Will I be dissappointed with Coral Reef dinner??

[happydayva]

I am concerned with the negative reviews that I have been seeing about the Coral Reef Restaurant. We have never eaten there and I thought we would try something different. It is very hard to go to Disney and NOT eat at Le Cellier, after all it was the BEST dinner I have ever eaten at Disney!! We are staying at the Poly so I was wondering if I should just stay and eat at the Kona Cafe, which I heard was FABULOUS!! Help!!!!

 

[CathieArms]

Have you tried 'Ohana? I can't speak to Kona, though I'll say it looks good. But 'Ohana was really neat.

Honestly, I've heard so few good reviews of Coral Reef that I chose not to do it a year ago and have nixed it again for our next trip. I think some people get excellent meals there, but I think the inconsistency is disturbing. From a personal standpoint, it just isn't worth it to me to go with a place that consistently gets as many bad reviews as it gets good.

Other thoughts for you:
- Biergarten at Epcot is awesome. It was the one restaurant I was dreading, and it's on the top of my list for my next visit.

 

[TotallyTink]

I ate at Kona Cafe and Coral Reef (both for the first time) in April. Kona was my favorite meal of the trip and Coral Reef was my least favorite. The service and food at Kona were excellent. I thought it was even better than our meal at Le Cellier and I am looking forward to going back in the future. The service at Coral Reef was poor, the restaurant was really loud and the food was mediocre. The creamy lobster soup was the only part of the experience I enjoyed. I don't plan to eat there again.

From my experience, I would definitely recommend Kona Cafe over Coral Reef.

 

[MandyMaloo]

Honestly, I might be in the minority here, but DH and I LOVED our Coral Reef dinner. I can't speak about the actual seafood there (I don't eat it) but I had a delicious steak, and couldn't have been happier with the whole experience. We got to sit right up against the tank, and they even brought us a special dessert that wasn't even on the menu! We also got a complimentary champagne for our anniversary. We had an excellent server, too. It can't hurt to try!

 

[katiebug86]

I have eaten at Kona and Coral Reef. If I had to choose again I would definitely choose cona. Coral Reef wasn't horrible, but it wasn't superb either. I got the NY strip steak and it was very fatty. My bf got some kind of fish and he really liked it. I'm with the other person that said Ohana. That is must do for us now. We loved it!

 

[dacky041208]

We really enjoed Coral Reef. It does get a lot of mixed reviews, but we went there during our honeymoon 2 summers ago. The food was good-very good. It was pretty loud there, but it was just a cool experience. I'd take a look at the menu, and go from there. But I wouldn't let other reviews keep you from trying something.

 

[calngavinsmom]

I love Coral Reef (Kona is very, very good too though). I had the pan seared seasonal catch with scallop mushroom risotto at CR and it honestly was one of the best meals I have ever had at Disney....five years running! The butterscotch creme brulee is lovely too.

Honestly based on my experience, either of those resturants should not disappoint and I would be happy with either one.

Good luck!!

 

[momto2inKC]

My kids love Coral Reef because of the atmosphere, but my husband and I prefer Kona because the food and service are much better. We have adr's for both on our upcoming trip.

 

[Jiminy_78]

Kona Cafe hands down is better than Coral Reef. Our last time eating at Coral Reef we had a nice table right by the water tank which meant that we spent our meal with lots of small children pushing up against the glass to see the fish and thus standing right near our table throughout the meal.

Our server stopped by once and then disappeared for so long that another server came and took our drink order. I am not sure if he assumed that she was taking over the table because neither of them came back to take our order for a while. He kept talking about how he had come in to help someone else and had forgotten his glasses at home and so he couldn't see well. It was hard to watch.

What was really sad was that the food was actually pretty good, but everything else ruined the experience for us. We won't be back to Coral Reef. On the other hand, we make it a point to eat at Kona Cafe every trip to the World!

 

[goofy4prez]

Honestly, I might be in the minority here, but DH and I LOVED our Coral Reef dinner. I can't speak about the actual seafood there (I don't eat it) but I had a delicious steak, and couldn't have been happier with the whole experience. We got to sit right up against the tank, and they even brought us a special dessert that wasn't even on the menu! We also got a complimentary champagne for our anniversary. We had an excellent server, too. It can't hurt to try!

I'm with you in the minority; I have been to Coral Reef twice for dinner and both times I enjoyed it. I even enjoyed the steak here both times over the much acclaimed, praised, and raved about steakhouse, Le'Cellier. I guess to each their own.

