Conflicting 'Ohana reports

[KEMdisney]

Hello!!
My family and I are heading the world and have decided to do ONE non-character meal. For years I have heard about OHana and have wanted to try it. My BIL can be a food snob, and I'm worried that Ohana is not the best pick for us any more. I'm reading many conflicting reports that the food quality is not good. Help me make up my mind!! Do I want to stick with OHana!??

 

[shuckn]

Hello!!
My family and I are heading the world and have decided to do ONE non-character meal. For years I have heard about OHana and have wanted to try it. My BIL can be a food snob, and I'm worried that Ohana is not the best pick for us any more. I'm reading many conflicting reports that the food quality is not good. Help me make up my mind!! Do I want to stick with OHana!??

My parents have taken my brother there for a couple of years now and loved everything about the food and the environment. However, I made myself an ADR this may and I'm interested in hearing what other people thought as well!

 

[Cinderella94]

We've done it for years (since '04 I believe?) and love it every time. We haven't noticed the quality go downhill. And the guys in my family would be very vocal if they thought something was wrong with their meat .

Another thing to remember is that you'll read good and bad about every restaurant, and everyone has a different palate. The only way you'll know if its one that you enjoy is trying it for yourself. And if you don't like it, you can put it on your "never again" list, not wonder anymore if you'd like it, and have a great story about your horrible meal for the DIS when you get back .

 

[Disney4us2]

We tried it for the first (and probably last) time in December. The food was good, just not great to us. DD didn't like the peel and eat shrimp....too messy. She likes butter with her bread, even though our server said we didn't need it. He did bring it though. The dessert (bread pudding with ice cream and banana's foster sauce) was brought in one bowl with 2 spoons. My DD won't share when people eat out of the same thing.... eww.... germs (she is 11 lol). Our server was kind enough to bring a smaller version for her. Our experience was just ok... not fantastic like I was expecting from all the hype about 'Ohana. I didn't think it was worth the hour and a half wait to be seated. So we will pass on 'Ohana and leave it for those who consider it a must do.

 

[2Tiggies]

You must remember that reviews are based on personal opinion and you will get mixed reviews for any restaurant. We loved Ohana and would eat there again in a heartbeat.

Last year we tried Cape May. I booked it for the characters. The food was great, the service was pretty good but the characters were in a rush. I could have rated it as great (if we were only really interested in the food) or terrible as it wasn't a fantastic character experience. I am just trying to illustrate that people are quick to note the negatives and even when they comment on the positives, if it is a mixed review, readers will often pick up on the poor points.

Bottom line for me is that if I really want to know how it is, I have to try it. Personally I think Ohana is a good bet.

 

[Mamu]

Hello!!
My family and I are heading the world and have decided to do ONE non-character meal. For years I have heard about OHana and have wanted to try it. My BIL can be a food snob, and I'm worried that Ohana is not the best pick for us any more. I'm reading many conflicting reports that the food quality is not good. Help me make up my mind!! Do I want to stick with OHana!??

KEMdisney I'm one of those who don't care for Ohana's. I wanted to love it, but I didn't.

I did enjoy the sides, but I'm not a big meat eater especially when it cooked on an open fire. I do not like the smokey taste and the dryness of the meal.

I do think it's a restaurant that everyone should try, I've gone 3 times the first was for breakfast, We tried dinner twice, It's just not me, this isn't a cheap meal and when you dislike more the 1/2 the meal and only eat the sides it not worth the trip.

 

[heatherandnick]

We went to Ohana last August for our honeymoon.

Even though we had many signature dining plans as well, this was one of the meals I was looking forward to the most.

I loved the atmosphere. We sat at the window with a beautiful view of the castle. We also had a decent view of Wishes.

The food...a bit disappointing. I could not BELIEVE the amount of food they brought out for only 2 people. Such a waste.
The best parts about the meal were: the bread, the salad, the noodles, the wings, the dessert, our (busboy/helper?) Cousin Cliff...he was amazing!
The worst parts about the meal were: our main server, the meat, the broccoli.

