What is Ohana really like? What did you think of it?

[AmandaChan]

What is Ohana really like? What are your thoughts on it? We've read a lot of mixed reviews and we have a limited night selection (only 6 this year) and we're being very picky with our dinner ressies. What did you think of the food and the atmosphere, service, etc?

thanks,
amanda :nurse:

[diz_girl]

I've dined at 'Ohana twice (both for dinner) and the first time I really enjoyed it and the second time I didn't, but it wasn't the fault of WDW. If you have time to sit down and truly enjoy dinner, meaning that you don't have young children, then you should like it. The food and atmosphere are very nice.

If you have young children, mainly toddlers to age 4 or so, and you're a Mom, you might not have that great of a time. Granted, 'Ohana does have activities for kids to help keep them occupied. But if all that you do at dinner is tend to your kids, and can't enjoy your meal, if you even get a chance to eat it at all, then don't waste your money. In my case, we had a large family gathering and DH and BIL left the table for 20-30 minutes during the meal after they ate and after we fed the kids, leaving us Moms to try to eat our own meal while reining in the kids. I was not happy. Sorry, I had to vent.

From your signature, it looks like you don't have kids, so you should be able to really enjoy what 'Ohana has to offer.

[GrumpyFan]

'Ohana is on the top of our family's must do list. We go there for dinner almost every trip. It's changed a little bit over the years, and for a while (a couple of years ago) it had slipped down our list a bit, but we still went. It has improved and undergone some positive changes, IMO, and is back on the top of our list.

Dinner time meals are festive with various entertainment and lots of delicious food brought to your table. If you walk away hungry, it's your own fault.

[SBETigg]

My family loved it. The food comes in courses and everything was pretty good for us, the appetizers and sides were actually preferable to the meat skewers for us. We were so full we barely had room for dessert, and it's a pretty incredible dessert so that was regrettable.

There are restaurants at WDW that you end up thinking "that was good, but it's a pretty standard restaurant experience, nothing special." 'Ohana, for us, had that something special that made it a true Disney experience, and that probably has to do with the views (watching the lit-up MK across the lagoon) and the Polynesian theming. We definitely don't have anything like it at home.

[wire0monkey]

This is going to appall some people but...

'Ohana is okay, but just okay.

I don't like it nearly as much as I like many other restaurants. I'd have chose dinner at Boma, Cape May Cafe, Le Cellier, Biergarten, Kona Cafe, Wolfgang Puck's, Raglan Road, Rose and Crown, or California Grill, before I'd choose 'Ohana.

The Poly is beautiful, though.

[phillydan]

Enjoyed it thoroughly the first time - food, atmosphere, service were all great. Kids had a blast and enjoyed the different tasting foods.

Went back on the next trip and found that the menu had changed and the service slipped. Was still good, but not as great as the first time. The kids were older and did the Hula lesson, which was enjoyable for them.

To this day, I am not sure if the first time was so good because of the WOW factor or maybe we just caught a bad night on the second trip. I'm not saying I would never go back.

Regardless, you should try it! Good luck.

[ThanxForNoticin]

Absolutely positively one of our 3 favorite restaurants at all of Disney - a must-do for us most trips. That being said, you should understand it's a little different from most restaurants. They do have activities for the kids, it's more of a family-style dining experience, and it tends to be a little noisier than other places. But it is truly a place where our entire family enjoys it - no arguments from anyone when we go back there.

The service has been very good, and the food is excellent, plentiful, and there is enough variety that our family members get more of what they enjoy. You can enjoy several kinds of meat/seafood, veggies, and their salad is outstanding. And the bread pudding dessert is amazing. You should take a look at the menu here on Intercot.

Good luck with your choices for dinner. 'OHana comes very highly recommended from our family. Have a great time, wherever you choose!

[DawsonAR]

We had made many trips to Disney before we ever ate here--boy, what a mistake. We ate there for the first time in January 2008 and we LOVED it. It will forevermore be a MUST do for every trip.

[buzznwoodysmom]

We love it so much that I don't know if we could take a trip to WDW without having dinner at Ohana!! My whole family, kids included, would be crushed if we couldn't get an ADR for this meal.

Whoever mentioned not being able to enjoy your meal with kids, to me it wouldn't make a big difference where you are eating. Fortunately for us we can eat anywhere with our kids. They are generally very well behaved in resturants. We've eaten with a party as large as 16 people including kids ages 8, 6, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 1 and we were all able to enjoy our meal at Ohana with no problems with any of the kids.

