Kona Cafe Dinner Review
*This review has information from several gluten free dining experience that took place in November 2022, February 2023, and March 2023. It includes information about dairy free options, as well as fish/shellfish, peanut, hazelnut, cabbage, and chicken & turkey allergies. It also has information about a low FODMAP meal from one visit too.
Dinner at Kona Cafe
Kona Cafe, located at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, is a table service restaurant that serves up meals inspired by the South Seas. If you’ve read any of our blogs or watched our YouTube videos, Kona Cafe is one of our favorite reasonably priced table service restaurants at Disney World. It’s also the home to what Brandon considers to be the best mashed potatoes on Disney property (as he calls them #konamazing). This blog post will highlight several meals that we’ve had at Kona Cafe over the course of a few months.
Atmosphere
Kona Cafe was refurbished in fall 2022, and reopened in late fall with a refreshed theme. While both of us kind of miss the delightfully 90s feeling decor of the original Kona Cafe, we both agreed that the new refurbished version is a big improvement.
Kona Cafe - Entrance / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
As you approach the restaurant, you’ll see a large entrance with a new Kona Cafe sign. The photo above was taken before the sign was added, but it gives you a sense of what the restaurant’s exterior now looks like.
As a “lobby” style open restaurant, we like that there’s some aspects of the location that’s enclosed. We personally don’t love sitting near the sides of the restaurant where everyone walks by.
Kona Cafe - Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
The restaurant now features large murals and bright but slightly muted colors. We think this color scheme works well with the resort’s overall theme and looks very inviting.
Kona Cafe - Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
We also love the stone walls with bright Hawaiian floral designs. This mirrors a lot of the resort’s overall theme too. You’ll also see in the photos that the booths and chairs have all been refreshed too.
Kona Cafe - Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
The lightly colored wood and the whicker lighting all blend in well with the rest of the resort and the light fixtures outside the restaurant. Overall, we both agreed that the refurbishment was nicely done.
The Food
Like most restaurants owned and operated by Disney, Kona Cafe does have an allergy-friendly menu. You can also always speak to a chef directly if you have questions about the menu, including modifications, or have special dietary needs not covered by the allergy-friendly menu. At Kona Cafe, we typically speak to a chef because of Brandon’s special dietary needs.
Kona Cafe - Sarah with Allergy-Friendly Menu / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Currently, Kona Cafe does have a dedicated allergy-fryer for gluten free options, like French fries. But, the fryer is also used for frying chicken. So, if you’re Brandon and have a rare chicken allergy, you won’t be able to get fries from this fryer safely.
Usually, the chefs will make Brandon fries from a pot of oil that they heat up, so that his fries aren’t made in any of the fryers. We always recommend asking and double-checking when you dine at a restaurant, especially since menus and options can change (which may impact a fryer’s safety for your special dietary needs).
Kona Cafe - Allergy-Friendly Rolls / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Most Disney owned restaurants typically carry gluten free and allergy-friendly rolls for bread service. Kona Cafe is currently serving the Bloomfield Farms brand rolls — found at most locations property wide. These are also served with regular butter or non-dairy buttery spread. These have always been well-heated at Kona Cafe and a nice way to start the meal.
Kona Cafe - Salmon / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Kona Cafe has updated it’s menu over the past six months. I was very excited to try the Verlasso Salmon which was marked safe for Egg, Milk, Peanut/Tree Nut, Sesame, and Shellfish Allergies. If you’re gluten free, this dish can be easily made GF by simply removing the crispy wontons served on top of the fish as a garnish. Easy peasy!
This dish has quickly become my favorite Kona Cafe entree. The bamboo rice is super flavorful and pairs well with the fresh tasting edamame succotash. The Fresno chimichurri adds a bit of spice and an herby punch to the dish. If you are a fan of salmon, I would highly recommend this dish.
Kona Cafe - Modified Salmon / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
For a few months in 2023, I had to go on a low FODMAP diet, which is a bit more restrictive than my normal diet. Because I needed to avoid foods like onion and garlic, I spoke with a chef about making a somewhat simple and customized dish. I was able to get the Verlasso Salmon with some sticky rice and sautéed bok choy. It was served with a side of gluten free tamari.
What I loved most about this dish was that even though it was very simple, the flavors were still amazing. The salmon was perfectly cooked and seasoned simply with salt & pepper. I love bok choy and could eat sauteed bok choy just about any day, so this was the perfect vegetable side to my entree.
One of the things I love most about Disney is their ability to accommodate all types of special dietary needs. This is the perfect example of how Disney chefs work to create something tasty and safe!
Kona Cafe - Stir-Fry Noodles with Shrimp / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
On another visit to Kona Cafe, I dined for lunch and ordered the Kona Stir-Fry with Shrimp. This dish is made with rice noodles and GF tamari and is marked Gluten Free and safe for Egg, Fish, Milk, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Sesame Allergies. If you’re allergic to shellfish or are vegan, they also have versions with chicken and tofu too.
Overall, I liked this dish but didn’t love it. I’ve had better versions of the noodles at Kona Cafe. I found the thin noodles versus the thicker ones that they used to use were a bit overcooked and quite gummy in texture. I also didn’t love the vegetable blend which included a lot of peppers. Next time, I might ask if I could get a version that includes bok choy or some different vegetables.
Kona Cafe - Big Kahuna Burger (NOT Gluten Free) / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
On each of our visits, Brandon has ordered the Big Kahuna Burger. His version was served on a gluten free bun, but this entree can be made GF by simply swapping out the bun and cooking the fries in the dedicated GF fryer. It is also marked safe for Fish/Shellfish, Peanut/Tree Nut, Sesame, and Soy Allergies.
Brandon really enjoys this burger a lot, though we both agreed we miss the Crispy Cheddar Burger that used to be on the menu. If you’re dining at Kona Cafe at lunch, Brandon often gets the pork belly noodle bowl with the jasmine broth (which does not contain chicken), so that’s another high recommend from him.
Kona Cafe - Brandon with French Fries / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
If you’ve ever read another review of ours or watched one of our videos, you know Brandon loves the Kona Cafe mashed potatoes. On one of our visits, he came up with the idea to dip his fries in mashed potatoes. If you’re also a potato fan like Brandon, it’s a must!
If you want to hear more about our experience at Kona Cafe, check out the vlog we did for our YouTube channel for more information.
Overall
We always recommend Kona Cafe at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. We love the food and how accommodating the restaurant is for special dietary needs. The price point compared to some other table service restaurants is also a bit more reasonable — and we feel the portions are pretty large too. If you like pan-Asian style food, we definitely recommend Kona Cafe. And, of course, you know it’s got to be good when we gave it a unique hashtag! #konamazing
Have you been to Kona Cafe? What was your experience dining there?