Home of the legendary Tonga Toast, Kona Cafe gets a whole lot of love from Disney World fans, and it absolutely earns every bit of it. We LOVE stopping at this spot, especially for breakfast. Kona Cafe is tucked on the second floor of Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, right next door to the famous Ohana (which we also love). The restaurant is open-air directly into the happenings of the Great Ceremonial House lobby, so depending on what's going on out there, it can get a bit noisy. That said, when we stopped in one evening we were surprised how quiet it remained inside despite all the activity happening just beyond the dining room. The atmosphere isn't over-the-top themed, but getting to look out over one of the most beautiful resort lobbies on Disney property is genuinely a perk all on its own.
Kona Cafe Quick Breakdown
- Service: Table Service
- Cuisine: American with Polynesian flair, Sushi, Seafood, Vegetarian-Friendly, Allergy Options
- Price Range: $$
- Location: Second floor, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort
- Hours: Breakfast 7:30 AM to 11:15 AM | Lunch 12:00 PM to 2:45 PM | Dinner 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Disney Dining Plan: Yes, 1 Table Service credit per person
- Discounts: Annual Passholder and Disney Vacation Club discounts available
- Features: Reservations strongly recommended, full bar, allergy-friendly options
- Good For: Casual dining, breakfast before the parks, families, vegetarian-friendly groups
- Menu: Official Disney Dinner Menu
A Look Inside Kona Cafe
Located on the second floor of the Polynesian's Great Ceremonial House, Kona Cafe features Polynesian-themed decor with bamboo accents, warm earthy tones, and pops of tropical color throughout. The seating is comfortable and spacious with a mix of tables and booths that works well for both small and large parties, creating a relaxed and welcoming environment.
The restaurant has an open-concept layout that looks right out into the iconic Polynesian lobby below, which is one of the most stunning resort interiors at Walt Disney World. Just outside the entrance to the dining room you'll find Kona Island, a counter that doubles as a coffee bar in the mornings and a sushi-to-go spot in the evenings. It's worth knowing about, especially if you want a quick coffee fix before your reservation or a post-dinner sweet treat.
Getting to Kona Cafe
One of the great things about Kona Cafe is that you do not need a park ticket to eat here. It's located at a Disney resort, which means you can visit on a rest day, before the parks open, or on your arrival or departure day. That flexibility makes it a really smart reservation to have in your back pocket.
Getting there is easy from multiple directions. You can hop the resort monorail from Magic Kingdom and be there in minutes, take a short boat ride from the Magic Kingdom area resorts, or walk from the Ticket and Transportation Center, which is only a short stroll away. If you're walking from the Grand Floridian it's doable but a bit of a trek, just so you know.
Kona Cafe Dinner Dishes
Kona Cafe really does shine at all three meal times, and if you've only ever been for breakfast you are missing out on a seriously solid dinner menu. The kitchen leans into Pan-Asian flavors with Polynesian-inspired twists, and there's something here for adventurous eaters and stick-to-the-classics folks alike.
The Bread Service
Before we even get to the food, let's talk about the bread service. Rolls come out warm and pillowy, served with that legendary macadamia nut butter we mentioned from breakfast. It is sinfully good and you will be reaching for more before you even realize it.
Pork-Vegetable Pot Sticker
The menu has been recently updated and the pot stickers have gotten a refresh. They're now pan-seared instead of crispy-fried, served with soy cream and mirin teriyaki. Still filled with a flavorful mixture of pork and vegetables, still a great way to start the meal. A perfect warm-up for the rest of the evening.
Sushi at Kona Cafe
One of the things that genuinely surprises people about Kona Cafe is how solid the sushi program is. The restaurant has a visible sushi kitchen where chefs hand-roll fresh sushi throughout service, and it shows in the quality of what comes out. The sushi here is almost on par with what you'd get at California Grill, which is high praise for a resort restaurant at this price point.
The current sushi menu features the California Roll ($18) with crab, cucumber, and avocado, the Spicy Tuna Roll, the new Dynamite Roll ($26) with hamachi, salmon, asparagus, carrot, yuzu kosho, and wasabi sauce, and the Combination Platter ($49) for those who want a sampler of spicy tuna, California roll, nigiri, and sashimi all in one go. For sushi lovers, this is genuinely a great value and quality combination for a theme park resort restaurant.