 

[Cookie Princess]

We have had "eh" meals at CR and then really good meals. We skipped it last year, but plan to go again this year. Just a tip...lunch is less crowded and has pretty much the same menu. Whenever we go later in the evening for dinner, our wait has been long.

 

[Mamu]

I think its a love-hate restaurant. Ate here once many years ago. Food is OK. Yet I'm reading here of other choices your being given and there places I gone and will not return. Ohana's, Biergarden are 2 I dislike. Yet I read ever day how people love these restaurants, Ohana's is very popular and difficult to get dinner ADR.

Kona is a very good restaurant but it not in the park. The experience is completely different it's just a restaurant in the corner of the upstirs lobby area.

I think each decision you make you should way the pro's and con's and go from there.

I dislike Rain Forest Cafe but Granddaughter wants to have her Birthday Party there in September, how can I refuse a beautiful young lady who's turning 13.

 

[Fantasmiss]

We LOVE Coral Reef... It's one of only two restaurants we've been to on every single WDW trip!!

 

[crabbygal902]

For us, Coral Reef was mixed.

Wonderful atmosphere

Okay waitstaff

Crummy food

with a ridiculously hefty price tag.

In the 'real world' I would have been outraged at the prices for such a bland meal. I swear that Lean Cuisines have more flavor and taste less frozen.

If I had a choice between Coral Reef and Kona, I'd pick Kona every time!

By the way, I'm dying to try the sushi bar beside Kona!

 

[Kit'smommy]

For us, Coral Reef was mixed.

Wonderful atmosphere

Okay waitstaff

Crummy food

with a ridiculously hefty price tag.

In the 'real world' I would have been outraged at the prices for such a bland meal. I swear that Lean Cuisines have more flavor and taste less frozen.

If I had a choice between Coral Reef and Kona, I'd pick Kona every time!

By the way, I'm dying to try the sushi bar beside Kona!

I agree completely with this post. This was one of the worst meals I have eaten on WDW property (along with Tony's) and we won't be back.

The night we ate there, we waited a very long time to be seated and the lobby and restrooms were beyond filty. Our server rarely visited our table and dinner (just appetizers and entrees - no desserts) took nearly 2 hours. Neither DH nor I can even remember what we had, so while not awful, it wasn't memorable.

Kona on the other had was pefect. DH had a steak and I had the tuna and both were incredible. The creme brulee here was marvelous.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

I don't think that anybody here can possibly tell you with any confidence whether a particular restaurant will disappoint you. Every Disney restaurant has its supporters and detractors. I've dined at the Coral Reef four times in the last four years—twice for breakfast and twice for dinner. Each time was a wonderful experience and a delicious meal, often exceeding my expectations. I think that the only elements influencing where you choose to eat on your vacations should be the tastes of you and your party. If the sample menus look appealing to you, then it's worth a shot.

 

[BBQMommy]

I advised a friend in March to go because I had heard on the boards that the steak was one of the best in WDW -- they did not agree, at all. Said it was the worst of the trip. Every day must be different and depends on how many butterflies in Calgary flap their wings.

 

[texasgirl73]

I really liked Coral Reef and it was my husband's favorite meal at Disney(my favorite was California Grill). We had fish dishes, not steak. The kids enjoyed it as well.

 

[Sweetpeamd]

Just pick either Kona or Coral Reef, based on whichever is more convenient for you that evening. We had an okay meal at Kona (I had the scallops and shrimp - pretty good but small portion for a big eater, good service, loud and crowded) and a FABULOUS meal at Coral Reef (I had the tilefish and dh had the seasonal catch, both were excellent - cooked perfectly with creative and delicious accompaniments (sp?), great service, loud and somewhat crowded, very cool view of the aquarium). You will find as many opinions as you will Diser's. Pick one and make the most of it. I hope you have a wonderful meal no matter which restaurant you choose!

 

[qanita92]

In my opinion, I think you really should skip Coral Reef. It was the worst dining experience we had at WDW. The service is pretty bad, wait times are ridiculous, and food was just terrible. Until this day my family still says "please do not make an ADR for Coral Reef. Yuck!" The experience was just so bad that I was laughing the entire time because I could not believe it (usually when I placed in a bad situation I laugh hysterically lol).

If you are going because of the view of the fish (like I originally did)then I think you should save your money and just go to the various places in EPCOT to look at them.