? We were wanting to try dinner.

Thanks

 

[disneyfan551]

I saw that someone had said that it was about $230 for 3 people. Can it really be that much?

We went last Fall, and for 2 adults & 2-5yo's, it was $150! It was very good, and we enjoyed it....but not enough to pay for it OOP!! We'll be back in Sept. during free dining!

 

[darty]

trip last December.

I love seafood, but DH does not. His steak was better at CR than at Yachtman's Steakhouse a few nights before. Also the Lobster Soup was better than the YSH's Lobster Bisque. The service was good, although the service was better at YSH. But to me, the food is what's is all about. I had the Mahi Mahi. I didn't like the couscous, and when the server saw I was not eating it, she offered to bring me something else. I got mashed potatoes. They were good.

When I made my ADR's I could only get Sunday afternoon at 2PM. The concierge at the YC got us in for a 7:30 PM dinner on Friday. So if you don't get what you want, try asking at the hotel.

Disneydreamer5, I didn't see lobster tails on the menu. Trust me, they would have been on my plate if I had.

 

[Steph9072]

Glad I came across this thread. I have been kinda nervous about our adr @ Coral Reef. But this makes me feel better. Now I am excited the diver is doing their thing for dh & my anniversary.

 

[captinhookedondisney]

If I'm not mistaken the lobster tails are not included in the DDP. Now I think most people when they go to Disney they use the DDP because it is so great.
Correct me if I'm wrong about the Lobster Tails.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

Okay, we just ate at the Coral Reef on May 11. It was delicious! I loved the atmosphere too. My 2 year old thought it was great and even my mom and dh enjoyed it. We did NOT like the chocolate wave dessert that everyone always raves about though. The steak was really good. I would never pay those prices if we had not been on the dining plan though. It was definitely the most expensive meal we ate. We probably aren't going to do the dining plan next time so who knows when we will go back there.

The only downside is that my dd threw up all over the table right after we finished eating. She drank too much too fast, I think. That was not one of our fonder memories...and probably not a very fond memory for the people at the table beside us as they had not even started their meal yet. Other than that, 2 thumbs up for the CR from us!