Intro

The Wailulu Bar & Grille at the new Island Tower is an excellent addition to Disney’s Polynesian Resort’s dining options. The restaurant offers delicious food and creative cocktails. We were fortunate to stay at the new Island Tower on opening day and dined at Wailulu twice! Wailulu Bar & Grill offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is just simple grab & go items. We also noticed that lunch and dinner had the same menu. Let’s review our favorite dishes and drinks—and one specific cocktail we definitely wouldn’t recommend, but more on that later.

The Atmosphere at Wailulu Bar & Grille

The Entryway

The general atmosphere at Wailulu is great. Before you enter you’ll see a giant wooden door at the entry. After speaking to cast members, we learned this door was carved by a family of artists living in the Polynesian Islands. This door is MASSIVE, and every detail is absolutely beautiful. While we were there, the door was kept open at all times. We’re not sure if it will close outside of business hours, but either way, we made sure we looked at both sides of this gorgeous door.

Seating Areas

It has both inside, outside, and bar seating areas. The inside area is rather narrow, while the outside area is more open. The entire outside bar and dining area is covered. It definitely felt like the open air dining you’d see at resorts in Hawaii. We sat both outside and inside, and enjoyed both, so no matter where you sit, you’re sure to have a great time.

The fish hanging from the ceiling inside, aren’t just beautiful. They’re made with fishing nets from the Polynesian Islands. While being used, the color of the nets would indicate the strength of the net so fishermen would know how full the net could get before it would break. There are two special fish hanging amongst the others. The first you’ll see when you enter is Mr. Sparkles, and the second one near the outside door is named Luna. This was a fun tidbit we learned from talking to the cheerful Cast Members on opening day.

Overall, there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Whether you’re sitting inside or outside, day or night, you’re sure to have a great view of Bay Lake, and some beautiful art.

The Food at Wailulu Bar & Grill

The food at Wailulu Bar & Grill is fantastic! We were able to try almost everything, and we didn’t find a single thing we disliked. All of the food is themed after South Pacific Islander Cuisine.

Appetizers

Our favorite appetizers were the Ahi Tuna Crisps (pictured above), and the Crispy Chicken Wings (pictured below). We actually liked the Ahi Tuna Crisps so much, we had them again later in the same day! The Crispy Chicken Wings have soy sauce as the base of the wing sauce, and some of our group found them quite salty, which is a normal flavor profile for soy sauce. So, just keep that in mind if you order the wings. Another great appetizer choice is sticky pork ribs. They sauce is great, and the meat falls off the bone. No matter which appetizer you choose, you’re sure to love it!

Entrees

The entrees also didn’t fail to disappoint. We all got something different so we had a chance to try everything. We ordered the Wayfinder Burger, Grilled Fish of the Day, Chow Mein Salad with Chicken, and the Teriyaki Chicken Sliders. All of these entrees were delicious, but the bright spot was the Wayfarer Burger. It’s two smash burger patties, onion jam, volcano sauce and a sweet bun. We tasted the volcano sauce on its own first, and it was pretty spicy (we might be wimps though), but once we bit into the burger with all the other ingredients, it wasn’t too spicy at all. It comes with a side of sweet potato fries, and they were so good. If you love burgers, you need to make time to visit Wailulu Bar & Grill. This entree is a true highlight.

All of the other entrees we ordered were delicious as well. The fish of the day was delicious, but we felt like it was quite a heavy dish to have at lunch. This is definitely a dish best served for dinner. The Chow Mein Salad was a great light option for lunch, we had chicken on this one, but you can get it plain, with chicken, shrimp, or tofu. The Teriyaki Chicken Sliders were also delicious! They were much bigger than we were expecting, but that was a welcome surprise, as we were able to share them around the table.

Deserts

We were only able to try one desert, DOLE Whip Sundae. We had this delicious desert while sitting at the outside bar, watching the fireworks. It a perfectly sweet way to end our open day at the new Island Tower.

Drinks and Cocktails at Wailulu Bar & Grill

We were really excited about the new cocktails offered here at the new Island Tower. If you’ve visited many of the different DVC Resorts have the same core cocktails (Captain’s Mai Tai, Blueberry Lemonade, etc.). But we were told there would be a full new drink menu on theme with the Island Tower, so we were excited!

Our favorite drinks from the menu were the Pan Dan Gin Mule (the green one above), Lili’uokalani Mai Tai (the yellow one), and the Passion Fruit and Pineapple Daiquiri (pictured below). We heard great things about the Banana Old Fashioned, but none of us like Bourbon, so our opinions would have definitely been biased. For me personally, the Pan Gin Mule and the Passion Fruit and Pineapple Daiquiri were the absolute best. They were fun colors, delicious, and went down easy. I was actually surprised with the daquiri as I expected it to be a blended/frozen drink, but that was just my own uncultured culinary mind not understanding that not all daquiris are frozen.

The Drink We Didn’t Like

Okay. I’m a big fan of strawberry cocktails. If I see something has strawberry in it, I’m going to immediately order it. Unfortunately, all I need to see is the word “strawberry”, and don’t read the rest of the ingredients of the drink. The last drink I ordered at Wailulu Bar & Grill was the Kula Strawberry Sake. To my limited attention span, it had strawberry and sake, so I was excited to try it. Well, I completely ignored the fact that it also had campari in it, which (in my opinion) tastes like the worst cough medicine you can imagine. The drink was beautiful and pink, and I took a BIG sip. Then immediately coughed and said “Oh my, that’s so gross.” Then of course, forced everyone else at the table to try it.

A lot of people love the taste of campari. I’ve never met a person like that, but I’m sure they exist. When the server came back and asked about it, I told him how I didn’t like it, and he very nicely replaced it with Pan Dan Gin Mule at no charge. I’ll tell you the same thing I told the server, and people sitting at the table next to us “This drink tastes exactly like it should. Unfortunately I hated the way it should taste.” So, if you like campari, definitely give this one a try, but if you don’t like it, steer clear.

Would We Recommend Wailulu Bar & Grille at the new Island Tower?

Absolutely! Everything (except Kula Strawberry Sake) was delicious and we would definitely visit again. Actually, we’ll be staying at the tower again in later January, and we’ll definitely be eating at Wailulu again! Even though the new Island Tower only has one restaurant/bar, Wailulu holds it own and is a great place to eat and drink. Of course, you could always go to Ohana, Tambu Lounge, Barefoot Pool Bar, or Kona Cafe if you’re looking for more dining options at the Polynesian, but we believe if you visit Wailulu for either food or drinks, you won’t be disappointed.