Coral Reef

[skeletor40]

I know this has probably been asked a thousand time but still I have to ask it. Is the Coral Reef Restaurant worth going to? What about the view of the aquarium? I've read their food is not that good and is overpriced. Should I make a reservation for it on my next Disney trip (May 17-25) or just skip it all together?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tam1067]

This was my DH's favorite meal on our last trip, and he has told me we have to eat there again. Our view wasn't the greatest just because we were a bit off to the side, but the food was good, and most views are better than ours was (we just had bad luck). It is expensive though.

 

[milmore104]

We tried the CR for the first time during our last trip. We had heard mixed reviews on it so we weren't expecting much. We mainly went for the view and experience. It turned out to be the best meal of our trip. I don't do seafood and I'm not a person to order a steak either unless there is nothing else in the menu I like. OMG I ordered the steak and I actually cleaned my plate. It was so wonderful. From the apps to the dessert we finished it all. The atmosphere, CM's and food were all 5 star to us. We will be making 2 ADR's for CR when we go back in Oct. Hope this helps. Oh and if you have kids our DD (7) LOVED it as much as we did. If you ask her it was her favorite meal as well. I believe it was the only meal she actually ate as well.

 

[SomDayMyPrnceWillCom]

We are booking CR again this trip. Both myself and DD12 LOVED it. Food was great, we sat on the floor near the tanks, CM was great. Yes, it was pricey, but we were on DDP and didn't think twice about costs of items when ordering.

I'll be on honeymoon this go round and hope to have the diver and personalized menu. I can't wait for soon-to-be DH to eat here and DD12 is excited about this restaurant again too. ( yes she's going on our honeymoon with us. )

I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone. The chocolate wave dessert was mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm divine.

 

[Jamerz]

I was considering CR for my next trip. Neither my DF or I are really into seafood but the steaks looked pretty yummy and I mainly thought the atmosphere was neat with the tanks. I was wondering with it being more of a seafood menu if the restuarant ..well smelled fishy? lol

 

[pixie08]

We enjoyed it. The aquarium wa beautiful and entertaining and the food was decent. We did wait a long time even though we had ADR's. Even though we enjoyed it is not in my top places for EPCOT although when I was teenager and my brother was younger it was our absolute favorite so I assume kids would really enjoy it and it would give parents the oppurtinity to eat something other than typical theme park food

 

[apostolic4life]

All WDW TS is expensive. Coral Reef is no different in pricing than the other restaurants with table service........now if you go to a signature restaurant it will be very expensive rather than just plain old WDW expensive (or WDW cheap, depending on your outlook).

As for the food, it is very good. My favorite dish is their Blackened Catfish served on pepper-jack cheese grits topped with smoked tomato compote and balsamic vinegar. This is a signature dish that really puts Coral Reef on the map if you want to try something unique!

I always say give every place a try for yourself because your tatses may not be the same as my tastes!!!

 

[daneenm]

We loved CR when we were there in August. We are not seafood eaters and everyone found something that pleased them. We sat back in the last row of tables (right in from of the booths against the back wall). I have not understood the 'we were too far back and couldn't see' comments I have read before because we could see perfectly. Being farther back, we got a better panoramic view than if we had been up close.

Tony, our server, was one of the best servers we encountered on our whole 11 day trip!

--Daneen

 

[Stitchfans]

Again after reading the responses on this thread I am so glad I made my ADR for our Easter dinner at Coral Reef! No worries here.

 

[hankt10k]

We were unable to get a dinner ADR for our March trip so we currently have an ADR for lunch at CR. Menus look pretty similar. Any opinions on lunch at CR. Should we keep our ADR or look elsewhere?

Hank T.

 

[jess20k]

The tanks are definately what makes this place worth going too! We have been there twice, and luckily we were able to get a table next to the tank both times.

The first time we went was in 2007, and we did not like it...other than the tanks of course. The food wasn't good, our service was just so-so, and it was soooo loud. We ordered the chicken dish and the mahi-mahi...both were terrible.

We did decide to give it another try this past Jan. since I noticed they added the King Crab Legs to the menu. We really love King Crab Legs, plus we were on the DDP, and it is a good value for the plan. This time around it was very good! The crab legs were fine, and I thought a nice sized portion. We also ordered the lobster bisque for an appetizer, that we paid oop for, since it is not included in the ddp anymore. For dessert we ordered the chocolate wave, which we really enjoyed. Our service was much better than the last time, and it did not seem as noisy.

The thing is, I personally do not think it is really worth it if you do not have the DDP. I think the food is definately overpriced for the quality of it. But, that is just my opinion.

 

[hildarumpole]

We were unable to get a dinner ADR for our March trip so we currently have an ADR for lunch at CR. Menus look pretty similar. Any opinions on lunch at CR. Should we keep our ADR or look elsewhere?

Hank T.

We went for lunch and it was great. The prices are a bit lower, but if you're on the DDP, that wouldn't matter so much, except for tipping value. I don't find CR to be overpriced by Disney standards. It has one of the best dining atmosphere's at Disney and the food quality is very good. Our bill was more at R&C, which doesn't offer anything special.

 

[sassyat30]

We were unable to get a dinner ADR for our March trip so we currently have an ADR for lunch at CR. Menus look pretty similar. Any opinions on lunch at CR. Should we keep our ADR or look elsewhere?

Hank T.

We had lunch at CR on our last trip and it was by far our favorite meal of the entire trip.

 

[apostolic4life]

I think the food is definately overpriced for the quality of it. But, that is just my opinion.

I must have gone to a completely different restaurant......we had great food. The food was fresh, well presented and full of flavor. I also like the fact the catfish used in the restaurant is raised on site at The Land aquaculture facility. Can't get much fresher than that!

As for the pricing, I would much rather spend $17 on the Blackened Catfish at lunch than stroll over and pay $8-$10 for a burger and fries any day. Are WDW prices inflated, yes, but they have a captive audience and the prices reflect that. Would you pay $8-$10 for a burger and fries outside of WDW???

 

[apostolic4life]

We had lunch at CR on our last trip and it was by far our favorite meal of the entire trip.

I agree........we like Coral Reef because it has always been a restaurant with a consistent performance every time we have gone. This place has always given us a wonderful experience and great value for our dollar. FYI, we have always paid OOP for this restaurant never have dined here with the DDP.

 

[kruegeme]

DW and I took our 15 month old there in January and she loved it. The food is good and the service is great. Make your ADR for an early lunch or mid-afternoon. This will help your chances if you want to sit by the one of the viewing windows

 

[Pakey]

It's my favorite non-signature place to eat in all of WDW. And we prefer lunch there over dinner.

 

[apostolic4life]

It's my favorite non-signature place to eat in all of WDW. And we prefer lunch there over dinner.

Actually, if I am not mistaken, I believe Coral Reef used to be a signature restaurant up until a year or two ago.........can anyone confirm or refute this???

 

[mpmluvstigger]

Actually, if I am not mistaken, I believe Coral Reef used to be a signature restaurant up until a year or two ago.........can anyone confirm or refute this???

Yes, I remember it being 2 TS credits at one time, but I dont remember if the menu was the same.

 

[RllngRckBrw]

I loved it. I thought the food was great (the second best resturant I ate at last trip. I really liked Spoodles too.). The first time I went though I expected to see more of the awuarium. It is the entire front wall yes, and the tables are tiered so everyone has a view, but I expected the suppports for the glass to be smaller and I think this took away from it feeling like it was the whole wall. Overall I give it two thumbs up.