first day dinner?

[beksy]

We are going to Epcot right after we arrive and I've narrowed it down to two meals for the first evening...coral reef and garden grill. It will be me and dbf (who's never been) and I keep debating between the two. We are doing some world showcase meals later in the week. TIA! :mickey:

[jonah'smom]

We have not eaten at Coral Reef yet, but we're booked for both Coral Reef & Garden Grill on our next trip. Personally I would go with Garden Grill for a first night dinner to kick off the trip with the characters, especially for a first timer. Plus, I love the food & revolving through the Land at the Garden Grill, but that's just my opinion.

[ThanxForNoticin]

You should probably take a look at the menus for both places here on Intercot. We have found the Coral Reef menu to be a little expensive and lacking at times - but that doesn't mean you won't love it. Look up the menu and see which suits you better. Given your two choices, we would go with Garden Grill. Have a great time.

[gojoe]

We went 2 years ago. Limited menu and poor service. It like a French restaurant over priced and poorly service. I've caught a few recent reviews and I don't think things have changed. It's always busy because of it location. Were else can you eat with the fishes. Go anyways just to see it. If you can overlook the small over priced portions and bad service. You may get lucky. The kids remember the fish not the food.

[mouseketeer mom]

Oh boy. Thats a tough one. We love them both.
Garden grill- Love the characters, love the rotating restaurant, and mostly, love, love love the food. It is family style all you can eat and this is a consistent choice for us. We love this place. Friendly and warm. Character interaction seems more private then other places due to the set up of the restaurant.
Coral Reef- A unique, one of a kind, never seen this before, kind of place. Its atmosphere is terrific, the food, for us, has been consistently delicious. The tank is just wonderful to have as a backdrop. We've repeated this choice too.
Sooo...what would I pick? First, I'd look at the menus, both very different, see if one appeals more then the other. Then I'd see if I had any other family style meals planned for our trip, if not, I'd choose Garden Grill. It would be a wonderful kick off to your trip. Its relaxed and not a traditional menu, the family style is terrific.

[ElenitaB]

I agree with MouseketeerMom!

How long is your day going to be on your first day? Are you leaving very early in the morning and will be tired from your flight? If so, Coral Reef might be a quieter (maybe... but certainly more visually soothing) place to have a (maybe)more romantic dinner. Is your DBF up for the characters and a lot of fun? Then I'd choose Garden Grill: great character interaction (be sure to get your DBF a "first time visitor" button from EPCOT guest services... it's located to the left of Spaceship Earth as you enter the park), really good food and a cool rotating restaurant.

Have fun!

[pluto 77]

I too say Garden Grill. It just has a great disney atmosphere and great food.

Sorry to go off topic, but do they still have characters at the Garden Grill cause I thought they did away with the character meal there?????:confused:

[TinkerbellT421]

I too say Garden Grill. It just has a great disney atmosphere and great food.

Sorry to go off topic, but do they still have characters at the Garden Grill cause I thought they did away with the character meal there?????:confused:

They did away with the Lunch character meal. They still do it for dinner.

[ElenitaB]

The character lunch ended in October, but the dinner still exists. It's our favorite place to hobnob with Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale. I'd hate for them to do away with it.

[TinkerbellT421]

If I wanted it to be a nice relaxing "romantic/quiet" dinner for it being the first night there I would do Coral Reef and I do prefer the food at Coral Reef than Garden grill if I had to choose between the two (IMHO).

But if I was in the mood to have fun and start it off with a bang no matter how tired I was I would go with Garden Grill...especially since I love the characters and its fun.

But those are just my opinions. Either way your going to be in Disney and having a blast! WOOOHOOO! :mickey:

[kemps@wdw]

If I had my "druthers", I'd do GG w/a first-timer! (IMHO) The CR has great atmosphere, and the food...well...they have a great atmosphere!:D The GG has good food, good value, and good atmosphere! :thumbsup:

[Hull-onian]

For value and service, I recommend the Garden Grill. We found it to be fun, and the service was very good. On the other hand, it is up to you to choose. Make ressies at both places, then decide, depending on where you are in Epcot and what time you will near your dining destination.

[stitchaholic]

we loved the garden grill,really cool that it rotates around the epcot greenhouse and that you are eating fresh food from below,the catfish was really yummy and the characters were really great and seemed to hang around longer than in the other places.

[Ropachs]

We don't care for the Coral Reef menu so it's an easy choice for us. We love Garden Grill. The character interaction and time are the best, the food is great, the setting is neat. Nothing negative to say about it!