What does everyone think about the Coral Reef?

[tlev]

We've eaten here about 5 times and have ressies in September. We really enjoy it. My in-laws own a seafood restaurant near the Gulf so I know my seafood, too. I always get fish and it has always been good. The desserts are good as well. Additionally, we've always have very good service.

 

[MRGEFF]

View attachment 101704 View attachment 101705 View attachment 101706 View attachment 101707 View attachment 101708 We ate there for the first time in Oct 2014. We were a little worried because of the less than stellar reviews. Needless to say, we really enjoyed it. This was one meal where my picky niece and nephew didn't complain at all and cleared their plates. We were not seated right by the aquarium, but we still felt we had a good view. Our waitress was very attentive. Here are a couple pictures. I wouldn't hesitate to eat here again.

We agree. Never had a bad experience yet. My husband really likes the New York Strip there and he is a just meat and
potatoes kinda guy. If we hadn't been there before, your photos would have convinced us to try it.

 

[polynesiangirl]

Our experience there about 2 years ago was just OK. The food was fine but not good enough for the price, we felt, and the service was adequate but could have been a lot better. I'd go back again someday but I'm in no rush.

 

[MarkTwain]

My girlfriend and I went for a date, knowing full well that the food was "eh" but we were really more interested in the atmosphere. We even found the atmosphere disappointing - it was very, very noisy.

I guess we thought it'd be a bit more upscale/quiet in its atmosphere but then it is a restaurant inside a theme park. We think all the hard surfaced-walls and tank glass likely made it more noisy too.

 

[KikoKea]

Ate there last Sept with our elderly moms. Beautiful decor- one whole wall is the aquarium- and it has an underwater feel to it. All tables have a good view, too, but it was very noisy. As for the food, DH and I weren't very favorably impressed. Our waiter was not very attentive and acted like he had no time to bother with us. The food was hit or miss, and my husband thought the food at the nearby Sunshine Grill (and the local Red Lobster) was better. We won't go back. Too bad since it is a lovely place.

I suggest you take a look at the menu to decide. Of the 10 entrees, only 5 have seafood in them. If there's something you want to try, then give the Coral Reef a go. But, there are many other places to choose from at Epcot with fun themes, and seafood is easy to find in most towns.

 

[DisneyJunkie]

Coral Reef is one of the "must do" restaurants on each trip my wife and I take. We ALWAYS have had a very good meal, and always enjoy the atmosphere. I'm not a seafood eater at all, so I usually get the chicken breast and I love it. I also love the Jack Daniels mousse for dessert. On our last trip, we were seated on the bottom level directly up against the fish tank, so we had a terrific view inside and even had one of the divers come up and entertain. My only - very minor - gripe is that they don't have regular iced tea (sweetened) or lemonade. They only offer (and it may have changed since then) some nasty "pomegranate lemonade" which I didn't like at all.

Also, it is NOTHING like Applebees (not sure how anyone could imply that it was) and it is much better than T-Rex (which is way too noisy with mediocre food).

 

[Wildflower]

This is one of thse restaurants that goes in cycles...food will be pretty darn good for a while and then shifts by varying degrees over time into poor territory (seems to happen every couple of years or so). We've had really great experiences but have also had really bad. from both a food and service perspective, adding in that the wait in the corridor sometimes feels like it's epic (yes we are on-time for our ADRs so this wasn't the issue). Last time was 1.5yrs ago and it fell into so-so territory. Atmosphere is decent, kids love seeing the tank (and divers occasionally) and the desserts are consistently good. I'd see what people who've been there in the last month or two have to say as a good indication of where they are in the loop.

 

[bethymouse]

You have to try it at least once. Good luck getting a seat by the "aquarium".

 

[flagen]

My wife and I call it the Screaming Reef....food was ok but the noise level was terrible, when you see the all the strollers parked its like OH NO......Went to the same kinda of restaurant (forgot the name) at Sea World and it was about 150% better ... food, acoustics and setup and not 78 strollers parked in front of it lol.

 

[Baldy]

Loved it
Its a must do for us.
We go to Disney every summer. For the first few years we found the food to be just okay and went mostly for the atmosphere. These past two years the food has been amazing. We have also had the most attentive/accommodating servers who really went out of their way for us without any of my party having made special requests.

 

[catmom46]

We also enjoy Coral Reef mainly for the atmosphere, which we didn't find any noisier than other WDW restaurants. We haven't been disappointed in the food yet either. If you want to sit next to the aquarium, I'd suggest booking an ADR no later than 6pm. That's what we did on our trip this month and maybe waited 5-10 minutes before being seated. By the time we finished dinner, though, the waiting area was packed with people sitting on the floor!