Coral Reef Review
Coral Reef is a seafood restaurant in Epcot at Walt Disney World with views into an aquarium. This review features food photos, our thoughts on the cuisine, and whether the excellent ambiance here is enough to justify dining at this restaurant in The Seas pavilion. We’ve dined at Coral Reef a few times, with this review featuring photos from our most recent visit to Coral Reef.
Although Coral Reef is primarily a seafood restaurant, it has options for everyone for both lunch and dinner. Coral Reef is a 1-credit restaurant on the Disney Dining Plan, and also accepts Tables in Wonderland. Coral Reef is one of the more expensive non-signature table service restaurants at Walt Disney World, making it a bad option if you’re paying out of pocket, but a good option for maximizing your value on the Disney Dining Plan.
On our prior trips to Coral Reef, things had been a bit hit or miss. The food was considerably better during our most recent meal. It was actually very good, unexpectedly good, resoundingly good. As you might have gathered from the superlatives, this was not something either of us were expecting. While we both really enjoy seafood, it can be easy to poorly prepare, and many times even well-prepared seafood is just so-so.
I would compare our meal to some of the better seafood dishes we’ve had at top-tier real world seafood restaurants. It’s still no Flying Fish, which we’d consider the top seafood restaurant at Walt Disney World. However, for an in-park restaurant, Coral Reef has a lot going for it.
We’re getting ahead of ourselves, though. Let’s start by taking a look at that exceptional ambiance…
The ambiance was also better the previous trip because we were able to get a seat right next to the tank. If you have reservations for Coral Reef, we highly recommend waiting the extra 20 minutes or so that it typically takes to be seated at a tank table.
Plus, for you fellow children of the 90s, who doesn’t want to eat at the table where Danny tried to propose to Vicky on Full House, or where Cory interrupts Topanga’s date by holding up a sign inside the tank that tells her “I will chase you forever” on a classic episode of Boy Meets World. Seriously, Coral Reef deserves a spot in the TGIF Hall of Fame (and if such a hall of fame doesn’t exist, it should!).
One of the fun things about sitting at a tank table, especially if you have small children or wildlife enthusiasts, is that the restaurant will provide you with a fish guide describing and picturing various creatures living in the tank.
This can lead to an incredibly fun meal–potentially the best of your Walt Disney World vacation–for your 8 year old…or for your “Tom.”
We dined at Coral Reef for lunch (even well in advance, it was extremely difficult to secure dinner reservations for a day we wanted), and many options on the lunch menu were enticing.
Despite this, we both ordered the Grilled Mahi Mahi. In the future, we need to plan these things better so that we can sample some of each others’ dishes and try multiple dishes. It just sounded so good, though!
And good, it was. The creamy, coconut-lime sauce was the perfect compliment to the grilled mahi mahi (which is right up there as one of my favorite fish, anyway), which had a wonderful texture and flavor thanks to its preparation. Even the rice, something I normally view as a sort of filler, tasted fairly good.
Don’t even get me started on the rock shrimp; I’m salivating at my desk as I think back to their crisp crunch and perfect taste. It’s not often that Disney prepares shrimp this well. They’re usually either soggy and cold or rubbery and cold. These were perfect. I don’t think the cilantro really added a whole lot to the dish besides being a nice garnishing touch.
The Chocolate Wave was delicious, too. Again, we both ordered this, but after such a great experience with it our last time at Coral Reef, this should be no surprise. It doesn’t really look like anything special in the photo here, and honestly, I remember the preparation being a lot more impressive on our last trip, but it was still quite decadent.
Certainly something you should consider ordering, but from what I understand, most desserts at Coral Reef are actually pretty good.
Our server was inattentive, but it appeared that she was serving a lot of tables. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were short-staffed that day, so I don’t blame her. I would rather give people the benefit of the doubt in these situations. Still, I expect attentive service (regardless of who is at “fault”) when dining out, so it was still disappointing, although it certainly could have been a fluke, and nothing on which you should base your decision.
Overall, Coral Reef treated us very well, and was a real surprise. Coral Reef can be a bit pricey if you’re not on the Disney Dining Plan, but the cuisine and ambiance can justify the expense. Many commenters have remarked that the food is a bit hit-or-miss, and our own experiences corroborate this. Knowing exactly how much of a hit it can be has me optimistic for the future, and we’ve decided that if we ever get another subpar entree at Coral Reef, we’ll likely send it back. After all, the restaurant has demonstrated that it’s capable of preparing amazing dishes, and with the prices it’s charging, patrons certainly shouldn’t accept anything less than an exceptional meal. Coral Reef is currently one of our favorite dining options at Epcot and we look forward to returning here soon, but it does lose a point for its noted inconsistencies.
