Tell me about Coral Reef at Epcot

[fatfish]

From the description, Coral Reef sounds like a fabulous place, basically inside the aquarium. But the reveiws I have read are horrible. They make the food and service sound so bad that I am hesitant to eat here.

So, has anyone been to the Coral Reef recently? What did you think? Worth a try or save myself grief and skip it. I know dd would love the aquarium part, but if the food is nasty, its not worth it.

We are going in Aug 2009 so I need to make ADR's in about 2 weeks.

TIA!

 

[Bob P]

Hi,

If you use the search function you will find many threads on Coral Reef.

But my opinion is: if the menu appeals to you, go for it! Who cares what anyone else thinks? Everyone's taste is different.

Have you ever disagreed with a movie review? Same thing...


Enjoy your trip!

 

[Dreamfinder2]

What Bob said. I'd say Coral Reef and 'Ohana have the most varied responses from diners.

We like it OK, but it wouldn't be a first choice. Of course, the view is unparalleled.

Here are a boatload of reviews, and you can tell they're all over the map:
http://land.allears.net/reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=83&cat=34

 

[bluejasmine]

I have been to CR twice back in 2006 and Sept 2008, both meals were very good! It is a loud and busy restaurant but beautiful! It is obviously popular even tho it does get some sketchy reviews! The menu is pretty limited IMHO but everything that my family ate they really enjoyed from steak, to Mahi Mahi to Lobter Salad and bisque. Sometimes service can be a bit slow just b/c its that busy but its worth it! My DH and I were there Sept for our honeymoon and the waiter (wish I remembered his name) was so sweet, I suprised DH with a personalized menu and a diver sign, which they stopped in 2009, the whole restaurant was applauding while DH was reduced to tears. Its a memory I will never forget, then the waiter brought us a free champagne toast! He told us he had just gotten married himself a few months before that. Anyway I got side tracked, I think each restaurant is a must do atleast one time, everyone has a different opinion. You wont know what yours will be until you try it!

 

[SnowandMittens]

The food that my Dbf and I had in Jan was good! The problem that we had was with the other diners!

We lucked out and got a seat by the aquarium, and had a man from the back of the room come up and lean on my Dbf, who was eating dinner, so he could steady his camera for a shot.

Our waiter apoligized, it wasn't his fault, but they need to have a section of aquarium there that doesn't have tables in front of it for the little kids and adults to get close.

 

[ReneeA]

We had dinner at the CR in August, and our meal was wonderful. DS and I both had the Mahi-Mahi and it was so good - I could have licked my plate clean.

I will say, however, that it's seriously noisy in there. If you're looking for a peaceful, quiet experience, this one won't do it for you.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We went in January, I was the only one that enjoyed it but I was the one that ordered fish ha ha.

 

[Aliceacc]

We loved it last year. It's on my list for this year's trip as well!

 

[Pakey]

We have eaten here many times, including each of our 3 visits in 2008 and our most recent visit in Jan 09.

The restaurant is gorgeous and the huge tank is breathtaking. On a hot day, the dark, cool interior is such a nice break. The food is okay, not great. Some dishes are better than others but I agree with MickeyNicki that the fish dishes are better than the non-fish ones. The portions are small. They are almost always behind on seating for the ADRS which is why we always book earliest seating--at least we don't usually wait more than 15 minutes that way. The restaurant can be very very loud (we've had more than one meal with screaming children in there and the noise just echoes) and as a PP said, many diners are rude to those seated next to the tank so we actually prefer to sit on the middle tier level rather than first tier.

One thing that has been consistent is slow service. We are never in a hurry (unless the screaming kids are getting on our last nerves) but we have definitely noticed that it's slow here.

 

[Chevyscool]

I agree with most of the others...the atmosphere is way better than the food. Don't get me wrong, overall the food is good, but the tank and setting is why we continue to go back.

I will say...in regards to the food, it really depands on what you get. Like others have said, the fish and seafood tend to be better than the non-seafood dishes. We did however go there recently for lunch and since we were on the DxDP we were eating a lot of food, so I just got a Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad and it was pretty good.

