Coral Reef?

[HolliePoppins]

Glad your son enjoyed it!!

I'm taking my son here for the first time in November (also has autism). Can you tell me if they have chicken nuggets and fries there? If not we may have to bring him in a counter service meal.

They do not have them on the menu on allears.net. You can check it out here.

http://allears.net/menu/menu_crk.htm

 

[The Hendies]

We have not had to deal with much noice, but we tend to eat at Coral Reef as a very late lunch, so it hasn't been very crowded. However, the food is just average and the price is quite above average. If your on DDP, perhaps the price won't hurt so much. It's fun to watch the aquarium while you wait, but you can do that upstairs in the 360 viewing room.

Hollipoppins - has your little one arrived????

 

[kimgof]

CR was our favorite meal of our trip. They all loved the food. My kids had the pizza and they liked it, I had the Mahi mahi and it was great. My older DS and DH had the steak and said it was the best. Our waiter was good also. As far as the noise, I have three kids so I don't really notice noise level so much since I live with it all the time We were'nt sitting right at the fish tanks since we are 5 people and they put us in one of the booths. But you could clearly see everything. I would always recommend to try something at least once , sometimes twice , before you decide not to do it. So much depends on how busy it is, who your server is and even who the chef is at the time of your meal. Go, try it, enjoy it.

 

[shyjade]

We love CR and have had nothing but great meals and service there. In fact, it was our "favorite" at Disney, until trying LeCellier, now they are both "must-do's" for us.

I always get the same thing...Mahi Mahi, lobster bisque and Chocolate Wave. YUM!!!

 

[lilsydney]

I would have to agree about the good atmosphere, but just okay food/service. We had really lousy service a couple of weeks ago. Our server was slow, rude and very worried about her tip. Our meals (we had the mahi-mahi and the seafood linguine) were tasty, but the portions were small. They brought bread with dipping oil and when we asked for butter for our kids to have on the bread, we were told that they had none! Our kids had pizza and mac n cheese (we were told that we were "lucky" because after that night they were no longer serving mac n cheese) and neither one cared for their food.

I think that once was enough for us. We won't be going back, but it's probably worth a try once....

Can anyone confirm the mac and cheese statement?? We have ADR for next week Friday and my DD (8) might eat the pizza but mac&cheese is our old standby. Considering there are only like three child entree's on the main, I can't imagine removing one

anyone agree? I would love an actual confirmation

 

[lucigo]

They do not have them on the menu on allears.net. You can check it out here.

http://allears.net/menu/menu_crk.htm

Thanks! I'll try to find him a counter meal to bring with us, they are usually pretty good about letting us do that since he has such a limited diet.

 

[shyjade]

No chicken nuggets in 06 or 07 when we were there.

 

[keelyhealthnut]

Woah, what mixed reviews! I am considering this place because we were engaged in a similar restaurant in Houston and will be in Disney for our anniversary...but I'm not so sure now. I can identify with the "nice atmosphere, but subpar food" because that's how the similar restaurant in Houston is as well. What happened to a breathtaking atmosphere and food to match? Good thing that I have a while to plan. I guess that I will see if the reviews get better or worse in the next year or so...

 

[wezee]

DH and I took his parents to CR for lunch 2 weeks ago. We had an 11:30am and tried to check-in 15min early..as advised ny CRO...only to wait in a hugh line. Most of the people in line did not have a reservation and were just checking to see if anything was available. But, due to this....we were seated quite late.

It was very hot that day and I would have liked a realxing meal and maybe a frozen cocktail...but got neither. I take it CR does not serve beer or cocktails for lunch, because our server did not offer anything but water and soft drinks. Our server was actually overly efficient and kept insisting we order our appe, meal and desert right away. She was not happy when be took our time deciding on each course.

The restaurant was packed and as amny others have said...very noisey!

The food was so-so, the server was fast but curt, and the prices were high considering the amount or quality of food. We were on the DxDpp and I would have been really upset if I would have had to pay OOP for that meal.
I ordered the lobster salad (reminded me of a small scoop of cold tuna fish type salad) and the cup of lobster bisque. The soup was very good, but barely warm and the cup was like the size of a small expresso coffee cup...and was only half full.
I basically got 3 spoonfuls of soup.......for over $20.00. I don't think so!!

We have visited so many wonderful restaurants at WDW....but Coral Reef was not one of them.

If you want a nice relaxing lunch....try LeCellier or Chef's de France. At least, at both of these reataurants, when you order a cup of soup....you get a normal adult portion!!!

 

[shyjade]

DH and I took his parents to CR for lunch 2 weeks ago. We had an 11:30am and tried to check-in 15min early..as advised ny CRO...only to wait in a hugh line. Most of the people in line did not have a reservation and were just checking to see if anything was available. But, due to this....we were seated quite late.

It was very hot that day and I would have liked a realxing meal and maybe a frozen cocktail...but got neither. I take it CR does not serve beer or cocktails for lunch, because our server did not offer anything but water and soft drinks. Our server was actually overly efficient and kept insisting we order our appe, meal and desert right away. She was not happy when be took our time deciding on each course.

The restaurant was packed and as amny others have said...very noisey!

The food was so-so, the server was fast but curt, and the prices were high considering the amount or quality of food. We were on the DxDpp and I would have been really upset if I would have had to pay OOP for that meal.
I ordered the lobster salad (reminded me of a small scoop of cold tuna fish type salad) and the cup of lobster bisque. The soup was very good, but barely warm and the cup was like the size of a small expresso coffee cup...and was only half full.
I basically got 3 spoonfuls of soup.......for over $20.00. I don't think so!!

