Le Cellier versus Coral Reef

[upquinby]

absolutely, totally agree
CR's steak is prob the best we've had on property, & we've eaten in almost every restaurant there repeatedly (we found neither CG nor LC's food comparable, tho everyone should try CG once for the fireworks view. also, LC has a great mushroom risotto, but filet is mundane at best).

btw, consider flying fish for seafood. a bit more pricey, but excellent.

Wow! We had exactly the opposite experience. CR's food was mediocre at best, including the steak (there were 4 of us, and we all ordered something different). The steak was NOT cooked as ordered and was bland. The fish were neat for awhile, but we were in the banquettes at the back, where the view is not so upfront and personal (on the plus side, the table space and expansive seating in the banquettes is far superior to the tables and chairs closer to the tanks). Service was disinterested.
At Le Cellier, however, the food has been FABULOUS every time we have been there. And the service has always been superlative. LC is always the first reservation we make when we start planning our trips!

 

[ROEDISNEY]

I would go with Coral Reef. They are both good .

 

[Nohal]

We have eaten at both places and I have to say that Coral Reef was the best. The atmosphere was great. The service was great and the food was great.

 

[jess20k]

I would choose Le Cellier. While Coral Reef does have a spectacular atmosphere, the food in my opinion, is average. I love seafood, and find that the menu is lacking a good selection of it. Le Cellier on the other hand has a much better quality of food. We definitely prefer Le Cellier over Coral Reef.

 

[constanze]

We've eaten at both. All of us LOVED the food at Le Cellier. We didn't like the food at Coral Reef, but the atmosphere was very cool, and my son did love the diver sign we arranged for him for his birthday. However, our next trip, we are doing Le Cellier again, but not Coral Reef.
All that being said...I see that you're booking on 11/29. That's my husband's birthday, and his favorite is Le Cellier...maybe it's a sign

 

[My2Angels]

I hope you can still get a reservation. I tried to get LeCellier for any day lunch or dinner the 22-28th and NOTHING! Of course, I do have a party of 10 but I told the CM I was willing to split tables, etc. She said there was no availability! I would definitely call today if you haven't already! Good luck!

 

[ptrbryant]

Wow, I thought I was going to be in the minority here when I recomended CR over LeCellier, but see that I'm not. We've gone to LeCellier 5 times, based on the huge fan base it has here. Each time, it's been just okay. After the 1st time, I thought maybe it was an off night and that's why the steak was so bland and ordinary. But, that's been our experience every time!

Last year, we tried Coral Reef for the first time and it was our favorite meal of the trip, esp. the steak.

 

[shyjade]

DD10 and I love BOTH of those restaurants, and we'd never be able to choose between the two (so we do both).

As for crowd & level issues, we always make ADR's for the first seating of the day (we prefer our big meal at lunchtime and then graze later in the day). By going when the restaurants first open, you miss out on the loud noises and having strangers practically sitting in your lap (and we usually get seated at a great table). It works for us!

 

[Bama mom to 3]

We originally had ADRs for Le Cellier but I ended up changing it for The Coral Reef. I did it for several reasons. 1. The Le Cellier ADR was for dinner and I was afraid the kids (we have 3) would be cranky and being so crowded would just agitate it even more and didn't want to put us, nor the other diners, through cranky kids. 2. I was able to get lunch ADRs for Coral Reef and personalized menus and a diver...WOOHOO! 3. The kids are more apt to eat the food at Coral Reef than Le Cellier.

When I called and changed my ADR from Le Cellier to Coral Reef, the guy changing it for me said the reservation I gave up probably wouldn't even be available when we got off the phone because Le Cellier ADRs were in high demand so that just made me realize I made the best choice for my family because they hate being overly crowded when trying to relax while eating.