FW Table Service

Coral Reef Restaurant Review at Disney’s Epcot Theme Park

by josh on March 9, 2010

Wondering how Coral Reef stacks up against the other Epcot Table Service Restaurants? Check out The Best Epcot Sit Down Restaurants for a comparison of all 15 Epcot restaurants in a variety of categories including Most Unique Menu, Best Value on the Disney Dining Plan, Best Value Out of Pocket, Best Atmosphere, Best Food, and Best Overall Restaurant.

Food Type: Fish, chicken, steak

Dining Plan: One Table Service

Cost: For lunch, appetizers are $7-$17 and entrées are $13-$28.  For dinner, appetizers are $7-$17 and entrées are $19-$31.

Setting: The tables at the Coral Reef Restaurant face a large aquarium full of sharks, sting rays, turtles, and more than 85 varieties of tropical fish.  The restaurant features raised stadium seating so most tables have a great view.

Advantages: The atmosphere can’t be beat.  Kids and adults who enjoy aquariums will be fascinated by the variety of fish.  Fish is presented nicely.  Service is usually attentive.  I recommend the Mahi Mahi and Chocolate Wave dessert.

Disadvantages: This restaurant is deceptively noisy due to the sound bouncing off the aquarium glass.  Service may be rushed, especially during Free Dining promotions.  The menu is limited with less than ten entrée choices.  There are no crab, lobster, or shrimp entrées.  Portions are small.    Lunch isn’t much cheaper than dinner.  Personally, I am deathly afraid of fish (not kidding), so eating here is entirely unpleasant for me.

Value: Average out of pocket or excellent on the Dining Plan.  The Coral Reef Restaurant relies heavily on its ambiance to please guests.  The food portions are small and the prices are high considering the low cost of many of the ingredients.  You come here mostly for the aquarium, so if that is not something you would particularly enjoy then you’re better off dining elsewhere.  You can spend about $45 on the Dining Plan, making this an excellent use of a credit.

Reputation: The jury is out on this one.  There is definitely better food and service at Epcot, but the chances of finding another aquarium with a table to eat at are slim to none.  Chances are you will have a good meal here, but be aware that the portions are small and the Coral Reef is not known for its high quality food or relaxing atmosphere.  The other potential downside is that not all of the tables have a great view of the aquarium, so you may want to request a good view or ask to be moved elsewhere in the restaurant.

Overall Rank on The Best Epcot Sit Down Restaurants: 15th out of 15

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The Garden Grill – Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Harvest Feast Review at Epcot

by josh on March 9, 2010

Wondering how Coral Reef stacks up against the other Epcot Table Service Restaurants? Check out The Best Epcot Sit Down Restaurants for a comparison of all 15 Epcot restaurants in a variety of categories including Most Unique Menu, Best Value on the Disney Dining Plan, Best Value Out of Pocket, Best Atmosphere, Best Food, and Best Overall Restaurant.

Character Meal

Food Type: Buffet Served Family Style- Steak, Fish, Turkey, Potatoes. Dinner Only.

Dining Plan: One Table Service

Cost: $31.99 for adults, $14.99 for children

Setting: The Chip ‘N’ Dale Harvest Feast is a dinner only character meal featuring Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Farmer Mickey.  Interestingly, the restaurant rotates slowly and the scenery changes throughout the meal.  You will be able to see various areas of “The Land” and get a peek at the boats as they cruise through the Living with the Land ride.

Advantages: Characters spend more time per table than at other character meals.  Dinner is served family style so you don’t have to do anything other than try to eat as much as possible.  The restaurant rotates and it’s fun to see the different areas of The Land.  The atmosphere is calmer than most other character meals, especially if you are seated near the beginning or end of service.  The blueberry dessert is delicious.

Disadvantages: Like most buffets at Disney, the food is generally average, although you should find something you like.  The platters of food are pre-plated so you will be brought everything on the menu whether you want it or not.  Expensive and can get noisy.  Tables are set for four so it’s likely larger groups will be broken up into tables of four.

Value: Below average out of pocket as far as food is concerned.  If character dining is your favorite then this is a great opportunity to interact with the characters and may be worth the additional cost.  As far as the Dining Plan is concerned, it’s a decent value considering it would normally be $32 and is more expensive than many of the other buffets.

Reputation: As far as food is concerned, your $32 is better spent at one of the other Epcot restaurants.  As far as character interaction, there are few places on property where you will get this much individual attention.  The food is decent and most people will enjoy the rolls, salad, flank steak etc. but it’s certainly a lower quality meal than you would get at Le Cellier or Tokyo Dining.  I would recommend the Garden Grill for anyone looking for a mellow character meal with plenty of interaction, but not for those that don’t care if characters are present.  The upside is that the Garden Grill is not a particularly sought after reservation, so you should be able to dine here if the other restaurants are booked solid.

Overall Rank on The Best Epcot Sit Down Restaurants: 11th out of 15

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