Kona Cafe - Second Thoughts

[twodancersmom2]

We have a dinner ressie for the Kona Cafe on Saturday, Sept. 20th. This will be our first meal of the trip, and I'm having second thoughts after reading several negative reviews recently. Has anyone eaten there in the past few days? Has something happened to cause a decline in food quality, or is it just a coincidence that several bad reviews have been posted back to back? I decided on this restaurant after reading so many glowing reviews, but now I'm afraid my family will be disappointed. Please tell me if you've eaten there recently and what your experience was. Also, what entrees would you recommend as "can't miss" options?

 

[oeshpdog2]

Ok...it has been a few months since we have been there, but I cannot see things going that downhill in such a short time. We have stayed at and eaten at some places that we thought were awesome and then come home and read of how someone just thought they were awful.

I take reviews with a grain of salt, great and awful. They have a macadamia nut butter for their bread that we wished we could have bought to bring home. The food to us was so much better than Ohana's.

Maybe it is the time of year that people are going. I am hearing that the DDP has created a less than stellar service environment in some of the TS restaurants. We were there in the slow part of December. I remember talking to some folks at the table next to us and we all were raving over the food.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We ate there for dinner once last Oct and DH and I loved the wings, salad, bread and butter and DH's teriyaki steak. I did not like my entree because it was a sweet lo mein not a savory lo mein and I did not read the description (they had just changed it 2 weeks before) so while there was absolutely nothing wrong with it, the flavor was not to my liking.

DH insisted that we go back there next month, he loved it and I am torn between the pork chop or the shimp/scallop dish....hmmmm maybe I will order both?

 

[mom2aredhead]

I know you're looking for more recent, but I went in 12/07 and did not like it. I thought that i must have clearly ordered the wrong thing, or they had a bad day because so many people were just raving about the food there. So I tried it again in May and had the same experience. I actually liked my meal at Rainforest Cafe better than Kina if that gives you any indication.

However, I am a big believer in trying a restaurant at least once (or twice) to form your own opinion. Just because I was disappointed in May doesn't mean you'll be disappointed now. If the menu appeals to you and the location is convenient and you can get an ADR for a decent time, give it a try. There was nothing particularly bad about either meal there, it just wasn't one of my favorites. We're trying GF Cafe this time instead.

 

[RubySlippers]

My DH and I ate there on 9/11 and I would have licked my plate if I was not in public It was sooooooo good! I had the NY Strip and my DH has the Prime Rib . My DH was very impressed and he is hard to please when it come to restaurants. We were chatting with the people next to us and they are locals who go to Kona at least 4 times a month

Ruby

 

[skw444]

We ate there a few weeks ago and it was one of my favorite meals of the trip and we ate at places like Le Cellier and Coral Reef too. The Teriyaki steak was delicious!

 

[ROEDISNEY]

Kona's is great for bk & din

 

[MainStMandy]

We went last week and thought it was GREAT. The bread was awesome...Mom had the Coconut Chicken while I had the strip steak. We saved dessert for later and it was still out of this world. I am an 'Ohana kinda girl and was nervous about this...I was very pleasantly suprised!

 

[Henlady]

We ate at Kona Cafe for supper on Saturday, 9/6.
There were 6 adults, we had:
Appetizers: Crab Cakes, California Roll, Kona Salad, Wings. The appetizers were very good, especially the sushi california roll.

Entrees were: 2 - Teryiaki NY Strip steaks, 2 - Shrimp & Scallops, Pomegranate Pork Chop and Coconut crusted Chicken.

All of food was delicious and well prepared. The steaks were done to a perfect medium as requested. The Teryiaki sauce was delicious.
The shrimp & scallops, rice and sauces were well prepared and tasty.
The pomegranate pork chop was absolutely delicious.
The coconut chicken was tasty.

Desserts: Chocolate Fondue, Coconut Kiki tart, Cheesecake, Banana creme brulee, Kona Kone. Of course all of the desserts were very good. But I do miss the Chocolate Macadamia Tart though.

Our server performed his job well, and was willing and able to answer any questions. The meal was not rushed.

Kona Cafe has become one of our favorite restaurants.

 

[mom2aredhead]

We ate at Kona Cafe for supper on Saturday, 9/6.
There were 6 adults, we had:
Appetizers: Crab Cakes, California Roll, Kona Salad, Wings. The appetizers were very good, especially the sushi california roll.

Entrees were: 2 - Teryiaki NY Strip steaks, 2 - Shrimp & Scallops, Pomegranate Pork Chop and Coconut crusted Chicken.