DH is a HUGE meat guy and I was very excited for him to eat here because of...well...all the meat! We were gravely disappointed. The shrimp were so over-cooked we could hardly peel them, the steak was very well done (we like our med-rare), and the other meat was just a bit dry.

I would go back again to give it another shot, but it will take some convincing to get DH back. Don't get me wrong...we didn't hate it. It's just we are blossoming foodies ourselves, and there are much better choices if you are going for food and food alone. If your BIL is a food "snob" then you may want to opt for something else...perhaps one of the signatures?

However, everything is worth a shot once. Everyone has a different opinion and I know some think Ohana is the best dinner on property. The best thing to do is try for yourself and see what you think. Just prepare your bro ahead of time so no one is disappointed.

Have fun!!

 

[mommyoftwinz]

We ate there for dinner last time and loved it! I'd go there again but we wanted to try places we haven't tried yet on our next trip. My husband is a huge meat eater and just loved that they kept bringing more out. I thought the food was very good but I'm not much of a foodie, having a meal that I don't have to cook myself is a real treat. Anyway, the kids had a blast with the activities, limbo, coconut races, etc. which was nice because it allowed my husband and I to take our time and enjoy the meal. The best part too is the location, if you time it right after your meal head out to the beach and watch the fireworks from the MK. It's a bit pricey so if that's a concern you could try the Kona Cafe.

 

[Quin]

Pretty much every restaurant on these boards gets "mixed reviews". If the cuisine appeals to you then go. NOT to snark at a prior poster, but if you do not like meat, or meat grilled on an open fire, then a restaurant that specialises in meat grilled on an open fire is not going to be one of your faves. There are so many types of restaurants at Disney that you should be able to find a non-character experience that really appeals most to you.

We do enjoy the food there and plan to go again on our upcoming trip. Your mileage may vary.

 

[gumbo1009]

Are there children in the group? If so, you can argue to your BIL that this restaurant is a compromise between kid-friendly, quick, and decent food. You are not usually at Disney World for the food, you're there for the experience/ambiance.

If there are no kids in the group, and the focus of the meal will be the food, then there are probably other restaurants that might be better suited to your needs. If you need something close to MK, there are many restaurants that focus more on the food than on the "Disney experience" (California Grill, Citrico's, Kona, Artist Point, to name a few).

 

[newdeal]

I love Ohana, so does my whole family. Its a fun atmosphere and the food is pretty good. Can't say I loved all the meats but there were definately two or three I did like along with all the sides, wings, and pot stickers

 

[3pletprincesses]

The caracters are only there in the morning. Last October the breakfast was really good. It's on our list for this May and August. the caracter interaction is really good too. My girls still talk about it almost daily and I'm not kidding.

 

[gillep]

I agree with others that everyone has different tastes.

We were very excited to try O'hana for our October 2010 trip and we were very dissapointed. A lot of it had to do with preparation for us, we are just used to our vegetables and meats prepared differently than they do at O'hana.

Bread: okay flavor but very dry
Salad: Good but more like lettuce and dressing not what I call a salad
Pot stickers: They are actually fried/baked dumplings as they are crispy throughout, I by far enjoyed these the most of everything we had.
Sticky Wings: very soggy too sweet for me but DH didn't mind them, we both wished they were actually crispy
Broccoli: Inedible- Overcooked watery mush that was way overseasoned
Noodles: Cold bland - waste of space neither of us really touched these after one bite each
Meat: DH and I like our meat rare to med rare and all of this was either med well or well done, hard, dry, and in general just gross
Chicken: Dry
Shrimp: I don't eat shrimp DH said they were okay
Dessert: Good not really my thing but good

We really ate very little at this meal as it was all just unappealing to us (well done dry meat and soggy vegetables is just not something we can eat) We also had a lot delivered to us cold we asked for some of it to be replaced including the broccoli thinking we had a bad batch and that was usually cold too and still didn't taste good. The entertainment was just horrible, they sat us right next to the parade path and one girl kept hitting our table everytime we walked by and it was so loud that DH and I could not hear one another. DH and I will not be going back the food here is just not prepared in a way that DH and I enjoy.

 

[vinotinto]

We went to Ohana last August for our honeymoon.

