Ohana, you're officially off my list!

[BriarRosie]

I am always surprised by the good reviews here.

There was a time when it was very good.

Large shrimp, not shell on shrimp.

Juicy meat.

Fresh Pineapple caramel dessert.

Now, it is just awful IMO.

Don’t even get me started on the powdered eggs at breakfast...

My first visit to 'ohana was November 1996 for a birthday trip. I remember it well, and I do remember that I needed to peel the shrimp. I thought the place was pretty new back then, so I a surprised you had shrimp that didn't need peeling. I thought the food and service was excellent.

I also remember that the starters and sides showed up before the meat, as they had to bring the skewers around. A few years after that first trip, the service was just ok, but the server did do something nice for me. The beef was too well done for my taste, so I asked him if they had any medium rare, I'd like that. The server brought some over just for me cooked the way I like it.

I haven't been for a few years, so I would need to try it again and see.

 

[Kathy C]

We won't be going back any time soon either. The first couple of times we ate there, it was wonderful! The last time the menu had changed and it wasn't nearly as good. I'm sure at some point we will give it another try but not in the next couple of years.

 

[teslaaunt]

I cancelled our reservation here because this thread was the last straw. I was so excited to eat here on our upcoming trip but after reading bad reviews and more bad reviews I let our reservation go today and we are doing Boma instead. We were at Ohana 3 years ago and it was wonderful, but we waited to be seated longer here than anywhere else. I see from reviews that has not gotten any better. Also, the family we traveled with 3 years ago just returned from their vacation and were REALLY disappointed with Ohana this trip. I just decided that we would try something new instead.

 

[stitch1094]

Yes, the restaurant has the same name and is in the same place .... but it is not the Ohana of old. Service, food quality, etc have all gone right down the tubes!!!

I'm pretty sure you can apply this comment to most Disney restaurants.

Personally, we have been going to Ohana's since 2001 and we have never had a bad experience. Its a "must do" for our family.

 

[Poohbear5]

We've only had one meal here and it was decent but the price is steep.

 

[vcgirl925]

It's interesting how many of those who post positive comments about Ohana have only gone for the first time during the last 2-3 years ... and how many with negative comments remember how GREAT a place Ohana used to be.

Again, it was more than just the change in the menu. It was the freshness of the food served and the total LACK of service. I don't think we saw the person who introduced themselves as our server once after the initial introduction until we finally got the bill! As stated earlier, this has been our experience in both 2008 and 2009.

Ohana is off my list until I hear that they have reversed their downhill slide.

I'm gonna disprove your theory

I went to 'Ohana for dinner for the first time last year. We thought it was ok and for dinner it's not on our list to return to. We may give it another try one day, chalk it up to a bad night. But for now we are more interested in trying other things. We enjoyed the bread, the wings, the dumplings, the salad, and the noodles. The broccoli was cold and raw and the meats were awful, dry and tasteless. But the service was the worst. It took us over two hours to finish this meal. Our two kids who are normally fantastic in restaurants were on the verge of breakdowns, thank God for the kids sitting at the table next to us because the ended up making friends and entertaining each other. Our table was far away and wobbly (that is my biggest pet peeve). Once you've spent so much time in a restaurant you don't even want to bother telling them to take something back and cooking it right because you don't have the time for it.

 

[nifferearly]

As with all restaurants every where, sometimes you have a better experience than others. Ohana is our family's favorite at Disney, but here are my tips to make it a good experience.

- Make an early ADR so they're not backed up and you don't have to wait.

- The service is definitely hit or miss here. Just make sure you speak up. If a side is brought out cold, ask for a fresh batch. If they're not bringing around the steak, ask for it.

- Again, if you go early I think the servers aren't as backed up so you don't have to wait as long between courses. Also, it's not so bad to have a longer dinner with little ones at 5:30 vs 8:00.

OP - I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your meal. But that's what I love about Disney restaurants. There's something to fit everyone's tastes!

 

[MusiqChic99]

Maybe that's the problem - I've gone several times when it was soooo good. Maybe if the last few times had been my first I wouldn't know any different & I would think it was good.

Last year was our first time there and we couldn't stop talking about the meal. Of course we've never had it in it's "before" state.

We are headed there again in November. I'm hoping for another good meal.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

I took my kids to Ohana for breakfast (character) and was so impressed with the really great food. I did find that there were MANY empty tables while lots of families waited, but overall we were pleased with the experience. Never been for dinner...sorry it wasn't good!

 

[aenelson]

I have not been to Ohana yet but I have a few ADR's one for Dinner and one for Bkfast. I am really hoping the food is up to par. I also heard you can see Wishes from Ohana, is that true?

