Wailulu Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Bay Lake

This trip we stayed at the Island Tower, so we ate here our first night after arriving and getting settled into our room. I was really impressed with this place. The restaurant was full and had a waiting list, but after about ten minutes, my wife and I were able to get seats at the bar. I thought the atmosphere was cool and the bar staff were very friendly and talkative. The bar area is quite large and unique looking. We got some drinks while looking at the food menu. Wailulu has a decent drinks list. I am a beer guy, I love IPA's. The Terrapin Luau Krunkles Passion Fruit-Orange-Guava IPA was my new favorite, and what I stuck to the rest of the trip. My wife had one of their Passion Fruit Garibaldi's. She really liked it. For an appetizer, we tried the Musubi. It was the first time I have had it, so I have nothing to compare it to, but we liked it. The "mains" we tried were the Fish of the Day and the Short Rib Loco Moco. I thought my Loco Moco was delicious! There were a couple of guys sitting next to me, and it appeared they had ordered every starter off the menu. I asked them how their food was and if there was anything that they didn't care for, their answer was no. They said everything they had eaten was great and that this was one of their favorite places to eat. The bar is covered but open to the air outside. There was a nice breeze flowing through that night and I was quite comfortable. You have direct viewing to watch the nightly fireworks from the Magic Kingdom and the Electric Water Pageant, which is a small floating parade on the lake. Wailulu Bar also happens to be right next to the resort pool, CovePool. If you like, you can grab a drink and relax next to the pool. I know because this is what we did the last day we were there after checking out and waiting on our ride to the airport.

My overall experience at Wailulu Bar and Grill was great. There is nothing I can complain about. Atmosphere, staff, views, location, drinks, and food were all great. Even though I do not plan on staying at the Island Tower again, I would go back to Wailulu for a night.

Trip stay // March 30 - April 3 2025

Overall...

Checked out Wailulu Bar & Grill while visiting the Disney’s Polynesian Village. Due to wait times for the dining areas, we opted to dine on the patio, where seating is first-come-first-served. The aesthetics of the restaurant are beautiful and sitting on the covered patio was a great way to enjoy the perfect weather. The tables are more “lounge-style” (knee height) with comfortable lounge chairs that you can sink into while enjoying a cocktail. There is also seating at the bar.

We tried the musubi and the sticky ribs; they were both good; although, we preferred the musubi to the ribs. There is a full bar available for drinks and cocktails.

Service was fine but somewhat absent; I can only assume Disney is still working out the logistics, since this is still a relatively new restaurant. Also, straws are available “only upon request” - that was new to me.

My only complaint is the fact that they allow potential patrons to “hover” while looking/waiting for a table. A group of people simply stood next to our table while we were eating; watching and waiting for us to finish, so they could take our seats. We felt like an exhibition, as they stood there for no less than 30 minutes just watching. I found it awkward and uncomfortable. They rushed in as soon as we stood up - claiming a table with dirty dishes, glasses, and our signed checks still spread across the table. I believe this could be handled better by Disney.

Overall, it was a nice experience. The food, ambiance, and aesthetics were lovely; I would recommend a visit and intend to return in the...

I echo other reviews with the mixture of cost, taste, atmosphere and overall value. It is a Disney property so expect the cost to be there for anything you order. The “skinny margarita “ was mostly lime and almost unsinkable so they need to work on that. We ordered several of the apps including the wings, spam sushi, chicken sliders, and spare ribs. We were pleased with most of the items but my husband and son in law loved the spam sushi the most! The chicken sliders were cold and I don’t like cold food when it’s supposed to be hot. The kids meals were served in bento boxes which was cute but had odd combinations like Mac n cheese and jasmine rice with broccoli. My granddaughter did not like the Mac n cheese, it’s more white cheddar flavored. We enjoyed the ribs and wings but the slaw under the wings was my favorite! The dessert was the chocolate cake with caramelized bananas and coffee flavored Chantilly cream. It looked better than it tasted but it was still enjoyable. The atmosphere is great with overlooking the water and surrounded by pools of water in the outside searing area. When we arrived we added ourselves to the walk up wait list in the Disney app and we were seated in under ten minutes even though we were told the wait time would be 60 minutes. We will go...