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Your Thoughts…
If you’ve been to Coral Reef, did you have a poor or great meal (or somewhere in between)? Do you think it stacks up to the highly praised options in Epcot’s World Showcase, or would you rather dine at one of those restaurants? Planning on going to Coral Reef? Share your thoughts in the comments!
We ate there tonight–wish we hadn’t! Terrible seat–our son couldn’t see over the ledge at all to the fish tank and we were told tank side was “unavailable.” Ps-this res was booked >180 days ago. Atmosphere akin to chuck e cheese. Mostly the other parents’ fault but still annoying. Picture kids running in booths and noise level to match. My lobster pasta was gluey and made me think of Kraft. Kids meal ‘grilled’ fish swimming in butter, and husband’s steak over cooked. Server disinterested and acted annoyed. Couldn’t wait to get out of there and wish we’d eaten at sunshine seasons instead!
I’m surprised at the negative reviews for Coral Reef. We have eaten there for the last 4 years, with our last trip being September 2012. That trip we actually ate there twice. It’s always been delicious, and we almost always order the steak. It’s very tasty and juicy. And the desserts are spectacular. We have yet to be seated next to the tank, but will keep trying. The only downside I could comment on is the service is kind of slow, but the wait staff is always very attentive.
I went to the Coral Reef and sat on the second floor I the second floor because it gives a good view of the tank. The other thing is that use the sheet they give you to look for the fish. its good because you wait for your food a while and I enjoyed the New York Sirloin Steak order it.
I went here and sat on the second floor I Suggest sitting there because it gives a better view of the tank. the other thing is that use the sheet they give you to look for the fish. its good because you wait for your food a while. also I enjoyed the New York Sirloin Steak order that.
Our last visit there was in October 2011. It was BY FAR one of dining experiences we had. From appetizers through dessert it was truly fantastic food and presentation. Service was outstanding and some of the best we have had in all of our trips, including most Signature Restaurants (not saying the rest were bad by any means, but saying it was just that great). I was not expecting what we experience when we went, so it made it even better. We can’t wait to go back. I have insisted that we try other dining options since there are so many fabulous dining options in EPCOT and a shirt walk away in the Boardwalk, but it is definitely going to be a must do next trip!
Thanks for the feedback, good to hear from someone else who had a positive experience there!
“It was BY FAR one of dining experiences we had.” <- I know exactly what you meant there, but I chuckled when I read this. Reminded me of a Jungle Cruise joke! 🙂
My husband and I brought our 2 toddlers to CR for lunch, April 2013. We were early, and still ended up in a booth. There were empty tank seats – but the staff seemed unconcerned and dismissive. My biggest beef with CR, when you check in with out fail they ask you if you want a highchair or booster – the attendant keyed in the proper request (one of each) and STILL sent us to a booth. With toddlers…thats a disaster.
But what matters here is the following, In the booth, our actual server was a delight. REALLY nice guy:
A) Our server was OUTSTANDING, responsive, educated and so pleasant to be around! He bent over backward to help us keep the girls occupied. Extra crayons, snacks, you name it!
B) My husband and I both ordered the appetizer for 2, as our lunch. BOY OH BOY – it was PERFECT! Crab Cakes with tropical fruit salsa, tequila aioli; Crispy-fried shrimp with Coral Reef Slaw and spiced remoulade; and a taste of our Creamy Lobster Soup $16.99 – everything we wanted, properly portioned.
C) the ambiance, the booth wasnt awesome…and the girls didnt notice the tank from where we were.
In the future I would love to come back, but it isnt going to be on my “MUST DOS” (Shout out to Stacy!)
I do recommend it though, after a hot morning, it was the ideal place to retreat and refuel.
I have 1 TS credit left to plan for our trip in November and can start booking our ADR’s next week…this is one of my “maybe’s”….do we chance it or use our credit elsewhere in Epcot?
October 2009 was a HUGE miss!! It left 6 adults and 1 kid very disappointed. We were not pleased with the food or the service (which I NEVER say at Disney!) I hope it has turned around and is great but I won’t be risking it in the future 🙁
Sorry to hear that. This seems to be one of the more hit or miss restaurants, so I definitely don’t blame you for not wanting to return.
I visited Coral Reef last week. For the most part I really liked it. The food was very tasty and the serving sizes were much bigger than I was expecting. I wasn’t impressed with the crab cakes but they arrived cold.
Other than that it was great. Service was superb and my steak was cooked perfectly (Which is always hit or miss it seems) I would definitely be back.
The only major complaint I had was how cold it was. I was wearing a sweater and still shivering.
