Kona Cafe, a hidden gem

[blitzkrieg048]

My DW and I had a fantastic dinner at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian. I don't hear much about this place so when I made a last minute PS this was one of the few restaurants available. My DW had teriyaki sirloin strip and I had Filet Mignon. We were both extremely happy with our meals. They serve foccacia bread with olive oil and paremsan cheese to start you off. We had sticky wings for an appetizer. They even bring you warm moist hand clothes to wipe your face and mouth with, because the wings get a little messy. Unfortunately we were both too full for dessert but there selection looked very tempting. The atmosphere was nice and we had a great meal. Not much beatin' that. I strongly reccommend the Kona Cafe if you haven't tried it yet.

[barbeml]

We LOVE Kona Cafe!

When we stayed at the Poly for a week a few years ago, we had breakfast there every single day (DH wouldn't go anywhere else after we had the 100% Kona Coffee Press Pot!). We also had lunch there once and dinner there once. It is a great place no matter what meal you choose.

[wdw4us2]

We love the Kona! Haven't had a bad meal there - ever. I am disappointed that they took our beloved KoKo Puffs off the dessert menu.

[JMD]

We love Kona as well. We've never had a bad meal there. The Filet, Mahi Mahi, Asian Pasta, Prime rib, all are really good. Plus the prices are very reasonable compared other Disney restaurants.

[PolyHereWeCome]

Oh, I know -- I've been writing its praises since coming home last month! Everytime I see a Kona or 'Ohana post, I have to RAVE about Kona ('Ohana -- good to try once, Kona -- would keep coming back)! Glad you enjoyed yourselves!

[polyprincess2]

Thank you for your review!

We are trying Kona for the first time this summer and I am excited about it!

I hear nothing but great things about the place lately!

We did Ohana last year and it was wonderful. I am sure Kona will be too.

We love the Polynesian Resort, THANKS AGAIN

[islandbeachnut]

We love Kona Cafe also! My favorite is the Mahi Mahi -YUM! :sunny:

[MinnieGirl33]

:ssst: :ssst: :ssst: :ssst:

[oogieboogie]

Kona is my fav restaurant of all. I actually enjoy the lunch menu more than the dinner menu. My all time fav food there is the duck pot stickers and the asian noodle bowl. DH's fav is the Big Kahuna burger, which I have to tell you, is BIG! My FIL loves the BBQ pulled pork sandwich.

I like that it's really relaxing, nice and cool and a great respite from MK on a hot hot day. I also like that during lunch it's never that crowded so I can easily get an ADR or just walk up.

[slimplaw]

We ate there in early May. I had the coconut chicken and it was wonderful. The salad with it had pineapple and strawberries and it was sweet enough to take the place of dessert.

[Madhatter266]

We tried Kona for breakfast for the first time last week. It was great! Love that Tonga Toast!

[Conservative Hippie]

We have an ADR for lunch our first day! It will be our first time visiting the Poly, too. I can't wait!

[lovmy2girls]

We LOVE Kona!!! :love: My husband loves the Kona Chowder! YUM YUM !!! WE ate there 3 times last week. I will post reviews soon with pics. Just thinking about it makes me hungry. !!!!!!! This is a hidden gem.

Don't tell the Le Cellier people, but I would rather eat steak at the Kona, I thought it was excellent.

[Nancyg56]

This is one of our ADR's in August. I can't wait! I know that the little one will not ake it thru an entire day at the MK because she really can' tolerate the heat for an exended period of time, so I think it will be a nice to have a good dinner after relaxing by the pool, then back to the MK for Spectro and Wishes.

[scanne]

We ate there last summer and were treated to a special dessert by the pastry chef - KoKo Puffs!

I know they're not on the menu anymore, but maybe if you ask you can get an order.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a184/scanne/IMG_1645.jpg

[lwilliam]

always a stop for breakfast, but....PLEASE, bring back the Koko Puffs! :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

[Hopefully]

We ate there on our first night at the Poly in April. We all loved it. Great food, nice atmosphere. DIL even thought this was a great suggestion by Nana. That made me happy.
I can't wait to take DH and DS on our next trip. I just hope the word doesn't get out and it doesn't get too busy. :rotfl:

[java]

Hate to burst your bubble but as I was making my ADR's for our July trip(and Kona was on there twice) The CM said that Kona has become THE popular restaurant all of a sudden. He said they are getting more and more booked these days when in the past it was always walk up.
We LOVE Kona! Mahi Mahi for me and Steak Terryaki for DH and the kids are happy with anything as long as they get that Kiddie Kone!

