Reviews of Kona Cafe Lunch/Dinner
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Menus at Kona Cafe
Reviewed by Villeguy Review Date: 10/24/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We ate at Kona on Sunday, September 28th before heading over to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. This is one of our favorite places to eat in Disney World. Truth be told we have at least 10 places we call our favorites. The food and staff at Kona is stellar. We started off with the Cucumber Roll. They were perfection on a plate. You can't go wrong with some of the freshest ingredients. Entrees consisted of the Grilled New York Strip Steak each. The meat was so tender it melted in your mouth along with the accompanying molasses-bacon butter. The fingerling potatoes were roasted to such a delectable crisp. Kona is a truly hidden gem and we are so happy that we have shared this place together for so many years and we pray for many years to come.
Pros:
Great Atmosphere, and Great FoodCons:
—Reviewed by Rosebud Review Date: 10/15/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Visited Disney in August and arrived around 11:00. Check-in was quick since we had club level.
We were all pretty hungry (5 adults, 4 kids) and took a chance that we could get in to Kona, which we did. Of course for the rest of our 10 days, it was impossible, so I would caution everyone - reservations are a must for both Kona and Ohana. With only two table restaurants, the Poly is touch and go. I wish they would reopen Tangaroa Terrace.
Anyway, food was very good, drinks same. The desserts were incredible. I highly recommend this restaurant.
Pros:
Food, dessert, waitstaffCons:
NoneReviewed by Environmentalist Review Date: 07/23/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
This is the second time I've eaten at Kona Cafe. The food is amazing here. There is a great variety of menu options and the flavors are top notch. Truly a Disney hidden gem, as many people don't seem to know about it. There were empty tables while we were there at the dinner rush, which surprised me.
The only con is the noise factor - not within the restaurant, but from people walking through the GCH from the monorail and from people waiting for dinner at Ohana. It did get a bit loud at times and made it harder to hear, even though we were near the back wall of the restaurant.
Even with the noise, be sure to try Kona Cafe while it is still there. Rumors are flying that Disney will close it during the construction at the Poly and replace it with something else.
Pros:
Great variety and flavors, amazing dessertCons:
Open air environment to GCH can be noisyReviewed by slpayne Review Date: 04/01/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
We waited about 10 minutes for our table. My only complaint is that I'm not a huge fan of the atmosphere. It just seems a little diner-y. Food however was very good. I had the potstickers and DH had the teriyaki steak. We'll probably come here on a future trip, but it's not one of our "must dos".
Pros:
Good foodCons:
Atmosphere is a little lacking.Reviewed by SheenaXena21 Review Date: 12/30/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
This place is usually the best of the trip, and this trip it did not disappoint.
The steak and desserts are great!
I ordered one of the Kona beers, and it was too bitter for me. That was the only negative, but that was because of personal dislike.
Pros:
Food and serviceCons:
waitReviewed by nursenita Review Date: 11/29/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
Overall, the food was good, dessert excellent but the service was the worst. We often had to flag someone down to get service, everyone seemed to be so busy doing nothing.
Pros:
good food,good dessertsCons:
serviceReviewed by 2SweetFlowers Review Date: 11/20/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
The Kona Cafe has long been a last-night-of-vacation dinner tradition for us, but after dropping our favorite almond coconut chicken with salad from the menu, we may need to find another restaurant and start a new tradition. We were extremely disappointed in the revised menu and really had a hard time finding anything we even wanted to order. The chicken dish now offered on the menu was rather nondescript despite the curry sauce. The kona coffee rubbed pork chop was delicious, but we didn't care for the mushroom bread pudding served alongside.
Pros:
Bread and DessertCons:
Disappointing Menu ChangeReviewed by HOBBES Review Date: 10/31/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
I had never seen this restaurant before so had originally planned on using it for an anniversary meal until people on discussion boards warned me it was not quiet and romantic. I am very pleased we decided to still try it though. We came on a Saturday lunch and although quite noisy-it is open no walls between the restaurant and the hotel lobby-and to begin with there was hideous high pitched whistling coming from somewhere that was driving staff and guests alike crazy, it was a most enjoyable meal. We skipped a starter and went straight for the main event. DH had the Teriyaki steak dish and I had the turkey sandwich. It was huge-it would have fed us both. The waitress very kindly let me sub the pear slaw for sweet potato fries which I split with DH, who gave me his pasta salad in return. Both fries and salad were delicious. DH loved his steak-it had never occurred to him to try a steak with a sweetish sauce before but he enjoyed it. Although not the greatest cut of steak you will ever see, he said it was tender and there was nothing left on his plate at the end. I had the crème brulee for dessert and DH had the kilauea torte. The crème brulee was delicious-even DH liked it and he is not keen on banana taste. His torte was very nice too although I didn't get to share much...We enjoyed our meal and will certainly pencil it in for an escape from theme park dining next time.
Pros:
a really different set of items on the menuCons:
quite noisy and openReviewed by EleanorofAquitaine Review Date: 07/07/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
We love the food at Kona and always eat at least one breakfast there when we stay at the Poly. This trip, we also ate lunch there twice. We love being able to walk up and get a table without a reservation. My DH is madly in love with the tuna sandwich at lunch and had talked about it from the time he had one during our trip in March until we went back in June. He ordered it both times we ate there this trip and raved about it again. I had the teriyaki steak lunch the first day and it was okay, but the sides were fabulous (sticky rice and pasta salad) and my only complaint about the divine pineapple salsa is that there wasn't enough of it. The second day, I ordered the pulled pork taco and it was fabulous. The pasta salad was underseasoned both days and I requested salt. Yes, I know chefs want us to believe their food should never be tampered with because they have seasoned it properly to begin with, but this was not Victoria and Albert's or Jiko's. I needed salt. The first time, the waiter never got it to me until he brought the check-- my pasta salad was long gone. The second day, having learned my lesson, I asked for salt when I ordered, but still got it midmeal. We also had difficulty getting drink refills, even for water. Still, the food is very good, especially at breakfast. I always get Tonga Toast and DH often gets the fruit in the pineapple. We share both and its a great way to start a Disney day.
Pros:
not overcrowded, great selection, Tonga Toast!Cons:
wait staff not always attentiveReviewed by mrodgers962 Review Date: 06/17/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
This was probably our favorite restaurant of the entire trip. We enjoyed the relaxed environment of this restaurant. Nobody rushed us. My husband enjoyed the strip steak and I enjoyed the mahi mahi. This is one of few restaurants that offered more than chicken nuggets and hotdogs on the child menu. My child had the grilled fish with rice and veggies. She also had fruit for dessert since she ate our desserts the entire trip. I would definitely return to this restaurant!
