Kona Cafe Review
Kona Cafe is a table service restaurant in Walt Disney World’s Polynesian Village Resort. This review features food photos plus our take on the cuisine, value for money, and ambiance of Kona Cafe. In terms of general overview, Kona Cafe’s menu adds some Asian twists into traditional American breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The restaurant participates in the Disney Dining Plan and 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 those meals at Kona Cafe–we cover breakfast in a separate review.
Being right next to the phenomenally popular ‘Ohana, Kona Cafe is a hidden gem that is sort of hiding in plain sight. It’s only a “hidden” gem to the extent that many guests overlook it in favor of ‘Ohana. I guess the more apt descriptor would be that Kona Cafe is the “ugly duckling.” Whatever you want to call it, the good news is that Kona delivers fairly well in terms of cuisine.
This is despite ambiance that, admittedly, is nothing special. 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, as noted, Kona Cafe is adjacent to the incredibly popular ‘Ohana.
Even during slower times of the year, guests waiting for ‘Ohana are often loitering about right outside Kona Cafe, which is what makes it not-so-hidden of a gem. 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. If you’re seated at one of the tables by the outer edge of the restaurant, it feels almost like eating in a mall food court. To us, this really takes the ambiance down a peg.
Ambiance is important at Walt Disney World restaurants, so that’s no minor issue, but at least the food is generally pretty good at Kona…
We first reviewed Kona Cafe after a meal there on our Walt Disney World Honeymoon when we were on the Disney Dining Plan. We had dined at Kona Cafe previously, but those were before we documented our every meal meticulously, so our “story” begins there. On that trip, we both ended up ordering the New York Strip Steak. 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.” A pineapple teriyaki sauce also gave the steak a different flavor than you’d find elsewhere, which was the perfect Polynesian touch. 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. Some 6 years later, this steak is still on the menu (with minor tweaks), and I can still remember it vividly. Enough said.
On a recent follow-up visit, Sarah had the Togarashi-spiced Ahi Tuna with tempura fried vegetable and red wine reduction. While the tuna–and entire dish–was perfectly prepared, this seemed like a very small dish given the price. The presentation was beautiful, and almost as if the restaurant were striving for fine dining…but Kona Cafe is far from fine dining, so a larger portion would’ve been preferred.
I had the Pan-seared Duck Breast served with Mung, Adzuki, and Cranberry Beans plus Chorizo Sausage and spinach in a Tamarind Gastrique. In terms of taste, Kona Cafe once again hit a home run for me. However, much like my complaint about Sarah’s Ahi Tuna dish, size was an issue here. In fairness, duck entrees tend to be on the small side everywhere, but this seemed like it was on the smallish end of the small spectrum.
Friends joined us for the meal, one of whom ordered the Kona Coffee-rubbed Pork Chop and the other ordered the Grilled Curry-crusted Lamb Chops. The size on both dishes was more in line with what we expect from a restaurant like Kona Cafe, but I could swear that same pork chop was a good 30% larger when I ordered it many moons ago.
The coffee rub made for a unique dish…although I’m not so sure she thought it was unique in must-do way. Both liked their dishes, but I wouldn’t say any of us were dying to get back to Kona Cafe after this meal. Had the portions been in line with our past experiences, we would have felt differently,
During our honeymoon, 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.
Dessert at Kona Cafe was also excellent and offered a bit of Island flair. The Kilauea Torte and Chocolate Fondue are both 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 falls a rung or 3 with this update to our original review. In our original review, I wrote that, “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.” I still agree with the Ghost of Tom’s Past that every guest to Walt Disney World should visit Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, but our recent experience has significantly tempered my enthusiasm for Kona Cafe. If you’re on the Disney Dining Plan and will use those credits for the New York Strip Steak, go for it. Otherwise, you might want to stick with ‘Ohana or even Captain Cook’s during your visit to the Poly. The rest of the menu and the atmosphere of the restaurant simply leave too much to be desired.
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Your Thoughts…
Are you a fan of Kona Cafe? If so, is it for the food, for the Polynesian ambiance, or for some other reason? Have a favorite dish here? Share your thoughts in the comments.
My meal was miserable – fish tacos, with a shell so hard I could neither bite it or chew it. The pasta salad that came with it could not have been more bland.
Kona Cafe is one of my favorite restaurants at WDW! We always go to Kona for lunch (pan-fried chicken plate is very good!) on our Magic Kingdom day. It’s a great break from the park to get away from the crowds and heat.
Another place we chose to eat at based on you crying about how great it is all the time. Okay, maybe not crying but you know…
KC was good. The steak was good. I am just not CRAZY about pineapple on or in my food. I love pineapple alone. If you’re a person who likes having pineapple in or on their food then I can see how that steak would be amazing to you. It was still good though. I just don’t know if I would go back there again?
My biggest criticism about the restaurant is that it’s really just average in terms of theme. It would be nice if they’d do a redesign of it in the later stages of the Polynesian’s big overhaul.
I like nuts (har har) but I like eating them with just them alone. I do not like them in my food. Once I got them out of my bread and butter from there…that was amazing!
So my wife and I tried this for dinner about a month and a half ago for our anniversary trip. We both ordered the Pineapple Teryaki NY Strips as well as the pot stickers as an appetizer.
They were wonderful. And we immediately wanted to book again. We did for 2 days later for breakfast and I thought breakfast was even better then dinner. We tried the Tonga Toast and the Pineapple Macadamia Nut pancakes. Both were great, but the Tonga Toast wins it for me.
We’ve been back twice since then for breakfast and it has easily become one of my favorites.
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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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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.
Good tip on the sushi bar, thanks!
It’s really too bad about Kona’s ambiance…it’s SUCH a good restaurant otherwise!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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:)
Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying the website!
I have ADR’s for our first Kona Dinner this Sept…..we have only had breakfast… Tonga Toast is a must for me!
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!!
Glad you’re enjoying it so far! Thanks for reading.
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.
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!
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. 🙂