Coral Reef Restaurant

[Donald_Owns]

Me and my old roommate used to go at least every other trip, and we always got a server by the name of James, and he always knew what we wanted. Kinda cool to have a server who asks if you want the usual. Not sure if he still works there, but he goes by both James and Jim, so I would suggest trying to get him since he's best server I have ever had. But like I said, I have no idea if he still works there.

I've had the same server multiple times on my trips to Coral Reef...he is by far the best however I haven't seen him there the last couple of times.

 

[Disneian]

I ate their on Jan. 2st. We sat in the second row of seats to the far left. We had the pleasure of seeing a giant sea turtle pretty much our entire meal. We were on the DDP - so we had the option of Appetizer, Entree, Dessert and Drink. At our table we had: Crab Claws, Loberster and Crab Souflee and the Ceasar Salad. The portions were small - but the food was good. For our Entrees we had - Blackened Catfish, Sirlion Steak, and Prime Rib. The Steak and Catfish were good - the Prime Rib was ok, just not the flavor we are used too. For desert we had the Cheesecake, Chocolate Lava Cake and I can't remember the third desert. All in all - it was a pleasant dining experience!

 

[goofyfan13]

I've had the same server multiple times on my trips to Coral Reef...he is by far the best however I haven't seen him there the last couple of times.

Thats a bummer. We had some nice conversations with him and I was hoping to get him next time I go...

 

[dandaman]

I was pleasantly surprised to find their filet mignon was the best of the trip. (Believe me. I had it at Le Cellier and Concourse Steakhouse, too. :lol: ) For a supposedly "seafood" place, that steak really hit the mark. Not to mention the Chocolate Wave, which is one of my regrets from last trip. Not because it was bad, but because I went out and watched Illuminations, sacrificing the rest of it.

I'd definitely recommend it. :wave:

 

[Mori Anne]

We ate there in December. The server we got was stressed out!! The food was not so great. But, it was fun to see the turtle. He or she swam down to a rock on the bottom of the tank (right in front of a table) and took a long nap. That made things better. We won't go there again, but even though the food wasn't good, I am glad we did it at least once.

 

[mgraef]

My food was good. The atmosphere was great. My daughter's diaper rash was the only problem we had!!
mg

 

[ilovepluto23]

I had dinner at the Coral Reef last month when I was at WDW, and it was GREAT! I don't know why people are giving bad reviews on this place. We had an awesome waiter, great food, and we were able to see the fish tank at a table that wasn't that great (we were on the 3rd level).
I don't recall seeing any fried oysters or really...any fried foods of any kind.
I had the Blackened Catfish which was really really good (SPICY, even for a New Orleans native). My friend had the Salmon and she LOVED it.

I will say though, that I prefer Biergarten and Garden Grill out of all the Epcot restaurants.

Have a great time! :wave:

 

[sbkline]

Do they still have the Strip Steak?

I've not eaten there yet, but several months ago, I printed out menues for various places that we plan to eat at, including CR, on our trip this April. I thought I saw a big steak on the CR menu.

 

[zao]

Thank you everyone for all the information, now I am sure to go through with my reservation next thursday with my gf, I cannot wait!!!! I hope i get a seat next to that giant seaturtle

 

[Mickey&Minnie]

We ate there on our honeymoon and were very excited. The restaurant was a disappointment in my oppinion. The concept cool but our food was just not good. Try to eat at Le Cellier (canada). You will need reservations but the food is fabulous.

 

[sbkline]

Interesting that this thread has resurfaced now that I am calling about that place very frequently to try to get a better ADR than I have now. :lol:

When I booked back in October (6 months out), I wanted a 6:30ish priority seating, but the closest they had was 5:40. I'm really wanting a later time, as I'm afraid we will have to rush out of Animal Kingdom in order to get there in time. I know that we could probably have the place done by 4 or so, but I wanted to do the Jungle Jammin' Parade this time, which is at 4, which means we would probably have to leave before it's done in order to get on the bus and get to EPCOT in time to get our 5:40 ADR for Coral Reef. I called today and they had an 8:10 and I passed on it, but then changed my mind and called back later, and it was already taken! But I'm sure there will be more cancellations as the day approaches.

And, I'll ask my question again: do they still have the strip steak on their supper menu?

