Lunch Island Style at Disney's Polynesian Village's Capt. Cook's

There are a lot of reasons to go check out Disney's Polynesian Village Resort right now. There's the refreshed Lobby, Pineapple Lani, a re-imagined Feature Pool, new DVC Villas and the fabulous Trader Sam's Grog Grotto - all open and welcoming Guests. However for a fabulous quick service lunch off the beaten path, one of my favorites can be found at the Polynesian Village's Capt. Cook's.





Capt. Cook's located on the lower level of the Grand Ceremonial House. You'll have to wander back past the DVC lounge and down the hall the back left hand corner of the building to find your way, but it's an easy route to navigate. The restaurant underwent remodeling last year, and while traversing the hallway to get to it isn't an extraordinary experience, once you step foot under the sign the space opens up in a way that reads like Aloha.


Looking Down The Hall to Capt. Cook's


Floor to ceiling windows in the seating area allow for a flood of natural lighting and a beautiful view of the outdoor patio. The patio, now adjacent to Trader Sam's Patio which opened up last week. A little less lush than it used to be, once the new planting take root and get a little bigger there will be no doubt you're in a tropical paradise.

Inside the bamboo and rich island woods create a warm glow that's highlighted by modern light fixtures. Colorful travel posters each naming a Polynesian island grace the walls and tall carved pillars are carved and decorated in tropical motifs. It's a small dinning room but it feels friendly and refreshing.


The Interior Glows with Warm Island Woods


Capt. Cook's is known for serving up tasty meals and treats to Guests for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While its recent remodel saw the loss of the beloved 24 hour Dole Whip machine (relocated to the Pineapple Lanai) it's still one of my favorite quick service restaurants for the unique menu that go way past a burger and fries.

The menu (which can be seen here) is full of entrees that have been given a tropical flair, such as the Grilled Chicken Sandwich with teriyaki glaze and pineapple salsa, Coconut Curry meatballs served over rice, and a Hawaiian Flatbread with pineapple and ham. Even the kids menu offers up a little creativity with chicken and pineapple skewers served on a bed of mixed greens with a sesame soy dressing.

For me though, the must try staple of this island inspired menu has got to be the extraordinary pulled pork that that's roast upstairs every day to be used in the Aloha Pork Sandwich and the Pulled Pork Nachos.


Capt. Cook's Menu Board


My favorite has got to be the Pulled Pork Nachos. I must admit, I was a little hesitant to try them at first - being a firmly entrenched TexMex fan the concept of Pineapple Salsa freaked me out a bit.

The base for these nachos is mix of fresh housemade chips and deep fried wontons that have the perfect combination of crisp and salty, that's then loaded with the Aloha pork an topped with sweet bits of pineapple salsa, tomatoes, red onions, and spicy mayo. It's like a party in your mouth.


Capt. Cook's Pulled Pork Nachos


Not to be outdone by the entrees, dessert at Capt. Cook's is pretty sweet. On my last visit I chose a Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake that was downright sinful, in fact it was my favorite of the day when my family set off on a monorail cupcake crawl.


Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake


The bottom of the cupcake seemed to be set in a chocolate ganache, with a moist and decadent red velvet chocolate cake, a light raspberry mousse filling, a thick raspberry cream cheese frosting and tiny little chocolate chips. Unlike many Disney cupcakes that I find the flavor of is "sugar" this masterpiece was a silky combination of flavors and textures that made it worthy of pastry praise.


The Raspberry Mousse Filling Was Light And Refreshing


I give the "new" Capt. Cook's at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort a big thumbs up for the beautifully remodeled decor and more importantly a unique menu featuring flavorful entrees and pastry delights that elevate this quick service to a fast casual winner in a new era of delicious food at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort.

Have you eaten at the new Capt. Cook's? What did you think? Leave a comment and let us know.