 

[Pirates life for me]

We were there last year and thought it was fantastic and going again so we will see.

That is the thing about the restaurant business always mixed reviews and bad experiences when serving thousands and thousands a year it is going to happen.

 

[vettegirl]

We went there in May, it was our third time. I left there almost in tears as the food and service was terrible. Our food was cold,and waitress was just plain rude.

 

[nifferearly]

I have not been to Ohana yet but I have a few ADR's one for Dinner and one for Bkfast. I am really hoping the food is up to par. I also heard you can see Wishes from Ohana, is that true?

Yes, you can see Wishes and they piped in the music when we were there. It's not like watching from CA Grill, though. There are limited seats where you can see it and everyone else crowded around the windows. Nice bonus if you're there, but I wouldn't plan my dinner around catching Wishes.

It'd probably be better to try to finish dinner before the fireworks and go out to Polynesian's beach to watch them.

 

[DW2010]

I cancelled our reservation here because this thread was the last straw. I was so excited to eat here on our upcoming trip but after reading bad reviews and more bad reviews I let our reservation go today and we are doing Boma instead. We were at Ohana 3 years ago and it was wonderful, but we waited to be seated longer here than anywhere else. I see from reviews that has not gotten any better. Also, the family we traveled with 3 years ago just returned from their vacation and were REALLY disappointed with Ohana this trip. I just decided that we would try something new instead.

Every restaurant has good and bad reviews. We are eating at 'Ohana Sunday and I'm going to talk myself into keeping the reservation and decide for myself.

 

[StacyMarie]

We ate there 3 weeks ago. The food and service was great. We had an ADR and waited only 10 minutes for our table. The place was packed. It was definitely in my top 3 favorite meals of that trip.

As for the wait and the empty tables, we also ate at Le Cellier on the same trip and we had an ADR for 8:00 p.m. We waited for 40 minutes for our table and when we were finally seated, the place was more than half empty. I am pretty sure it has to do with the amount of staff working. If they are short staffed or do not have a full staff, they are obviously not going to pack the place.

I am sorry you had such a bad experience especially after that kind of wait.

 

[disneychic]

Sorry you had a bad experience. O'hana is off our list too. It used to be our absolute favorite restaurant, but the menu changes over the years have been the pits, and the last time we ate there our food was cold as well. We've substituted our O'hana night with Boma. We enjoy the bigger selection at Boma, and the food is always great.

 

[DaisyD]

It's interesting how many of those who post positive comments about Ohana have only gone for the first time during the last 2-3 years ... and how many with negative comments remember how GREAT a place Ohana used to be.

Again, it was more than just the change in the menu. It was the freshness of the food served and the total LACK of service. I don't think we saw the person who introduced themselves as our server once after the initial introduction until we finally got the bill! As stated earlier, this has been our experience in both 2008 and 2009.

Ohana is off my list until I hear that they have reversed their downhill slide.

We have been eating at 'Ohana at least twice a year for the past 8 years. The only thing I didn't care for early on was the pineapple in caramel sauce and those nasty won ton chips that came and went a few years ago. That was my only complaint about them. I still think the rest of the food is just as good this year as it was the last 8 years.

 

[grafxgirl]

We've eaten there twice and once of those was two weeks ago. We had a fantastic meal! The family felt is was the favorite reservation for this trip. Our server was attentive, the food was hot, and we love the asian style flavors! The shrimp was skewered and the only shell left was on the tail.

 

[DW2010]

Okay, so now i'm second guessing 'Ohana too. I mean, the meal isn't exactly cheap!!! I was able to find a Kona reservation just 10 minutes after our 'Ohana one. What should I do...lol???? We had booked Kona originally and the cancelled for 'Ohana since DD's almost 4 and we felt 'Ohana would be better for her. BUT, she's been eating in restaurants since she was an infant so is pretty well behaved.

 

[chewtoy]

We're relative locals - Daytona Beach - and love both Ohana and Boma and have eaten at both a number of times. I think Boma is more consistent in food quality and service (and gotta love the zebra cakes), but sometimes it's just nice to relax at Ohana.

We were there a couple of weeks ago on a Friday night for an 8:00 ADR - we waited 15 minutes just to get a window table to see Wishes otherwise we wouldn't have had to wait.

The servers were great, food was hot, fresh, and plentiful, we had a lovely time and saw the boat parade and fireworks very clearly. Really, it couldn't have been a better visit. Actually, I can only think of one sub-par one there so maybe we just hit the right nights.