Coral Reef Restaurant – A Disney Dining Review!

Dive under the sea, because we’re heading to EPCOT to share our Coral Reef Restaurant dining review!

Coral Reef Restaurant has been an EPCOT staple since it opened its doors in 1986. The restaurant is famous for its panoramic views of the Living Seas aquarium. While dining, guests can admire a living coral reef and more than 60 aquatic species including sharks, rays, and sea turtles.

Growing up in the 90s, I caught my first glimpses of Coral Reef while watching the Boy Meets World and Full House Disney World specials. As a child, I thought it looked like the coolest restaurant ever. Dining alongside marine life and an occasional scuba diver – what could be better than that?!

Sadly, Coral Reef has received less-than-favorable reviews over recent years. Complaints of mediocre food and a dated appearance have steered us away from dining here. However, we learned we could take advantage of a 40% discount during our most recent trip. So, I decided it was the perfect time to finally experience this iconic restaurant!

Atmosphere

The restaurant’s interior immerses guests in an under-the-sea theme.

Hues of aquatic blues and greens line the walls and carpet, tying into the ocean theme. Beautiful mosaic tiling lines the booths and tables as well as softly glowing seashell light fixtures.

One of my favorite touches was the lights dancing on the ceiling, making it seem like you were really underwater. It was a beautiful effect.

The main focal point, however, is the large aquarium wall. The aquarium is home to more than 2,000 sea creatures, so there was always something to marvel at.

However, due to my exposure to Coral Reef through 90s television programming, I mistakenly thought our table would be located right next to the aquarium glass. Unfortunately, this is only true for a select few tables in the restaurant. Instead, we were sat at the back of the restaurant, and our view was partially blocked by another table in front of us.

If you want great views of the aquarium, I strongly recommend letting the hosts know you’d prefer to wait for a tank table before you are seated!

Overall, I felt the theming was incredibly immersive, and I didn’t find it dated like others have remarked. It accentuated the views of the sea life swimming by in the aquarium and would have made for a peaceful ambiance.

However, during our visit, it was loud.

There were three different tables in the restaurant, each dealing with their own toddler meltdowns, and those poor families were in it for the long haul. Granted, this is Disney, and at the end of the day – it’s a place for families. So, I can’t fault the restaurant, families, or Disney for this – it happens!

But the restaurant was just so loud and chaotic during our visit; it put a damper on our experience. Perhaps the draw of the aquariums for younger families makes the restaurant more prone to these situations, because I’ve never experienced this level of turmoil at any other Disney restaurant. It also could have simply been an off day for Coral Reef, but I felt it was worth mentioning in this review.

The Menu

Coral Reef’s menu features seafood and coastal-inspired dishes as well as traditional American fare.

The Abyss

My husband started off dinner with a cocktail. The Abyss is made with WODKA Vodka, Bacardi Superior Rum, Bols Blue Curaçao Liqueur, and pineapple juice.

I gave it a taste, and I felt the drink mostly tasted like pineapple juice. It was a bit too sweet for my liking, but it would probably be a hit with someone who likes fruity, tropical drinks.

Starters

Bread Service

The meal kicks off with a fairly simple pineapple bread service. We were expecting pineapple baked into the bread, but it seemed to be a standard roll served with a pineapple-flavored butter.

The bread was good, but we weren’t fans of the citrusy butter.

Chicken Wings

The wings were served with a Jamaican-spiced Rum Glaze and green onions.

The chicken was prepared well, with a nice crunchy exterior. I enjoyed the sweet and sticky glaze, but I was disappointed by the lack of Jamaican spices.

My teenager was a big fan, and said this was her favorite dish of the meal!

Coconut Fried Shrimp

These shrimp were butterflied, battered, coated in coconut, and fried until golden brown.

The coconut provided a nice texture and hint of sweetness to the shrimp. But otherwise, there was not much flavor to this dish besides the mango chutney accompaniment.

Entrees

Mojo Chicken

We headed for land with our first entrée and sampled the Mojo Chicken. This dish is served with Caribbean rice, black-eyed peas, and crispy garlic plantains.

The chicken had a nice citrusy flavor from the Mojo sauce, but the Caribbean rice was very bland. Overall, the dish was underwhelming and lacked flavor. Disappointing!

Grilled Snapper

For our second entrée, we headed back to the sea to try the Grilled Snapper. This dish was served with coconut-lime rice, mango salsa, avocado, toasted coconut, and chili-lime seasoning.

The snapper was moist and well-cooked and didn’t have a fishy taste at all. The accompaniments added bright flavors to the dish, but I would have loved more spice in this dish. As with the Mojo Chicken, the side of rice was very bland and disappointing.

Kids’ Meals

Kids may choose one entrée and two sides for their meal. Both of our kiddos went with the Macaroni & Cheese with a side of fresh fruit and the Kakamora Coconut Treat.

The mac-and-cheese was a hit with the kids; however, the fruit (merely pineapple) was a bit of a letdown. The big win of the meal was the Kakamora Coconut Treat! Each kiddo received a coconut filled with ice cream and topped with chocolate as well as a ramekin of goodies.

Our server pointed out the “edible sand,” chocolate seashells, and wafer paper Kakamora mask and instructed the kids to create their own island using the ingredients. This was such an adorable and interactive dessert – the kids had just as much fun creating as they did eating!

Dessert

Chocolate Mousse Bar

The adults needed to get in on the dessert fun too, so I ordered us the Chocolate Mousse Bar. This dessert was made with Baileys Almande Liqueur, chocolate ganache, almonds, and orange “coral” accents.

The chocolate ganache was very smooth and rich, and the silky mousse contrasted nicely with the crunch from the almonds. But the dish was a bit too rich for my liking.

Overall, I felt our food was decent. Everything was well prepared, but the flavors were often lacking. Nothing stood out as a dish I would want to order again, particularly considering the high price point before our discount.

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, Coral Reef is a skip for us. While the atmosphere was beautiful and well themed, the restaurant’s noise level and distant views of the aquarium diminished the experience for us. And if viewing the marine life is your priority, there are tons of aquarium windows at Sea Base next door.

The food was fine, but considering EPCOT has some of the best food in Walt Disney World, there are way better dining options there. Checking out the festival booths or Eating and Drinking Around the World are some of the best ways to spend your EPCOT day! There are also several better seafood restaurants on property, such as The Boathouse and Flying Fish.

I hope our Coral Reef dining review has helped you determine whether to dine at the restaurant! Looking for other Disney Dining Reviews? Then check out our reviews of 50’s Prime Time Café and Tusker House!