[PetefromRI]

We love O'hana.The appetizers end up filling you up if your not careful and if all you want is shrimp on the skewers,don't be shy to say so.But if I can leave just a little advice?Leave room for desert!We found the Banana Fosters bread pudding to be the best dessert in the world.You'll have fun.

[Tinkerbellaella]

We loved it. When we go in June we are do the quick service plan and are going to pay OOP for dinner there. I find it to be the opposite of who said it isn't a great experience if you have kids. I would find it too busy and hectic (but fun) if you are looking for a peaceful meal. Lots of activities going on. The food kept coming and I loved it all.

[TinkerMel]

I think it totally depends on your taste. My DH loved dinner at O'Hana. It was his favorite meal of our last trip. I did not like the food so much. I am not a big meat eater & I don't eat any type of sausage at all. So, I was not a big fan of the food. However, we had an awesome view, and the entertainment was fun for the kids.

[jonahbear2006]

I absolutely loved Ohana and we have a 8,6,4, and 2 yr old. You have to keep an eye on the kids participating though, one quick twist of my neck and the 2 yr old was missing. The food is superb! and one of our kids was picky so she got mac and cheese and if you ever had wdw mac and cheese, oooooooh! It really looks very hawaiian in there and the cooks are right out where you can watch them cook. There is music, dancing, limbo, maracas, and if you are there at night for wishes, 900pm ressie, you can watch the fireworks and they broadcast the show in the dining room! Excellent Place to eat in wdw. There arent many places that top my review for this joint!

[princessimagineer]

love. food. atmosphere. service. love. recommended.

[GoofyMom09]

Ohana is our #1 favorite restaurant. We always eat there our first night in Disneyworld. Definitely worth a try!

[HoosierDisneyFan]

My opinion would be to try it for yourself. This may well be your favorite TS resturant.

I will agree with earlier post, go hungry and don't fill up on the appetizers.

[joonyer]

First, understand that 'Ohana is not a gourmet "signature dining" restaurant. It is a Hawaiian/polynesian themed family fun restaurant. 'Ohana means "family". The food is very good (but not gourmet) especially for meat eaters, and you get all you can eat. It has a great fun atmosphere (not quiet) for kids of all ages. I guess dining out with very small children (infants) would not be ideal there just like any restaurant, but if your kids are old enough to enjoy trying to hula hoop and race coconuts (pushing them with a broom around the floor) they will have a lot of fun. Even if they don't participate, its a lot of fun to watch all the other kids. We first went when our kids were 9 & 6 and they loved it then, and it is still our number ONE family favorite WDW dining experience. There's a great huge open fire grill in the center of the dining room and live singer with ukelele, plus a limbo contest, and other fun activities. I'd be very surprised if you didn't have a great time there. Plus you can see the fireworks at MK if you are lucky enough to get a window seat at the right time. We have been to 'Ohana on every WDW trip but one. That was our first trip as a family and we haven't missed it since.

[goofy78]

if i remember correctly, this was a place i had breakfast at and i had a skillet full of sticky buns that were polynesian style. they were awesome!!! does anyone know if they still serve them?

[Maleficent's Dad]

This is going to appall some people but...

'Ohana is okay, but just okay.

I don't like it nearly as much as I like many other restaurants.
:ditto:
'Ohana gets raves around these parts... And quite often, I'm trying to figure out just why. I mean, I've really tried the place with an open mind - I've really wanted to like it. But our experiences (plural) have been, shall we say, less than stellar - so I usually keep my mouth closed in the 'Ohana area...

My opinion would be to try it for yourself.
Some of the best advice around these parts - everyone gives opinions (myself included), and there are often disagreements about places, but the only way to know for sure is to take a place on yourself!

First, understand that 'Ohana is not a gourmet "signature dining" restaurant.
Good point. With all the love 'Ohana receives around here, you'd think the food was over-the-top exquisite... Not the case. If you're not a carnivore, skip the joint! :mickey:

[Through the looking Glass]

Kids loved it. Adults didn't think too much of it. Thought the meats were way over cooked (almost burnt). Trying to get 'fresher less cooked meat' was almost impossible. Kids did have a good time with activities, and ate off the child menu.
Great view!!!!

[pianobabe]

DH and I have eaten at Ohana on several different occassions for dinner and really enjoyed it. We enjoyed the food, the atmosphere and watching the kids interact with the entertainment. Being 2 adults without kids on this trip, didn't make us feel out-of-place. Plus, the view was wonderful. We did eat breakfast there one time, but we did not enjoy it.

