Coral Reef....What do you think??

[LAS321]

We have never been to the Coral Reef and are considering it for our upcoming trip. We would love to hear some opinions about the seafood here. We aren't on the DDP and can go anywhere and wondered if Coral Reef is a good choice or are there better seafood restaurants?

 

[minnie mum]

IMO just about anywhere would be better than Coral Reef. Why do I say that, you ask? Here's a brief review of our last dinner there: Arrived 10 minutes early and waited over an hour past our ADR time. Once seated with our menus we waited 20 min more just to have our drink orders taken. When the waitress finally came we told her we were ready to order our meal as well. Well, apparently that wasn't how she wanted to do it. So 15 minutes later she returns with my wine and DHs beer and takes our order.

Our apps appeared in short order, and the portions were so tiny I thought they'd made a mistake. After another lengthy wait ( it really doesn't take long to eat 4 bites of food), our entrees arrived - before our appetizer plates had been cleared. Delivered by someone other than our server. At this time we each asked for another drink. Now to the entrees- I am pretty sure that they had been sitting under a heat lamp since before we sat down. My mahi mahi was both dry and overdone and barely warm. Vegetables were soggy. Our server did not return to ask how our meal was or to bring us the drinks we had ordered. We finally flagged down another server and got our drinks from yet ANOTHER server right about the time we had finished choking down the meal.

The server finally reappeared to take our dessert order and we told her how poorly cooked the entree had been.. She obviously couldn't have cared less. Dessert and coffee appeared quickly and were the best part of the meal. And then came the seemingly endless wait for the bill. 30 minutes after finishing our coffee we finally stood up and walked out. Stopped at the front desk and asked for the manager. Needless to say, our server did not get a tip and the manager got an earful.

Sorry for the long rant, but I feel MUCH better after getting that off my chest. I'm sure there will be plenty of posters coming along who will say that their meal at Coral Reef was ever so magical that it was like forking up pixie dust with every bite.

But if you want decent food and service I'd recommend Flying Fish.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We have had several decent meals there in the past- but always have experienced very slow service. Our last meal there, food wise, was terrible.(still the famous slow service). My *lobster pasta* was gluey mac n cheese with literally 3 pieces of lobster. Our server even commented about how bad it looked - so she brought me out a cup of lobster - that was still frozen. None of the other meals were much better - It will be a very long time before we consider another visit.

 

[dsm925]

I ate here with my family 2 years ago and found it to be a pleasant experience. We asked for a table near by the aquarium and my 4 year old thought that it was great. I had a reservation and waited less than 5 minutes to be seated. We found the food to be enjoyable and the service was good. My dinner reservation was early (4:00 pm) and maybe that is why the service and food were better than the other experiences posted.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

Ugk. I hate coral reef.... granted I don't eat seafood so that could be a factor... but I found it disgusting.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Our Ratings of Coral Reef: (*Rev 01/05/2014*)
. . . food price value: B
. . . food quality: C
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: C
. . . food selection: B
. . . seating quantity: B
. . . seating comfort: C
. . . eatery atmosphere: C
. . . eatery convenience: B
. . . staff friendliness: B
. . . staff attentiveness: C
. . . character interaction: n/a

Our Recommendations:
. . . appys:... Steamed Mussels, Crab Cakes
. . . entree:.. Grilled New York Strip Steak, Grilled Mahi-Mahi
. . . dessert:. Baileys and Jack Daniel's Mousse

NOTE1: The Coral Reef is a nice respite from normal dining, as is the wall which is the
aquarium. One sees fish and sees divers tending to the fish and tank. Best views are
from the second seating level, not right up against the tank. For best dishes, try the
Mussels for an appy and the Mahi for the entrée. Other seafood are not good choices.
The non-fish selections, eg. rubber chicken, are run of the mill or worse. New York Strip
and Smashed Potatoes is always a good choice, Tell them to rest steaks before service
at the table. Service can be spotty - be prepared for slow waitresses. For those looking
for a quiet and romantic outing, this is a place to pass, the high noise level drowns
out most conversations.

NOTE2: As a side point, some people fear a "fishy smell". If the fish is fresh, cooked
properly, and the kitchen ventilated well, there is no fish-smell. I have yet to see or
experience such at Coral Reef.

