just read bad review of Coral Reef....is it still true?

[disneyfav4ever]

You'll find bad and good reviews for every restaurant.

IMO, Coral Reef is all right. The atmosphere is wonderful, but the food is hit or miss. I've always enjoyed the desserts though.

 

[Nanajo1]

We've eaten at CR several times with mostly good to okay results. We did feel that you are rushed. One meal we received our apps,salad and main course within 5 mins of each other . There was no room on the table. Our waiter saw what was happening and had our dinners returned to the kitchen ans remade. We do love the atmosphere.

 

[vermontgirl]

Coral Reef....well we have eaten there a few times! We have always left satisfied. I recommend the mahi mahi, and my children and dh loved the grilled chicken, my mom had the lobster salad....it was okay, but remember, we are from VT and we are only 2 hours from fresh Maine lobster. I say go for it! I haven't been disappointed yet~

 

[safetymom]

http://www.disunplugged.com/2009/04/02/the-coral-reef-review/

 

[itchin2go]

I would advise not making a decision based on one review. It's one review. Whether it's showcased on the front page of the dining section, or posted on a message board, or published in a magazine -- it's just one review. My advice would be to get a consensus of recent reviews. The "rate and review" section on allears is a great place to do that. Reading through the restaurant reviews on this board is another great resource.

That said, there are some very well-reviewed restaurants that my family has just not enjoyed. Likewise, there are some panned restaurants that we thought were quite good. Research can be very helpful in enabling you to make an informed decision, but ultimately you'll have to make a judgment call.

I have never eaten at Coral Reef - probably because there are so many enticing choices in World Showcase. I always consider Coral Reef, but ultimately opt for something else. From what I have seen of the reviews of food there, it seems to be hit and miss.

 

[safetymom]

http://reviews.wdwinfo.com/

 

[soccerchick]

Actually the "review" was on DIS not here on the boards part/thread.
They had several apps, 2 meals, and desserts....wh/ they thought was way below par and not good especially for a $95 bill.
So you can see my concern since it was a "review" not just a posted opinion....even tho it is still someone's opinion

So? What makes it more weighty than a posting here? It's still one review. You'll find plenty of good and bad reviews on every restaurant in WDW. Use the tools at your disposal and book what appeals to you.

For what it's worth, we ate there last August and are going there again this August.

 

[SheenaXena21]

All I can say is... different strokes for different folks!!!

I've eaten there every year since 2005, and we're going again this year. Yeah, sometimes you get a suck waiter/waitress, we don't let that ruin it for us. As long as the food is good, we're good to go. I've read all the negative reviews, but that didn't stop me from making an ADR. They have great steaks there, the fish are great entertainment, and the dessert is good.

You just have to decide for yourself, not someone else for you.

 

[karen l]

We've had dinner at Coral Reef several times over the past few years & have always enjoyed it. Hope you try it & have a great time.

 

[Lynn5700]

Don't go off of the bad reviews, go off of the good ones, lol.

Coral Reef is very good. Go, try it, and enjoy yourself!

 

[MariDisney]

Haven't been there since the date you mention, but we have had nothing but very bad experiences here and will never return.

 

[purpliequeen]

You should take every review with a grain of salt- whether the review is good or bad. Even if someone wrote a glowing review of a restaurant, you may not like it. Coral Reef has been bashed on the disboards ever since I've joined. I think it's because it's a restaurant in which you either like it or don't (no in-betweens)- which mainly may have to do with that particular experience (service, diners around you, wait times) or whether or not you like seafood. This is a seafood restaurant. I laugh every time I read reviews in which someone writes, "I don't like seafood, but I tried it here anyway." I don't know if that person thinks Disney will suddenly cure them of his/her dislike of seafood or whatnot, but let's be realistic. While there are many great menu items for those who do not like seafood, this restaurant is centered around seafood.

We loved Coral Reef when we went six months ago (during the busy week of Christmas to New Year's, no less) and are SO glad that we didn't listen to the negative reviews. To each his/her own, right? We enjoyed every entree and dessert at the table. (I was with my parents, so we each got to try a bit of everything off of each other's plates.)

