Epcot's Coral Reef

[newholidayx2]

DS13 & I are planning on lunch at Coral Reef in Aug
We're not planning on a big meal (kids meal & maybe a salad?) and will get snacks later in the day if necessary - we're going for the atmosphere, not the food

 

[Disney Planner Mama]

We went there for lunch in February fully expecting a so-so meal (after reading all the reviews) but wanting our girls to see the tank. We were completely surprised...The food was very good, the service was fantastic (our server, Jennifer, was the best server we had the whole trip). The girls loved their food, and the fish in the tank. It wasn't a cheap restaurant, but was worth the price, and we had no problem with portion sizes...more than adequate. They also had a nice wine list.

We'll definitely be going back next time.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Went to lunch there while on my honeymoon. Hubby and I loved it. We mentioned we were on our honeymoon and got some real VIP treatment

 

[aengus]

Our family of 7 absolutely hated CR. Nothing to do with price, it was just awful! It is the only meal I have every been out right disappointed with at WDW ever.

To be fair, I can say that it was the menu that ruined it for us not the actual cooking. It must have taken us 20 minutes staring at the menu trying to find ANYTHING we would actually eat.

I bet thats the reason for the high contrast in reviews other than price. So if you head over to allears.net and look at the menu and you get excited, then you will proably enjoy it. I wish we had looked at the menu prior to making our PS's because we simply wouldn't have chosen it.

 

[Bob NC]

I know Disney has some high food prices. I know that and accept it. However, at Coral Reef the prices are insanely high and the portions laughably small. (Oh, by the way...the food is mediocre and nothing special). After 16 trips to WDW, Coral Reef is the ONLY restaurant I have left and immediately started looking for something to eat.

 

[lillygator]

oh my - that is the "beaver rail" in the WL elevators!!!
My DH named it for DD so that every time we got into the elevator she had to hold on to the "beaver rail"!!! She is 2!

Coral Reef - I have not been in years but have a PS for dinner for our May trip. I was hoping the tank would keep DD occupied through dinner. Now I am worried about the quality/service/food......

 

[dcgrumpy]

Have the prices gone up recently? The menu on allearsnet is from January and it doesn't show anything above $30 except for the lobster whis is market price

 

[TammySB]

Wow I really dont know what to do, we are on the dining plan and I was going to make PS for Coral Reef but after hearing all this I really dont know what to do, We have never eaten here before, nor at Ohana we want to try some different restaurants on this trip, my daughter is a picky eater (13) but me and my husband like to try different things, any suggestions would be helpful.

 

[dBugged]

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. We've been there a few times and have always gotten a seat by the tank and had a good meal. We plan to visit this year because we think our 10 mo. old will like the tank. She loves looking at animals and this will be a whole new experience for her.

As the old saying goes... "different strokes for different folks". There will always be people who hate places and like places at Disney, it all comes down to your personal preferences. I guess I don't always worry about how much I spend for food at Disney -- everything is expensive at Disney. I never left CR thinking "crap! that sure was expensive!".

I'd say that if you haven't eaten there before, give it a chance and see how you like it. It never can hurt to try something once.

 

[slinky101]

I know CR is expensive for dinner, but we have booked it for may for lunh, i based it on the set lunch menu on allears for around$20, i think it was soup or a salad to start, followed by a choice of a few main courses, seemed a reasonable price to be able to sit and see the tank? has anyone eaten off this set lunch menu? is it still available? don't know what to do now?

 

[liznboys]

It's amazing how strikingly different people's experiences are here! We ate lunch there in Feb. and had a WONDERFUL time!! Great food, very fun atmosphere and EXCELLENT service! We're going back in 2 weeks. Maybe lunch is better than dinner there...

For those unsure if you should try it or not...I say go for it. We also were unsure about eating there at first (based on the reviews here) but boy are we glad we went for it!! I think if you are really interested in a place, you should definitely try it and see for yourself. Think about worst case scenario, and if it would absolutely ruin your trip if you had a negative experience as some have, then go somewhere more reliable! We knew that even if it wasn't that great, it certainly wouldn't ruin our trip...

