KONA vs The Wave vs Grand Floridian Cafe

[disneyinfebruary]

Which of these 3 do you like the most? Based mainly on quality of food?

Wed like to book one of these 3 restaurants at least once in our plans. We are staying at Poly so would like a closer dinner spot for after MK on party nights and they all have availability.

We have 3 young kids with us but I'm not too worried about them for this decision, we are doing several character meals for them, so for this dinner I just want to eat some really good good, if possible since I know the character buffets are not really top notch dinners.

(also I know for a realllllly good meal we should do a Signature but not really an option with the kids and using 2 TS credits)

Thanks!

 

[JustCor]

I've eaten at Kona and The Wave so far and will be having Grand Floridian Café next week. If food is the ONLY thing, I'd probably give Kona a very small edge, though my comparison is Kona dinner versus The Wave breakfast, so it's kind of an apples to oranges comparison. I enjoyed the sushi at Kona, and I really enjoyed the bread with the macadamia nut butter. I had the buffet at The Wave, and while it was very good, it's still a buffet and there are some items that are a little generic. If we're throwing in other things besides food, I'd eat at The Wave any time over Kona. I found Kona to be exceedingly loud. My friend sat right across from me and I could barely hold a conversation without having to raise my voice considerably. By the end of the meal I had a minor headache and a slight ringing in my ears. As far as atmosphere, Kona feels like a fancied up mall food court location. Not only are you getting the ambient noise of Kona, but everything else happening in that area, like the large groups of people waiting to eat at Ohana, the people offloading from the Mono, the people in the lobby, and the people in the adjacent shops. Like you, I was staying at Poly, so it really is incredibly convenient to get to. It was just a quick walk into the main lobby and up the stairs. I have a hunch that if the comparison were Dinner to Dinner, the Wave may fare better, and combined with a much quieter and relaxed atmosphere, it would be a no brainer for me. I'm looking forward to seeing how GFC compares in terms of food and atmosphere.

 

[disneyinfebruary]

I've eaten at Kona and The Wave so far and will be having Grand Floridian Café next week. If food is the ONLY thing, I'd probably give Kona a very small edge, though my comparison is Kona dinner versus The Wave breakfast, so it's kind of an apples to oranges comparison. I enjoyed the sushi at Kona, and I really enjoyed the bread with the macadamia nut butter. I had the buffet at The Wave, and while it was very good, it's still a buffet and there are some items that are a little generic. If we're throwing in other things besides food, I'd eat at The Wave any time over Kona. I found Kona to be exceedingly loud. My friend sat right across from me and I could barely hold a conversation without having to raise my voice considerably. By the end of the meal I had a minor headache and a slight ringing in my ears. As far as atmosphere, Kona feels like a fancied up mall food court location. Not only are you getting the ambient noise of Kona, but everything else happening in that area, like the large groups of people waiting to eat at Ohana, the people offloading from the Mono, the people in the lobby, and the people in the adjacent shops. Like you, I was staying at Poly, so it really is incredibly convenient to get to. It was just a quick walk into the main lobby and up the stairs. I have a hunch that if the comparison were Dinner to Dinner, the Wave may fare better, and combined with a much quieter and relaxed atmosphere, it would be a no brainer for me. I'm looking forward to seeing how GFC compares in terms of food and atmosphere.

Thank you that was very informative! I've read some good reviews of the wave and the atmosphere sounds nice, I do think that'll be important as I think I'd like our non character meals to be a little break from all the craziness.
I'll see if others weigh in, thank you!

 

[vettegirl]

Out of all of those my favorite is the GFC. The food I and service I have received there has been fantastic. Also the setting is elegant and peaceful.

 

[mama03]

While I do like all 3, I must say the GFC is a must do for us now on our trips to Disney. We ate there for the first time as just a last minute place to eat lunch quite a few years ago and was very pleasantly surprised by the good food but also always getting the best service. But you really can't go wrong with any one of those restaurants in my opinion.

 

[SSRFred]

My order would be The Wave, then GFC and lastly, Kona. We have had many excellent meals at The Wave and enjoy GFC, but if I had to choose food quality, The Wave beats GFC.

The only great thing we had at Kona on our last trip a few weeks ago was the bread and butter. We were all a little disappointed with our meals and it was so loud, DS14 wanted to leave before we were even seated for our ADR.

 

[JustCor]

wrong thread.

 

[JustCor]

..

 

[scrappingbuckeye]

The Wave for dinner - hands down. Very good food!

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

Have had dinner at Kona, lunch at The Wave, never tried GFC. Of those two, I'd pick The Wave hands down! Kona was okay. Not great, but okay. As mentioned, it's kind of loud and open. The Wave is very quiet, relaxing. And the food there was EXCELLENT. All four of us thoroughly enjoyed our lunches and really want to try dinner next time!

 

[JustCor]

doh. Wrong thread.

 

[jesswindsor]

For me it would be Kona, I love Sushi. I have only ate at the wave for breakfast and I thought It was great. We tried the Grand Floridian Café a few trips ago, and we all enjoyed it. If I had to pick between the three I would take a look at the menus and see what I thought most people in my group would enjoy. I really think you will enjoy which ever one you pick.

 

[JustCor]

For me it would be Kona, I love Sushi. I have only ate at the wave for breakfast and I thought It was great. We tried the Grand Floridian Café a few trips ago, and we all enjoyed it. If I had to pick between the three I would take a look at the menus and see what I thought most people in my group would enjoy. I really think you will enjoy which ever one you pick.

Do you happen to know if they serve the same sushi in that little quick serve place right next to Kona? I loved the crab rangoon roll that I had at Kona, but would not want to sit down and eat there again due to the noise. I'd love to pick up a roll from the quick serve place and eat outside if it were an option.

 

[udsweetpea]

The dinner at the Wave is exceedingly better than breakfast and lunch, so it's not too fair to compare. Dinner at The Wave is absolutely amazing, and the service is phenomenal. Dinner is as close to farm-to-table as you'll get anywhere on Disney property. Most of the produce comes from local Florida farms, so it's very fresh and delicious. The meats are top quality and come from humane farms. The cheeses on the cheese board are all top notch and extremely savory.

Both Kona and The Wave are ten times better than GFC, in my opinion. The only thing GFC has going for it is the atmosphere.

 

[shb07]

We had dinner at The Wave our last 2 trips and its the only restaurant we've repeated. The food quality was great on both visits and we had great service.

Last trip we did the GFC for a late breakfast. I thought the food was good and not a terrible price for a table service breakfast.

 

[JustCor]

I finally got to try GFC this past week and I really enjoyed it. I went for lunch and got the Surf and Turf burger and really enjoyed it. I also liked the laid back atmosphere and the classy decorations. I would definitely put it up there with The Wave in terms of how much I enjoyed the food and the ambiance, and would have no problem going there again. I think I liked The Wave just a tiny bit more.

 

[honeybunches]

The Wave is our favorite for lunch and dinner. We go every trip. Favorites - the beef tenderloin, and the sustainable fish with edamame
Kona would be a second (really just for my daughter, who gets sushi for her meal)
GFC was pretty but I didn't find the food to be amazing.