It's true about the portions...they are on the smaller side, but I know that going in and I'm OK with it. I have to say, Coral Reef gets plenty of bad reviews, but we've always enjoyed our trips there and will return.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

We had lunch at Coral Reef four months ago, and it was the best meal of our trip. The food was delicious. We ordered appetizers, entrees, and desserts. The service was the best of our trip. It truly was our favorite dining experience.

The only meal that came close to Coral Reef was Wolfgang Puck's Cafe, but the service and atmosphere (though good) weren't quite as perfect as Coral Reef. Jikos and Citricos actually came in fourth and fifth on our last trip. Mama Melrose was our third favorite meal. Brown Derby came in last place, which was disappointing. We have had wonderful meals there in other years.

We found the Coral Reef restaurant to be quiet and peaceful. Our server was attentive and so kind.

Two adults did come to our table to look at the aquarium (our table was next to the aquarium, so we had a wonderful view). No children were out of their seats during our meal. The two adults were polite and did not interfere with our experience. They just wanted an upclose peak at the beautiful view.

From our experience, I only saw two things that others could interpret as negative.

1. prices were high (we had the Deluxe Dining Plan, so it didn't matter)
2. portions were small (with the Deluxe Dining Plan, we were eating so much food each day that small portions were heavenly)

If we had not been on the Deluxe Dining Plan I would have been disappointed in the portion size and prices. But wow! Everything else was so good and the atmosphere of the restaurant was lovely. I felt like I was in heaven.

Here is what I ordered. It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

Appetizer:
Sea and Land - grilled shrimp with cucumber salad and barbecued beef skewer with creamy polenta

Entree:
Grilled Mahi Mahi - served with spiced pineapple chutney over cashew-jasmine rice finished with coconut rum beurre blanc

Dessert:
Butterscotch Creme Brulee - with seasonal berries

 

[eeyoresnr]

we ate at CR in Dec of 07 and Dec of 08 and loved ours meals both times

 

[irunnoft]

From the description, Coral Reef sounds like a fabulous place, basically inside the aquarium. But the reveiws I have read are horrible. They make the food and service sound so bad that I am hesitant to eat here.

So, has anyone been to the Coral Reef recently? What did you think? Worth a try or save myself grief and skip it. I know dd would love the aquarium part, but if the food is nasty, its not worth it.

We are going in Aug 2009 so I need to make ADR's in about 2 weeks.

TIA!

My family has eaten there every year since 2003 and we've NEVER had a bad meal. Ever! It's always been good. The past three times, I've ordered the cajun blackened catfish on pepper jack cheese grits and it's been consistently wonderful each time. We've got our ADRs for June! Just book it and enjoy!

PS. You can find horrible reviews on every restaurant and every resort if you dig around. So take it with grain of salt.

 

[goin' goofy]

I'm always confused when I read those horrible reviews about Coral Reef. We go out of our way to eat there on each trip and every time we've throughly enjoyed our meal! The only problem we've ever had was slow service, but when we're eating at a table service restaurant we're not really in a hurry anyway. I think you should try it for yourself and form your own opinion - I hope you end up liking it as much as we do!

 

[Jakesmom1]

We love Coral Reef, had our anniversary dinner there last year and are going back again in Sept. One of our faves.

The food was very good, even my 14ds liked it.

We had the steak and it was perfect. We sat at the aquarium and no one bothered us.

Everyone has a different idea of what is good and what isnt. Try it for yourself, and enjoy.

 

[Dawn68PA]

A great choice! Don't doubt it for a moment! This is from my trip report of November 2008:

I must say, if you ever get to request a waiter, Tony is awesome! This guy is worth his weight in gold. He keeps on top of my high maintenance family and then some. He laughs with us, kids around with us and gives us tips on things in the park and in the tank. He brings DD19 refills of Coke by 2's. The kids kept asking for the pineapple out of my alcohol drink and he would play games with them to get it. Now keep in mind these are 17 & 19 year olds and he has them totally entertained. When we ordered dessert he brought them each a bonus plate of pineapple. What a guy. I stopped by the desk on the way out and asked them to tell the manager that we will come back because of Tony.

Oh yes, the food. DSonIL had the mahi mahi and it was delish. DD19 & I had the pork tenderloin and it was very yummy. DH had the steak. DD19 had the salmon, DD17 had the chicken. All of the food here was excellent. Another place I'd highly recommend and go to again. Tony is a bonus