 

[laurabelle]

liznboys- did you get the lunch special that slinky101 mentioned?

 

[samefay]

We had CR for lunch last September. It was great. It was Dh, myself, and DD who was 3. They even brought out the kids make your own sundae for our daughter for free since she was celebrating her birthday.
Everything was plated so nicely and was reasonably priced for what we got.
Very tasty too.

 

[liznboys]

liznboys- did you get the lunch special that slinky101 mentioned?

No, neither dh or I did the lunch special. I know he had the lobster soup which he really liked, I can't remember what he had for his main course though. And I had the Barbecue Salmon Sandwich which was really yummy. I'll probably get that again in a couple weeks! I looooooove salmon.

 

[Forever42]

I know CR is expensive for dinner, but we have booked it for may for lunh, i based it on the set lunch menu on allears for around$20, i think it was soup or a salad to start, followed by a choice of a few main courses, seemed a reasonable price to be able to sit and see the tank? has anyone eaten off this set lunch menu? is it still available? don't know what to do now?

It still is available, since I have to check every menu at Epcot every time I go I checked Coral Reef as well. Same choices, it's $19.00.

I keep wanting to go, because I remember going 12 years ago (when I was 11-12) and we had a very nice meal there. But that was such a long time ago, and we don't want to make an expensive mistake.

 

[Took]

Add me to the list of those who really enjoy CR. I like seafood and get little of it here in central IL, so that may skew my perception of CR's food as "very good." I also love the atmosphere, whether I'm by the aquarium or not. We have only had mediocre service once, usually it's been great for us.

At any rate, to the OP, read the menu at allearsnet.com and decide if it interests you. Realize that experiences of diners vary quite a bit. If you don't like the idea of paying relatively high prices for food, however, CR may not be your kind of place--it's not cheap nor are the portions "'Ohana-like."

Took

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Sorry to be a bummer but I don't want anyone to make the same mistake!!! This was our one and only disappointment. The Coral Reef at Epcot is OVERPRICED and the decor is gaudey! My husband and I had a $130.00 dinner, went back to our resort and ordered pizza because we were still hungry! He ordered the jumbo shrimp, he got a lousy 6 shrimp and NO SIDES. He is a 215 pound man- 6 shrimp didn't quite cut it! His dinner was $42.00, he also had a 2 mixed drinks, I had the lobster (which was good) with one spoonful of mashed potatoes and a few greenbeans, $46.00, also 2 glasses of wine, our 5 year old would not touch anything on the menu. My husband left sooo angry and HUNGRY! I do not understand why this place is so popular! There are only a few seats near the aquarium, which i suppose might help. We ate at Ohana's the next night and it was wonderful, our best meal of the week! Worth the wait if you don't have priority seating. My advice -- stay away from The Coral Reef at Epcot!

I have to say I agree. We went to Coral Reef in '93 and it was the most expensive and most horrible meal. So in '99 we decided maybe it was a one time bad experience so we went again and it was again the most expensive and awful meal. We can't stand this place. I'd rather eat sandwiches in my room than eat here for free. It's horrible! And I don't mind paying good money for a good meal but the key is that it has to be at least good if not great.

P.S. just my little ol' perpective but while at WDW I have had plenty of great meals and a few bad ones. Even the bad ones are great memories because I was there with my family and we can usually look back and laugh at how bad it was so I would never let a bad meal ruin my trip.

 

[tiredmommy]

I have to add my 2 cents here. CR is a MUST do for us every trip. We usually go for lunch, but are doing dinner this time. My kids (4 and 2) LOVE it and are willing to sit still through a long meal that the adults get to enjoy. We have eaten at Teppenyaki, Rose and Crown, Alfredos, and San Angel Inn and have been disappointed in each. I find that CR although expensive offers at least an interesting choice in meals. At the other places I felt as though it was like eating at a chain. Olive Garden, Beni Hana, etc. We left with a bill on par with CR but not a great dining experience. We have also always had the best service at CR. Maybe it's just a better choice with small children?

I do have to agree though if you are not drooling when you read the menu you probably will feel it's overpriced and not very good. This is just the type of food my family (even the kids) goes for so it's our kind of place.