[Septbride2002]

We enjoyed Ohana's - my husband especially. I understand the menu has changed quite a bit since we've been there last which is disappointing because it use to be great. if you have meat and seafood lovers in your group everyone should be pretty happy with what is offered. I make their chicken wing recipe and their salad dressing all the time to use at the house - that is how much we like it. We also do the pineapple w/warm carmel sauce at home to - I understand they no longer serve this :(

We like to go to Ohana's on a night that MK will have fireworks - we like to make it early and then hang out at the beach of the polynesian and watch the fireworks from there and then we stay and watch the Electric Water Pagent. Ohana's is a great place to go for the first night in Disney.

~Amanda

[A Big Kid]

I could take it or leave it. The one time I went, I was not that impressed with the service (almost a hour wait time past our ADR's even though we showed up 10 minutes early). The meat was flavorless. The atmosphere was way to loud. DOnt get a seat along the racetrack!

If you want to gorge yourself, It would be a good choice, though.

[Tinkpink]

We really liked Ohana and would do it again (we also use DDP and limited choices to make...but Ohana makes the list for our upcoming trip.) DH loved it - definitely his favorite for food. We have three kids (10, 8, 5) who also liked the food and the fun.

I am a vegetarian - so the regular menu is not so appealing. However, we asked our server if any special requests (meatless) could be made and he actually spoke with the chef. The chef came to our table and discussed what I could eat. He made something wonderful (including special eggless dessert) that was SO GREAT!


So, of course, we highly recommend Ohana.:thumbsup:

[javamama]

I've never done dinner but the breakfast was great, reading this makes me want to eat dinner there now instead of breakfast though.

[stitchaholic]

if you are going to ohana for supper,bring a hungry stomach and be prepared for tons of meat!
they start off with a salad with a honey lime vinagrette,it was awesome! then they bring dumplings and chicken wings,the chicken wings are awesome also,then they bring asian noodles and 3 sauces,a sweet and sour,churry and peanut sauce for the huge skewers of meat that are about to come to your table fresh off the fire pit,there are shrimp,turkey,steak and porc, the turkey was so awesome!
to top it off they bring a banana bread pudding,vanilla ice cream(the real thing,you can see the vanilla beans!) and a caramel sauce. be prepared to be stuffed!:sick:

[stitchaholic]

We enjoyed Ohana's - my husband especially. I understand the menu has changed quite a bit since we've been there last which is disappointing because it use to be great. if you have meat and seafood lovers in your group everyone should be pretty happy with what is offered. I make their chicken wing recipe and their salad dressing all the time to use at the house - that is how much we like it. We also do the pineapple w/warm carmel sauce at home to - I understand they no longer serve this

they still had the caramel sauce last week when i was there!
i would love to get those recipes if you would share them.

[DonaldsBFF]

Ohana is a can't miss for our family. First off, the Polynesian is a beautiful resort. Of all the restaurants we went to in WDW this one has been by far the best value for what you get. I don't just mean food, I mean overall experience. This includes theming, atmosphere, view, food, entertainment and service. The entertainment is mostly for kids but we enjoyed watching and listening even without taking part in activities. The other thing we like to do after a later dinner is go outside and sit on the beach and watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and the electric water parade. It is a whole different experience in viewing the fireworks from this view than from in the park. Both are amazing!

["DoYouHaveYourParkPass?"]

Our family has eaten at Ohana many times in the past few years. Like any restaurant it seems to have good and bad days and often that is a result of your server. We celebrated our DS's 16 and 18th birthdays there and they are still 2 of the best "celebrations" we have had at WDW. On another occasion we celebrated my DH's parents 50th wedding anniversary there and it ranks as one of the poorest visits - our server was terrible. We had the whole family there this past March and enjoyed another good meal. We do enjoy the food, and if you have a server who is even 75% on the job things go fine.
On our last visit the family of 6 beside us had had a terrible time tracking down their server (we had a different one). They did get served, somewhat, and eventually paid and left without receiving the final food items they had asked for. They did not leave a tip - which to us seemed fitting - however when table was being cleaned the server came along looking for a tip on the table and was most upset when there was none. He talked freely to the other staff about the "cheap" group at the table and was most unpleasant. All other tables around heard him - did not make for a nice experience.
Having said all of the above we will do Ohana again - but it is not the first ADR we make.
What is the first ADR we make...Cape May.
_______________________________
26 visit and more to come

[Natazu]

I like 'Ohana. Truth is though, it's not the most relaxing place, the service is spotty and they tend to overcook the shrimp. But, there are a couple of things they serve that keep me coming back and that's saying a lot since we rarely fill a dinner slot with a non-signature restaurant (wow, that sounded snooty, huh?). I could eat 'Ohana's pot stickers, grilled turkey, and Honey Coriander Chicken Wings every day, and that salad dressing should come in pocket size so I can carry it everywhere. You get a lot for your money at this place. Oh, yeah, one final word: Bananas Foster Bread Pudding.

