Coral Reef, Chefs De France or Rose and Crown
About This Page: This is a discussion on Coral Reef, Chefs De France or Rose and Crown within the Feasting and Snacking: The Eateries at Walt Disney World, part of the PassPorter Community - Boards & Forums on Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel; Which would you choose? We are torn. We have never eaten at any of them. The menus at all three ...

Dingler Disney · 03-13-2012, 09:27 AM

Which would you choose? We are torn. We have never eaten at any of them. The menus at all three appeal to us.

mommadjones · 03-13-2012, 09:32 AM

Our fav is Rose and Crown. Its a must do on each of our trips. This August trip I was going to do LeCellier instead and my family flipped! We have done the other two as well and Chefs was ok, Coral Reef was a huge disappointment. We will NEVER do that one again(I know its either a love it or leave it type of restaurant).You can try for a 7:30 reservation and watch Illuminations while you enjoy dessert.

Dingler Disney · 03-13-2012, 09:37 AM

We actually have 7:45 reservations at Rose and Crown. Did you mean we could see Illuminations from Rose and Crown?

**HiddenMickey** · 03-13-2012, 09:46 AM

If you are seated outside, you'll be able to see Illuminations from your seat if you are still eating at the time. With your reservation time, it's a good possibility. You'll need to make sure you request outdoor seating when you check in at the podium and hope they can accommodate your request.

**Caldercup** · 03-13-2012, 09:57 AM

Coral Reef has good food but very spotty service -- there have been lots of complaints. Until they fix their service/management issues, I won't go back there.

I've never actually eaten at Rose & Crown, but the sticky toffee pudding sounds like something I'd like!

Personally, I adore Chefs de France. It feels exactly like a French bistro in Paris to me. And the food and service have always been excellent.

rella · 03-13-2012, 09:58 AM

We had a 7:45 reservation at Rose & crown...requested an outside table...after about an extra 10 minute wait got it and it was amazing....The food was great (I believe we both got steak) and watching Illuminations was spectacular from our seats. Chefs de France is a must do lunch every visit to WDW...we always get the "pre fixe" meal...and Coral Reef is a hit or miss for us.....we also do that as a lunch....the lobster ravioli is great.

tylerdylansmom · 03-13-2012, 10:01 AM

I like Coral Reef but its another one of those restaurants that you enjoy the view and the food is good but service is horrible.
I havent eaten at the other restaurants but if the menu appeals then i would keep your reservation at Rose and Crown with a chance at seeing illuminations

**TuffyCO** · 03-13-2012, 10:42 AM

We are another that has absolutely horrible service at Coral Reef. The view became non-important when you have two children (who behave great in restaurants) that are getting frustrated and hungry because you have waited for over 2 hours to eat your meal because the kitchen lost your ticket - twice! I don't know if the food was good, because I couldn't enjoy it. This was my DD's birthday meal and we were terribly disappointed. The only good point was the host staff, they had Goofy call my DD while we waited and were really friendly.

Of the other two, we love Rose and Crown! If you get a decent table for Illuminations it is nice from there, we got seated on the upper level of the outdoor seating and couldn't see very well. But we love the food, so it didn't matter.

We also enjoyed Chefs de France but went for lunch. The food was good and service was great.

**chezp** · 03-13-2012, 03:18 PM

Hi and welcome to the boards!

I'd say if you have a 7.45 booking at Rose and Crown, then I'd hang on to that, as you'll hopefully be able to see IllumiNations. As a Brit, I tend to be tough on the Rose and Crown, as it's not 100% authentic British food, but I have to say on our last visit there last April, we thought the quality of the food had improved over a couple of years earlier.

jimmymac · 03-13-2012, 04:17 PM

Rose & Crown gets my vote. We saw Illuminations from the patio last December, and it was fantastic. The food is pretty good too

oceanmarina · 03-13-2012, 05:33 PM

I would avoid coral reef, food was not great, out least favorite meal at WDW. It's really a shame since they have such a beautiful setting with all the fish tanks

**JoanneS** · 03-13-2012, 06:09 PM

I didn't have the best experience at Coral Reef, so I'd go with Rose and Crown. Chefs would be my 2nd choice.

sk8mom6 · 03-13-2012, 07:53 PM

I used to be a really big fan of rose & crown, but wasn't quite so impressed last time.
We added Les chefs de France to one of our last trips as an afterthought and really enjoyed it.
Wasn't ever really impressed with coral reef, and we haven't eaten there in about 20 years (after 2 ho-hum rather expensive meals).

808boneplayer · 03-14-2012, 01:43 PM

I love Rose n Crown. Food is great. If you want a quiet setting that is not the place to be.
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Coral Reef is Ok in my books. However, we were lucky to get a tank side table which probably enhanced our experience. The food in our opinion wasn't bad, but it wasn't memorable.
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Chef De France: I have a huge bias about this place due to our horrible experience.
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First, we were seated in an area that was close to another table... basically, we could hear the next tables conversation and long story short, the couple in question was having a bit of domestics. To top it off, they were seated the same time as us.... so we had to endure it for the entire evening. The waiter was very good about it... he recognized that it was bothering us and tried to move us to another table. We didn't even think of asking to move to another table. The waiter came up to us and said, "I'm sorry but we are packed and can't relocate you to another table. " I thought that was nice of him.
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Second, the food was a bit bland to me however, the desert was amazing. I've been itching to give this another try but for right now I'm not sure.

Best of luck,
TRavis

Teresa · 03-14-2012, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caldercup

Coral Reef has good food but very spotty service -- there have been lots of complaints. Until they fix their service/management issues, I won't go back there.

I've never actually eaten at Rose & Crown, but the sticky toffee pudding sounds like something I'd like!

Personally, I adore Chefs de France. It feels exactly like a French bistro in Paris to me. And the food and service have always been excellent.

1. Agree about the service at CR, but the food was awful when we last went (June 2011) We will NEVER go there again, and it used to be our favorite restaurant at WDW.

2. Yes, the sticky toffee pudding is to die for!! It is NOT pudding - it's a cake-type dessert. It's so yummy! The rest of their menu is also wonderful. Plus, you can people watch AND see Illuminations if you time your meal correctly and sit on the porch.

3. CdF is wonderful!! One of our fave places. The food is great, and the service excellent. My kids love the escargot.