The table we were seated at was smack dab against the glass at the far end (as in the furthest front and furthest away from the entrance). Our table was FANTASTIC. The interior atmosphere was FANTASTIC. The ambience- not so fantastic. A couple minutes into our meal a large family came in and chose to seat there ten (I may be exaggerating- probably more like six) children at the table right behind us while the parents kicked back at a large booth across the aisle from them. While I think that kids' tables are great (fond memories of Thanksgiving), maybe not so much at Disney. Let me just say, these kids were brats. I can understand why the adults in the party were kicking back cocktails like it was their job. I don't blame them! Thus, this restaurant was LOUD LOUD LOUD. And while it is partially the restaurant's interior design (I mean come on, noises do bounce off glass), the children (and drunk adults) were also to blame. And I'm not only blaming this children, all children (and adults) in the restaurant were amazed every time a diver, sea turtle, large fish, or stingray swam by. This restaurant put the majority (if not all) diners in awe, including me.

We would return this restaurant in a heartbeat. However, we would definitely consider eating at a later time. I think our reservations were for around 5pm. I think a seating around 7:30 or 8pm would be ideal, depending on whether or not you wish to view Illuminations.

 

[mickey'sbud]

Thank you, thank you for all the posts. Thanks for the links; I will read them.
Someone asked why I thought a review had more weight than posts.....the only reason was it's date of the review. It was dated 05/09. I also looked at pictures of food (apps, entrees, desserts) of more recent visits compared to several years ago (food porn thread). To be honest the older pics look more appetizing than the more recent ones. The Chocolate Wave is one that quickly comes to mind. It wasn't just the desserts but the main dishes seem different and the dishes seem to have smaller portions.

Because of these things, I just wondered if it had lost it's "magic." I appreciate your encouragement to try it. We will be trying it, as it looks like it has great atmosphere and we hope to "hit" it right with great food too.

I knew where to come to get the best info and that is why I asked my questions here. If anyone else has eaten there in the last month, I'd love to have your opinion of the food.

 

[dissybroad]

5/20/09, lunch. service a little slow, food good except for the shrimp and lobster cake which was mushy, tasted like iodine.

 

[LoriNSC]

Well-I haven't been since the date you mentioned. But it is one of our favorites. We did my son's 5th b-day there 2 yrs. ago. We ordered a wonderful cake. We've always had great food & service there. I love the atmosphere. I say don't go on one bad review. You need to experience it yourself. I read a lot of good reviews on Le Cellier but we had a bad experince there. I wouldn't discourage anyone from going there because of my experience. I personally don't care to visit there again but it's from my experience & my opinion. I do read other's reviews/opinions but if I want to try it, I do.

 

[ElizabethB]

We used to love it. Last 3-4 visits over a period of two years, the food has been poor at best. We won't go back.

By the way, I would not take reviews and posts "with a grain of salt". People report their experiences. It helps to know what others think in order to make good choices!

My opinion -- definitely skip Coral Reef.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

I personally thought it was a ridiculous review for the reason I bolded.

Who orders like that? I don't think my family has ever ordered several appetizers anywhere.

Somebody who is doing a restaurant review to get a better perspective of the quality & flavor of the food.

 

[k5thbeatle]

Hands down the worst food every time we have tried it. And the professional review in question was the authors 2nd bad one if I am not mistaken. Like many here we keep thinking, "Oh that was a bad night and it's got to turn around" and so we return only to once again get more terrible food!

 

[Kit'smommy]

I people on the boards are really split on this restaurant.

We have probably eaten 50 TS meals at WDW over the last 10 years and Coral Reef has definitely been our worst experience.

DH, DS and I ate there last December and (with the exception of DS's inedible pizza) we literally can't remember what we had had. We waited a long time to be seated and the service was terrible. The food was completely unremarkable. Dinner took us an hour and a half and we didn't even bother with dessert. The tank is neat, but did not compensate for the rest of the meal.

It definitely was not worth a $100 tab and we won't be back.

 

[TDC Nala]

The reviews of most WDW restaurants on this board are so divergent that I pay no attention to them anymore.

I'm going to Coral Reef for lunch in September. With the exception of Food & Wine Festival events (which that restaurant doesn't do anymore) I have not been there in at least five years.

A couple of times during food & wine events in 2007 (which were held in the restaurant during meal service) I noticed the place was extremely noisy.