Do you remember the episode of Boy Meets World, where Corey follows Topanga to Disney World, in an effort to win back her love, and he spends the day following her around Epcot? Yeah, it left a big impact on my adolescent psyche too. This television episode was the first time I remember wanting to eat at The Coral Reef (because obviously, they ate there). I’ve been a huge fan of this restaurant for years, eating there multiple times with my family growing up on Christmas trips to Disney World, and now with my husband, when we travel to the happiest place on earth. I’m almost surprised that I’m just now getting around to reviewing it, as it’s probably one of the restaurants that we’ve eaten at the most.
The Coral Reef is located in Future World, by The Living Seas. It our opinion, it’s one of the only restaurants in Future World that’s truly worth your time (and money). The Coral Reef is inside an aquarium, and has an ‘under the sea’ theme, that they carry out in a way that feels classy, and not like your junior prom. It really is a cool, ‘Disney’-ish experience to eat dinner while having a whole wall of fish swimming by next to you. The decor mimics an ocean floor, with movement that looks like waves, deep blue tones, blue glassware, and lights that look like shells. The overall effect is versatile – it’s great for a romantic dinner, or fun for the family.
For years the food at The Coral Reef was good, but bordering on nothing to write home about (or blog about, in my case). It felt kind of like mass produced cruise-line food. On our two most recent visits, we were told by our servers that a new Chef had taken over, and introduced many of the new items on the menu, all of which we tried were phenomenal. The Shrimp and Grits was the stand-out item, and is one of the best moderately priced entrees I’ve had at Disney World. The lobster bisque at The Coral Reef is always good, and the new-ish Crab Dip on the menu is fantastic. Several new desserts have been added to the menu, all of which are great.
With the new menu improvements, same fantastic atmosphere, and the fact that it’s only one credit on the dining plan (and not a bad deal if you’re paying out of pocket), we give The Coral Reef very high marks across the board, and highly recommend it.