We have visited so many wonderful restaurants at WDW....but Coral Reef was not one of them.

If you want a nice relaxing lunch....try LeCellier or Chef's de France. At least, at both of these reataurants, when you order a cup of soup....you get a normal adult portion!!!

The soup they serve with the lobster salad is a MUCH smaller portion than their normal cup of soup size. So this small serving was a result of what you ordered, it's not the normal portion others get when ordering it as an appetizer. I've heard terrible things about the lobster salad - I think it's the most complained about menu item then have, based on reviews I've read.

Yes, they do serve alcohol at the CR, or at least they always have when we ate lunch there. Sounds like your server wrongly assumed you weren't ordering alcohol since it wasn't included in your dining plan.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

HolliePoppins, great pics of the sea turtle... I mean Crush, that's what my DD kept calling him.

I loved both times we have eaten at CR, I was a bit leary the first time but was very happy with our food, service and over all experience. I have had the Mahi Mahi (sp?) and the steak both of which were great!!! CR is one of my favorite don't miss Disney resturants, probaly my top pick at Epcot.

 

[wezee]

The soup they serve with the lobster salad is a MUCH smaller portion than their normal cup of soup size. So this small serving was a result of what you ordered, it's not the normal portion others get when ordering it as an appetizer. I've heard terrible things about the lobster salad - I think it's the most complained about menu item then have, based on reviews I've read.

Yes, they do serve alcohol at the CR, or at least they always have when we ate lunch there. Sounds like your server wrongly assumed you weren't ordering alcohol since it wasn't included in your dining plan.

She was the only sever we had, all week, that tried to rush us in and push us back out. Oh well, she probably could have made a much larger tip if we had ordered drinks.......and she really did not even deserve the tip my DH gave her!

 

[hungrygreenhippo]

My boyfriend and I were at Coral Reef a week ago and thought it was fantastic. He loves marine life so it was the perfect restaurant for him. We were lucky enough to have a seat next to the aquarium and a friendly sting ray hung out next to our table the entire time. I liked my appetizer (corn chowder) and the Chocolate Wave dessert. The entrees were just good, not great. I did think the portion sizes were large enough. I didn't notice that the restaurant seemed noisy, but we were seated on the very bottom left side of the restaurant not the middle. Overall we'll definitely be going back.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

We always enjoy Coral Reef. I was there earlier this year. It may be noisy, but it's normally not very noisy when we're there. But we always eat there early. The latest we are seated is 5PM. The last time, we ate there at 4:30PM. It's not as crowded, and the service was pretty good.

Oh, and there's a minor secret about that place. Even though there is this great aquarium, the best entree to me was the steak. Yes, the STEAK! It is so good, that I must go back to Le Cellier next year to compare if their steak is better. It was surprisingly good.

Also, that chocolate wave is good, but they can hold off on those cherries that tasted like they dipped it in some cheap vodka and kept them in the refrigerator overnight. Just flick them off and keep it shoving in your mouth.

 

[shyjade]

Also, that chocolate wave is good, but they can hold off on those cherries that tasted like they dipped it in some cheap vodka and kept them in the refrigerator overnight. Just flick them off and keep it shoving in your mouth.

I agree on the cherries. I had this dessert in Sept. 06 and it was PURE ECSTASY! It was still good in 07, but the new version with the cherries just doesn't do it for me. I agree with PP; flick off the cherries and dig in!

 

[lync]

Thanks everyone for your replies! It has been very helpful!!

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

I HATED our meal here in August! I had the mahi mahi and it was very cold! Our server was incredibly slow and rude! I ordered an alcoholic drink, and he asked for my ID. I didn't have it on me (no other place was ID'd on WDW property) and he said he couldn't get it for me. I felt a little insulted as I was sitting there with my three children, the oldest being 11! He must have thought I was 9 when I had her. Oh well, that wasn't a big deal, I wasn't angry. But after that, we never saw him again! You could tell that he figured we would not give a tip (even though we are great tippers) so he just blatantly ignored us. He would serve the table next to us, skip us without even a "can I get you a refill" and go to the next table with no eye contact! Then when it came time to pay our bill, he was suddenly our best buddy as he explained about the tipping procedures for the DDP and how it was no longer included, but we could leave cash or just put it on our credit card if we needed to. So, we left thirsty, angry, and I was a bit sick! The view was nice, but the interior really looked really outdated. Needless to say, with all the great Epcot restaurants, we will not be going back there!

 

[maddymae'smom]

Love, Love, Loved CR !!!
It was my daughter's birthday wish to eat "under the sea", so I made the ADR's for 4:30 and arranged for the Scuba Diver and personalized menu. -Which, in itself was an incredible experience (thanks Debbie!)
I was a little nervous about this because my husband does not like seafood or anything remotely "fancy" where he has to actually wait for his food. And my daugher is only 6 (now) and shares his opinion. Also, I was hearing so many mixed reviews about the service and food quality on the boards, that I almost changed my ADR.
But I am so glad that I didn't !!! Our service was great! The food was excellent! The atmosphere was wonderful! And it was our favorite meal experience for all three of us for the entire week!

 

[darlak]

We ate at both Biergarten and Coral Reef last week. We've eaten at Coral Reef several times and always enjoyed it. Last week, 2 of our party ordered the steak, one had the chicken and I had the pork chop. All were very good. Regarding the noise, I don't find it to be any louder than most other WDW restaurants. The chocolate wave cake is very good!

 

[DanMedix]

Next month will mark our FIRST visit to Coral Reef. I, too, will be going with family members that aren't huge seafood fans. I'll make sure to mention the STEAK to them. Any other tips, pointers, etc for a first-timer?