The Polynesian Resort has been a long-time family favorite, so when all of my family was together in Walt Disney World I knew we had to have a meal here and we were able to find an ADR (Advance Dining Reservation) for Kona Café. I've eaten here many times over the years, and it is one of my favorites. I just love their appetizers and the atmosphere, but tonight our meal was great from start to finish and our server was wonderful with our larger party. For larger parties dining together, we often recommend making two reservations around the same time as that is typically a bit easier to obtain, so that's what we had but when we checked in we were happy to hear they were able to accommodate us at one large table!
We started with some drinks in the Tambu Tambu Lounge next door while waiting for our entire party to arrive. I went with the fan-favorite Lapu Lapu, served in a pineapple, but the Backscratcher is also a favorite and there were many Mai Tais ordered throughout the night.
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| Lapu Lapu: Plantation Original Dark Rum and Tropical Fruit Juices served in a fresh Pineapple topped with Gosling's 151 Rum |
Once everyone arrived and we settled in, we got the
Meal started with some sushi and some appetizers. The sushi selection felt smaller than in past visits, but was still a great choice! The favorite here though are the potsickers. They are all fried together in a pancake-type fashion and we all loved them. The crispy exterior and tasty filling make for one of my favorite bites at Walt Disney World!
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| California Roll: Jumbo Lump Crab, Citrus Mayonnaise, Cucumber, Avocado |
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| Spicy Tuna Roll: Ahi Tuna, Spicy Mayonnaise, Cucumber (spicy sauce on the side) |
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| Crispy Pork-Vegetable Pot Sticker |
We kept the drinks flowing throughout the meal and were having a great time. Between the 11 of us, we tried quite a few things on the menu. The specials on our evening were a Chicken Noodle dish and Chicken
Fried Steak, which really didn't seem to fit the theme but was something my family is very fond of so we tried that as well and it was surprisingly so good!
We also can't forget the bread service here, it's a lightly sweet bread and it's so tasty! I could have easily had just bread and apps and been a happy camper here. However the entrees came and we were also happy there. The short rib was a favorite, (short ribs across Disney property seem very popular with me, they do something right there!)
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| Pork Belly Noodle Bowl: Bone Broth, Rice Noodles, Soy Egg, Mushrooms, Bok Choy, Hot Sesame Oil |
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| Kona Braised Short Rib: Kona Coffee-braised Short Rib, Creamy Mashed Potato, Broccolini |
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| Chicken Fried Steak Special |
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| Mahi with Bacon: Pan-fried Mahi, Butter Croutons, Marble Potato, Tomato, Arugula, Soy Velouté |
Desserts are all mini here, which was a good thing given how full we all were after all that delicious food. But we still wanted to end the night with something sweet so we ordered one of each to try between us all! Because we were celebrating, they also brought us a "congrats" dessert plate and I was a huge fan of the cookies on there (not on the regular menu.) The dessert shooters included Key Lime Pie, Smores and Lemon Tart which were our favorites that we tried!
Kona Cafe serves a casual breakfast, lunch and dinner for the Polynesian Resort and its visitors. I've tried all three meals there, and personally love them all! The apps are some of my favorite on property for sure.
Maci SchauMaci is an avid foodie and loves trying out new restaurants and seasonal food offerings in the parks. You can email Maci at
[email protected].
