Coral Reef

[cindrela]

Has anyone ate at the Coral Reef in EPCOT recently? I booked a dinner there for Novemeber (using the dining plan, of course), but this morning I read a review that it was not that great. I don't know what my chances are for getting a reservation somewhere else at this point. We are going Thanksgiving week. I made my reservations exactly 180 prior. Any input would be appreciated. It would be me, hubby, two boys-one on adult menu, one on kids. Thanks!!

 

[Philadisney]

i went there in july with my parents and enjoyed it - mainly for the decor and the fantastic view of the tank we had - we were right next to it! it was like the sharks and turtles were dining with us. we had some tasty drinks and i recall the lobster bisque being yummy. i wish i could remember more of what we had but it was a few months ago it was all tasty though! our server was very prompt as well.

 

[KatelynnsAuntie]

I was there 2 weeks ago and thought it was okay...I had the chicken as I don't like fish. The atmosphere was fun though.

 

[kaybird]

If you change your ADRs every time you see a bad review, you will be changing them every week between now and November. We ate here about 2 weeks ago, and have eaten here nearly every trip, we love it, and always have had wonderful food. (check out our most recent on the review board.)

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1218304

Love the lobster bisque, the tuna was super, and you can't beat the desserts and view!

Take everything into account, read the menus, and don't stress!

 

[rayelias]

If it calms your nerves, the "catfood" crabcakes are no longer on the menu. They changed around the menu about 2 weeks ago.

Not being a BIG seafood fan, I was actually looking forward to the crabcakes, in spite of all the bad reviews.

Since they were not available, I chose (I forget exactly what it's called), but it was a skewered salmon (which I usually hate) and some sort of white fish (cod, maybe?) in a lobster sauce.

I have to say, it was delicious. We were going to change our ADR's to Cap'n Jacks after the scathing review on DIS Unplugged and I'm glad we didn't.

It WAS a little noisy, but I think that had a lot to do with the acousitcs (low ceilings and the fish tanks bounced around the sound waves) plus a good deal of kids who were, expectedly, excited when they saw the turtle and the shark(s). Beautiful scenery. Very good service. A substantial wait, however - they were busy. We showed up about 20 minutes before our 8:10 ADR and were seated around 8:25.

I was actually sort of surprised, however, at the lackluster choices of seafood for a seafood restaurant. There were as many non-seafood choices as there were seafood choices. I chalk this up to the "generication" of the restaurants - trying to cater to everyone, instead of being a "specialty" restaurant.

However, I do agree with the review on DIS Unplugged... Coral Reef has the potential to be one of the best table services in WDW. You can't beat the location and ambiance. If it were up to me, I'd "dress" the place up a bit, up the prices, get off the dining plan (or make it a 2 meal ticket), and cater more towards a California Grill/Narcoossee's type of place - a little more upscale, require a dress code. WDW needs more of these, as many of the formerly excellent restaurants have been "genericized" to fit the meal plan (IMHO). I'd like to see more UNIQUE dining experiences, and Coral Reef has one of the best views for that.

Give Coral Reef a try.

 

[skater]

If you don't want to read a negative review - stop reading now!









We tried Coral Reef for the first time about a week ago and it was honestly the worst Disney meal I've ever had. We had 9 total sit downs on this trip, and this is the only one I would never repeat. If you do decide to try it, the chocolate wave is incredible. Ironically, this was the best desert I have ever had at Disney!

 

[barbie78]

I've also read all the bad reviews, including DH's, and I still wanted to try it for myself. I'm so glad I did because I loved it! Chocolate Wave is to die for!

 

[jengelbrecht]

We were there a week ago for lunch and I think it was my favorite meal! The food was wonderful, as was the wait staff and the atmosphere.
Having said that, please don't judge a restaurant by the reviews. The only way to know for sure is to try it yourself. Even if it doesn't live up to your expectations, it's only one meal. Who knows, you might be pleasantly surprised (like I was) and end up having a new favorite restaurant!

 

[beeayekay]

Here's a link to my recent review.............

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1222638

It was the highlight of our trip!!

Babs

 

[beeayekay]

If you don't want to read a negative review - stop reading now!









We tried Coral Reef for the first time about a week ago and it was honestly the worst Disney meal I've ever had. We had 9 total sit downs on this trip, and this is the only one I would never repeat. If you do decide to try it, the chocolate wave is incredible. Ironically, this was the best desert I have ever had at Disney!