Kona-braised Short Rib
This is the dish that our friends got us hooked on, and we are so grateful. The braised short rib is a Kona Cafe signature for a reason. It's topped with a Kona Coffee-Mocha Sauce and, in its updated form, now comes with carrot-ginger purée, peanuts, and bok choy instead of the mashed potatoes and broccolini it used to be served with. The Kona coffee element gives the sauce a depth that just completely works, and the dish has that perfect warm-your-soul home-cooking energy, especially welcome during the cooler months. This is the one we keep coming back for.
BBQ Chicken with Fried Rice and Spam
The airline chicken dish at Kona has been a long time favorite of mine. It's evolved over the years from a lemon, to terikaki to now BBQ!
New Dinner Additions
The menu refresh has added some exciting new options worth highlighting. The Char Siu Duck ($33) comes with farro, miso-cream sauce, and asparagus, bringing a roasted richness that pairs beautifully with the tropical setting. The updated New York Strip Steak ($41) now arrives with black garlic mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and a mirin-teriyaki chimichurri, which is an upgrade worth noting for steak lovers.
Also new is the Crab and Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese ($10) available as a side, which sounds indulgent and absolutely is. The Vegetable Curry Bowl ($22) with rice, tofu, and seasonal vegetables replaces the old vegetable bowl and gives plant-based diners a genuinely flavorful option rather than an afterthought.
For those who enjoy a lighter entrée, the Mirin-Teriyaki Burger ($25) is a new arrival featuring pressed patties with seared pork belly, pineapple, and provolone, a fun tropical spin on a burger night. The Grilled Chicken Kimchi Sandwich ($19) with kimchi, provolone, spicy mayonnaise, and arugula is another fresh addition that brings some bold, fermented flavor to the lineup.
Note: Some longtime favorites like the Big Kahuna Burger and the Hawaiian Reuben have been removed in the recent menu refresh, so if you were planning to revisit those specifically, they are no longer available.
Dessert Options at Kona Cafe
Dessert Glasses
Kona Cafe serves a lovely selection of dessert shooters in small glasses, which is a clever way to try a few different flavors without overcommitting. Options include a Key Lime Curd with passion fruit curd and blood orange-mango jam, topped with graham cracker crumbs, meringue, and popping boba. A Tiramisu shooter brings mascarpone cream with mocha crèmeux topped with fresh whipped cream and chocolate-covered coffee beans. A Coconut Tapioca comes with a pineapple-coconut jam base topped with fresh fruit and assorted boba. These are a fun, lighter way to end the meal if the bread pudding feels like too much after everything else.
Pineapple Bread Pudding
Yes, you can order the same pineapple bread pudding here that you can get at Ohana. It comes out warm, soft, and generously portioned, made with brioche bread and fresh pineapple chunks soaked in a rich, creamy custard. Drizzle it generously with the pineapple caramel sauce and you have one of the most comforting desserts on Disney property. It pairs especially well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
Drinks: Island Cocktails and Kona Coffee
The cocktail menu at Kona Cafe is genuinely delightful and leans fully into the island theme. The iconic Lapu Lapu ($21) arrives served in an actual fresh pineapple, filled with dark rum, orgeat, and tropical fruit juices topped with Gosling's 151, and it's as fun to look at as it is to drink. The Backscratcher ($16.50) with guava-passion fruit juice and a bamboo backscratcher garnish is another theatrical option. The Polynesian Mai Tai ($16.50) and the Hawaiian Mule ($15.50) round out the tropical sipping choices beautifully.
A newly added Coconut Gimlet ($17.50) brings a refreshing, creamy spin to the cocktail lineup worth checking out.
And of course, the coffee at Kona Cafe is special. Joffrey's brews a 100% Hawaiian Kona blend here, available as a French press for two ($10.75), along with specialty espresso drinks. If you're a coffee person, this is a genuinely rare treat that goes perfectly with the Tonga Toast breakfast situation.
Kona Cafe Breakfast: Start Your Day Right
Breakfast is where Kona Cafe truly shines, and there's really one dish that gets all the glory: the Tonga Toast. But the breakfast menu has more going for it than just that one icon, and it's worth taking the whole lineup seriously.
Tonga Toast
If you have not yet experienced the wonder that is Tonga Toast, please put it on your Disney World bucket list immediately. This is banana-stuffed sourdough French toast, rolled in cinnamon sugar, fried until it's perfectly golden and crispy on the outside while staying pillowy soft inside, and served with a strawberry compote and your choice of ham, spiced ham, bacon, or sausage. It is, in a word, incredible.