 

[eagles]

there will be a new menu coming out for spring. i forget what she said about the date, the 25th, but not sure if it was 25mar, or 25apr. more than likely, i would say 25 mar. also, not sure what changes will be on it.
steak will still be there. (thank god) i am planning on that when i go.

you can call 407-560-6856 and leave a msg and debbi will call you back. she will arrange for the diver to hold a banner for a special celebration. she will also arrange for personalized menus. how cool is this! she is a very, very nice gal to work with also. the only thing you must do when you call her, is to tell her Louella gave you the number and she wants to go on soarin! ( i am scared to death of fallling out of the seat, debbi said she would go on it with me and hold my hand!)
..just keep in mind if you call, you may or may not get the diver if they already are booked with them. she does not want it to turn into a commercial thing, she wants to keep it special.

i can not wait to go there!

 

[MickeyKimmy]

The Coral Reef was pretty hit or miss with me. The ambience of the restaurant was great, and the place is just beautiful inside. We were in the back row of the restaurant and could still see the tank pretty well. The service was some of the worst I have ever gotten at Disney but that could have been a fluke. The lobster bisque was sooo good! :slurp: I think it was mahi mahi I had for my entree though and it was not good - very rubbery. I guess it depends a lot on what you order. Overall, I was dissappointed with the food and thought they needed a little bit more shellfish on the menu. I will probably try again in a few years to see if the food quality has improved any.

 

[lilclerk]

And, I'll ask my question again: do they still have the strip steak on their supper menu?

Well, I can tell you they had it last month and it was AMAZING. The potatos were great too. This was definitely one of my favorite meals of the trip.
But if they're coming out with a new menu for the Spring, I don't know if they'll still have it when you're there. =\

 

[H20Babie]

Well, if anyone's there on the 26th, wave to the divers (one will be me!) :wave:

 

[sbkline]

ARGH!!!! :brick:

A day or two ago, I mentioned how I keep calling everyday to see if there are any cancellations for later times than my 5:40. Well, today, I was calling from my cell phone on the way home and there was FINALLY a couple openings...a little later than I prefer, but I figured I'd take it and, if possible, switch to an earlier time later if one opens up. The time was for 8:20 PM and I was telling her to book me for it, and was in the process of telling her that I have a 5:40 that I need to cancel when the darn phone died and the call was lost. I called back, but the wait times have been long, so after 5 minutes or so, someone finally picked up the line. And, of course, in those few minutes between calls, someone else came in and took the spot that I was gonna reserve! So now I'm back to being told that the night is totally booked up!

Oh well, I'm sure something will pop up between now and then. Are there generally plenty of cancellations the day of, or the day before?

 

[JikoMarie]

The menu for the Coral Reef doesn't appeal to me at all! If I go to a restaurant inside a giant aquarium I expect to have a nice seafood selection to choose from. That of the CR is laughable in my opinion. There's so many non-seafood selection. In fact, most people that I've heard who have gone there have ordered beef. That's pretty telling about a seafood restaurant. While it might be neat to see, I personally wouldn't spend the money. The reviews I have heard have been very mixed but the comment that consistently comes up is that it is overpriced. I'll pass but give it a try if it sparks your interest.

 

[Scar Junior]

When I go to Disney in March, I'm planning on eating at the restaurant. I was just asking, is it any good? And does EVERY table really have a view of the aquarium?

:wave:

I ate lunch there with about 10 friends (college age). While it was fun to eat in front of a giant aquarium, almost half of us were still hungry after the meal. 4 of the 10 of us went and got food after we paid the bill (about $20-25 each). It was a nice restaurant, but we were disappointed in the end.

 

[sbkline]

I think I FINALLY did it!!! :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

I had to try a "plan B", though. Instead of waiting for a later spot to come open on Wed April 25, the thought just now occured to me today that maybe I can switch my Coral Reef day with either my Garden Grill day or my Alfredo's day. After all, either way I would be eating in EPCOT both days. So I called this morning and Coral Reef was totally booked for each of those other two nights. But I just called a few minutes ago and there was a spot open at Coral Reef at 6:10 PM on Sunday the 29th, as opposed to my original ADR of 6 PM that night for Garden Grill. And Garden Grill had an opening for 6:50 on Wednesday the 25th, so I booked that. Now, I can do Animal Kingdom without having to feel rushed to get back to EPCOT for supper and I still get to do both restaraunts! :sohappy:

 

[Scooter]

Went there once years ago and the food and servie were awful.
I'm ready to give it another try though..maybe on my next trip.

There was one shining moment though...one of the divers came close to us while we were eating and held up a sign. It said:

"In Case of Fire Break Glass"