Kona Cafe Review

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Located at Walt Disney World’s Polynesian Resort, adjacent to the busy ‘Ohana, Kona Cafe is a restaurant that is a not-so-hidden gem. Kona Cafe’s menu adds some Asian twists into traditional American breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant participates in the Disney Dining Plan. It also accepts the Tables in Wonderland card for a 20% discount. Kona Cafe is a reasonably good value on the Disney Dining Plan for lunch and dinner. This review focuses on dinner at Kona Cafe.

The ambiance of Kona Cafe is nothing special, and is really the only thing that prevents it from attaining a perfect score. Essentially, it’s an open-air restaurant that exposes restaurant patrons to the open-air atrium of the Great Ceremonial House. As the Great Ceremonial House is well-themed and relaxing, you might think this is no big deal. Unfortunately, Kona Cafe is adjacent to the incredibly popular ‘Ohana, and even during slower times of the year, guests waiting for ‘Ohana are often loitering about right outside Kona Cafe. To us, this really takes the ambiance down a peg. If you’re seated as far away from the outer edge of the restaurant as possible, you may not notice this, but we’ve never been so lucky.

We last ate at Kona Cafe on our Honeymoon when we were on the Disney Dining Plan, so we received a drink, entree, and dessert. We both ended up ordering the New York Strip Steak on this particular occasion. I don’t know if that’s what influenced me to order the New York strip—what island makes a good steak!?!—but whatever influenced me, I thank. Condensing my meal to a word, the steak was amazing. Everything a steak should be: lean yet flavorful, hearty, and with the perfect amount of fat to give the steak a little flavor without being “fatty.” Honestly, I can’t go on for fear I will head to the airport today for Walt Disney World. The steak was perfect. In addition to the steak, I had mashed Yukon potatoes, which were also amazing.

Then, prior to dessert, our waitress brought us a celebratory treat for our honeymoon. It was a nice touch and something we appreciated, but it doesn’t affect my review of the restaurant either way, as this is probably not something most guests will receive. Still, if you’re celebrating something on your trip, it would be wise to note this when you make your advance dining reservations.

During the course of this trip, Kona Cafe’s steak became the “measuring stick” of Walt Disney World steaks for me. Sarah ultimately ended up preferring Le Cellier’s, but I did not (Le Cellier’s review can be found here). Both had amazing steak. We’ve eaten at Le Cellier a few times now; to me, Kona’s steak was better. When accounting for the whole experience, Le Cellier wins, as our waiter was more knowledgeable and personable. However, this isn’t a review of Le Cellier…

Dessert at Kona Cafe was also excellent and offered a bit of Island flair. The Kilauea Torte, Chocolate Fondue, and Pineapple Upside-down Cake are all excellent choices, and are very appropriate choices for the restaurant. They’re all also reasonably priced, so even if you can’t do an entire meal at Kona Cafe, it may be worthwhile to stop over to enjoy dessert before relaxing on the beach to enjoy the sunset.

Overall, Kona Cafe scores major points not only because of the delicious entrees, but also because it is in our favorite resort—where we got engaged–Disney’s Polynesian Resort. I strongly believe that anyone taking a trip to Walt Disney World, even if not staying at the Polynesian, should head over once for a meal and to soak up the ambiance. Do it on an late-afternoon when the Magic Kingdom is crowded and hot, as it will offer a nice reprieve. The ambiance may not be perfect, but the food here is, and on that basis, it scores well.

To read other Walt Disney World restaurant reviews, organized by location, check out our Disney Dining Reviews Index.

Overall Score on the Disney Dining Brick-o-meter: 9/10

21 Responses to “Kona Cafe Review”

1. Terry says:

   February 24, 2011 at 11:56 am

   I totally agree with your opinion of the Kona Cafe! It’s my family’s all-time favorite restaurant at WDW. I’m glad that you enjoyed your meal there.

   Reply
2. Anna says:

   February 24, 2011 at 6:20 pm

   Agree with your review…..my husband and I LOVE Kona……and we really like Le Cellier, too. It’s just so much easier to get into Kona so we eat there more often.

   Loving your new blog. Have been a long-time fan of your reports and pictures.

   Reply
   • Tom Bricker says:

     February 28, 2011 at 1:37 pm

     Let’s just hope it stays so easy to get into! Since it’s not in a theme park (like Le Cellier), I doubt it will ever be that tough, but it would be a shame for this gem to lose its luster!

     Reply
3. Michelle Schaefer says:

   March 11, 2011 at 11:18 am

   Wow…another new place for us to try in December! I’m a die hard Le Cellier fan so I’m anxious to try Kona Cafe and compare. Having just discovered your blog this morning, I fear I could be spending the whole day reading it! Great job!!

   Reply
   • Tom Bricker says:

     March 18, 2011 at 8:46 am

     Glad you’re enjoying it so far! Thanks for reading.

     Reply
4. Maureen says:

   July 21, 2011 at 6:46 pm

   I have ADR’s for our first Kona Dinner this Sept…..we have only had breakfast… Tonga Toast is a must for me!