A few things to know: it is a rich, indulgent breakfast, so splitting it with someone else is a perfectly valid strategy. It can be made allergy-friendly too, which is a great option to ask your server about. And here's an insider tip: Tonga Toast is also available at Capt. Cook's, the quick service location downstairs at the Polynesian, if you can't snag a Kona Cafe reservation or just want a faster morning. That version doesn't come with the strawberry compote, but it costs significantly less.
Macadamia Nut Pancakes
These are the second-most talked-about item on the breakfast menu, and they absolutely deserve the hype. Three fluffy pancakes topped with macadamia nut butter and pineapple sauce, plus your choice of meat on the side. The macadamia nut butter is genuinely life-changing and appears on the dinner bread service too, so you get more than one chance to fall in love with it.
New Breakfast Additions Worth Knowing About
The Kona Cafe menu has seen some significant updates recently, and breakfast has gotten a fresh tropical energy infusion. Two exciting new additions are the Açai Bowl ($15), topped with tropical fruit, roasted macadamia nuts, and granola, which is a fantastic lighter option if you're not in the mood for something heavy before a big park day, and the Samoan Benedict ($18), featuring two poached eggs over pulled pork and Spam hash with togarashi hollandaise and a microgreens salad. That's a bold, creative twist on a classic and genuinely worth trying if you're feeling adventurous.
The Polynesian Egg Platter ($22) gets you two eggs any style with home-fried potatoes, pineapple compote, and mini pancakes with macadamia nut butter. Note that the sides have changed from previous versions, so if you haven't been in a while, expect a slightly different plate than you remember.
Ham and Cheese Omelet
A solid, hearty classic. Savory ham and gooey melted cheese with home-fried potatoes on the side. Not the flashiest item on the menu but a reliable and filling way to start the day, especially for those who don't want the sweeter breakfast options.
The Fruit Plate
Fresh, no complaints from us other than it is not Tonga Toast. Filled with seasonal fresh fruit, it's a lighter choice for those who want to save room for snacking in the parks.
What to Know Before You Go
Reservations are highly recommended. Kona Cafe books up quickly, especially for breakfast. You can make an advance dining reservation up to 60 days before your visit through the My Disney Experience app or website. Breakfast reservations are the hardest to get, so snag yours as soon as your window opens.
There is a cancellation policy. A credit card is required at booking, and you will be charged a per-person fee if you no-show or fail to cancel within the required window.
No park ticket required. This is a resort restaurant, so anyone can dine here without park admission, making it a great choice on slower days, arrival or departure days, or afternoons when you need a break from the parks.
Great for dietary restrictions. Kona Cafe is one of the better options on Disney property for guests with food allergies or dietary restrictions. They can often accommodate gluten-free requests, including a gluten-free version of Tonga Toast. Always speak with a chef when you arrive to discuss your specific needs.
Service can be leisurely. This is a table service restaurant that doesn't rush you out, which is lovely if you're in no hurry, but good to know if you're trying to get to rope drop. Budget enough time and you'll be fine.
Pro tip if you can't get a reservation: Tonga Toast is also available at Capt. Cook's downstairs, served with bacon or sausage but without the strawberry compote. It's a worthwhile alternative if Kona Cafe is fully booked.
Kona Cafe Recommendation
If you love the Polynesian Resort, Kona Cafe is an absolute must-do for at least one meal per trip. The recent menu refresh has added fresh, exciting options alongside the beloved classics, and the overall experience feels elevated while still staying casual and relaxed. Breakfast is the star of the show, and we will never stop telling people to try the Tonga Toast, but dinner at Kona Cafe has our hearts too, especially that Kona-braised Short Rib. If you have a vegetarian in your group, this is also one of the better restaurants on Disney property for thoughtful plant-based options rather than just one token menu item.
Come for the Tonga Toast. Stay for everything else. You won't regret it.
If you are interested in booking a reservation for Kona Cafe you can do so through My Disney Experience.
Want more dining tips? Check out our Best Disney World Restaurants recommendations along with Worst Disney Dining Sit Down Restaurants. If you are visiting with young ones read our Best Places to Eat with Kids at Disney World.
Prices and menu items are subject to change. Always verify current information on Disney's official website before your visit.
I have been visiting the parks annually since my parents first brought me at just a year old. Recently I was able to fulfill my life long dream of being a Florida local and moved from the wintery Northeast to the sunshine and fun of central Florida. Now I am hoping to share my Disney knowledge with you so you can have the best vacation possible!
