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Coral Reef Restaurant Opinions
- Thread starter John park hopper
- Start date
There seems to be a consensus it is hit or miss at Coral Reef so I guess we will avoid it in our next visit.
Last edited:
DisneyGigi
Well-Known Member
For us, it is something that we have always done. It is hit or miss but we go back at least every other trip. The best meals I have gotten there over the years, were a trout with greens, and the shrimp and grits, and the calamari appetizer is the best calamari at the World IMO. I loved the gravy like sauce instead of marinara. Service can be iffy. Aziz, in November, was outstanding though.
We have sat up close at the tanks but lucky for us, parents were watching their children better, nobody came up around our table.
We have sat up close at the tanks but lucky for us, parents were watching their children better, nobody came up around our table.
Any one in the restaurant business that might have some insight on why a restaurant can be so erratic?
Disney really does have that problem across all of their "high end" places. You just don't know what you are going to get. Cal grill can be very good or we had dog crap meals there.... My last three Yachtsman's meals were terrible, but the two before were great. (Heard they got a new head chef) My meal at Tiffans was very tasty. I haven't had a bad meal at Flying Fish but I've read some bad reviews... Il Muilno is solid and consistent but it is Bertucci's
We have beating this to death but DDP has crushed the food. The price point per person to make it work.... Dumbed down menus for the masses that lack creativity. It is a shame....
piglet21
Well-Known Member
Coral Reef is probably one of the most inconsistent restaurants on Disney property. That said, we've had very consistent experiences when booking an ADR near closing and excellent service as the restaurant starts to die down. Tony is great there! Our first time ever there, he was extremely helpful with recommendations and very attentive. We had a special order cake and he brought it out and took pictures of it making sure the lighting was good by using glow cubes 
We went back 5 months later and requested Tony if he was available and he was! Excellent service again! He remembered us and since the restaurant had closed and most tables were gone, he stopped by our table and chatted about his recent trip to Disneyland, showing us food envy pictures and all. We probably chatted for close to 30 minutes and finished the meal with a complimentary dessert from Tony. We've been pleased with Coral Reef, but your mileage may vary!
We went back 5 months later and requested Tony if he was available and he was! Excellent service again! He remembered us and since the restaurant had closed and most tables were gone, he stopped by our table and chatted about his recent trip to Disneyland, showing us food envy pictures and all. We probably chatted for close to 30 minutes and finished the meal with a complimentary dessert from Tony. We've been pleased with Coral Reef, but your mileage may vary!
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
One tip if you do go: DO NOT allow them to seat you on the extreme ends or uppermost tier in the room. On our first trip to Coral Reef, we were seated at the outermost, uppermost table (after another family flatly refused it, which should have been our first clue). We were so far from the tank, and so disconnected from the whole experience, that we might as well have been eating in our hotel room, 20' from a laptop that had a fishtank screensaver playing. Insist on a table close to the tank, however much longer you have to wait!
westie
Well-Known Member
The tables are indeed against the glass. The problem is children in a theme park setting have no boundary limits as everything is seen as a free-for-all to them. So yeah we had kids behind us, under us and when I came back from the bathroom, in my seat even lol.
carriebeth
Well-Known Member
It wasn't horrible when we tried it last year but it wasn't really good either. Overall on the trip it was at the very bottom of the list and definitely will not make the go back to list. Not with so many other choices at Epcot. Had it been in another location...well maybe....but not at Epcot. The tanks were fun and nice novelty thing. The food, nothing great. One of my children ended up totally disliking there's which is unusual. We were the first reservation time of the afternoon and the place was very empty but wait staff was very absent and inattentive. When we found we were short silverware after our meals arrived, we waited and waited to be able to flag someone down, no one ever strolled nearby so one of us had to get up and wander to the front entrance to inform the hostess that we needed something and could not find anyone else to help. My kids did love their fruity pepple ice cream sandwiches but the adult desserts looked nothing like the pretty fancy presentation I have seen photos of. THey were like the chocolate cake with a lopsided plop of ice cream tipped off the side and no fancy garnish type item or anything.
bigrigross
Well-Known Member
The place is an underwhelming red lobster. Same frozen seafood that you get at a red lobster. They really need to do a similar thing they do at garden grill and use what the land grows to get some fresh ingredients on the menu. Disney does not really have an excuse. My local seafood place flies in freshly caught fish on ice for their sushi and main meals. Disney would do wonders if they made that place a signature restaurant with proper seafood. Also renovate it to not look like the 90s Flintstones movie set.
UncleMike101
Well-Known Member
We've eaten there every trip since the restaurant opened.
Sometimes it's great, sometimes not, but we've never had a terrible experience like some people report.
Since my Mom was in food service management for many years I tend to be extremely polite to wait staff and understanding of the problems that they have.
Often a grumpy, snarky, rude server is whizzed off at Management, the cooks, or other wait staff and that shows up at the guests table.
Or in some cases they are merely reacting to the attitude of the guests.
I see this as a serious issue with the Me, Me, Me, My, My, My, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, types.
The waiter/waitress that is really incompetent doesn't last more than a few work shifts and are usually dismissed quickly since they are the front line to the customers and can make or break an establishment.
As for the food quality, sometimes things in the Kitchen work as intended, and sometimes they don't.
If I have an unacceptable meal I politely inform Management and usually receive recompense for the poor quality or preparation.
Sometimes it's great, sometimes not, but we've never had a terrible experience like some people report.
Since my Mom was in food service management for many years I tend to be extremely polite to wait staff and understanding of the problems that they have.
Often a grumpy, snarky, rude server is whizzed off at Management, the cooks, or other wait staff and that shows up at the guests table.
Or in some cases they are merely reacting to the attitude of the guests.
I see this as a serious issue with the Me, Me, Me, My, My, My, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, types.
The waiter/waitress that is really incompetent doesn't last more than a few work shifts and are usually dismissed quickly since they are the front line to the customers and can make or break an establishment.
As for the food quality, sometimes things in the Kitchen work as intended, and sometimes they don't.
If I have an unacceptable meal I politely inform Management and usually receive recompense for the poor quality or preparation.
This popped me. Great line. And so true.
The sign of a good restaurant is one you can go to repeatedly and not have to worry about will it be good this time. Coral Reef misses the mark IMO
Simba’s Mom
Active Member
I've gotta agree with this, since I've been seated next to the glass on my last several trips. They should hold those tables for people like me-I was solo, am a grandmother, so I just loved the kids who came to watch the fish. I found them to be great company, and very willing to talk with me. It's funny-several parents came over to bring their children back and appologized profusely to me, but I let them know that for me, it was fine.
The main reason I haven't gone there in several years is that it seems that the menu offerings have changed and really, there isn't anything on the menu I like any more.
FamilyCallsMeWalt
Member
Good to know. I would be a little annoyed if I had random people coming up to the tank consistently.
danyoung56
Well-Known Member
Just to provide a differing view, I've eaten at Coral Reef many times, always sit down by the glass, and rarely have rugrats interfering with my dinner. Occasionally a kid will come up to see the fish, and it's usually a totally cool thing.
