Worried about 'Ohana

[Momto3littlemice]

We will be trying 'Ohana for the first time in March. It has taken me years to get the family on board because of my sis the vegetarian! Anyway, lately I have read some negative reviews and I am starting to wonder if my convincing has been for not. I have heard things such as
- new chef not as good as the last one
- meat over cooked
- feeling rushed
- too loud

Can anyone comment on these things?

Anyone love 'Ohana?

Lastly, if someone doesn't like the bananas foster dessert extravaganza, is there another option (esp for kids)?

Our group will consist of 6 adults and 5 kids ages (8 mos through 7 years). Thanks!:mickey:

[clausjo]

We ate there last Sunday for the first time and loved it. All of the food was very good and nothing was over cooked. The adults had the bread pudding and they brought ice cream with sprinkles for the kids. There were no other options as far as I could tell. We weren't rushed at all, and the place was packed. It was a really nice experience. My only complaint is that they gave WAY too much food. We're not hugh eaters, but we don't just pick either. There was so much food that you couldn't tell we even ate. I felt it was terribly wasteful. :(

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

It doesn't matter what restaurant you discuss in these threads there are going to be those who love it and those who have negative experiences....I tend to listen to the majority and choose based on what we like to eat...

I am trying Ohana on our next visit and am super excited.:lei:

[magicgal]

We used to LOVE 'Ohana, but imo it is just not as good as it used to be. It was a must do for us on each trip. Now, we just go back here and there. The last few times I found the service to be bad, and the food was not as good. Mostly because of the dry meat. Although the shrimp were very good, the meats were tough and dry.

[retiredfigment]

I think the opinion on meat is all personal preference. My daughter loved it because she likes her meat well done. I LOVED all the food served first, and wish I would have eaten more of that and just skipped the skewers. Overall it was good, but not one of my favorites.

[magicman]

It was not quite as good on my most recent visit (Jan 2011) as in previous visits.

It is still very good; however, it has now been relegated from a "must do" each trip to a "every other trip visit".

I would rate the food an 8 of 10 and the service 6 of 10. The waiter was very, very nice but overly busy.

I definitely think it is a good restaurant (and the Poly is a fun resort to visit); however, it's just not quite as good as it used to be 2+ years ago.

Also of note: We were on the dining plan & we actually got charged the TS Credits plus a nice surprise showed up on our Visa bill when it came last week. They decided to charge my room for the meal after we left WDW (which of course was charged then to my credit card on file). This was all fixed by a phone call, but it still sours us a bit.:pout:

[Disnamic Duo]

We ate there on our trip last Nov, and it was excellent. We hadn't been in a few years...now I'm not sure why we had been skipping it. Our meat was cooked perfect - not dry at all. Also, the other things they serve (dumplings, wings, salad, noodles, vegetables) were all very good too. And we LOVE the bread pudding a la mode w/bananas foster. The only problem was I ate wayyyy too much!

[johnO]

Lastly, if someone doesn't like the bananas foster dessert extravaganza, is there another option (esp for kids)?

Impossible

[TinkerbellT421]

DBF and I LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEE O'Hanas. Last year we ate there but we went already full from a big lunch which was our mistake, so this year we made a point that we had to go back seeing we messed up last year. Well this year we went hungry and my was it worth it!! We have now constituted this as one of our "must-dos" for next year. The meats in both our opinions were excellent. The shrimp was more difficult due to the peeling process so those were a tad messy. The desert was DELICIOUS!!! They had this banana thing served with this caramal banana sauce...Im drooling just thinking about it. But I agree with a previous poster. So many people have so many different tastes that I tend to go with the majority vote, and if its more towards the bad we may skip it till we have no choice but to eat there. But IMHO I LOVE O'Hanas and will always go back. Service was great, even though it was extremely busy and I thought we might get looked over seeing where we were seated, but they did an excellent job making sure noone was missed for long periods of time! :thumbsup:

[Disney4us2]

We were there in December. Our experience was not a negative one, just different. It was our first time there, so we didn't know what to expect.

We got there early since we knew we would have to wait. Our ADR was for 8:10pm. we checked in at 6:40pm and was seated at 8:25pm. We were told when we checked in they were running a half hour behind schedule. Glad I checked in early.

We brought the bread to the table. DD wanted butter with it. Our server said we didn't need butter with this bread. He brought it anyway when we asked for it.

The food (to us) was just ok, not bad, but not outstanding. DD didn't like the shrimp (which she usually does) because she though it was too messy to peel and eat. Thank goodness we kept the wet wash cloth.