 

[BUTTERHEAD1]

I have eaten at Coral Reef several times including 3 times in the last 3 years. The service is definitely hit or miss but I find the food to be okay to good. I've had the lobster ravioli and the mahi mahi and remember them being pretty good. There are several better places to eat in Epcot and in the nearby resorts. My favorite Epcot restaurant is Teppen Edo.

 

[LJSquishy]

My husband and I enjoyed our meal back in 2012, however we were on the DDP. I would consider it overpriced if paying out of pocket.

We both had the Mahi Mahi and thought it was wonderful. We then both enjoyed the Bailey's & Jack Daniel's mousse which was also very tasty. The issue we had with Coral Reef was the incredibly sllloooooowwww service...even when not busy. They are just slow period. My husband and I are fast eaters who hate lingering at restaurants (we are usually in and out in 30-45min from start to finish) and even with our quickness it was still a very long meal which took up a lot of our time.

I would love to have the Mahi Mahi again but not OOP and while the atmosphere is neat, it's not amazing. The aquarium wall is only in one section. We sat on the upper/outer tier away from it which was a good thing because little kids walk all along the aquarium wall running into other diners (tables are right along the aquarium) instead of staying seated. So, I would say it's decent food but the service and prices place it in the "not a good value" category, at least for me.

 

[missdorado26]

I loved coral reef. We tried it on our last visit (first time at Disney) and loved it that we are going back this year. I got the steak and husband got lobster pasta dish. We both really enjoyed out meals and the desert (mousse with alcohol) was very good. Kids loved the atmosphere too.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

We went on our most recent visit and it was...okay. Just "meh" though. I wouldn't be opposed to returning but it's not a priority of mine. I can be perfectly happy never eating there again or happy eating there again, it's that kind of place.

 

[TooExcitedCantSleep]

The food is okay but the atmosphere is great!!!! It's a really pretty restaurant especially if you're in front of the tank or have a good view of the tank. It was nice to experience once----I doubt that I will ever go back though. Now- there are tables right alongside the aquarium but they can get a lot of foot traffic from kids and onlookers.

 

[supersnoop]

We didn't experience any slow service, but we had an early ADR. However, the food was terrible. The mahi mahi was overcooked, and the lobster pasta's cheese sauce tasted like watered down velveta. With so many better options in and around Epcot, we won't be going back anytime soon.

 

[brertoad]

We've been here twice in the last year. We liked it enough to come back. The service can be a little bit slow, it just seems like the place is always packed. We thought the food was pretty good. On the deluxe dining plan it was a decent choice, paying OOP probably wouldn't be ideal.

 

[maplesuga]

We must've lucked out in Sept 2012. We had something like a 5:30 ressie, waited like 10 minutes past the time, had a great seat near, but not beside the tank, and our waiter was amazing. He was quick, attentive, and suggested the special...which was a white fish that I forget, but was incredible. Even my non-seafood husband ate every last bit and requested to go again for our trip this year.

 

[jwill]

I was in your boat, no pun intended back in May. I was very apprehensive to go to Coral Reef after reading so many reviews but decided to give it a chance. I'm glad I did as we had an amazing experience. We had an Adr, checked in early and were seated immediately. The hostess said you have an amazing table and as we were walking in, I saw a table for two right on the glass front and center. I was so hoping that was our's and it turned out to be so. Our waiter was great an very accommodating. He took our picture for us as I said to him, we will probably never get this lucky again to have this table. In addition to the waiter being accommodating, the chef was as well. I had asked if I could get the Mahi without the sauce and he said it was not a problem at all. I didn't want to insult the chef or anything as I know they put a lot of energy into the final dish but the waiter said that was no a problem at all. My wife and I really enjoyed our dishes and she put that meal right up there with our visit to California Grill that trip for best food experiences. I didn't see that high praise coming into that meal. Did we just catch Coral Reef on an amazing night or are they stepping their game up? I would definitely go there again but will brace myself for what many reviewers have experienced.

 

[Itinkso]

We were there three weeks ago and everyone in our party enjoyed their lunches. Mahi mahi was excellent as well as the octopus appetizer. My DH had never had grilled octopus before and he continues to rave about it!