The opening of the new Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is finally here!

Island Tower

We’ve been so excited for about ever since it was announced, and now we’re finally getting a chance to step inside for the first time. While this is a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) tower, anyone can book a stay here, and there are tons of new amenities to explore, like the new Wailulu Bar & Grill! Come with us to take a look inside this new restaurant for the first time!

Starting December 17th, the resort will be open for guests, and according to Disney this new restaurant “boast breathtaking views of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom Park.” This is a casual walk-up pool bar that has a full menu for lunch and dinner as well as specialty coffee and on-the-go morning pastries for breakfast.

Welcome to Wailulu Bar & Grill!

The authentic Polynesian vibe continues from the rest of Island Tower into the restaurant.

Stepping inside

Fun fact: this is the first restaurant in Disney World’s to have an all-electric kitchen! Also, you’ll have great views of the Magic Kingdom fireworks from here, and the restaurant will be playing the fireworks music every evening so you can get the full fireworks show without the Magic Kingdom crowds.

Polynesian vibe

The patio was a bit of a wind tunnel during our visit, but we’re hoping that means the space will be nice and cool in the summer. Right now, though, it’s a bit chilly and there are space heaters to warm us up.

The patio

There are nods to Polynesian culture all through the menu. Breakfast will include coffee and pastries, but then lunch and dinner will have its own menu. Some of the highlighted eats include Sweet Potato Hummus and Spiced Ham Musubi for appetizers and Sticky Pork Ribs, Poke Bowls, and a Wayfinder Burger for entrees, and, true to the Polynesian Village Resort’s name, a DOLE Whip Sundae will also be available for dessert!

The menu

We got to try a sample of several menu items, including the Spiced Ham Musubi which is glazed SPAM seasoned with traditional furikake and served with crispy rice pearls served over pickled sweet potato. This is also one of the only restaurant menus to feature SPAM because it’s so integral.

Spiced Ham Musubi

The Sweet Potato Hummus comes with crispy chickpeas, espelette pepper dust, and breadfruit tostones. The Chef explained that French breadfruit tostones is a key ingredient in the Polynesian diet.

Sweet Potato Hummus

The star of the restaurant’s Entrees is the Beef Short Rib Loco Moco with shiitake mushroom gravy, a crispy rice cake, and a fried egg. Um…YES, please. Everything here is based on traditional Polynesian food, and we are here for it.

Beef Short Rib Loco Moco

Of course, this is a bar, too, and there are some wonderful cocktails to choose from, including the Kula Strawberry Sake made with wildflowers, Junmai sake, Campari Liqueur, Rockey’s Botanical Liqueur, and wild strawberry.

Kula Strawberry Sake

If you’re interested in grabbing drinks and food here, the restaurant will be open until 11PM on most nights. Right now, no reservations are required. You can also order to-go since this is technically an elevated pool bar.

Be sure to stay tuned to DFB for all the latest coverage of Island Tower as we explore it today!

Learn everything we know about Island Tower right here!

What do you think of this new spot? Tell us in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend their media preview of Island Tower. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