[kathiep]

Dinner at O'Hana is a must for us on every trip. We love the atmosphere and really enjoy the food. Be careful not to eat too much to early on in the meal or you won't have enough room for the meat or the dessert! We've always been pleased with the food & service.

[Aggie97]

I like 'Ohana. Truth is though, it's not the most relaxing place, the service is spotty and they tend to overcook the shrimp. But, there are a couple of things they serve that keep me coming back and that's saying a lot since we rarely fill a dinner slot with a non-signature restaurant (wow, that sounded snooty, huh?). I could eat 'Ohana's pot stickers, grilled turkey, and Honey Coriander Chicken Wings every day, and that salad dressing should come in pocket size so I can carry it everywhere. You get a lot for your money at this place. Oh, yeah, one final word: Bananas Foster Bread Pudding.

:exactly:
This is exactly how I feel about 'Ohana -- down to my favorite dishes there.

We often have dined at 'Ohana on our first night of a WDW trip, as I feel it has a fun and unique Disney atmosphere. :mickey:

[Gregandmel]

We enjoyed our 1st trip in 10 years to WDW back in October with our 2 boys, ages 8 & 17 and O'Hana's was our 1st night dinner reservation at 5pm. It was fantastic!!! Truly a highlight of our stay. I agree with some of the posters about ages of children. It's pretty pricey and you get a TON - I mean TON of great food - the smaller kids may not get as much out of it - but my 8 year old did the coconut roll race and had fun - I highly recommend it. It's a "MUST DO" on our next trip!!

[disneydeb]

O'Hana is GREAT! A definite "MUST DO " for trips after the first experience. :thumbsup:

[LudwigVonDrake]

'Ohana is one of my favorites :tikki:

[Mr.K]

Ohana was one of our favorite places on our last visit. We cannot wait to go again. The food and atmosphere were fabulous. Kids and adults both had a great time.

[Coaster_Chick!]

Ohana is the BEST 1 ts meal in all of disney!!the dessert is AMAZING!! :number1:

[kemps@wdw]

Talk about your mixed reviews...I say :thumbsup: and DH says :down: I think it's good all-around place to go. Good food, good atmosphere, great view of MK. DH says ok food, too noisy. (at least we both kinda agree on the food) It's not a must-do for us every trip, but we would go there again.

[bouncyprouncy]

We used to love it and go every trip, but the various menu changes have not been to our liking, so we're not planning on going this year during our March trip. We're going to try something different. It may be that we go back to Ohana next year though.

[azcavalier]

Noisy, dark, and absolutely worth it.

Appetizers are really good. Great salad and salad dressing. And if you go and like the salad dressing, ask your server for the recipe, and they'll give it to you.

LOTS of meat. Sausage, shrimp, turkey, beef....sometimes overcooked and a little dry, but still really good. GREAT wings for the appetizers.

The dessert is, we think, the best dessert that we have tried at WDW. Now, we have never gone to any of the really $$$ restaurants, so I don't know what they have in those places. But i'm usually all about chocolate, and this is one of my rare exceptions.

[Tinkerfreak]

Kids loved it. Adults didn't think too much of it. Thought the meats were way over cooked (almost burnt). Trying to get 'fresher less cooked meat' was almost impossible. Kids did have a good time with activities, and ate off the child menu.
Great view!!!!

We also thought the meat was awful. It was way overcooked and really tough. The aps and dessert though were really good. We still walked away stuffed and had a good time. It is a fun place for the kids.

[Laughin' place]

This has been a "must do" for my sons and I (they are now 15 and 12, and verrrrry enthusiastic eaters, LOL).
On our last trip (6-08), I had the pleasure of introducing my DW and her sons (15 and 13) to Ohana. They are much more....selective...about what they eat than my crew.
We all LOVED Ohana. Its not "signature" level, and some of the meat is overdone. It is, however: fun, very filling, an awesome view, a great chance to see my dream resort, excellent for the wings, potstickers and dessert, and really "theme-y" ( I looove theme-y). I hope you give it a try, and hope you enjoy.
Septbride2002 -- can you PM me your version of the honey-corriander wing recipe ?? Mine never turns out right.