Help! So many mixed reviews on Coral Reef...

[HeatherPage]

what's a person to think? I've already gone ahead and made reservations there for our last night dinner, it will be me, my husband and our 4 year old son and my Dad. I'm not to worried about me or dad finding something to eat as he's been there before and enjoyed it. My 4 year old can range from barely touching his food to maybe eating 1/2 - 2/3 (maybe all if he's reeealllly hungry, but as long as they have some form of kid's meal options there and he has the aquarium to look at, he should be fine.) My husband however, I'm not sure about. It's not so much that he can be picky (I bet he would like the lobster bisque I see on the menu and a steak or something similar), but I know how he feels about spending a decent chunk of change on dinner and still go away feeling hungry, which is what a few people have said in some of the reviews I've read. Are the portions really that small? I saw one review where the person (even though they were on the dining plan) said that there dinner for 4 would have totalled $230. What in the heck were they eating?!?! At any rate, I'm going to keep the reservation (I think) but was wanting to get more input.
Thanks in advance!

 

[formernyer]

CR is very expensive, but I was on the DDP so it didn't matter. The portions on the meals we ordered were HUGE and we left there full to the point of discomfort.

First, this restaurant DOES bring bread to the table (not all WDW restaurants seem do this).

For appetizers, my kids and I ordered the ceasar salad with grilled chicken (kids were allowed an appetizer from the adult menu on the DDP). The salad itself was nothing to write home about, but it came with a WHOLE chicken breast sliced on top.

I ordered the NY Strip Steak, which was very large and cooked perfectly. It came with decent sized portions of scalloped potatoes, baby carrots, and fresh asparagus. My son ordered a child's steak (not on the kid's menu, but offered to him). It was a decent sized steak, with mashed potatoes and green beans. My daughter ordered the kid's pizza. It didn't look especially good to me, but she enjoyed it.

For dessert I ordered the Chocolate Wave and it was AMAZING. It didn't look all that large, but it had a lot of edible "decorations" and turned out to be so rich that I couldn't even finish it after a big meal (my son was happy to finish it for me even though he ate so much he was sick ). My kids ordered the Make-Your-Own Sundae dessert. The chocolate banner that came with it alone was close to the size of a full-size Hershey Bar! It also had a chocolate dipped waffle cup, scoop of ice cream, and 4 toppings in little dishes.

You won't go hungry if you eat here. We're going back during the free dining and this time we'll be sharing two adult meals.

 

[HeatherPage]

Awesome! That's what I want to hear My son is the same way, he barely eats half the time, but he's always up for sweets/desserts and wouldn't stop if I didn't make him.

Keep these great reviews coming and thanks again!

 

[pooh2001]

CR Kids menu:
Illuma Beverage - Blue Whale $5.25

Grilled Chicken Breast- $7.99
Grilled Mahi $8.99
The above two entrees are served with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Cheese Pizza $4.99
Triton's Pasta - Pasta with Marinara or Alfredo Sauce $4.99

Coral Reef Candy Bar - peanut butter crunch bar $3.00
Life Preserver - jello, fresh fruit, and crispy granola $3.75
Build Your Own Sundae $5.25
=========================================================


Or maybe a child would like an Adult Appetizer ...
Creamy Lobster Soup - chervil, brandy $6.99

Cream of Mushroom Soup made with button mushrooms and buttery croutons $5.99

Shrimp Cocktail - served spicy cocktail sauce $9.99

Crispy Calamari Rings served with spicy Marinara Sauce $6.99
Caesar Salad - $5.99. Add fried rock shrimp $10.99; add a grilled chicken breast $9.99

Mixed Greens Salad - topped with Blue Cheese dressing or key lime herb vinaigrette $5.99

 

[KimR]

We had dinner at CR a few weeks ago and for the life of me, I can't figure out why this restaurant gets bad reviews. It was one of the least expensive meals of our trip and the food, service, and atmosphere were all wonderful! We will definitely be eating there again next year.

 

[patsal]

We love CR, but it is definately on the pricier side. That said, portions at upscale restaurants are usually in line with appropriate serving sizes. I know I may come across sounding like a snob, so please forgive me for not being eloquent enough to phrase this any differently--because of the dining plan many people are eating at restaurants they never considered prior to the plan because of price--its a good thing to branch out and try new things, but since this is not what some are used to it is a surprise to them when they see extravant prices and smaller portions. Sort of a "it cost so much more to eat at CR and we didn't get as much food as we get at..."
We will be enjoying another fine meal at CR in July, it is one of our favorites!