[crisi]

We went - I think its a great value, but that the food isn't exceptional - good for the price. It reminds me of Le Cellier - a restaurant where you can get dishes with "signature dining ambitions" for a table service price. But I don't think either restaurant manages to pull off its ambitions and if your expectations are such, it can be disappointing.

[alyssa810]

We had our first visit this week, and I think it might have been the best meal of our trip! I had the duck pot stickers, filet and macadamia nut tart for dessert. It was all sooooo good! My Dh had the chowder, mahi mahi and banana creme brulee. If only the creme was a different flavor, I would have had it too- but I was really please with what I ordered. I think we'll definitely go back here!

[GOOFY4DONALD]

We ate there last summer and were treated to a special dessert by the pastry chef - KoKo Puffs!

I know they're not on the menu anymore, but maybe if you ask you can get an order.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a184/scanne/IMG_1645.jpg I am planning on Kona...I have heard so many wonderful things. I didn't know if I should have breakfast or dinner....or...both? I don't care if I have to pay OOP but should I go to the same place twice?

[WDWLVR]

Kona cafe is a favorite of DH and I. He loves the beef teriyaki salad! We just stayed at the Poly last week and went to lunch twice. Once right after we checked in. It has gotten more popular as it was the busiest I've ever seen it.

[maggs]

We LOVE Kona Cafe! We had the best meal ever at Kona in August. It is the first time we had eaten there and the food and service were awesome. The mahi mahi is the best entree I have ever eaten at WDW.

Maggs

[Octoberbeauty]

We ate there on our trip last week and loved it! At first I was disappointed because I couldn't get an Ohana reservation, but after eating at Kona I was glad I couldn't get it!! :Pinkbounc The food and service were wonderful!! I did ask about the KoKo puffs and our waitress said they only make them for special occasions like anniversaries. Told her I was on my honeymoon, but that didn't get me anywhere. lol

[diswedwish]

I found Kona in May - my mom and I had had a fairly bad day and a bad experience at another restaurant earlier. But the CMs at Kona went out of their way to show us true Disney magic :goodvibes The food was great, the service was wonderful, it was just a perfect dinner. I wrote a letter about our server when we returned home, and I got a call from her manager so I know she got it :teeth: 3 more weeks and we'll be back :Pinkbounc

[DLBDS]

We enjoyed our quiet breakfast there during our trip earlier this month. I had the famous Tonga Toast and I even ate it with *gasp* SYRUP! On the side of course. It was wonderful. I'm definitely getting that again.

[NurseJamie]

This is the ADR I'm most psyched for on our next trip - breaskfast at Kona!! Macadamia Pineapple pancakes are waiting for me! :woohoo:

[luvmarypoppins]

Our family actually prefers it over Ohanas, a little more quietier and you dont feel like you are busting your gut from overeating.

[Bunchkin]

We ate at Kona for the first time just a few months ago and it was WONDERFUL!!
The food was so good and the waitress was just the best. :teeth:
She was great with the kids and very attentive all around.

I would go there again in a heart beat!! :thumbsup2

[pigletforever]

We ate there on our last trip and it is a must do everytime now. Make sure you ask for Debi as your server. She is wonderful. :cheer2:

[Funniebunny]

Hi all, I would love your input please?

I'm trying to decide where to eat after my wedding at Sunset Pointe, Polynesian next November. I was looking at OHanah's but I'm not sure my guests will like the food so now I'm looking at Kona Cafe. Do you think this will be a good option as we will be in wedding attire?

[MyGoofy26]

It's a little on the noisy side, and the restaurant is wide open to the upper level of the building so if it gets crowded in there some of that noise can spill over into the restaurant. But then again, most restaurants at Disney are at least moderately noisy. If that doesn't bother you (just giving you a heads up in case you were looking for "intimate" dining) they seem to do well with big parties. We sat next to a pretty large group on our last trip and the servers really took care of them. The food is just . . . yum. Even plates I saw being carried past us of things I haven't tried looked mouthwatering. If it were me trying to choose between the two I'd definitely go Kona. You don't get the MK view, but the food is 1000 times better and you can always walk out to the beach in the evening after your meal to relax and gaze out over the lake to the MK . . . maybe even time it out so you're wandering out as the Electrical Light Parade makes it's way past the Poly and/or Wishes begins at the MK.

[Grumpy92]

I wouldnt call it hidden anymore. The secret is out. Getting into Dinner or Breakfast if difficult most of the year.

