Reviews of Coral Reef – Lunch/Dinner
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Menus at Coral Reef Restaurant
Reviewed by BareNecessities Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
We really enjoyed our most recent meal here. Sitting right by the tank changes your experience of this restaurant. Our food was very good and very tasty. (Seafood places can sometimes be bland.) The mani-mahi was just right! The service was very good and very conscientious, as one person in our party has a severe health concern, although not an allergen. They gave his meal the extra attention needed, without dismissing it - we've heard this before in other places: "it's not an allergy." While true that it wouldn't bring about an instant 911 call, it would cause very serious problems within an hour or two. So thank you WDW, and the chefs at Coral Reef. Although it seems noisy, it's a muted noise. We've only ever had great food and great service. The lighting is designed for maximum viewing, but this place would lend itself very nicely to having a little corner having dimmed lighting, but that's because this place speaks to the romantic in me!
Pros:
Whole wall aquarium views, and tasty food.Cons:
nothing comes to mindReviewed by magicalcouple Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (7) Recommended
I admit, I am a repeat customer here for nostalgic reasons above all else. However, if the food were terrible in my opinion, I wouldn't repeat at all! The lobster bisque is my favorite appetizer and it never disappoints. I've tried various entrees but the latest was the shrimp and grits which were filling with a bit of a kick to it. I also love the chocolate wave dessert, which is one of my favorite desserts anywhere, anytime! Quite often I am sat by the large aquarium tank because more often than not, when visiting, I am a one top. But I have enjoyed all my seating in the restaurants. I will warn that it is exciting for children to be dining with an aquarium and many times I've had children I don't know at my table, climbing on the aquarium where I am eating. I understand what's going on and do not begrudge them their excitement. But if you will be annoyed by this behavior, don't ask to sit by the aquarium. Not saying it will happen, but it can and does!
Pros:
Ambiance, Bread, Dessert!Cons:
NoisyReviewed by Lauren kilpatrick Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
Not alot of selection and kinda bland
Pros:
Great viewsCons:
Food mediocreReviewed by Susan Kowalski Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
If you're looking for a unique experience, this is an excellent restaurant to go to. Every seat in the restaurant faces a very large aquarium tank - just awesome. For my meal I had lobster bisque, grilled mahi-mahi, and the chocolate dome for dessert. Everything tasted great. This restaurant was very accommodating for gluten allergies. Everyone at the table enjoyed everything that they ordered. Highly recommend this place!
Pros:
Amazing to sit and watch the aquarium as you are having dinner.Cons:
Need to have a reservation.Reviewed by TooSweetMe Review Date: 06/19/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
My wife is a very picky eater and does not like seafood. She ordered the steak and loved it. For most of our honeymoon, she wasn't big on the table service restaurants because she doesn't eat big meals typically. She absolutely loved Coral Reef. I got the seared Mahi-Mahi and enjoyed it very much. My favorite part of the meal at Coral Reef is always the Bailey's and Jack Daniel's Mousse. It is incredible! And I'm not a drinker. I would recommend asking for a seat towards the tank, because it really changes the ambience of the restaurant.
Pros:
Atmosphere, desserts, fresh fishCons:
NoneReviewed by mbelerique19 Review Date: 10/10/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
My husband and I ate here on our honeymoon and had to come back for another taste. We were able to sit tankside this time with under a 20 minute wait. Depending on the time of the year a tankside table could be a longer wait. I ordered the shrimp scampi for the second time and it was absolutely amazing. Literally the best seafood I've had anywhere. My husband and my mom both got the steak and loved it. The service here was also way above expectations. Our server and some of the other staff wrote a birthday card out for my mom and made sure to bring her dessert. We were able to sample the wave, the turtle cheesecake, the key lime tart and the baileys/jack daniel mousse. All of the desserts were SO good but the turtle cheesecake is always my favorite. The food & amazing views make this a must every trip!
Pros:
Tankside tables, great seafoodCons:
NoneReviewed by mastover Review Date: 06/14/2017
Rating: (1) Recommended
My son, daughter, wife and myself visited the Coral Reef in mid May 2017. We had reservations and were seated promptly. Three of us ordered the Mahi Mahi while my daughter ordered the salmon. My wife's came out barely cooked...basically raw. Mine and my son's were cooked but barely warm. My daughter didn't realize till having eaten half of it that part of hers was WAY undercooked as well. They did redo my wife's meal, and did give us two gold fast passes to make up for it, but still I expected better food. The desserts (chocolate wave and Baileys and Jack Daniels mousse) were very good though. I would not go back.
Pros:
Great view of the aquarium tankCons:
Raw, coldReviewed by kellylsmith Review Date: 03/17/2017
Rating: (8) Recommended
Table ready right on time! Server was great! Enjoyed our food especially the calamari (small serving size to share) and mahi mahi. Restroom area is way too small for the amount of people it serves!
Enjoy the ambiance of the fish tanks and divers in the water with the animals!
Pros:
SeafoodCons:
RestroomReviewed by clayalex02 Review Date: 10/20/2016
Rating: (7) Recommended
This was my first time at the Coral Reef and unfortunately it did not live up to my hopes. While nothing was particularly wrong with it it was just okay. We were seated in the last tier the furthest from the fish tanks so the view was eh. The food while mostly tasty was nothing that I would rave about. I had the shrimp and grits and I love shrimp and grits and these were okay. The service was spotty, we did not see him much and he seemed overwhelmed. Not sure if I would return.
Pros:
it was okayCons:
it was okayReviewed by Tanasigirl Review Date: 09/27/2016
Rating: (9) Recommended
We ate lunch at the Coral Reef on September 16, 2016. Instead of purchasing a large meal, my hubby and I shared three appetizers and we loved all of them. We ate the Frisee and Endive Salad, which was a very large portion and had a nice light dressing. Plenty of walnuts, cranberries and such. The Heirloom Tomatoes was a Caprese salad with tomatoes and mozzarella slices. Very tasty. We also had the Crispy Rhode Island Calamari and I could have eaten my weight in this appetizer. It was so good. Corn relish and sauce really set it off. All appetizers were a large size and we had plenty to eat between the two of us.
The dining room is set in three tiers (I believe) and we were on the second tier back from the tank on the front row. While it would have been nice to sit closer, I actually feel we could see everything much better from our vantage point. We could see all tank windows and could watch the animals come and go. Two sea turtles spared over a resting place by the window and the children seated there were very excited.
All in all a very nice experience.
