Coral Reef Restaurant Opinions

[John park hopper]

We ate at the Coral Reef last week and I was really disappointed I don't know if it was just a bad night or has it gone down hill. Wife and I ate there 2 years ago and it was very good. I had the grilled pork chop (same 2 years ago) it was surprisingly tough. The service was terrible we waited and waited for our meal server never explained the delay. The table next to us sat down after us and ate was gone before ours arrived. My son finally asked when our food was coming as my granddaughters were getting antsy and I was getting PO, well it came out immediately (over an hour wait) Just wondering if others have been disappointed with the Coral Reef recently

 

[docandsix]

We ate there in January for the first time in well over a decade, having been kept away by the generally negative reviews and our less than overwhelming prior experiences. This time, almost everyone considered the food very good (some rated it the best meal of the trip), but the service was simply embarrassingly bad. That and the fact that we were parked in the very back corner will likely delay our return for another several years.

 

[westie]

Last time I ate there the food was good but, we were seated tank side and were constantly interrupted by stray kids trying to get between us and the tank. People, control your kids!

 

[Minnie Mum]

Our meal couldn't have been any worse. Looong wait (almost an hour after our ADR time). Slow and indifferent service - our drinks didn't come until after the appetizers arrived - we had to ask twice (and he never asked if we wanted refills). The food, when it finally arrived, was overdone and dried out, as if it had sat under a heat lamp for half an hour. And at the end of the meal, we couldn't find the server to bring our bill. DH finally went to the front desk and asked for the manager. There are lots of other place to eat at Epcot. We won't waste our time, money, or taste buds at Coral Reef again.

 

[tglancy]

We went once and it was amazing and went back again and it was brutal. That seems to be the general consensus of the place. The atmosphere is amazing if you are near the tank, as long as you don't mind shooing people away while you eat, but in a place with a ton of options, and even more if you consider a walk to Boardwalk, it's low on the list.

 

[networkpro]

DDP

 

[Bartledvd]

We went in 2017 and it was one of the highlights of our trip but it’s reviews are really all over the place i can only guess that we got lucky.

 

[NeverlandWendy]

We (family of 4) ate there 2 years ago and I only remember it being okay - nothing terrible but not great either. My daughter and I ate there in January of this year and had a great experience with the service and food.

 

[donaldtoo]

I know my reviews are really old, but, then again, so am I...!!!!!

Anyhoo...
We first ate there for our oldest DDs Sweet 16 birthday back in July of ‘07. I had the shrimp fettuccine with a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce that was outstanding, and such a large portion that I took half of it to go and ate the rest as a late night snack...!!!!!
The last time we ate there was in July of ‘12, and although the fettuccine dish wasn’t on the menu anymore, I had a very good Mahi Mahi dish...!!!
As others have posted, reviews are all over the place, so you’ll never know unless you try it...but, either way, the atmosphere is still pretty cool...!!!

 

[danyoung56]

It's one of my favorite restaurants in WDW. I have had a couple of so so meals over the years, but most of the time it's been fine food and excellent service.

 

[Weather_Lady]

We've had an excellent meal at Coral Reef, an okay-but-nothing-special one, and a terrible one. My main takeaway from our own experiences, and reviews by others, is that the service and food quality are just incredibly uneven.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Last time I ate there the food was good but, we were seated tank side and were constantly interrupted by stray kids trying to get between us and the tank. People, control your kids!

Arent the tables right against the glass?
Anyway I kinda figure with the fish tank gimmick you will have some kids moving around. We ate there years ago. I would say it was a 3 out 5. Nothing eventful.

 

[dontknow]

We ate there a few years ago and didn't think highly of it. All based on personal expectations, I guess.

 

[The Mighty Tim]

We went in September 2018 and had a fantastic experience. Good food and great service.

 

[DisneyfanMA]

I went here back in 1990 when the main aquarium attraction was called the Living Seas. We knew a diver who got us to the top of the tank and some behing the scenes stuff!!

Anyway my favorite memory as a child visitor was the mickey shaped butter, lol, which I still have a 4x6 photo of! Not sure we'll dine here again when we visit with kids, but I bet its been updated a bunch since almost 30 years ago!

 

[John park hopper]

I went here back in 1990 when the main aquarium attraction was called the Living Seas. We knew a diver who got us to the top of the tank and some behing the scenes stuff!!

Anyway my favorite memory as a child visitor was the mickey shaped butter, lol, which I still have a 4x6 photo of! Not sure we'll dine here again when we visit with kids, but I bet its been updated a bunch since almost 30 years ago!

No Mickey butter anymore-- we were there a week and a half ago just the run of the mill square hunk of butter

 

[YankeeMouse]

Run away. As fast as you can. Out of hundreds of dining experiences over many many visits, this was our worst experience and we will never go back. And I have never felt this way about any WDW restaurant. Snarky, unhappy, even argumentative wait staff, incompetent management, bad food (reheated salmon, top crust slid off onto plate), etc., etc. From what I understand after speaking with those in the know, this is not an isolated incident.

 

[Hockey89]

Run away. As fast as you can. Out of hundreds of dining experiences over many many visits, this was our worst experience and we will never go back. And I have never felt this way about any WDW restaurant. Snarky, unhappy, even argumentative wait staff, incompetent management, bad food (reheated salmon, top crust slid off onto plate), etc., etc. From what I understand after speaking with those in the know, this is not an isolated incident.

So you are on the fence?


I went once and that was plenty... Service sucked which is strange for Disney and the food was crap. Run away is right...

 

[danyoung56]

Run away. As fast as you can.

So sorry that you had a bad experience. And as you say, it may not be an isolated incident. But I almost always have a great time there. Coral Reef has become my go-to either at the start of a trip or at the end, and I really look forward to it.

 

[YankeeMouse]

So sorry that you had a bad experience. And as you say, it may not be an isolated incident. But I almost always have a great time there. Coral Reef has become my go-to either at the start of a trip or at the end, and I really look forward to it.

It was so awful, cannot give it a second chance. Too many other options that can take my Disney dollars.