Our YouTube team is constantly out and about reviewing things in Disney World for you — and that involves trying SO MANY table service and quick service meals.
One restaurant consistently gets controversial reviews, and we had to check it out for ourselves to see why this EPCOT restaurant is not everyone’s favorite. There are so many great spots to dine at in EPCOT, especially around the World Showcase, but this restaurant is located next to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. So, with our readers’ reviews in mind, we headed to Coral Reef to try it for ourselves.
Did you know that you can share your reviews of hotels, attractions, and restaurants on AllEars.net? You can also read what other readers have thought to get a better understanding of what you might want to include on your next trip to Disney World.
Coral Reef Restaurant Restaurant
Services: Table Service
Out of 129 reviews, our readers gave Coral Reef a rating of 6.96/10, and 71% of reviewers recommend dining at this controversial restaurant.
One reviewer left this restaurant a five-star out of 10-star rating and said, “I’m being generous here. Coral Reef has never recovered from COVID-19. Mahi-Mahi was dry, and rice was with coconut, but they could not provide rice without; it was all premixed. Menus are limited. We were there at 12:30, and the place was only half filled.”
Another reviewer also gave it a five-star out of 10-star rating and found the food to be mediocre and the atmosphere to be tiring, but they found that the aquarium helped make up for some of its lows.
Not all the reviews are bad, as one reviewer gave this spot 10 out of 10 stars! They said that they “couldn’t recommend this more and hope this increases the popularity of this restaurant.”
So we sent Qunicy and Emma to investigate and see what they thought of Coral Reef.
This spot gives you a view of one of the many aquariums located in the Seas with Nemo and Friends, and you get the chance to see 2,000 sea creatures coming from 60 different species. This tank is so big that it can fill 54 Olympic-sized swimming pools. There is three-tier seating to allow all diners to get a view of the aquarium. When Quincy and Emma dined, they were seated in the second tier.
Both found the atmosphere to be entrancing, but the atmosphere around the aquarium is dated. They gave the atmosphere a rating of nine but said it would be a two if the aquarium wall was not there.
For appetizers, they tried the Grilled Chicken Wings and the Coconut-Fried Shrimp. Quincy said that the Grilled Chicken Wings were not her favorite as they were not spicy and crispy. However, she did note that this would be a safe appetizer for picky eaters.
Emma really liked the Coconut-Fried Shrimp and said it had the best crunch and was not too oily.
The meal also comes with a free bread service, which is a Pineapple Coconut Bread with Citrus Butter. This bread is also served at Olivia’s Cafe and ‘Ohana just with different butter. They just found the bread to be okay but can’t complain about free bread! Overall, they gave the appetizers a 6/10.
For entrees, they tried the Seafood Boil and Surf and Turf. Quincy said that the seafood in the Seafood Boil actually missed as the clams were too salty and the shrimp was overcooked. On the other hand, the corn was amazing, and the best part was the sausage.
Emma loved the Surf and Turf and said she could scrape the plate clean. She also loved the potatoes, and the Key Lime Chimichurri added great flavor. All of this together made for an upgraded dish.
No meal is complete without dessert. They ordered the Key West Sunset, and Emma loved the crust and found the filling to be bright and smooth, although this is nothing super special.
They also got the Pineapple Coconut Bread Pudding, and this dish used the same bread from the bread service. Flavor-wise, this was not a total winner, but the caramel had a nice saltiness to it. It had a huge scoop of ice cream. They found it to be a little stiff since it used the bread from the bread service and was not really bread pudding. They rated the desserts between a seven and an eight out of 10.
So, was this meal Magic or Tragic? Now, Coral Reef won’t be for everyone. It could be Magic if you have sea-life lovers at your party, love seafood, and want to try something new in a cool atmosphere. It might be Tragic as it is not the best table service restaurant in EPCOT. If there are festival booths, we suggest trying those out instead. Also, if you have a limited amount of time, table service may not be the best route as it takes up a chunk of your day.
So, is Coral Reef the worst? No, and the atmosphere and outstanding service earned this restaurant three out of five stars!
You can watch Emma and Qunicy’s full review below! As always, keep following along with AllEars.net as we continue to review more restaurants across Disney World!
Have you dined at Coral Reef? Do you think it is Magic or Tragic? Let us know in the comments!
As a twice annual WDW visitor, The Coral Reef is a one time experience. The atmosphere is a must see once and the food is okay at best but price is okay. I have that restaurant in the one and done category much like Cinderella’s Royal Table {okay food big price}.