So how is Coral Reef?

[Kristinluvsdisney]

We picked this as one of our TS for this trip, we have done Le Celier in the past and dont want to use 2 credits this time around and are doing Garden Grill on arrival day. So is Coral Reef any good? We picked it cause we thought our 2 DS's (4 & 6) would enjoy the big fish tanks. Any thoughts? Thanks!!

 

[Dreamsdocometrue9112]

We've eaten here once. The atmosphere was incredible. The fish tank really made the ambiance. My fiance really enjoyed the food and says he would go back. As for me, it didn't really stand out as anything special. I like seafood, but it didn't blow me away.

If you chose to eat here, request a tank view! Of course, no guarantee, but it's worth a try!!

GL

 

[Vixey]

The Coral Reef was one of my husbands favorite restaurants. We sat in a booth that faced the aquarium and my daughter enjoyed seeing the huge turtle swimming around the tank.

Unfortunately I ordered the Shiraz-braised Pork Shank. The pork was too fatty and dry for me and wasn't very tasty. My husband ordered the Grilled Mahi Mahi. I tried it and it was really good. We both had The Chocolate Wave dessert (chocolate lava cake served with raspberry gelato) which was wonderful.

I would like to go back on our next trip but I will order the fish …like I should've in the first place.

 

[DisneyDiana]

Lots of people will tell you it's terrible but we have always enjoyed it. My DS is a shark/fish lover and absolutely loves it there!!! I always order the lobster ravioli which is rich but very good!

 

[sambisc]

We were very happy with our meal at Coral Reef. Waiter was attentive, food was delicious, and the scenery was great. We were fortunate to be seated right next to the tank.

 

[disneybliss2]

Unfortunately, we didn't have a great experience. I went against the less than stellar reviews and decided to try it so we could form our own opinion. Though it wasn't horrible, it wasn't great either. Our waiter gave us poor service and the food was just barely ok. Nothing memorable for sure. For us, the ambience didn't make up for it. My girls were just as happy walking around the Living with the Seas (hope this is correct name) to see the aquariums and ride the Nemo ride. We won't go back, but others really like it. There are so many wonderful options in World Showcase that we prefer to eat there.

 

[IllinoisMommy]

It has been a few years...but we really liked it. The food was good and the views were wonderful. We did not get a table right near the tanks, and I am glad (though was disappointed at first). We had a better view of all the tanks from a second tier (tables are kinda on tiers to maximize views) booth. The fish really kept our boys entertained while waiting for the food. Hope you enjoy it

 

[hailbug]

We love the Coral Reef! We eat there everytime we visit WDW. We have had Lunch and Dinner there and always had a great meal and good service. The atmosphere is by far my Favorite at WDW! The fried shrimp appetizer is so good. I also really like the steak. It's a must do everytime for us

 

[MariDisney]

We've gone several times and it's currently on our "never again" list. The room is beautiful and the tank is awesome to look at. But, it is so very loud in there (I think because of the tank not absorbing sound). I don't expect WDW restaurants to be quiet, but it's beyond loud IMO. Our service has been terrible each time we've eaten there, although the food has been fairly good. We also found that if you get a table near the tank you risk the chance of other people's kids trying to climb over you to get close to the tank. YMMV, of course, but it's not for us.

 

[DisneyHardin]

We had dinner at Coral Reef last Oct and really enjoyed it. As others have said, the restaurants is GORGEOUS. We were on the 3rd tier, but still enjoyed the tank. Our server was very efficient and we thought the food was very good.

 

[Pakey]

We've dined here many times in the past decade and IMO it's the most inconsistent restaurant at WDW. we've had nice experiences and we've had bad experiences.

Service is usually very slow, as is being seated. Although the better dishes have disappeared there are still a few decent choices.

The restaurant is very pretty. It can be quite noisy but if you don't experience that, it can be a nice experience.