I am curious.....why was it so very terrible - food, service, etc???? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[Heathr6913]

I just ate there on Tuesday (september 12th) and it was my 2nd favorite meal (cap'n jacks being number 1) Our waiter was absolutely awesome and the food was just as awesome. I say you have to go and judge for yourself. There is always going to be people who love a restaurant and different people who hate that same restaurant.

P.S
Our waiters name was Riley

 

[cindrela]

Thanks to all who replied about the Coral Reef. I'm going to give it a try. At this point, I think it would be hard to get another reservation anyway. I think the great thing about the Dining Plan, is that we're trying to try places that we most likely would not try, if we were paying for it on the spot. I let you know what I think when we get back!!!

 

[n2mm]

I ate there twice in early May and while I never thought the food was that bad -- except the crab cake -- yuck! We thought the service was probably the worse we've ever gotten. Our first server was good in providing our food, but had a real chip on his shoulder. The second server kept disappearing and we were left without drinks and/or food for long periods of time. We even did a DDP and DDE combination and he complained that we were causing him too much work. My hubby said never again. BUT, I saw recently that the menu may have changed, so may give it another try next month. I love the view and set up, and agree, this could be an absoultely wonderful place if the CMs there could just get their act together. I think they need a management change, because both times it was just chaotic and nothing ran smoothly.

 

[skater]

Hi beeayekay. You askeed me why Coral Reef was so bad and now that I've recovered a bit from our travel (we just returned yesterday from a VERY long trip) I'm having a hard time remembering specifics. Our server was OK. We were on the free dining plan and I remember after seeing the bill that my first thought was I was SO glad we didn't pay for this meal. The food just seemed extremely average. I actually sent my first appetizer back (I never do this normally - it was really bad). I will talk with my DH tonight and see if he can help me remember more specifics.

I feel bad for posting such blunt comments - it was just my gut level first reaction to the OP's question. But I am glad you are trying it Cindrela. As is evident on these boards, we all have different opinions (sometimes strong ones!) During my trip, a family we met asked me about Coral Reef. I told her we really didn't like it, she should try it if it sounded good to her, and be sure to try the chocolate wave. As I said earlier, I think it is the best desert at Disney!

 

[KAYELIZ]

Cindrela, I felt the same way before our trip in late August. I had read the negative reviews also and I almost cancelled our ADR. I am so glad I didn't !!!The food was so good, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere can't be beat. If you're ever going to try it, do it while you're on the dining plan because this restaurant can be expensive if you're paying out of pocket (our bill came to $346.17 for 6 adults).

 

[janets]

We just ate there for dinner last Wednesday (9/13) and it's one of our favorite restaurants.

Yes the menu has been changed. They have removed the flounder and the crab cakes. But the lobster bisque is as good as ever (my 8 yo son dreams of this soup and has made it a mission to try it in every restaurant we patronize to see if it's as good). Our server (I believe her name was Cathy) was incredible. We were there about 15 minutes before our ADR and had to wait about 10 minutes past. Our younger ds (4) fell asleep in my lap and we were fortunate to get a booth and laid him down. He slept through dinner, so that probably contributed to the enjoyment .

DS and I had the soup (so yummy that ds kept asking the server to tell the chef and she came back out with the recipe for him), dh had I think a soufle of some sort. He liked it but said he should have had the soup. DH then ordered the strip steak which he said was terrific and I had the prime rib. Since the flounder is off the menu, I didn't see any fish I was really dying to try and I spied the prime rib at the next table. It was good, certainly cooked properly (medium) but I found it a bit "firmer" than I like. I really love prime rib that melts in your mouth and this was a bit tougher than that, but certainly very tasty. Plus leaving some over allowed room for dessert! Ds had the pasta and our server brought him both sauces (cheese and marinara) to try. He loved the cheese sauce and the bread.

Dessert was the sundae for ds, the brulee for dh and the chocolate wave for me....can anyone say heaven on a plate? My goodness that is good.

All in all, it was one of our best experiences, being good food and a superb server. Oh, and BTW, at the end, I paid for the meals w/ my dining plan and dh's beer with my DDE card. When the bills came, I had given her my Visa check card to pay for the extra and asked if I could leave her an extra tip. She said that I was the first person to actually ask if they could do that and she was very appreciative. She was so attentive and fun plus she brought out the recipe for us and ds was so happy he's dying to try to make it.

We were on the second level above the tank, and they had recently cleaned the coral so the tank was really hazy. Even so, we saw bunches of sharks, giant turtles and schools of fish. Plus the divers, who are really fun to watch.

We have ressies for our November trip and ds asked us to make his birthday dinner there during our February birthday weekend trip as well.