I wouldnt suggest Ohanas for a wedding party. Lots of family's with children and the cast promotes fun games throughout the dining room. Konas is open to the lobby and can get very noisy.

Suggestions: Citricos, Flying Fish, Cal Grill, Artist Pt, Yachtsmans Steakhouse, or Narcoossees.
These restaurants have separate areas where your party could be seated together and it wont be as noisy.

[minniemomof3]

I am glad to hear such great reviews of Kona. We are trying for the first time in January and are really looking forward to it.

[alldiz]

i am also trying kona in january....

just mom and I....DD will be in neverland club :wave:

last trip she was actually upset no kids club most nights :confused3
kerri

[winterman]

Our family actually prefers it over Ohanas, a little more quietier and you dont feel like you are busting your gut from overeating.

We ate at Kona for the first time in Sept. DH and I both loved the food and the service was very good. But I can say nothing good about the atmosphere. If the noise level was lower in Kona I can't imagine how noisy Ohana must be. We thought Kona was incredibly noisy and the tables were way too close together. It was impossible to have a quiet conversation. We weren't expecting Kona to be noisier than the food court at POP. That said we will go back on our next trip - the food was great.

:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

[minijeanie]

okay I will admit food is good but I found ambience lousy......

seems more like a diner to me without the walls.


Is this just me???

[ppony]

We just ate there last week. We had had breakfast there 7 years ago I think and weren't overly impressed THEN but then again, breakfast anywhere never seems to do squat for us. But dinner THIS time was an AMAZING, experience! Honestly we loved it the most of ALL our dining during our 11 day trip. I SO wish we could have gone back there! The food we had was TOP NOTCH. Honestly, I liked it every much if not more than Jiko an Bluezoo. Sorry Bluezoo fans. There just wasn't much there for a non-seafood eater like me. I went for the hubby. He liked it very much but enjoyed Kona better. The food was still good but I wasn't favenbous about it liike I was my teriyaki filet! MMMMMMMMM! :cloud9: And that white chocolate cheescake! I wanted to go there just to see if I could get one to go it was SO GOOD! I've NEVER had a craving for cheesecake before that one!

It's a MUST do!!!!!

[ppony]

I just had to add this! This is a little piece of HEAVEN! And I'm not one to bother to eat cheesecake more than once every couple years but something about this, pehaps that little "fan" (which I didn't like as much as the rest of it) it had caused me to want to try it and after such a spectacular meal there, I was even MORE motivated to try something! Hubby and I REALLY should have gotten one for each of us because it was alsmot a rush to see who could eat more of it without looking like they were trying to scarf more than the other. :rotfl:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o226/ppony123/food%20pix/IMG_0130.jpg

[Disney owl]

Thanks for the review

[dawgfan]

I really want to try this place and want to do so even more now.

[swankybeth]

Thanks for the reviews everyone! :goodvibes

[loveDmouse]

Thanks for the review. Might have to try it out.

[Minniespal]

Another Kona fan here:thumbsup2

[AussieAngel]

Hmmm, does anybody else have any more photos of Kona food?!

That would be lovely!! :banana:

[caribear]

We really enjoy Kona Cafe! I love the Mahi-Mahi....I always order the same dish whenever we go! I found that if you sit in the back corner of the restaurant it it much quieter. We usually get seated in the front near the railing....but the back seems much more relaxed.

[Lilo'sMom]

We had lunch in Kona Cafe in December and it was wonderful! I was able to order Tonga Toast for lunch and was in paradise! Our daughter had the best dessert of her trip - will try to add a picture

/Users/Brian/Desktop/happiestplaceonearth.jpg

[Lilo'sMom]

alright... sorry about that, I can't add pictures yet. :sad1:

[disneyfan551]

To the OP...The last time that we went (9/06), I had the filet and it was fabulous! But, I'm torn between it and the terriyaki steak for our next trip... :confused3 Did either of you prefer one over the other, since you had them both at your meal?

Thanks!:)

[OKWAnneMarie]

We love the Kona! Haven't had a bad meal there - ever. I am disappointed that they took our beloved KoKo Puffs off the dessert menu.



The last time I was there, the chef made me the KoKo Puffs (because I begged!). I just asked nicely and they accomodated me.

[rluey29]

What are KoKo Puffs exactly?

[disneynewbeemom]

What's the kiddie cone? Are there any nuts in it? Does anyone have a picture of it?