   Reply
5. Rose says:

   February 24, 2012 at 7:02 pm

   I just came across your blog. I LOVE IT!! The pics are great and it discusses my favorite topic……..food! You are now in my favorites. The pic of the choc fondue made me drool. That is my absolute fav thing to eat! Gonna be at WDW in 5 days. Now I have to try to get an ADR at Kona:)

   Reply
   • Tom Bricker says:

     February 24, 2012 at 8:41 pm

     Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying the website!

     Reply
6. Justin M says:

   April 6, 2012 at 8:54 am

   Kona is a great spot! I enjoy the Kona Island sushi bar as well, its a great spot to grab a light dinner if you dont want to eat the usually heavy food at MK. You can also order the sushi to your table at the cafe.

   Reply
7. AM says:

   April 6, 2012 at 9:08 am

   I just tried Kona for the first time a couple of weeks ago. What you said about atmosphere is completely true. We absolutely loved our food [it was better than O'hana] but the people waiting to eat sort of ruined our experience. We got seated right against the rail by the Kona menu sign. There were so many people waiting for O’hana, that the people waiting for Kona started to line up in our direction. There were children and parents leaning against the “boundary/rail” without a second thought. It was sort of bizarre and intrusive. I would 110% go again, but I’d ask not to be seated in the same area.

   Reply
   • Tom Bricker says:

     April 7, 2012 at 2:30 pm

     Ugh, sorry to hear that. The really sad thing is that ‘Ohana has such great ambiance, and it’s (more or less) what is CAUSING Kona’s ambiance to be impacted. The open air view into the lobby would be nice if that area weren’t so packed.

     Reply
8. Wendy says:

   April 6, 2012 at 9:43 am

   Yes! I love reading about another Kona fan! I think it is underrated, but if that keeps large crowds away, I guess I’m selfishly okay with that My go-to meal is the ginger-crusted ribeye with broccolini and the yukon gold mashed potatoes. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
   Love your reviews and your humor! Oh and the pictures, too Keep up the GREAT work!

   Reply
9. Melissa says:

   April 6, 2012 at 12:38 pm

   I totally agree with your assessment of the Kona Café’s ambiance. I’ve previously likened it to dining in an airport coffee shop or a mall food court. There’s really no atmosphere to speak of.

   We really enjoy dinner there. We’re not dining plan participants and think it’s a great restaurant for people who dine off-plan like we do. Dinner for two can easily be constructed of one or two shared appetizers and a maki roll from the adjacent Kona Island Sushi Bar. In that sense, it’s a very good out-of-pocket value for a Disney World dinner. Plus, the complimentary pineapple bread served with dinner is delicious.

   Reply
   • Tom Bricker says:

     April 7, 2012 at 2:29 pm

     Good tip on the sushi bar, thanks!

     It’s really too bad about Kona’s ambiance…it’s SUCH a good restaurant otherwise!

     Reply
10. Stephanie says:

    April 6, 2012 at 2:13 pm

    Kona is a must for us, but for breakfast. I always order the Big Kahuna, but mostly its for the pinapple macadamia nut pancakes, and their Kona French Press coffee… yummmm, it’s my favorite coffe ever. We’ll have to give it a go for dinner, but realy no trip to Disney World is complete until I’ve had my Kona breakfast!

    Reply
    • Tom Bricker says:

      April 7, 2012 at 2:28 pm

      I have heard some really great things about those pineapple macadamia nut pancakes and that coffee. I’m going to have to try both sometime!

      Reply
11. Chris says:

    April 10, 2012 at 9:16 pm

    Kona used to have the BEST steak salad on property, but they then changed the recipe a while back. I wish they would bring back the original steak salad! I do enjoy the openness of the restaurant and the view of the entire second floor area.

    Reply
12. Alex B. says:

    September 24, 2012 at 1:22 pm

    I couldn’t agree more with your review of Kona Cafe. My girlfriend and I truly love the food there. Definitely not as elaborate as Ohana but still delivers on the delicious front every time. My absolute favorite thing there is the Kona Cone dessert. It may look like your regular ice cream cone but it’s so much more!

    And ofcourse Tonga Toast breakfast is always a winner!

    Reply
13. Mi Mi says:

    February 9, 2013 at 1:26 pm

    I am rather new to your amazing site, so am catching up on all your insightful observations. LOVE your coverage, your passion for the parks & the hotel experiences!
    I had to comment on the steak/Kona/Hawaii connection…we travel to the Big Island frequently & love it. Towards the north, there is famous Parker Ranch, noted for its beef and colorful past, which is woven throughout Hawaii’s history. Now there are other top beef producers on the Big Island as well. You can read a bit about it at http://www.parkerranch.com
    Speaking of Hawaii…are you planning a review of Aulani Resort? We’d love to hear your take on it before we bring our little grandchildren there!

    Reply
14. Rosemary says:

    May 6, 2013 at 7:13 am

    We love the Kona Cafe. Be sure to try the chocolate banana Creme brûlée. It is fabulous. Sometimes we go there for just the dessert!

    Reply
15. John says:

    May 15, 2013 at 5:38 pm

    Going to WDW the first week in October. I’m planning on visiting MK mid-week, and have made a reservation for Kona Cafe for lunch. Look forward to it.

    Reply