If you are old enough to remember ancient times, also known as the 1980s, a character on a television show known as Norm grew in popularity. George Wendt, who played the character Norm on the television show Cheers, appeared in every episode. He would enter the fictional Boston bar, and everybody knew his name. Based on my most recent trip to the Orlando area, everybody knows my name at Kona Café. Well, at least for the short term they do. I returned to Kona Café for another review one week after the reopening day. Since I had been to this place for two different meals on reopening day, what would cause me to visit again so soon? I think the staff wondered that also since they may not have known my face that morning, but they recognized my name. The Walt Disney World dining reservation system makes it challenging to sneak in for a dining review.

Well, I considered entitling this review “It Was All Jeremy’s Fault!” but decided against that. A friend of MouseDining, Jeremy Stein of the Main Street Magic Podcast, decided to visit Magic Kingdom that morning. He wanted breakfast nearby before braving the crowds on a Monday after a race weekend. He mentioned Kona Café. After a bit of time, I found a reservation via MouseDining for that morning. On my previous breakfast venture to Kona Café, I ordered the new salmon breakfast entrée. Since during my previous breakfast visit, my group tried all the new breakfast items at Kona Café, I searched for my choice for this morning.

I knew that Jeremy would be ordering the “Plant-based Loco Moco” for breakfast. I decided to try the Macadamia Nut Pancakes this morning. These pancakes distinguish themselves as a tried-and-true menu item at Kona Café. In Disney Parks Blog about restaurants reopening, these pancakes were listed alongside Tonga Toast as an item returning due to popularity.

Jeremy and I were seated. We bantered about the state of theme parks. Our server, Matti, performed her responsibilities very well. Soon after, our food arrived. The initial appearance of my pancakes promised a good start.

These “Macadamia Nut Pancakes” cost $15. They come with a choice of protein. Guests may select between ham, spiced ham, bacon, or sausage. Since this was Kona Café in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, the spiced ham made the most sense. In case you miss the coded language, spiced ham is “Spam.” If you visit a Polynesian restaurant, you should get spam to be in the Polynesian spirit. Also, the pancakes feature macadamia nut butter and pineapple sauce.

I received three large pancakes for this entrée. The spam came well prepared also. Sure, many guests will not prefer that meat choice. However, the version served here makes a good side dish for these pancakes. The combination of savory meat and sweet pancakes enhances this entrée. The texture factor with the nuts works better than I expected. This texture factor might throw some guests off, but I enjoyed it. I added very little syrup to these pancakes. The pineapple sauce provides a good amount of sweetness. I appreciated these nontraditional-style pancakes. Dining in a theme park resort bubble can lead to some boring choices. These pancakes make a good choice for breakfast while avoiding standard pancakes. The macadamia nut flavors combined with pineapple fits the Polynesian theme very well. Anyone looking for a sweet breakfast but not brave enough for Tonga Toast will enjoy these pancakes.

 

Jeremy ordered the “Plant-based Loco Moco.” This vegan dining option modifies a traditional Polynesian dish. Jeremy described the presentation as “like an egg volcano.” This presentation failed to look like any version of Loco Moco I had seen before. This vegan item features plant-based eggs, plant-based sausage gravy, rice, and pico de gallo. This breakfast entrée costs $16.50.

Despite appearances, the flavor of this item worked very well. The “eggs” offer decent flavor as well as the “gravy.” Based on my sampling of this item, even non-vegan diners will appreciate this. Like many vegan items based on non-vegan items, these lack enough cream or gravy compared to a traditional Loco Moco. Those of us that do not dine exclusively vegan often forget how important milk and egg-based products impact our taste buds. Yet as of the time of writing, I have three sources telling me that a non-vegan beef version of this item may be making its way onto this menu.

Both entrées we ordered make solid breakfast options. If looking for a top-of-the-line table service breakfast here, you will be disappointed. Still, if looking for a solid more budget-friendly table service breakfast, Kona Café should be a reservation option for you. Maybe if you love the food here, everybody at Kona Café will know your name too. As always, eat like you mean it!