The dessert was ok. I am not a fan of bread pudding. Loved the ice cream and banana's foster sauce. They brought it to us in one big bowl with 2 spoons. DD gave me the look of death. She does not like to eat from something that someone else is also eating from.... ewww germs..lol. Our server was kind enough to bring a smaller version for my daughter.

I will probably give this a try again, maybe in a few years or so. "Ohana is not some place we will return to soon.

[7165red]

We were there during the xmas holidays and loved it.

[wildernesslady]

We have always enjoyed it there. I do feel the servers are overworked for such a busy restaurant; but we never had bad service. There is plenty of food to go around. You will not leave hungry. Make sure to save room for dessert. It is delicious.

[cantrellmo]

Last September my wife and I ate at O'Hana for the first time and it will be a must do from now on. The food was fantastic. I could not recommend it more...Go for it!

[Magic Smiles]

I have heard things such as
- new chef not as good as the last one
- meat over cooked
- feeling rushed
- too loud

Can anyone comment on these things?

Lastly, if someone doesn't like the bananas foster dessert extravaganza, is there another option (esp for kids)?



Well I have to agree, the meat was overcooked, not that I really got to try much as they rushed our plates away. I never even got to finish my salad before they were serving me the main course. The whole meal was like that. Yes the place is EXTEMELY LOUD!
When we went there was no other option for dessert, so there was no dessert for us as none of us liked banana foster.
If it hadn't of been for the fact that we had a table with a view of the castle at christmas time, it would have been a horrible experience.
I would never go back.
Yes, of course this is my opinion only. Many people love the place:mickey:

[NH Disneyfan]

We tried Ohana about 5 years ago and it quickly became our favorite restaurant. Chicken wings were amazing, sides were amazing, meat/shrimp amazing, dessert amazing. One of the best years of my life.

Then, 2 or 3 years ago we went back and it just wasn't the same. I learned that they stopped cooking with certain ingredients and "fats" and I just didn't enjoy it.

If you didn't go before, and this is your first time with the experience, I anticipate you will LOVE it and it will become one of your favorites. It is just an amazing place. Do not worry, some of these places have been around a really, really long time and someone's earlier experience was their favorite. Things don't stay the same forever and just because I don't like Ohana anymore (and this is very sad for me) doesn't mean you shouldn't try it.

Also, if you like your meat a certain way, just ask for it that way. Disney aims to please and will do what they can!

[Jared]

As a rule, don't trust restaurant reviews on Disney message boards. There is no consensus of any location. It just seems 'Ohana is always one of the most controversial.

My family still considers 'Ohana one of the best places on property, and I'm always shocked by the barrage of criticism it has taken lately. Perhaps we've been lucky, but I'll keep going until given a reason to stop.

My advice: If 'Ohana appeals to you, go and find out for yourself. Even if you find it's not to your liking, you don't ever have to go back. And maybe you'll discover a new favorite.

[ElenitaB]

I'll start with your last question first: yes, if you ask, they can bring you ice cream or fruit if you don't want the bread pudding and ice cream. I can't do the ice cream, but they were happy to bring out a plate without it.

Now to your concern re: your sister, the vegetarian. First of all, make sure that it's noted on your ADR that you have a vegetarian in your party. The salad, the bread, the noodles and the veggies are all vegetarian (and really good stuff in their own right). They can prepare her a tofu/tempura veg/noodle extravaganza for her entree. If she doesn't do dairy, they have Tofutti and Rice Dream for dessert.

[ransam]

been a year, but we love it...one of my all time favorite resturants anywhere.

[A Big Kid]

We will be trying 'Ohana for the first time in March. It has taken me years to get the family on board because of my sis the vegetarian! Anyway, lately I have read some negative reviews and I am starting to wonder if my convincing has been for not. I have heard things such as
- new chef not as good as the last one
- meat over cooked - feeling rushed
- too loud

Can anyone comment on these things?

Anyone love 'Ohana?

:

The last couple of times we went, I was getting less and less impressed; especially with how dry and overcooked the meat seemed. Most of those ADR's were at 8 pm and later. I wont even mention how long past our ADR's it took us to be seated.

In January, we had ADR's for 5 pm. We were seated promptly. The meat was juicy and cooked to perfection. Not too much "entertainment" going on either, so it was quiet enough.

I guess, they time you visist has a lot to do with your enjoyment.

[Momto3littlemice]

Thank you everyone for your info! I love to hear about those who love it and I hope we feel the same. We have an early ADR, have noted the veggie status and the kids will love any "entertainment" that is there. So, we are going to give it a try! :mickey: