Please welcome guest author Aaron Crum with a review of breakfast at the Kona Cafe from his last Disney vacation! Let’s make our way to the Polynesian Resort this morning! Aloha!
We arrived at Kona Café around 10 o’clock. We didn’t have reservations and we were told it would be about a 25 minute wait. The time passed quickly as we strolled around the resort and took in everything the Polynesian has to offer. Sometimes, I forgot I was even in WDW and not off the coast of Hawaii somewhere!
After about a 20 minute wait, our buzzer went off and we were seated at our table.
Atmosphere
The dining area here is very open and has a very comfortable feel to it. However, because of the open feeling, and lack of separation between the restaurant and the lobby, it can get somewhat noisy. This is even more so the case as the new waiting procedures at ‘Ohana have all guests waiting in the lobby.
We were fortunate to get a table on the near side of the restaurant along the wall, which are 2-person booths. This gave a more intimate feel to the meal.
Kona Cafe Dining Room
Seating Area
Eats
After taking several minutes gazing over the Kona cafe breakfast menu, we ordered Tonga Toast and the Big Kahuna.
Tonga Toast is the staple of Kona Café breakfast and it doesn’t disappoint! However, let me add this disclaimer: this dish is as sweet as they come, and it’s loaded with sugar. To make it, they take two huge slices of toast, roll them in cinnamon and sugar, and fill the space between the slices of bread with banana. And to top it off, they give you a creamy strawberry compote to pour over it.
This honestly would be just as good on the dessert menu as it would be on the breakfast menu.
Tonga Toast Sweetness!
We also had the Big Kahuna, which is Kona’s version of the breakfast sampler. It came with eggs, pancakes, French toast, bacon, sausage, ham, and potatoes. Yes, a breakfast fit for a king.
The eggs were okay, the same you would find at any other Disney restaurant. The pancakes were silver dollar and were topped with pineapple and macadamia nuts. While the pancakes themselves were nothing to write home about, the topping was what made them special. The mix of flavors between the sweetness of the pineapple and the saltiness of the macadamia nuts really worked well together.
The French toast was also fairly basic. The bacon was a little under-cooked and “flimsy;” I prefer my bacon thick and crunchy, so it may be more of a preference thing than anything else. The sausage was very good, not over-cooked and very flavorful and juicy. The ham had potential; it was a little over-cooked, but the flavor was right on point and this particular cut of ham was fairly thick.The potatoes were seasoned with “island” flavors, and complemented the other items on the dish very well.
Breakfast Sampler
Overall
Whether you eat here for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you can’t go wrong at Kona Café. While it doesn’t draw the crowds that ‘Ohana does, it has some real winners on the menu that you can’t pass up. So without a doubt, don’t miss Kona Café!
What would YOU order if you went to Kona Cafe for breakfast this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!
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A very timely review as we are looking to find new places to try for breakfast next year and Kona Cafe had been suggested by a few folk. We tried O’Hana last time and it was good but having characters is not so much a priority now…well not for me anyway, it’s all about the food glorious food.
I think Kona just made it onto the ‘for definite’ list.
I’ll be there on the 17th and will be ordering the Tonga Toast.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Macadamia Nut Pancakes at Kona!!
How on earth can you review breakfast at the Kona Cafe and not mention the COFFEE??? By far the best part!
I realize this is moat likely not on the breakfast menu, but lunch and dinner menus offer wings as an appetizer that I can never pass up! Jerk seasoned with honey, listed on the menu as “serves 2” but they give you a dozen, which was the perfect appetizer fr my large family.
They are absolutely amazing- spicy sweet delicious-ness! And you can’t beat the warm towels they offer before your meal to clean up your messy hands.
Also on the lunch/dinner is offerings from the Kona coffee shop Turned sushi bar. I never remember the name, but it is a wonderful mix of shrimp tempura, mango and the sauce they drizzle on top is to die for!! Any meal at Kona is amazing, including the tonga toast!
My daughter said they had the best Mickey pancake, so I know she’d order that again. As for me I really liked the ham and cheese omelet, though when I order it again I think I’ll ask for a little less cheese than usual. It was really good and big chunks of ham were awesome, just a little too much cheese for my taste.
Mom and I love the Steak and Eggs. When we have this for breakfast at 8 or 9 in the morning it is about 3ish before we need to eat again. Great money saver.
Gordon — We really like Kona Cafe for breakfast. It’s delicious food, and a bit less “crazed” than a lot of the character meals.
JoAnn — I can’t wait to hear how you like it! Have you had it before?
Heidi — Those are my husband’s favorite, too!
Jenn — We’ll be having another Kona breakfast review soon where coffee is highlighted.
Christie — I love those warm towels!! Great recommendation for the shrimp tempura from the Kona Island Sushi Bar!
Jessica — I’ll take your extra cheese!! 😀 Thanks for the review!
Dianna — Agreed! Kona’s prices aren’t horrible, and you get a lot of great food. No need for lunch!
I didn’t love Kona at all. It was basically like a Denny’s. The food was okay, but if you’re on the dining plan, I say skip it and eat someplace better. It’s not worth wasting a credit over unless you’re staying at the Poly and need someplace really convenient.
This will be first time eating at the Kona Cafe. I made the ADR there just to try the Tonga Toast.
Just had breakfast at the Kona Cafe a fews weeks ago. Loved the Tonga Toast the wife and a friend picked. I had the poached eggs with Hollandaise served over smoked pulled pork hash. It was very good but a very small portion… The other person had French toast with sauage and enjoyed it.
This is not the be-all and end-all of Disney eateries. It is a nice restaurant with good food in a great location (immediate access to the monorail to the Magic Kingdom). For the money, the Tanga Toast at the Rainforest Cafe is the same price but quite a bit more flavorful. And, for $5.99, they offer a kid sized Tanga Toast.
Breakfast at Kona Cafe is a “must do” for us! We will be having breakfast there on 12/09, and I will be having the fattening-sugary-full of calories-deliciousness that is the Tonga Toast!
U mentioned the waiting area for ohana was in the lobby..wasn’t this always the case? We were there last week walk in were lined up across from kona where the small gift shop is on the other side on the second floor
Lauren — I was a bit confused as well. The last time I was there, ‘Ohana’s waiting area was over by the gift shop, so I think you and I had the same experience.
I’m going there in a few weeks. I want to try the macadamia nut pancakes and the tonga toast. I have one sit down meal credit to use. What to do??