Disney Dining Review: Kona Cafe at Disney’s Polynesian Resort

Hello everyone! Today we are at Kona Cafe in the beautiful Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. This dining location was recently remodeled, and the restaurant looks gorgeous. I have never eaten here before, I know I’m a horrible Disney fan, so I am excited to try this place out. The menu seems to be right up my alley, and everything looks delicious.

First, let’s see how Disney describes the table service restaurant.

This relaxed café infuses a bit of Asian zest into traditional American meals and features an onstage sushi kitchen.

Disney World Website

Grab your chopsticks or forks, and let’s dive into this meal.

Appetizers

Craig ordered the glazed chicken wings for his appetizer. He mentioned that this item had been on the menu for a while. After taking his first bite, Craig let us know that the wings were perfect and sticky, then further explained how they should never leave the menu.

Ordering my appetizer was a little tricky with my dairy allergy because, at the moment, they did not have any more allergy-friendly bread rolls available. After the server relayed that information to me, they recommended I try the Hamachi Tuna Roll, being the most expensive appetizer. I can say that the sushi was delicious, and the tuna was noticeably fresh. I wouldn’t typically order an appetizer at this price point, but if you want some sushi before going to the parks, I highly recommend this. Hopefully, the next time I visit, they will have allergy-friendly bread so I can try it.

Panda ordered the crispy pork-vegetable pot sticker. When the dish came out, we were all like, “is that a pizza?” but the cast member let us know that they are covered in a batter and fried together, which is why it looks that way. Under all that, four-pot stickers made this an excellent shareable appetizer. Panda and Craig shared this and loved it; they thought it was flavorful, and the top layer was crispy, which balanced out the inside of the pot sticker.

Overall, the appetizers were great, and we enjoyed the ones we ordered.

Entrees

Craig loved his appetizer, but that feeling didn’t crossover into his entree. According to him, there were just too many noodles in this dish, and they kept expanding as they absorbed the broth. The pork belly pieces sprinkled throughout the bowl had a good balance of crispiness and softness. The egg was another disappointment; it was overcooked for this dish. Craig wished that the egg was a soft-boiled egg instead of a hard-boiled one.

I ordered the Rainbow Poke, which was pricey, but the fish was fresh, and the spiciness from the rice gave the dish that push it needed to be good. I would’ve added spicy mayo because I love spicy food, and it would’ve given the plate an extra kick. I was impressed with how fresh the fish was, but $24 is a hefty price tag for the size of the meal. I know it’s $24 because of all the different types of fish in the dish, but that price led me to rate it 7 out of 10. I did love the presentation, and I thought the bowl it came in was so unique I had never seen anything like it before.

Panda got the Kona stir-fry with chicken which he was so excited to order, but he was soon disappointed in his choice. The meaning of stir-fry is “a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok.” This dish isn’t typically served with large pieces of chicken; usually, you’d see the chicken cut up in pieces and mixed in with the rest of the stir-fry. Panda said that the teriyaki sauce was way too sweet and overpowered the dish and that there weren’t enough vegetables on the plate.

Final Thoughts

Our table was filled with mixed reviews, which made it hard to rate the whole experience. With that said, I can confidently say I will be back; Craig and Panda feel the same way. I loved the atmosphere and the makeover that it received. I think this a great option if you plan on eating before going to Magic Kingdom or if you have adventurous eaters in the group. Hopefully, we can try the breakfast at Kona soon; everything on the menu seems delicious.

Have you ever dined at Kona Cafe? Let us know in the comments!