 

[Liv4Dis]

We ate at Coral Reef and got great seats (not right against the glass but one row up). The funny thing is, I don't like seafood at all, but I remember I ordered a steak. The food didn't stand out either way, but I do remember being mesmerized by the giant tortoise and the shark. I loved the design and the atmosphere of this restaurant. If you are going with younger kids, you can't go wrong here.

 

[North of Mouse]

We have gone several times and decided, no more. The ambiance is nice if you get to sit by the tank as we did once, but other than that definitely not worth it to us. We can get the same, sans food, just walking around the tank at our own pace and seeing the same things.

 

[LJSquishy]

We enjoyed our meal at Coral Reef a few weeks ago. We both ordered the same thing: Mahi-Mahi which was delicious and the Bailey's and Jack Daniel's Mousse was sooo yummy. I practically made myself sick from eating so much of it, it was really rich.

The service there is only fair; much slower than other restaurants. It seems like either their kitchen is tiny or they do not have enough staff. Servers are friendly, just slow. We sat on the 3rd tier which is the furthest from the tank and it was still nice because we didn't have unsupervised children surrounding us to get right up to the tank, but we did witness it. Parents: If you have children, do NOT allow them to get up from their seats to look at the aquarium! We saw lots of kids doing this and if we would have experienced this at our table I would have flipped and stormed over to the parents right away, it's unacceptable behavior.

I wouldn't go there again, I don't think, because of the amount of time it takes to get through a meal there due to slow service, and also because it is fairly loud, but if you want tasty food it is a nice place to go and is beautiful inside. I will say it is not "amazing" on the inside, my husband was a little disappointed that only one wall of the restaurant had an aquarium...he was expecting somewhere where you were practically surrounded. And, I agree, they could have made it so much cooler. But, the food was good.

 

[baivasps]

We have been there twice and loved it both times. We are definitely going back.

 

[johnsonginad]

We went to Coral Reef on our trip last March. We enjoyed it very much! The atmosphere was great, and the food was really good as well. I ordered the Mahi-Mahi, and my husband ordered a steak. Both dishes were fantastic. The highlight of the meal, though, was the Bailey's and Jack Daniels Mousse. That stuff was incredible! I hope that you guys enjoy it as much as we did!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Decent food.

Long waits usually to be seated.

Waitstaff not the best (not always very helpful/friendly).

Slow serving (which probably contributes to the slow seating).

All seats are not "good seats" especially for little ones.

That being said, we usually go once a trip. We just try to make an ADR for the first lunch seting to avoid waiting and to maximize the chance of getting a tank side seat. We have almost always gotten a tank side seat and have never had other kids all over our table...however they have come close. I would have told them to go back by their parents if we had.

 

[Paradise18]

We have been to Coral Reef 3 times and is currently not a "must do" for us. Our last visit was in August '11 and we didn't get very good service. It was almost like we were forgotten about. What we assumed was a manager came over and asked us if there was a problem and we were honest - we had ordered our drinks about 15 minutes prior and they still had not arrived at the table. He must have said something to our server as they weren't long arriving after he left our table. But even with that the service seemed very slow which was the opposite of our previous visits.

 

[lurkernj]

This is the one restaurant that we do every trip. We love the atmosphere, and have always had good meals and service there. It is my DS13 favorite restaurant (says their steak is better than LeCellier)and we all enjoy it too.

 

[billlaurie]

We just returned and this was one of our picks for TS on the FDP. We had great service. The waiter was extremely attentive and gave both of by kids "virgin" strawberry daquiris after one asked for an orange fanta, which they didn't have. Desserts were fabulous and between our party we ordered Mahi-Mahi, steak, and lobster ravioli, (Plus the kid's pizza that my youngest orders practically every time). All entrees were exceptionally good. We left there stuffed, as we did after every meal due to the DDP. We were on the 3rd tier but we could see the tank just fine. If it was loud, I don't remember it, but then I have to two boys, so my tolerance for loud is high.