[minniemomof3]

We love Kona Cafe! The crab cake appetizers were excellent.

[Punkin's Mom]

Is Kona fancier or more casual than Ohana? Is it a good place for young kids (6 and 3)?

[jenr812]

What are KoKo Puffs exactly?

I was just about to ask this! I can't wait to try Kona in May:banana:

[kabbie]

I haven't been to Kona, but am planning on having breakfast and lunch my next trip. I have even decided what I want to order.

Breakfast: Tonga Toast & Lilikoi juice (thinking about the press pot of coffee, but it's just me and I can only drink 1 cup)

Lunch: Sticky Wings, Poly Plate Lunch & Kilauea Torte

I am looking forward to my first Kona experiences!

[shovan]

Kona Cafe, a hidden gem

Yes it is! Shhhhhhhh don't tell anyone!:goodvibes

[Minnesota!]

Mmmm - I was there last May. Had the Hawaiian Plated Lunch (the Terriyaki Fried Steak, I think it was). It was FANTASTIC! Our server was great. DH and DS loved their food, as well!

[klinlin]

What's the kiddie cone? Are there any nuts in it? Does anyone have a picture of it?





I'll check Food Porn Thread. I am sure there is a picture on there. I can't remember about the nuts, but I'm sure you can get it with out. It is an ice cream cone standing up surrounded by cotten candy. My boys loved the look of it. They are no longer on the kids menu for dessert though. You have to pay OOP. http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=8443570&postcount=394
Is Kona fancier or more casual than Ohana? Is it a good place for young kids (6 and 3)?
The food here is exceptional, but the atmosphere is like a diner. No problem to bring kids.

[dawgfan]

Thanks for the review.

[Disney's Fab 4]

Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum!!!!!!!

I am booking my dinner tomorrow.... Ok... But what are KoKo Puffs? Same thing as kiddie cone?

[kritter]

Do they serve dinner there too??

Also how many table credits to eat there??

[PamNC]

I totally agree with. We love it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's a great choice and not that expensive, as far as Disney restaurants go.

I had that steak you mentioned - it was yummy!

And, of course, you can't beat the Tonga Toast for breakfast and the delicious press pot of Kona Coffee. Or the Kona blend, either one. I always buy 2-3 bags to bring home with me. My DH can make the Tonga Toast as good as the Kona Cafe so some mornings we make our Kona Cafe breakfast and pretend we're there. We bought a recipe book, Cooking with Mickey I think it's called, and he is a really good cook. He can make a lot of that stuff just as good as Disney.

Ahhhhh....a man who can cook. Who could ask for anything more?

PamNC

[jenr812]

Do they serve dinner there too??

Also how many table credits to eat there??

We haven't eaten there yet, but we do have dinner ADRs for May, so yes, they do serve dinner. I have heard it is amazing. It is 1 TS credit per person:thumbsup2

[hygienejean]

We love Kona too!

[zalansky]

Just ate there last week for the first time in dining plan....IT WAS FABULOUS! I can't tell enough people how much I enjoyed this place but it will be a must do for us, every trip.

I had the Kona Salad, Filet Mignon and Banana Creme Brulee for dessert. TO die for! Wanna go back NOW!

Enjoy all....

[alldiz]

IMO...Dinner at Kona is the best 1 TS on property....

Havent had lunch or bkfst yet....

My next trip in may....we will go to kona 2x...:yay:
It was our 1st meal last trip.....and the whole week...
we kept wanting to go back...

Lets stop this thread the place will get to crowded;) ;) :goodvibes
Kerri

[kritter]

Would you guys say it is better than Ohana's?? I have ADR there and was wondering if I should change them to Kona's????Thanks!!!!!

[thptrek]

We had dinner at Kona two weeks ago and we thought is was just ok. The big problem was that the place was tremendously understaffed. Our waitress was all over the place. Taking orders, busing tables, bringing out food, etc.

We just about opened the wine bottle ourselves. Our food was good but it was cool such that it was obviously sitting around waiting to come to our table.

I think we would have enjoyed the meal more if the service was just not so bad. The waitress was pleasant but no way can one person be expected to all that she was trying to do.

The setting of the place is very nice.

[always on vacation]

We're going next month for the first time. I hope they still have the filet on the menu as our friends are joining us & they cancelled their ressies at the Castle since they took the filet off the menu & decided to join us at Kona, although they are eating at Le Cellier & Concourse Steak House with plenty of chances to have a filet there. I was hoping for some good fish at Kona & Spoodles.