Has *ANYONE* really liked Coral Reef???

[bentleygirl22]

I really didn't like it .. we will not be back till i hear it way better..

 

[CathieArms]

Thanks, y'all...it's good to hear that a lot of people really did like it. Maybe I won't skip it after all.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

I think Coral Reef is one of those spots that everyone needs to try at least once. It's a pretty unique setting for sure.

 

[Silver Queen]

We had dinner there in December and found it to be surprisingly good. We had read many of the mixed reviews and weren't sure what kind of experience we were going to have but everything was great. We were seated next to the tank and had great views of the fish. We both had the lobster bisque and grouper with risotto and loved both of them. Our server, Linda, was a model Disney CM. We'll be back.

 

[chipndales]

Love it. It's a must do on all our trips! I've learned one thing from these boards in the past couple years and that is everyone views things differently depending on where they're from, what they like, and the experience they had. We find the food very good (the steak is out of this world!), and the atmosphere is so cool! The staff has always been very accomodating, and blue glowtini's rock my world.

 

[SurfinTX]

I loved the environment when we went in 2007. The meal was yummy if a bit small on the portions. On the dining plan with no tip charge it was a great deal. Paying out of our pockets I would have felt a bit ripped off.

Looking at the portions from the recent review I would have been very dissapointed. Even eating just apps me and a friend would have probably had to spend $40 just to get enough food to not be hungry in 3 hours...

and pay a tip.

Quite the delimma. Use the dining plan and get barely enough food to tide you over...or get way overcharged for decent - above average food?

 

[paintnolish]

Thanks, y'all...it's good to hear that a lot of people really did like it. Maybe I won't skip it after all.

I take reviews into consideration but prefer to make the ultimate decision myslef. There is a reason it can be difficult to get reservations! Everyone's opinionvaries and is just that- an opinion, not fact, not an end all be all!

 

[pixiedancr]

We ate at CR just a couple of weeks ago. We loved the food and the atmosphere and that outweighed for us the not so great service that we had from our watress. Not saying that she was the worse server for our whole trip but she was towards the bottom.

When we head back in a couple of years we will be going back to CR for sure. Again if you don't have the best server ignore it and pay more attention to the tank and your food(which in our opinion was really good).

 

[phisigprincess]

We've eaten there twice, and both times it was one of our top 3 meals of the trip. We've never had problems with the food, service, anything. If it interests you and your family, give it a try!!

 

[grace&philipsmom]

I wasn't a huge fan but my father and husband both really enjoyed theirs.

 

[mousiemom]

we went a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. i had some kind of seafood pasta and we celebrated my inlaws 40th with the diver and we had a good table by the aquarium and our dd loved seeing all the fish. we will go here again.
mousiemom

 

[pediatric-rnp]

DH and I love eating there - the atmosphere is great and we have always enjoyed the food. We had the dining plan last week when we were there, which made it easier on the pocketbook, but would have eaten there even if we didn't have it. We have been fortunate, and always had good waiters there. They don't rush you either.

 

[brandi~momof3]

we went during our 10th Anniversary trip in June of 2007 and loved it! The lobster bisque was wonderful, the NY stip was very good too. We both were very happy with our meal.

 

[TarzansKat]

I haven't read all the responses, but I just want to say you can put me in the minority that loves the Coral Reef.

I've eaten dinner there on my past two trips, also had lunch there a few years ago, and I've always found the food to be excellent. The service has been good, not outstanding but not poor, and one waitress irked me quite a bit, but that could have easily been a personality thing. In some ways, she was very nice, and in others, meh.

Now, I'm really going based on atmosphere and food because waitstaff will come and go in Disney, so I don't base my decisions on that. I love the large tank with all the fish, and that's been a fun place to eat for my toddler. It's easy during the meal to entertain him with the various aquatic life, and that's a big bonus. I've had excellent meals there, this past time I had mahi mahi and it was fantastic. Between that and the key lime tart, I was in heaven. Now, my DH was very disappointed by his meal. He had the pasta, and it was a very meager portion. My mother has also commented to me that she's noticed varying portion sizes and that it doesn't seem to be consistent, so you can factor that in to your decision as well. I've had the Land and Sea appetizer, and it was great.

Honestly, I think it's a fun place to eat, with some good quality food, and it fits the bill.

The only reason we'll be skipping it this year is to try something new.

 

[JoePa4Ever]

Coral Reef is a "must do" for us - one of our favorite dinner adrs. I agree 100% with a previous poster about the steak being better at Coral Reef than Le Cellier. We've had excellent food, good service & a great atmosphere with the aquarium view.

 

[mrsannb]

Coral Reef is our family's favorite. That's my kids at Coral Reef in my little avatar there <----

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

We ate there for lunch today!

DH and I both had the NY Strip and it was tough but the roasted potatoes and the watercress/tomato salad that came with it was very good. (Yes, I know - we shouldn't have expected steak at a seafood place to be good.)

My friend had the blackened catfish over pepper jack cheese grits and said it was excellent! DD15 had the tilapia and ate every bite on her plate.

For dessert we had the butterscotch creme brulee', chocolate wave and baileys & jack daniels chocolate mousse - all of our desserts were very good.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Coral Reef is a "must do" for us - one of our favorite dinner adrs. I agree 100% with a previous poster about the steak being better at Coral Reef than Le Cellier. We've had excellent food, good service & a great atmosphere with the aquarium view.

Wow. Really? What steak did you get at Le Cellier that was so bad?

We ate at LC earlier in the week and had the best filet mignon I have ever eaten. It was so tender that when you placed your fork on top of it to hold the meat to cut it that he fork sunk into the steak! The NY Strip at CR today at lunch was so tough you had to literally saw off each piece with a steak knife. Horrible quality of meat at CR - for $28 I had hopes it would have been a bit better.

 

[paintnolish]

We ate there for lunch today!

DH and I both had the NY Strip and it was tough but the roasted potatoes and the watercress/tomato salad that came with it was very good. (Yes, I know - we shouldn't have expected steak at a seafood place to be good.)

My friend had the blackened catfish over pepper jack cheese grits and said it was excellent! DD15 had the tilapia and ate every bite on her plate.

For dessert we had the butterscotch creme brulee', chocolate wave and baileys & jack daniels chocolate mousse - all of our desserts were very good.

Quit bragging. Mmm...butterscotch brulee...is that new? I don't remember it last year. I might break my streak of the choc wave every time!

 

[TinkyCheeks]

We ate there a few weeks ago. I was really nervous about this meal because of the reviews, but DH really wanted to try it. I'm so glad we did. Each one of us in our party of seven loved it. Our server was fine, the food was great and the tank was beautiful. We'll definitely return!