Kona Cafe????? Your thoughts?

[CelestriaSky]

So after reading the most underrated restaurant thread I thought I'd give it a try. I've been trying for weeks to get into Ohana's but nothing was open. I called this morning and got ADR's for this Sunday at 6:45. Made me a little nervous that it was that easy. Is Kona a good restaurant? What should I stay away from?

 

[Disney Ron]

We love it...a must do every trip.

Suggestions are crab cakes, duck potstickers, macadamia mahi-mahi, pan-asain noodles with shrimp, shrimp and scallop combo, terryaki steak, white chocolate cheesecake, and chocolate macadamia tart. Their bread is amazing!!!

We have never been disappointed with any of these choices!

Keep in mind too....they have the best breakfast on property! Tonga toast and macadamia nut pancakes.

Mrs. Disney Ron

 

[sandybobandy]

May I share a few pictures with you? These are from our first trip to Kona. It's our new must do every year-we loved it!!!!!!!!

 

[pammypooh]

While I agree their food is outstanding, both my DH and I were overcome last Friday evening by noise. He said that he thought it was loud on our previous trip too, but last Friday was just crazy loud. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

We also were treated to some youngster at the next table making what sounded like a whistle type sound with his straw. Once. Ok. Twice...still not yet bothersome...14th time was a bit much I thought. Think nails on chalkboard.

Also, we had a table that was along the railing that is beside "lobby" area. At one point a boy of about 7 or 8 was coming along with his hand running down the rail and definitely invaded my space. I thought he might take the umbrella from my drink!

The noise/atmosphere will not prevent us from going again, however we are going to take a break next trip.

As for the food, my favs are the Sticky Wings, Filet, and Kileau Torte. I would stay away from the Prime Rib. Their bread really is good. And if you are looking for a fun drink, the Lapu Lapu comes in a cored out pineapple and really was tasty! Helped a bit too with the noise!

Pam

 

[disneyfreak7]

You will love Kona! It has become our new favorite restaurant! We just ate there in Sept and I can recommend the potstickers, crab cakes, filet mignon, macadamia mahi mahi. I could go on and on. There were 7 of us all together and everyone raved about their food. The desserts were great too! I wish we would have tried this sooner. Can't wait to go back. We only ate breakfast there in 2002 and it was great also.

 

[kldmom2000]

MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm yummy!!! We ate here for the first time in August and LOVED it! The sticky wings were delicious... DH had the Coconut almond chicken and devoured it... I had the noodles/chicken entree and it was wonderful as well

 

[ciera321]

Love, love, love Kona!!! We always eat there twice for dinner and usually once for breakfast every trip. Everything I've had is delicious, especially Kona Chowder, Pot Stickers, Coconut Almond Chicken and all the desserts. It is noisy since it's open to the lobby, but the food more than makes up for it. Have a great time!!!

 

[dopey22]

We also love Kona. Just tried it for the 1st time 2 weeks but we will definately be back!!

 

[MaryD73]

Love it! A must on every trip. I always have the Mahi Mahi and DBF loves the turkey medallions. It can be noisy, so if you are willing to wait request a booth along the back wall. Nice and cozy back there.

 

[Vero4us]

We were there two weeks ago and also enjoyed it. The service was excellent and we didn't find it too loud. I guess it just depends on when you go and who is sitting at the tables around you.

 

[WDWBetsy]

I highly recommend it! We enjoyed 2 dinners and a lunch there this past January/February. Great service, outstanding food - a little noisy, but the food & service was worth it.

Here are some pics from our trip.

(we ate 1/2 the bread before I remembered to take pics)

chicken noodle soup - it was ok

DH loved the Kona Salad

Mmmm... I loved the char-crusted filet mignon & sides - perfect!

DH loved the beef teriyaki & sides

I still dream about this white chocolate cheesecake - we had this for both dinners

The pot stickers were pretty good - I ate one & DH ate the rest

DH ordered the lump crab cakes - I tried one and wished I had picked this!

I thought the Pan Asian Noodles were really good!

DH really loved the prime rib & sides

For lunch, I tried the Asian Noodle Bowl - it was ok; I picked out the noodles, snap peas & beef. Way soupier than I expected & way too many onions for my taste

 

[PrincessPaczki]

My family loved Kona. This will be a must on every trip now. I had the Mahi Mahi and it was wonderful.

 

[Along4theRide]

My whole family LOVED Kona, it was our favorite place to eat dinner when we went. We are gonna try the breakfast next time!!

 

[Minnesota!]

My fave WDW restaurant. Excellent. Teriyaki steak was out of this world. Great service. Love the location.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

We always manage to forget to reserve a table for one of our meals on every trip to WDW and Kona is our go-to choice to fill the spot every time. Although it's not one of our "must-do" Disney restaurants, Kona Grille is still a very good restaurant. The beauty of Kona is that it seems to be forgotten by so many Disney guests. It always seems easy to get a last minute ADR or even walk-up and get a table within 30 minutes, regardless of the season or time of day.

 

[dseth]

Kona was our date spot - due up next in my trip report. I didn't care for the pot stickers myself and I really like duck. The main entree was fabulous, teriyaki steak. Also the macadamia nut tart is GREAT!!

The restaurant is a bit noisey but it didn't take away from the Poly atmosphere. We will eat there again!

 

[Crankyshank]

Excellent food (especially the mahi mahi), but we've always had problems with service when we go.

 

[abirdd]

We are fans of Kona Cafe, especially their lump crab cakes with the fresh pineapple. It's a must have for both DH and I.

I personally adore the Shrimp and Scallops, and ANY of the desserts hit the spot! In fact, our server overheard me say how much I love cotton candy, but so badly wanted the tart that night - so my tart was served with a side dish of cotton candy. All in all, a spot we always visit!

 

[monami7]

My first thought was...I wish I was having dinner there tonight! We LOVE Kona. We go at least once every trip though 3 or 4 times is not uncommon. The service has always been amazing. They really go out of their way to help us. We always get the vegetarian omlet for breakfast. Not always on the menu but they always accomidate! It is fresh and hot and more than enough to share. The coffee is great too.
For Dinner the crab cakes are really good. I adore the ceasar salad there. I know it seems simple but it is the best I have had anywhere. We also like the desserts and sometimes have room for them!
Go and try it for yourself. I think you will be surprised.
Heidi

 

[erikthewise]

In my experience, most of the noise at Kona comes from people waiting to be seated at 'Ohana! Kind of ironic -- why is everyone waiting for 'Ohana when Kona is better? If you are not seated next to the aisle, the noise usually isn't too bad, but there's no escaping the fact that it is designed as a coffee shop atmosphere rather than a secluded quiet restaurant.

The food is great. Even the vegetable bowl was outstanding! I wasn't hungry that night but I gobbled up the whole thing.