Conflicting 'Ohana reports

[Pink Mouse Ears]

I like it a lot. I don't expect the food to be amazing at any buffet, esp in Disney. There are very few restaurants that I think are "amazing" in WDW, esp now with the dining plan. But, we'll be making our 3rd trip the in Nov. Why?

#1- the bread pudding- YUM!!! (And a pp said something about sharing, but I know our server brought separate plates for us to scoop on to without us asking)

#2- the entertainment for our little ones- coconut races, limbo, etc

#3- location- we like going to the Poly and then watching wishes from the beach or going back to the MK

#4- Value on the DDP (but not a good value for OOP.)

 

[dlhvac]

i just loved it if meat was well done you ask for rare after all you are paying for it

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!!

 

[RoundtownGirl]

I never knew that you could ask for your meat med-rare. My DH wants everything well done so this is one of his favs. I always use lots of dipping sauce and don't complain because he's put up with a lot of "weird food" for me. (think chef's tasting menu) Thanks for the tip!

 

[crostorfer]

We loved Ohana. We rebooked it for our trip in May and can't wait to go back.

One thing I don't understand though, for everyone that is saying that their steak wasn't cooked to the temp they normally like, why didn't they ask the server if you could get some that was med. rare? I guess I just got lucky, when my steak came around it was cooked perfectly, brown outside, pink fading to red in the middle. I will admit, the chicken was really dry, but I think that is part of the reason they give you so much dipping sauce, LOL. Sauce makes it all better.

And I am not a bread pudding fan at all. I normally don't touch the stuff, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the bread pudding dessert!

 

[MINNIEANN MOUSE]

We love eating here! My DH is a hard person to please, and he couldn't get enough. We have ADR's for our trip in August already made and when I called 180 days out, times were already slim picking. If you like steak, shrimp, chicken or pork...this is a great place to try.

 

[Sweettears]

We love eating here! My DH is a hard person to please, and he couldn't get enough. We have ADR's for our trip in August already made and when I called 180 days out, times were already slim picking. If you like steak, shrimp, chicken or pork...this is a great place to try.

I was skeptical prior to our last trip due to the negative comments on the DIS. We gave it a try anyway and found it to be wonderful. Based on advise we asked for medium rare and received it cooked perfectly without any issues. Also we are not big dessert eaters but the CM insisted on giving it to us since it comes with the meal. Best dessert I've had. We ended up eating the entire dish.

I would definitely give it a try.

 

[jess20k]

'Ohana used to be a must do for every trip. However, over the past few years we have had some good experiences, but also some bad. Years ago we always had a great time. The food seemed to be of a better quality and service was wonderful. Over the past few years..maybe six or so..we have noticed a decline in the food and also bad service. We now go every other trip. So, I guess the bottom line is..it just is hit or miss. We are going again for our next trip, which is this upcoming May. I am hoping for a good experience!

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

'Ohana used to be a must do for every trip. However, over the past few years we have had some good experiences, but also some bad. Years ago we always had a great time. The food seemed to be of a better quality and service was wonderful. Over the past few years..maybe six or so..we have noticed a decline in the food and also bad service. We now go every other trip. So, I guess the bottom line is..it just is hit or miss. We are going again for our next trip, which is this upcoming May. I am hoping for a good experience!

This is a hard post to respond to because I agree that compared to 6-8 years ago the food and especially service at 'Ohana are not as good but then the DDP's have become big and aside from V&A's I think every single restaurant is not as good as it once was (I can speak definitely for 'Ohana, Flying Fish, Artist Point, Cali Grill & Jiko - All still good, none nearly as good as they once were).

 

[movie77]

depends on your definition of a foodie... I would imagine many foodies will find little they approve of at WDW

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

depends on your definition of a foodie... I would imagine many foodies will find little they approve of at WDW

I agree. My definition of foodie would probably try V&A's and that would be it.

 

[GOOFYsince71]

We went based on the Dis board glowing reviews....But,,,like any restaurant,,anywhere,,,there are good days and there are bad...
Our main server,,,never came back,,,,seemed to be pre-occupied, and the (gaucho) meat server,,,never returned for any seconds...We got to try one skewer,,,one time....We loved the wings...good thing we had them to fill up on.
When I mentioned I was allergic to the dessert,,,He said,,,sorry,,,and left...Unlike any other Disney restaurant that takes care of you and your concerns.....It was just a bad day for him,,,that causes a pretty unfavorable review for us.....But Look at all the other lucky people that absolutely loved it....

 

[crabbygal902]

I'm firmly in the 'love it' category. Last visit was in early January with a table of 18. The food served family-style was a great fit for our multi-generational celebration (ages 5-65.) Love the entertainment, the fireworks during dinner, the lapu lapus, the dumplings, the sauces, the bread pudding dessert, the service from our 'cousins', the special attention that my gluten-free child receives.

The food is good, but this is not the reason we return. We return for the good feelings and happy times that my family has here.

 

[GeneralTso]

We were just there this past Thursday night and it was fantastic. Service was great, fun atmosphere and the food, oh my goodness the food. It was wonderful. I posted some pictures of it on the Review board. I think the title is ~Smile, I have some food pics for you. You can take a look and see some shots there.

The food was served hot, fresh and often. No problems at all. Kind of a hard place NOT to have fun and enjoy. I say go, you'll have fun!

 

[KEMdisney]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses! We have a 7:05 ADR for our first night there. I'm excited! Everyone mentions the "fun atmosphere". What can I expect??

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses! We have a 7:05 ADR for our first night there. I'm excited! Everyone mentions the "fun atmosphere". What can I expect??

Be Prepared. It will be LOUD! But it is fun and family oriented. There are coconut races, or limbo games for the kids. Take your camera and be ready to take some fun pictures. The food is yummy, but it is sometimes hard to eat enough with so much going on. Depending on the time of the fireworks the night you are going you will be able to watch them over the Castle. They even pipe the music in. I love that! Enjoy! I will be there with my family in May and I can hardly wait.