Grand Floridian Cafe or Kona Cafe???

[tinderbox]

We have never been to either cafe. Which is best for DINNER? Thanks.

 

[tinderbox]

We have never been to either cafe. Which is best for DINNER? Thanks.

...or, neither?

 

[dreamscometrue101]

My vote would be for Kona as I had higher expectations for Grand Floridian Cafe and it didn't meet them.

I've never had a bad meal or service at Kona.

 

[TOBS2010]

I would vote for Kona too if choosing between the two. We've never had a bad meal there. The Cafe is nice---but more of a lunch place for us.

 

[brertoad]

Have you read both menus in detail and still can not decide?

 

[tinderbox]

Have you read both menus in detail and still can not decide?

Well, I can decide based on the menu choices (Grand Floridian) but others in my party cannot and wanted recommendations.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I dont like the menu choices at Kona. And i also dont like the atmosphere. its like they stuck a bunch of tables in the hallway of the resort. Just not a fan. Its fine for breakfast or lunch, but i wouldnt do dinner there. My choice would be GF Cafe. I do like it very much. The atmosphere is beautiful, as is the entire resort. And i do love the food there too.

 

[jwfla422]

Been to both - very different I think. GFC is more traditional and the atmosphere is almost like a Main Street USA theme which is something I really like. The food is pretty good and we would return here. You can check out our review with photos here:

GRAND FLORIDIAN CAFE REVIEW WITH PHOTOS (DINNER)

We went to Kona Cafe recently for lunch. It was pretty ok. Lunch does actually have more variety than dinner as dinner pretty much on offers entrees and most with an Asian flare so if you like that type of food you should enjoy it. While I enjoyed my lunch there (I had the Kona Turkey Sandwich) my dd went with a kid's burger and didn't care for it all that much as it was too well done for her. She could have said something but sometimes she likes to play food "mind games" with me and doesn't tell me until the end of the meal? The other issue we did notice at lunch is the sides, particularly the regular fries and sweet potato fries were not hot...at all...almost like they sat in a bin in the kitchen waiting for next entree to be served with it rather than being made for each order. I wouldn't running back for dinner.

 

[jsternad]

I dont like the menu choices at Kona. And i also dont like the atmosphere. its like they stuck a bunch of tables in the hallway of the resort. Just not a fan. Its fine for breakfast or lunch, but i wouldnt do dinner there. My choice would be GF Cafe. I do like it very much. The atmosphere is beautiful, as is the entire resort. And i do love the food there too.

Same.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I dont like the menu choices at Kona. And i also dont like the atmosphere. its like they stuck a bunch of tables in the hallway of the resort. Just not a fan. Its fine for breakfast or lunch, but i wouldnt do dinner there. My choice would be GF Cafe. I do like it very much. The atmosphere is beautiful, as is the entire resort. And i do love the food there too.

I agree. Kona is in desperate need of a refurb. The decor is horribly outdated and the food is mediocre. Yes, if you are staying at Poly and you are looking for a place for breakfast or lunch at your resort, Kona is fine, but I wouldn't make it a dining destination. I would pick GF Cafe. The decor is much nicer and the food better as well. Are you only looking for restaurants on the monorail? If so, I would do GF Cafe. The Wave has very good food as well, but can become quite loud at dinner IMHO. If you would consider an EP resort restaurant, consider Trattoria al Forno or Capt. Grill.

 

[jdisnut]

I'm not a huge fan of either, to be honest, but if I had to choose between the two, I'd still choose Kona. I agree with the above posters that the restaurant is in need of a refurbishment and has slipped over the years, but I've never been a fan of Grand Floridian Cafe. For all its flaws, Kona is usually a pretty reliable meal. Stick with standbys like the sticky wings, the sushi and the stir-fried noodle bowl.

I'd try The Wave at the Contemporary over both, however.

 

[mousehockey37]

I'll take GF over Kona. Got super sick last time for dinner at Kona (apparently the meal I ate, a lot of people got sick off of the same meal, many times over). Granted there is a new chef there now, and we haven't been there since the change, but I'm very leery of eating there again. Also, the service we received at that meal that I subsequently got sick from, was subpar and lacking.

 

[tinderbox]

Thank you everyone! Appreciate you taking the time to help.

 

[Haygar2]

We have not eaten at Kona for anything other than breakfast so I can't help you there. However, we did eat at Grand Floridian Cafe. My husband still talks about the steak. And our waitress was terrific. The rest of us ordered the surf-n-turf burger. It was good. But I don't think I would order it again. It was very rich. I still regret not ordering the shrimp and grits.

 

[PolyRob]

What does your other dining look like for the trip? Staying at Poly, I did 'Ohana and the Luau in one trip and thought dinner at Kona would be very repetitive in terms of flavor. As others have mentioned, Kona is definitely louder and in the open area. You will hear 'Ohana and the people waiting.

GF Cafe is nice and tranquil with solid traditional meal choices. Staying at the GF in tha fall and I have it booked for breakfast and lunch. Hasn't disappointed.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

...or, neither?

I've had an OK but non-impressive lunch at GF Café, and a few meals at Kona Café (which used to be among my favorites) on various trips. If this question had come up before, I'd have recommended Kona, but their recently updated menu does not much appeal to me, so as of now, my vote would be neither.

 

[sotoalf]

The second floor of the Polynesian is a mob scene at breakfast and just before dinner; there is no way to relax with a drink or meal, which is why I can't consider it a deluxe resort. While I've never had a bad meal at Kona, I can't recommend eating there unless it's a late lunch or after taking several sleeping pills.

 

[FSU Girl]

I've never been to either for dinner, but been to both for lunch. I was really disappointed in my meal at Kona, it just tasted very bland. I really liked the Grand Floridian Café and would go back there again. We had made our decision because we had a couple meals already planned at the Grand Floridian and wanted to change it up so went over to the Polynesian. I found both to be easy to make a last minute reservation for.

 

[finleyd]

We love the Grand Floridian Cafe, Kona can get very loud, tables are extremely close together