Kona Cafe or 'Ohana?

[Marcela]

I have a ressie for 'Ohana during the last night of our stay in September, but not until 8:50 pm, which is kind of late for us to eat, but that same day, there are a couple of earlier openings at the Kona Cafe. What to do, what to do? I haven't been to either restaurant before.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We prefer Kona over 'Ohana hands down! The quality of the food is better and service has always been better at Kona.

We've tried 'Ohana on two separate trips and both meals have been disappointing. We are not going to try it again on our upcoming trip.

 

[jcarwash]

Kona Cafe is my favorite all-around restaurant in WDW -- I've had better individual meals elsewhere (Narcoosee's, for example) but I love going to Kona every time I visit. The food is great, the service is great, the desserts are great. As you can tell I highly recommend Kona over Ohana given your time slot issue.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

I've been to both, but for breakfast (though I have a dinner ADR for Kona coming up). I had to make the same decision as you: Ohana really late or Kona at a good time.

We chose Kona. We figured if we're having dinner so late, we wouldn't really enjoy it as much, so we wanted to wait to try Ohana dinner for a different trip, at an earlier time, so we could really enjoy it.

Now, if Ohana were available for an earlier time, I'm not sure which I would have picked.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Kona, for sure. And while you can't see the fireworks from Kona you can still see them from the beach at Poly if you time it right. Either before or after you eat. We really enjoy sitting on the beach watching the fireworks. We usually will do this once or twice per trip. Maybe more if it's during MNSSHP-they look awesome from the beach. And DD10 loves playing in the sand while waiting and getting her feet wet in the water.

 

[PirateMom]

I'd definitely choose Kona. This is one of our favorites! I think the food and service are both better overall, and it's been our experience that we're seated right away when we check in for our ADR, whereas we have to wait a bit at Ohana. However, Ohana does have some entertainment, which helps keep our kids occupied, and the dessert there is delicious!

 

[Marcela]

It's truly ridiculous how much I stress over the restaurant choices! I second guess myself all the time, while my DH and DS16 laugh at me. DD10 is O.C.D. too, so she is quite understanding about my plight! I have to admit that I am shocked to see the overwhelming Kona votes, primarily because ADRs for 'Ohana are far and few between alas Kona has a bunch available. I have thoroughly studied both menus. DH and I love to try new things, so the Kona Cafe menu appeals to both of us. Unfortunately our offsprings are super picky, and this trip my DD gets to eat from the main menu, so I am trying to consider her finickiness. I so appreciate all of your input, and will take it into consideration as I make my final decision.

 

[Kathy Z]

Try to bribe your dd 10 with a Kona Cone for dessert. It is on the adult menu

When we had our granddaughters with us (ages 10 & 7) I had to give up my choice of dessert for the Kid's sundae so both girls could have the Kona Cone.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We have eaten at both and I would choose Kona a million times over. We ate at Ohana this past Dec and the service and food were terrible. We have eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner at Kona several times and have never had a bad meal there. We LOVE Kona.

 

[johamna]

we have eaten at both Kona and Ohana and absolutely love both of them! however, i would not do Ohana at 8:50, either..so i say Kona! the terriyaki steak is fantastic!

 

[sndral]

Well, I guess I'll be the dissenting vote.
To me Kona Cafe is a place to eat and the food is very good, Ohanas is an experience.
When I ate @ Kona last Dec. I was not impressed - perhaps because we had to wait nearly an hour past our ADRs because they first seated a party of 12 w/out ADRs who walked up right as we did (we overheard the conversation.) The staff, once we were finally seated, was very nice, but to me it is nothing but a glorified coffee shop w/ tables too close to each other. Kona is open to the Poly lobby and if you are seated as we were right @ the edge you'll be unable to have much conversation because of all of the people walking by.
The first time we ate @ Ohanas we were seated just before wishes and it was truly magical to watch it from our table. Ohanas is an experience, beautiful views (Kona has no windows) fun campy atmosphere (the coconut races for kids) and a really friendly wait staff.

 

[theguda]

Another vote for Kona! We've been there twice and to O'hana once. Both are good...but Kona is superior in my book. I agree with an earlier post that O'hana is a better "experience"...but for me....I'd rather sit down at a nice place, get some really good food and spend fun time with my family and friends vs sitting down at a cool restaurant...getting lesser food and doing the same thing. To me, the food trumps the experience. And it's not like Kona is a downer...it had a cool atmosphere...it's a lot smaller than O'hana....and the dessert area is cool to browse. Kona is a must stop on every trip we take to WDW.

 

[Cookie Princess]

KONA for us!! The food is better. We have had some good and bad experiences at Ohana. Also, sometimes they will allow you to order Ohana's dessert at Kona. To me, that is the best part of the whole Ohana meal.