All of food was delicious and well prepared. The steaks were done to a perfect medium as requested. The Teryiaki sauce was delicious.
The shrimp & scallops, rice and sauces were well prepared and tasty.
The pomegranate pork chop was absolutely delicious.
The coconut chicken was tasty.

Desserts: Chocolate Fondue, Coconut Kiki tart, Cheesecake, Banana creme brulee, Kona Kone. Of course all of the desserts were very good. But I do miss the Chocolate Macadamia Tart though.

Our server performed his job well, and was willing and able to answer any questions. The meal was not rushed.

Kona Cafe has become one of our favorite restaurants.

Was the person that ate the shrimp and scallops hungry an hour later? That's what I had the first time we were there and although it tasted good, 3 shrimp and 2 scallops wasn't exactly what I would consider an entree. A little while later I found myself eating again, which I normally don't do.

 

[twodancersmom2]

Thanks for all of the replies! I feel much better now about going to Kona, actually, I'm really looking forward to it! I do agree that it's best to try things for yourself since everyone's taste is different. Thanks again!

 

[BriarRosie]

We ate there for dinner once last Oct and DH and I loved the wings, salad, bread and butter and DH's teriyaki steak. I did not like my entree because it was a sweet lo mein not a savory lo mein and I did not read the description (they had just changed it 2 weeks before) so while there was absolutely nothing wrong with it, the flavor was not to my liking.

DH insisted that we go back there next month, he loved it and I am torn between the pork chop or the shimp/scallop dish....hmmmm maybe I will order both?

I also ate there last October, and I enjoyed the Prime Rib. My mom ended up ordering the most bland entree ever. (The "Ono" white fish dish.) If I hadn't forced her to return the fish get the pomegranate glazed pork chop, she would have thought Kona was the worst place ever.

When Mom got the replacement meal, the pork chop was outstanding. She gave me a taste of it, and she and I both thought it was one of the best we've ever had. It just goes to show that if you order the "wrong" thing, it can make or break your meal.

The consensus at the table was that the bread and macadamia nut butter had been laced with crack. We couldn't stop eating it, and they had to bring us another loaf.

 

[ReneeA]

We love, love, love Kona. We were there in August for dinner. DH had the Tuna Oscar and I had the Mahi-Mahi...we both loved our dinners. DH was torn between the steak (that almost always gets rave reviews and the Tuna, which he really likes and doesn't eat very often), and he was very happy with the Tuna.

My kids liked their meals as well - Mac and cheese and the kid's grilled fish of the day.

The only thing I was sad about was that I really wanted the Chocolate macadamia nut tart for dessert and they have removed it from the menu . It ended up okay because the coconut tart was really good.

It's the one restaurant that we eat at during every trip.

 

[Henlady]

Mom2aredhead:
Actually, on these entrees, there were 3 shrimp and 3 scallops. Both of those who ordered this dish had appetizers, one had the crab cakes and the other had the California sushi roll, as well as dessert. Both were men(one about 240lb and the other about 200lb) and both were satisified with the quantity of food received. One actually stated that the portions of the food served was perfect as he was able to eat all three courses and be satisfied without feeling like he was bloated or having to leave food on his plate. Neither complained of being hungry later, nor did they eat anything during the remainder of the evening.. We had supper at about 7:00pm.

 

[devonsmommy]

I was just there on Tuesday night for dinner. It was FANTASTIC! I had the teriyaki steak and it was delicious. The potatoes also were great. DH had the scallops and shrimp and he loved that too. The sticky wings were also yummy.

I'll be starting my dining report soon!

 

[beansmom]

i just hope they still make those wonderful macadamia nut lace cookies i had last year. I plan to bring a dozen home!

 

[GoofyKidd]

We ate at Ohana this Tuesday for breakfast and it was one of the best meals I ever had in WDW. I'd jump at the chance to try dinner there. Enjoy! You have to try for yourself-you'll always have positive reviews along with negative ones.

 

[Pirate Me]

We really enjoyed Kona. The Terryaki Strip Steak is amazing, and so are the sticky wings. It was one of the better meals of the trip.

 

[mjhd]

YUM! We ate there on maybe 9/6 or so and it was as good as last year. We all loved it!

 

[liz2d2]

We just ate there (our last Disney meal, *sniff*) on Saturday. After 8 days of Disney Dining, it was exactly the right thing!!! The sticky wings were fabulous and the bread, it was so tasty.

We really needed a lighter meal by this point and it was right on the money. Kona is on my list of must-do restaurants for sure!!