Even though we had many signature dining plans as well, this was one of the meals I was looking forward to the most.

I loved the atmosphere. We sat at the window with a beautiful view of the castle. We also had a decent view of Wishes.

The food...a bit disappointing. I could not BELIEVE the amount of food they brought out for only 2 people. Such a waste.
The best parts about the meal were: the bread, the salad, the noodles, the wings, the dessert, our (busboy/helper?) Cousin Cliff...he was amazing!
The worst parts about the meal were: our main server, the meat, the broccoli.

DH is a HUGE meat guy and I was very excited for him to eat here because of...well...all the meat! We were gravely disappointed. The shrimp were so over-cooked we could hardly peel them, the steak was very well done (we like our med-rare), and the other meat was just a bit dry.

I would go back again to give it another shot, but it will take some convincing to get DH back. Don't get me wrong...we didn't hate it. It's just we are blossoming foodies ourselves, and there are much better choices if you are going for food and food alone. If your BIL is a food "snob" then you may want to opt for something else...perhaps one of the signatures?

However, everything is worth a shot once. Everyone has a different opinion and I know some think Ohana is the best dinner on property. The best thing to do is try for yourself and see what you think. Just prepare your bro ahead of time so no one is disappointed.

Have fun!!

This is basically what we thought of it. We have kids, so it was an enjoyable experience overall, and the food was fine, in fact the shrimp that we got were nicely cooked. However, there just wasn't anything that I couldn't cook or get from take-out cheaply and quickly at home. Basically, the food is fine, but nothing special and they bring out waaay too much. It's basically a quantity vs quality type of place. I would recommend that everyone does it, especially if you have kids, because they bring the food quickly and there are multiple choices on the table for them to choose. The little parades/games they do are also fun. Snobs and foodies will likely not be pleased.
P.S. - We were staying at the Poly, and this was an MK day for us, so it's not like we trekked to have dinner here, in fact it was one of the most convenient options for us.

 

[livvylivvie]

We Go to O'hanas Every trip. We really enjoy it. But We also travel with those who aren't afraid to ask for another dish of Broccoli, if the first was over cooked. Also They would request their meat medium. I guess you can do that. Our first round of meat was WELL done... YUk... couldn't really chew it.. haha But we just asked for medium steak.
Don't be afraid to speak up and ask for what you want. Its your Dinner after all.
It is one of our favorite meals. Try it for your self. and make sure you speak up, about how you like your meat. I am sure they will accomodate you.
Have fun!!

 

[mickeysgirl17]

I've gone twice for dinner and Ohana is both my DH and my favorite restaurant. We love everything about it. Food is tasty and cooked right, the servers was excellent, and the atmosphere is very nice. I would go again without a doubt.

 

[cdtommie]

My wife and I are Dis vets (spend about 30 days a year at the world) and we are "food snobs" but still fairly easy to please and we do not like Ohana's at all. Last visit was December 09 at my sister's insistence and we thought the food was lousy. The place is dark, the chairs are low relative to the height of the table. We recommend Kona Cafe over this place if you're looking to dine at the Poly.

 

[bluejasmine]

Its a mus do every trip for our family since 2005 (we go atleast once a yr) never had any problems.. Now in 2008 on our honeymoon I noticed the meats kind of dry so they were just over cooked, I just asked for some that werent so cooked and they happily obliged.

The wings, dumpling, noodles, salad, and veggie are great and oh my that bread pudding and Im NOT a bread pudding fan..

 

[lady_hlh]

I have a culinary degree and I'll admit to being a food snob. I was dissapointed in all the food except the yummy bread pudding. My DH is not fussy at all and he is a huge fan of grilled meat. I thought during the meal that at least my DH should be enjoying the meal because of the endless grilled meat. However as soon as we left my DH told me to never book that place again because it was the worst meal that he had ever had at WDW. He thought all the meats were way too chewy and poor quality. The only one that enjoyed the meal was my DD because of the kids games that she got to play.

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

We love the atmosphere, the fun and especially the food. We have had great luck with it all being very good. That was the one place I HAD to convince my sons to go to on our upcoming trip. They haven't been before and I'm so excited to share it with them.