Kona or the Wave?

[rachellm]

When I made my reservations months ago, Kona was one of the meals I was most excited about. The menu looked great, the reviews were mostly good, I thought it was a great option.

Lately though, the reviews have been less than stellar. And I just checked the menu (updated in August) and there's no red meat?!? Is the menu wrong or did they really remove the beef from the menu?

Either way. I was able to get a reservation at the Wave for next week. Should I stick with Kona or switch to the Wave?

 

[KristinAnne]

I've been looking at these two also. While I haven't been to either, my instinct is to choose The Wave when the time comes for me to book. The menu looks more appealing to me right now.

 

[FireDancer]

I think both are great. I prefer Kona for lunch and The Wave for dinner.

 

[Carrie772]

I believe the wave might be a more complete dining experience. Kona is very open to the lobby area of Poly, and although I love the Poly, there is a level of hotel noise coming into the restaurant that I just don't like. Never been to the Wave, but pix look very nice.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We cancelled our Kona dinner for the Wave and were so glad we did, the food was incredible at the Wave and it was more like a signature dining experience than Kona...much quieter and calmer

 

[winterman]

I just checked the menu on the WDW web site and it listed 2 different steaks for dinner.

I usually eat seafood in restaurants but I had the filet at the Wave and it was very good.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

We dined at both back in December. Although my Kona dinner was good, my dinner at the Wave was superb!! I've stated in other posts here on the DIS about the Wave that what I had was so good I could've licked my plate clean. We will do Wave again in the Spring. Kona however is not on the agenda.

I just looked at the menu on allears.net and it looks like they are doing a price fixed menu called Chef's Experience and if you scroll farther down you will see the whole menu which included a Ribeye and a New York Strip Steak.

 

[rachellm]

Good to know about the menu. I'll have to check allears for all the places we're going to see if it's different.

I was looking at this one...

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?Restaurant.ID=188

Entree/Main Course

Coconut Almond Chicken - Sauteed chicken breast served with Asian greens tossed with honey lime dressing, golden pineapple, strawberries, and toasted almonds. - $16.99
Miso Glazed Mahi Mahi - Served with asian Noodles and Baby Bok Choy - $21.99
Pan-Asian Noodles - Asian egg noodles with sliced chicken, pineapple, seasonal vegetables, and a House-made sweet-and-sour sauce. With shrimp $17.99. Can be made vegetarian upon request. - $17.99
Pomegranate BBQ Pork Chop - Served on pan-roasted Fingerling potatoes and Applewood smoked bacon with braised Swiss chard. - $21.99
Shrimp and Scallops - Panko breaded shrimp and pan-seared scallops with sticky rice and Ponzu, spicy guava, passion fruit, and wasabi cream sauces. - $20.99
Tuna Oscar - Served with fried green tomatoes, tempura-fried jumbo lump crab, and wasabi hollandaise. - $22.99

 

[got2lovedisney]

I guess it depends on personal preference...my BF didn't like The Wave but is eager to go back to Kona Cafe.

Look at the menus and see what looks most appealing.

 

[helloirishkitty]

I like the wave for a quieter dinner. I usually only go to Kona for lunch, but I agree with PP, it is open to the lobby and usually noisy.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

I believe the wave might be a more complete dining experience. Kona is very open to the lobby area of Poly, and although I love the Poly, there is a level of hotel noise coming into the restaurant that I just don't like. Never been to the Wave, but pix look very nice.

This exactly!

I have dined at Kona. The food is great, but I agree, the atmosphere is not so wonderful. I have NOT dined at The Wave, but I have peeked inside and loved the atmosphere...so even if the food is as good as Kona, I would choose it over Kona.

Have fun!

 

[jdisnut]

Surprised by the results and always amazed by how fast popular opinion changes around here. A few months ago, Kona garnered nearly unanimous praise and The Wave received a decidedly lukewarm response. When did things change so drastically?

Not saying anything new here, but to anyone looking for suggestions, please recognize the overall herd mentality of these and other boards. I still love Kona and highly recommend it. Considering the trend of this place, people will start coming out of the woodwork now defending it.

My advice: Trust your gut. You will likely enjoy both restaurants.

 

[ShuisFan584]

I've never been to the Wave, but I love love love Kona Cafe! I've been there quite a few times. The food there is always great and the desserts are even better.

 

[honeydiane1953]

I think both are great. I prefer Kona for lunch and The Wave for dinner.

ditto

 

[onejellyshelly]

Kona has always been a favorite of ours. Everytime we go we always have a great meal, great service, and I have never thought of it being loud. The steak is wonderful.

 

[Carrie772]

Surprised by the results and always amazed by how fast popular opinion changes around here. A few months ago, Kona garnered nearly unanimous praise and The Wave received a decidedly lukewarm response. When did things change so drastically?

Not saying anything new here, but to anyone looking for suggestions, please recognize the overall herd mentality of these and other boards. I still love Kona and highly recommend it. Considering the trend of this place, people will start coming out of the woodwork now defending it.

My advice: Trust your gut. You will likely enjoy both restaurants.

I am not saying to choose the Wave because I am following the crowd. I still love Kona too, and all the food there is great. I didn't say what I said because of a trend.

 

[Belle5]

We have been to Kona many times (12+) and to the Wave twice. I would choose the Wave.

 

[drenalin'junkie]

We can never decide so we end up doing neither or both.A good dilemma.

 

[DisneyCaliCouple]

We did not care for The Wave at all. We were really looking forward to this place after reading the menu. In the end, it was our least favorite restaurant from our trip. The food was not that good. We are not huge eaters and it left us still feeling hungry because there was so little of it. (We ended up getting something else about an hour after we ate.)

 

[Belle5]

We did not care for The Wave at all. We were really looking forward to this place after reading the menu. In the end, it was our least favorite restaurant from our trip. The food was not that good. We are not huge eaters and it left us still feeling hungry because there was so little of it. (We ended up getting something else about an hour after we ate.)

I am surprised to hear that! I could see possibly feeling hungry if you only ordered entrees...but with the amazing (and somewhat heavy) bread to start with, any appetizers (a few of us had salads), entrees and desserts-- both times our party of nine left feeling pleasantly full--once at lunch, once at dinner.