Honest opinion of ohana

[DisneyWishes14]

We've been to O'hana dinner multiple times over the past 12 years. It used to be great. Good, plentiful food, good service, live music, coconut races, limbo, etc. On our last trip this past December, it was really disappointing. The service was really lacking. We waited forever for food and when the apps finally arrived, we weren't given enough apps for our table and couldn't find our server anywhere. She then rushed over with meats and just dumped them on our plates without even asking what we wanted. There was live music, but they never did the coconut races or the limbo and we were there for over an hour and a half. It was disappointing and kind of gross to be honest. If you want a themed dining experience and are willing to spend a little more money, you may want to consider HDDR instead. Or take your family to a nice, signature restaurant (Cali Grill has an AMAZING view). O'hana is definitely not on my list of top WDW restaurants any more.

 

[piratepride]

We have probably eaten there 10-12 times and have always enjoyed the meal. Food was always great! The service was always very good. No complaints here!!!

 

[DisBuckMan]

We used to eat there every trip. Haven't eaten there in about 3 years.

If you have a decent Chinese restaurant in your town/city, you can eat pretty much everything they have there, minus the bread pudding, for a fraction of the price and it's probably better food.

 

[hmcater]

You will hear either people hate it or love it, there's no in between. We think Ohana is wonderful, it is our must do every trip. We've never had a bad experience in all the times we've been there. I would not do Kona Cafe however as an alternative. That was our worst meal on our last trip and that's not just from me, but our whole group of 10 people thought it was awful. And I'm pretty sure Pete recently talked about Kona too and how it was not good.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

She then rushed over with meats and just dumped them on our plates without even asking what we wanted.

Same happened to us this month. I just wanted one piece of a certain meat to try, but server dumped several pieces on plate, without asking how much I wanted.

I would not do Kona Cafe however as an alternative. That was our worst meal on our last trip and that's not just from me, but our whole group of 10 people thought it was awful. And I'm pretty sure Pete recently talked about Kona too and how it was not good.

Kona Cafe used to be a favorite that I did every trip, up until two trips ago. Menu changes removed all my favorite items from lunch, orders came out very wrong for both of us, and overall, it wasn't what it used to be. However, I see the menu has changed yet again since then, so I may give it one more try sometime.

 

[gulliesmom]

I will be taking my wife and daughter on their first trip to disney world in May. I feel really confident about all of our ADRs except ohana. I felt really good about it in the beginning but have recently been reading a lot of negative reviews. I'm looking for some honest input. I want this trip to be as perfect as I can get it and this is honestly one of the bigger struggles I've been having. It seems like a really cool experience, but it's expensive, especially if the food is subpar. What do you guys think? Help me make up my mind and thanks in advance.

So I will start by saying that I last ate at Ohana 3 years ago, so things might be different now. BUT, it ended up being our favorite meal of the trip. We had none of the negative experiences that people have been describing lately. We were seated within 10 minutes of our arrival, the food was hot, fresh, not overly salty, the server was engaging and attentive, and the food was delicious. Interestingly, I am in your boat where I am on the fence to book for our upcoming November trip because of the recent negative reviews and I fear it has gone down hill. I will book an ADR anyway and may cancel, but would rather have it than not have it, just in case. Why don;t you do the same- book Ohana and another place an hour before or after and decide 24 hours before and cancel one of them. Better safe than sorry.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Ohana is on my "one and done" list. Glad we tried it once. Didn't hate it, but didn't love it. We enjoyed the sides and dessert, but the meat is pretty bad. It's fun seeing the Poly if you've never been and the view of the castle is pretty cool. However, the so-called "entertainment" was a let down....I hardly consider a 3 minute coconut race to be entertaining. For the price I don't think it's worth it overall, but like any restaurant I recommend trying it once for yourself and forming your own opinion.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Ohana is on my "one and done" list. Glad we tried it once. Didn't hate it, but didn't love it. We enjoyed the sides and dessert, but the meat is pretty bad. It's fun seeing the Poly if you've never been and the view of the castle is pretty cool. However, the so-called "entertainment" was a let down....I hardly consider a 3 minute coconut race to be entertaining. For the price I don't think it's worth it overall, but like any restaurant I recommend trying it once for yourself and forming your own opinion.

In this sense it reminds me of Rivers of Light. I didn't like it, but if I hadn't tried it, then I'd still wonder if I would have liked it.

 

[goofyintoronto]

We could have been there on an off night, but I found the chicken dry and without alot of flavor. The meat was chewy. With so many other choices, I have no desire to go back.

I agree with this. My reservation was at 530pm, and the meat was dry and chewy/tough. Potstickers were dry, noodles were meh. I didnt like the quality of food at all. It was pretty bad. Had I paid cash (we were on the dining plan) i wouldve been upset spending all that money for subpar food and mediocre atmosphere. I wont be going back. No point since there are plenty of other better choices around. Just my opinion.

And yes, I find breakfast better than dinner. Its not a buffet, so your selection of food isnt as varied...but the food is quite good. And at least you get characters.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Ohana is on my "one and done" list. Glad we tried it once. Didn't hate it, but didn't love it. We enjoyed the sides and dessert, but the meat is pretty bad. It's fun seeing the Poly if you've never been and the view of the castle is pretty cool. However, the so-called "entertainment" was a let down....I hardly consider a 3 minute coconut race to be entertaining. For the price I don't think it's worth it overall, but like any restaurant I recommend trying it once for yourself and forming your own opinion.

