Kona Cafe is a table service restaurant at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The restaurant is located on the 2nd floor near the monorail platform in the gigantic open-air lobby. Kona Cafe is known for their fantastic breakfast (Tonga Toast, anyone?) and their great sushi and sushi bar located just off the restaurant. We stopped in recently to see our ohana and check out a few new entrees and return to our favorite appetizers.
The lunch menu is the same as the dinner menu, as well as the sushi. As custom, a meal begins with fantastic bread and macadamia nut butter.
Pot Stickers – Pork and Vegetable Dumplings served with a Soy-Ginger Cream Sauce, Pickled Vegetables, and Chives – $9.00
We love pot stickers, and these are no exception. You get four potstickers for $9, which isn’t a horrible value considering they’re pretty amazing. A soft, yet sometimes crunchy, exterior holds in a bunch of steaming pork and vegetable. They’re a great start to a meal at Kona Cafe.
Sticky Wings – Mustard Sauce, Pickled Vegetables, and Chives – $10.00
These are a favorite of everyone who visits the Polynesian Village. They’re sticky, tangy, and perfectly cooked every time. You get six wings for the price tag and it’s just enough to keep you coming back for more. Easy enough to split between your family, too.
Ginger-Soy Chicken – with Roasted Marbled Potatoes, Wilted Sesame Greens, Pickled Carrots, and Red Wine Sauce – $21.00
There’s what seems to be an entire forest on top of the chicken here. The wilted greens are good, but the real star here is the chicken. It’s cooked very well, giving a nice brown to the outside, but leaving the inside moist and flavorful. The red wine sauce drizzled on the outside helps bring the potatoes and greens into the mix, as well as making sure the chicken gets in on the action. Overall the dish works well, we just wish there were less greens on top.
Pork Belly Noodle Bowl – Seared Pork Belly with Rice Noodles, Bok Choy, and a soft-boiled Soy Egg with Beef Bone Broth – $21.00
They’re not joking when they say beef bone broth. The broth for the soup is brought out in a coffee press and you literally press the bones down to create your broth. It’s absolutely spectacular and a great show. The server brings along duck sauce, peppers, and a spicy red sauce to help bring the soup to your optimal spice. Overall, it’s a fantastic soup and a very unique option and addition to Kona Cafe, recommended!
Kona Coffee-Rubbed Strip Loin – New York Strip with Japanese Sweet Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, and Miso Glaze – $28.00
This steak was excellently cooked to a perfect medium rare. The miso glaze on top is a little chunky at times, but gives a great flavor to the potatoes and steak without overpowering the entire entree. There’s a slight coffee flavor that permeates the entire steak that gives a distinct earthy flavor. It’s a relatively cheap steak option at a Disney table service and should be given a second look if you’re debating it.
Really happy to hear positive things about Kona. I dined there on my last trip and had a bad experience. It looks like they trimmed the menu compared to when I was there, which likely helped them focus on the quality.
lunch isn’t the same as dinner 😭 came for the pork belly noodle bowl but that’s lunch only. still the best restaurant, will be bac for lunch to get it!! thanks for the review!