I’ve noticed that Coral Reef is often cold, too. I wonder if this has anything to do with the tank? Now that I think about it, the whole pavilion normally seems fairly cold…
We ate at Coral Reef in 2011! We like seafood but usually at the Red Lobster! LOL! I had read bad reviews and I thought I would be safe with the chicken and my husband ordered a steak. Both were good! I would eat there again!
Thanks for this review. We have reservations for CR in September and will update how our experience was. Good to know that you can wait a little extra for a tank seat, we will be doing that. I can’t decide what I want most here, so many good looking options! Being on the DxDP is a great thing!
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The Coral Reef seems to get a lot of bad reviews, but I’ve never had anything but good food and good service there. Many people who don’t care for seafood steer clear of this place, but I have had a steak there, and it was very good. I’ve eaten there 6 or 7 times, and my only complaint is that sometimes the wait is a little long even when we have reservations (had to wait over 1/2 hour once.)
The last time we ate here (around 2006), the service was HORRIBLE. I haven’t been brave enough to give the place another chance, even though I love watching the fish tank. The other times we dined there, service was not bad. That last trip, though, the waitress was terrible, she hardly paid any attention to us, and it took over 2 hours for our meal. It was very disappointing.
We ate at the Coral Reef in Oct 2007- my daughter and her 2 kids and I. we got seated in back as well and it was ok for us- the kids ate turned around looking at the tank.
The food was ok- we had the crab legs- nice that they split them for us,which made it easier to eat. the problem was the lack of silverware- my daughter had no fork and asked the waiter 3 times and never came back with any. Unfortunately we were on the dining plan and he got his 18% tip- but he didn’t deserve it. Left there feeling like we’d never go back because of the service.
We were thinking of CR as one of our lunches when we go back to the world in May. I’m glad to hear your experience was a positive one as we’ve been going back and forth based on some negative reviews. I think we might do it, if only for the desserts! Yumm!!!
We ate at Coral Reef in June 2011 (got a last minute res about 3 weeks before)- while I can’t remember everything everyone had (there were 10 of us- 6 adults, 5 kids), we were extremely disappointed. Because we were such a large party we were seated in the back of the room. That wasn’t as bad as the food though- which we all found to be extremely lacking. I had the appetizer for two for myself. I was not a big fan of the lobster soup. The crabcakes were ok, but being a Marylander, they were far from the best, and the shrimp was decent. All of the other adults had different versions of fish (I’m sorry I don’t remember exactly which ones.) Several of the fish entrees, according to my husband and friends, tasted like they were undercooked and most of us left the restaurant feeling sick to our stomachs. I’m glad you all have had better experiences but I’m not sure we’ll ever brave going back to this restaurant again…
That’s really disappointing! I was hoping Coral Reef was turning it around.
I’m sorry your experience was so bad (and a little less hopeful about our upcoming trip–we have a big party too so I suppose we’ll be seated in the back). As a fellow Marylander, I definitely sympathize about the crab cakes. At this point, I just don’t order them outside of the state anymore!
Coral Reef is OK. As you say, it’s more about the physical space than the food. I had pork with polenta, which was good. My duck soup appatizer was terrible, however. But it was easily made up for with the Jack and Baily’s mousse cup. I’m also not a seafood person, so I find the options limiting.
Out of curiosity, when was your last visit to Coral Reef? Just trying to determine whether ‘things have changed’ or if it’s still hit or miss.
Loved it when I went! I had the pinwheel salmon (or whatever it was called) and it was quite good, this coming from a staunch New Englander. It was a presentation I had never seen before, and the sear on the bottom was both nice and crisp and flavorful. I can’t wait to go back!
I’m glad to hear positive responses from others regarding Coral Reef. Maybe it is finally turning a corner and offering consistently good meals. I know it was hit-or-miss until at least 2008, but in 2010 it was definitely a HOME RUN for us!
Great article! I love The Coral Reef. My Fiance and I got a dinner reservation in May 2011 during Star Wars Weekends. I highly suggest waking up early at 6AM EST exactly 180 days ahead of time to get this reservation 🙂
We split the appetizer sampler for two which was INCREDIBLE and I had the Lobster Ravioli. Everything was spectacular and the ambiance is fantastic! I also suggest getting one of the drinks with the Glowing Ice Cube…you get to keep it! I carry mine around in my purse as a good luck charm.
Yep, Coral Reef is definitely one of those restaurants where a 180 in advance ADR is helpful. Oddly enough, we scored one 3 days before a trip once, but I think that was a total fluke.
The glowing ice cubes mesmerize me, too. Tune-In Lounge got a lot of money from us in May thanks to them!