Lunch at Kona Cafe: A Disney Dining Review
By Rikki
Recently we stopped by one of our favorite spots for lunch, Kona Cafe. This is a table service restaurant that’s located at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. It’s long been a favorite of ours, with menu items that that feature Asian influence.
Kona is one of the unique dining establishments with different menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So, this time, we decided to try lunch. I love their breakfast and dinner options.
The Atmosphere at Kona Cafe
This is a somewhat laid back dining establishment. It’s found on the second floor of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. It was recently refurbished within the last few years and is a great place for a nice meal outside of the parks. Especially if you’re looking to just get away in the middle of the day or for an early dinner.
The Food at Kona Cafe
Like I said before, Kona features dishes with a heavy Asian and Polynesian influence. And if you love sushi, this is the restaurant for you! There are lots of rolls to choose from.
For us, we got the appetizer of the sticky wings. These are a staple of the restaurant and they are fantastic. They are in kind of a teriyaki sauce and quite delicious.
For my meal, I decided on something a little different for myself. I’m a sucker for pork belly and saw that they had a Pork Belly Noodle Bowl, which is served with Bone Broth, Rice Noodles, Soy Egg, Mushrooms, Bok Choy, Hot Sesame Oil, Sake. And honestly, for the first time ever, I was disappointed in a meal at Kona. I thought the pork belly was tough and the flavors were just ok, but not spectacular.
If you’re looking for a hearty meal though, this is it! I ate so much and it looked like I hadn’t touched it!
My hubby got the Big Kahuna Burger, which features Sautéed Pastrami, Corned Beef, Pepper Jack, Mustard Aïoli, Tangy Cucumber, Brioche served with French Fries. He really like the burger and thought it had good flavor.
He also got the famous drink, the Backscratcher. The Backscratcher is Bacardí Superior Rum, Planteray Original Dark Rum, and Passion Fruit-Orange-Guava Juice topped with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Oh and yes, it really is served with a Bamboo Backscratcher that you get to take home!
Final Thoughts
For me, I think personally, I will skip lunch here at Kona. I adore their breakfast (their macadamia pineapple pancakes are to die for!) and their dinner is solid, as well. But lunch didn’t really hit the mark for me. I think the menu offerings are very limited for lunch and unless you like sushi (I don’t, but my husband does), there’s not a lot of great choices. If I were to get lunch here again, I would probably stick with getting appetizers, as I also really like their pot stickers and then I’d get dessert.
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