Dining at Kona Cafe at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

There are plenty of wonderful dining options to be found at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort located on Seven Seas Lagoon that many Guests travel to enjoy. Kona Café is one of those wonderful dining options and is a full service restaurant that is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Situated on the second floor of the Great Ceremonial House, Kona Café features an open air dining room that looks out into the main lobby with Guests being eye level with the beautiful colored glass and rope light fixture. The dining room itself is fairly large and features peaked ceilings accented by yellow and red walls, large light fixtures with wrought iron details, and one wall of large windows looking out at vegetation and the monorail beam. Centered around a small area of an open sushi kitchen are plenty of brightly colored booths paired with dark wooden tables and chairs and a vibrant carpet with floral details.

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Guests are sure to enjoy the laid back atmosphere and décor of Kona Café as much as they enjoy the menu of traditional American classics infused with Asian flavors and ingredients. Each day kicks off with breakfast at Kona Café and Guests can wake up with freshly brewed Joffrey’s Coffee Hawaiian Kona Blend in individual servings or a Maragogype Press Pot which serves two. In addition to other caffeinated beverages such as espresso and cappuccino, Guests can indulge in breakfast cocktails like the Wasabi Bloody Mary and Polynesian Red Eye. A popular non-alcoholic beverage is the Liliko’i  Juice (or POG Juice) which combines orange, passion fruit, and guava juices and can also be enjoyed in a mimosa.

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After deciding on a breakfast beverage, Guests can really start to enjoy their meal at Kona Café by choosing one of four main entrees. The Tonga Toast is a favorite of many Guests and has gained a following over the years as it features a large chunk of French toast stuffed with bananas and smothered in cinnamon sugar. It’s served with a strawberry compote and choice of ham, spiced ham, bacon, or sausage and is the perfect combination of sweet and savory. The Macadamia Nut Pancakes are fresh and fluffy pancakes topped with a macadamia nut butter and pineapple sauce and are served with the same choice of meats. A traditional American breakfast can be found with the Two Eggs-Any Style which is paired with home-fried potatoes and a side of meat or Guests can opt for the Plant-Based Loco Moco which comes with plant-based eggs, plant-based sausage, coconut milk, rice, and pico de gallo. Breakfast at Kona Café can be rounded out with a side of fresh fruit, Creamy Grits with Smoked Gouda, or Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Apples.

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The lunch and dinner menus at Kona Café are more extensive than breakfast and do feature more Asian inspired flavors as well as fresh sushi. Guests who are looking to enjoy the sushi can watch it being prepared in the open kitchen and order a California Roll with jumbo lump crab, citrus mayonnaise, cucumber, and avocado, Spicy Tuna Roll with Ahi tuna, spicy mayonnaise, and cucumber, or the Rainbow Roll with tuna, salmon, shrimp, Hamachi, lump crab, cucumber, and avocado. Fresh fish can also be enjoyed in the Tuna Poke Bowl with passion fruit bobo, micro chives, wasabi chips, and citrus yuzu, and the Rainbow Poke Bowl with tuna, salmon, shrimp, Hamachi, fresno chili peppers, lotus root, and spicy ponzu.

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The appetizers for lunch and dinner are a fantastic combination of savory, light, and sweet and Guests who are dining in a group should definitely opt to order them all to sample all of the amazing flavors offered. The Glazed Chicken Wings come smothered in a sticky wing sauce that is the perfect amount of heat and sweetness and the Crispy Pork-Vegetable Pot Stickers come with a soy-vinaigrette dressing that features umami flavors and is perfect for dipping. Also offered as an appetizer is the Seafood Coconut-Curry Soup which comes with generous portions of shrimp, scallops, and crab and is a filling, yet light option to enjoy before a main course.

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Highlighting Asian cuisine and flavors are two Dashi Bowls on the Kona Café menu including one that is plant-based for Guests with dietary restrictions. The Pork Belly Noodle Bowl features a rich bone broth, rice noodles, soy egg, mushrooms, bok choy, and hot sesame oil and the Vegetable Bowl is plant-based with fragrant jasmine broth, glass noodles, pineapple tofu, and umami tomato. The Turkey Banh Mi also showcases a great combination of American and Asian cuisine with a pairing of turkey breast, black pepper bacon, pork pate, cilantro, jalepeno, onions, and grilled poblano mayonnaise served with French fries. There is also a Crispy Cheddar Burger for Guests dining at Kona Café which is elevated with brown-sugar-black pepper bacon that brings both sweet and savory crispness to the meal.

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One main course option available for both lunch and dinner at Kona Café include the Mahi, Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato which is an Asian-inspired take on the classic BLT with pan-fried Mahi, butter croutons, marble potato, tomato, arugula, and soy veloute. The other option that is available for both meals is the Steak Salad which tops a kale and arugula blend with savory steak, sunny-side up egg, Kona house vinaigrette, and sweet bell peppers. Two exclusive lunch menu options are the Kona Chicken Stir-Fry with Yakisoba noodles, Napa cabbage, carrots, and teriyaki sauce and the Duck Fried Rice with Leg Confit which is served in a crispy spring roll with shiitake mushrooms, togarashi, and grilled bok choy. Dinner at Kona Café also features two unique options with the Asian-Marinated Airline Chicken featuring sticky rice, bok choy, and an Asian glaze and the Kona-Braised Short Rib with creamy mashed potatoes and broccolini.

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With so many amazing menu options for lunch and dinner at Kona Café, Guests might have a hard time saving room for dessert, but they totally should as there are some delicious options! The Coconut Tapioca is the plant-based option and features a pineapple-coconut jam topped with fresh fruit and assorted boba and the Cheesecake is a no sugar added choice served with seasonal fruit and fruit sauce. Those looking to indulge a little can opt for the S’more which pairs a milk chocolate pot de crème with marshmallow cream, graham cracker crust, and toasted marshmallow topping. The Tiramisu, Lemon Tart, and Banana Trifle are fairly basic dessert stapes, but the Key Lime truly shines with a blood orange-mango jam, passion fruit curd, and passion fruit boba for extra island flavors.

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Kona Café is an excellent choice for a full service meal no matter the time of day. The wonderful menu offers up choices that can’t be found anywhere else at the Walt Disney World Resort, and it’s a convenient location to travel to with Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort being located directly on the monorail line. With big flavors, an inviting dining area, and the charm of the Disney Resort, Guests simply can’t go wrong with a meal at Kona Café!