 

[tinkamom]

For appetizers, my kids and I ordered the ceasar salad with grilled chicken (kids were allowed an appetizer from the adult menu on the DDP). The salad itself was nothing to write home about, but it came with a WHOLE chicken breast sliced on top.

Did they offer the salad topped with shrimp also? I love ceasar salad and I love shrimp! Did they seem very flexible to you? DD loves calameri but it is only on the lunch menu, I wonder if she can still get an order of it.

 

[TikiGoddess]

We thought CR was amazing and we are going back on our next trip. I thought the portions were huge. I really like the crab cake app. I know it was enough food that on the dining plan (horror of horrors) we did not order two desserts, but one. The aforementioned Chocolate Wave which rocked! My youngest son and picky eater liked the cheese pizza and devoured the sundae dessert. I would highly recommend it and did not think it was any more expensive than our other dinners. Like I said, we were on the dining plan, but I kept track of what the dinners would have cost to make sure we were actually saving money on the plan!

 

[formernyer]

Did they offer the salad topped with shrimp also? I love ceasar salad and I love shrimp! Did they seem very flexible to you? DD loves calameri but it is only on the lunch menu, I wonder if she can still get an order of it.

Yes, I could have had it with the shrimp and it still would have been covered on the plan. Nobody in my family eats seafood though.

I would highly recommend it and did not think it was any more expensive than our other dinners.

Ours was a lot pricier than the other meals. It was $120 including tax and tip for one adult and two kids. This was for lunch, not dinner. It was all covered by the plan though.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

They recently raised their lunch prices, based on the new menu @ Allearsnet.

I'm considering not going for our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 teens).

 

[pooh2001]

TikaMom - yes shrimp is available ....

Caesar Salad - $5.99. Add fried rock shrimp $10.99; add a grilled chicken breast $9.99

Mixed Greens Salad - topped with Blue Cheese dressing or key lime herb vinaigrette $5.99

My guess you could add the shrimp to any salad - or order it on the side -
not sure what they will charge

 

[DisneyPhD]

I have always wanted to try it, but never wanted to pay the prices. We have the "plan" next trip so we have ADRs there. The cacth is our friends are now going a few of the same days as us and I know the kids are going to want to eat togher. I haven't called to see if I can add them to the ADR's yet, but doubt I can. Not sure if I want to change somewhere that can accomodate us or go somewhere else with friends (friends are good either way, they are super easy and great to travel with that way, we have taken 2 other trips to WDW with them in the past.)

Good to hear the reviews. I really want to try it.

 

[ttepsich]

The lobster bisque is to die for. Didnt particularly care for the entrees in the past, although we haven't had dinner there in quite some time. (probably 8 years) I'm sure the menu has changed many times over since then. But we always stop in at least once during our stay for the lobster bisque. Since we are going to do the dining plan this November, I'm sure we will try dinner there again.

 

[TikiGoddess]

Our dinner there was $125...not much more than comparable restaurants we went to. I will tell you this....it blew Boma out of the water and Boma was $75 for a buffet. I would much rather pony up the extra $50 for Coral Reef. We were on the dining plan, but I still would go back if I was paying OOP. Also, I don't think we would have had all the apps and desserts if we were paying OOP which would have made it cheaper.

 

[liamsaunt]

I really liked the Coral Reef last trip. I had the grilled mahi, which was perfectly coked and seasoned. As for portion sizes, I thought they were quite large. My Dsis did not really care for her entree (it was a trout dish, and bland), so I gave her half my mahi and we were too full to order dessert. You should try it--the room is relaxing, and the giant fish tank will keep the kids occupied.

 

[PlutosFriend]

Glad to hear all the great reviews! I have an ADR for Coral Reef next month. We have never tried it before and I was on the fence about it. This just may be a keeper Thanks!

 

[pandora174]

I'm really looking forward to making our ADR for our upcoming Sept dinner at CR. Has anyone tried the flounder or the crab cake for their main entree ? I wasn't sure if to be adventurous or go with the Mahi-Mahi.

Any suggestions ?

 

[n2mm]

We leave this weekend and have an ADR for CR. I was a little shocked today to see the menu has recently changed. When I made my ADR I based it on the current menu. I'm sure I'll still find something and will keep my ADR. Not only did their menu change, I noticed A LOT of menus have recently changed since our last trip (early Feb. 2006). It seems the menu choices are getting less and less. I can't wait to try the deserts though, but was looking forward to the swordfish or filet (no longer listed).

 

[jj1403]

Hi,

If you got to www.allearsnet.com you'll they have a menu with pricelist for all restaurants including Coral Reef. Maybe if you are able to see the selections you'll know if you think it's worth it.