My thoughts exactly. Kids participating in a coconut race is hardly a form of entertainment. And ya, food was bad. But i agree with another poster....if you're really curious though, give it a try for yourself. Hopefully you'll have a better experience than we did.

 

[Lovetherodent]

I've done dinner and breakfast. Breakfast was ... well, breakfast. Hard to mess up eggs and Mickey waffles. In 2015, I tried dinner. Delicious! However, I do enjoy meat. It was one of just 3 requests that my youngest had this year when we went back for her college graduation (the other two were eat the Beast's castle and meet Princess Tiana). It was just as good this time. I'd go back again in a heartbeat, but alas...my h is my traveling companion this time and he's just not a fan or chicken or beef and he's allergic to shrimp!

Given that everybody gets 3 meats plus chicken wings, salad, noodles, and vegetables, there's bound to be something tasty for everyone. Good/bad is SO subjective, anyway. Most rave about the bread pudding. I am NOT a fan. Yuck. Would have much rather had the GF dessert my oldest got!

If you like the look of the menu, give it a try.

 

[DisneyHardin]

DH and I have eaten there the last 5 years and have never had bad food. One trip we had less than stellar service, but the food was still excellent. We also have never had the crazy long waits to be seated that people often report - maybe since we are just a party of 2, we are easier to seat.

 

[JB097]

I will be taking my wife and daughter on their first trip to disney world in May. I feel really confident about all of our ADRs except ohana. I felt really good about it in the beginning but have recently been reading a lot of negative reviews. I'm looking for some honest input. I want this trip to be as perfect as I can get it and this is honestly one of the bigger struggles I've been having. It seems like a really cool experience, but it's expensive, especially if the food is subpar. What do you guys think? Help me make up my mind and thanks in advance.

The last time we went there we were one of the first tables seated for dinner and the meat was really dry. (Which was weird to me because they JUST opened...?) the rest of the food and the atmosphere was great though!

 

[rdaky]

My honest review is that we aren't huge fans. Yes, the atmosphere is fun and kids liked the entertainment. The food is okay. Definitely not worth the hype, though.

 

[maltdizzy]

Our last visit, which will be our last visit, the service was horrible. There were lots of mistakes and omissions, including automatically bringing kids food to our 10yo who has a more grown-up palette. There was also a solid 45 minute wait for our ADR. And this was last Summer, so it wasn't just a recent thing.

But I also don't think our family of 3 gets the real benefit of the "family style" dining. They don't feel a need to refresh the table as often, it becomes more of a multi-course meal with the server eager to move to the next course. I've often wondered if they would be better being like a (real Hawaiian) luau where they place several parties down to share a community table in one sitting.

We've stayed at the Poly before and will again, but I think we'll pass on 'Ohana in the future.

 

[Thomas R]

OP, not sure if you're thinking of dinner or breakfast, but I would skip it. I've been three times for dinner. The first time a few years ago was good, but the other two more recently, including this month, I was very disappointed in terms of both service and food. It was actually the only meal on our recent trip that we didn't like. I see that even on this thread, you're getting comments on both sides. It may be that you're curious enough that you'll have to try it once for yourself.

This seems to be my struggle. And I currently have dinner reservations. What time were your reservations that you felt so rushed?

 

[Thomas R]

I thoroughly enjoy 'Ohana. I have dined there for dinner multiple times and have never had bad food. Sometimes the steak may not be cooked to your liking, but if you tell your server, they will get you what you need. My mom also has some dietary restrictions and the chef had no problems accommodating them. I did feel that some of the skewered foods arrived fast on ONE particular trip, but our server did not kick us out of our table and we could eat at our own pace. I have read about long waits and fortunately never had it happen. It is very fun and if you have kids, they would definitely appreciate the activities.

What time was your dining reservation?

 

[Thomas R]

So I will start by saying that I last ate at Ohana 3 years ago, so things might be different now. BUT, it ended up being our favorite meal of the trip. We had none of the negative experiences that people have been describing lately. We were seated within 10 minutes of our arrival, the food was hot, fresh, not overly salty, the server was engaging and attentive, and the food was delicious. Interestingly, I am in your boat where I am on the fence to book for our upcoming November trip because of the recent negative reviews and I fear it has gone down hill. I will book an ADR anyway and may cancel, but would rather have it than not have it, just in case. Why don;t you do the same- book Ohana and another place an hour before or after and decide 24 hours before and cancel one of them. Better safe than sorry.

That's not a bad idea. I hate being that guy hoarding a reservation that someone else can benefit from but the posts so far have been so varied that I'm having trouble deciding.

 

[maltdizzy]

That's not a bad idea. I hate being that guy hoarding a reservation that someone else can benefit from but the posts so far have been so varied that I'm having trouble deciding.

No reason to feel bad, everyone gets the same opportunity to book ADRs and Disney is the one that created this situation. I often sit on a few ADRs until things shape up.

 

[KellyHonos]

My sister and I booked the breakfast back in 2016 with the characters. It was a nice time, with a beautiful view of the castle. Upon booking our dining reservations for this trip, we skipped it. It's nice to do once, but I don't understand the cult following. Again, it was nice, but nothing outstanding. Perhaps the dinner is nicer with a view of the fireworks?