Kona or Ohana for dinner

[Nahanni]

Which do you prefer for dinner? We booked Kona after days of trying for Ohana and have convinced ourselves the menu is actually more appealing and we don't really need more buffet or family style meals. Today our TA emails a ressie for Ohana so now we must decide

 

[kamikazecat]

I enjoyed my meal at Kona but my whole family absolutely loved Ohana.

 

[FireDancer]

I would choose Kona. I usually have lunch there instead of dinner though as for the price the portions are huge. I would do the sushi bar at the Poly for dinner and if it is just a restaurant on the monorail you need as opposed to in the Poly my choice for dinner would be The Wave.

If you have a lot of meat eaters in the group Ohana is a good choice but if you want a bit more variety then out of the two I think Kona is the better choice.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

We've eaten at both and they are very good. I'd give Ohana the edge as we all enjoy the different courses...bread, salad, wings, pot stickers, noodles, steak, turkey, shrimp and pork. The dessert is one of our favorites in all of Disney, the bread pudding. It comes out warm with giant scoops of vanilla ice cream. The server then pours warm caramel sauce all over it. Delicious!

Kona is very good for dinne too, the food is just as good as at Ohana. It's just a different dining experience IMO. At Kona, it's a more open restaurant meaning the noise level is higher. Ohana has a more Polynesian feel to it and we really enjoy the amotsphere.

So, all of that to say, I'd go with Ohana if had to choose between the 2.

 

[notaclue]

We've eaten at both. If you have young children I'd do Ohana because they have activities for the kids during your meal. However, it is very very loud and crowded. If you can handle the noise and crowd it's ok; we found the meat to be dry and the servers too busy. Kona is more relaxing.

 

[2minny]

We have never been to Kona but Ohana is our family favorite...we all love it!

 

[Nahanni]

Wow, the responses are pretty evenly split - unfortunately, we'd have to drop Liberty Tree (possible depending on which characters they have in January), Mama Melrose (Fantasmic Dinner package), Akershus or Chef Mickey's to try both.

We are a family of 4, DS4 and DD18mos may prefer the Ohana atmosphere. Do they always have musicians and dancers or is this select dates/times only?

 

[FireDancer]

Wow, the responses are pretty evenly split - unfortunately, we'd have to drop Liberty Tree (possible depending on which characters they have in January), Mama Melrose (Fantasmic Dinner package), Akershus or Chef Mickey's to try both.

We are a family of 4, DS4 and DD18mos may prefer the Ohana atmosphere. Do they always have musicians and dancers or is this select dates/times only?

Unless I missed the announcement the Liberty Tree no longer has characters. Today is actually the one year anniversary of going character free.

Celebrate or morn accordingly.

 

[lovinpoohbear]

Ohanas is our absolute favorite!!! DH insists on eating there at least twice during our vacations/ If it was up to him, I think he would eat there every night of our trips
My kids love it too and if you have a adr that is around the time of the fireworks, the view is great if you have a table close to the window

 

[Nahanni]

Unless I missed the announcement the Liberty Tree no longer has characters. Today is actually the one year anniversary of going character free.

Celebrate or morn accordingly.

During the Crystal Palace refurb it's supposed to have characters. This supposedly started Monday but nobody has posted confirmation in other threads (nor can I find it on WDW site).

 

[DisneyFamily123]

We had lunch at Kona and it was OK but nothing impressive. At the end of our meal, I noticed a swarm of flies near the dessert display -- these were desserts only for display, not to be eaten... but still... gross.

Ohana was absolutely wonderful. I've seen a few negative reviews about the meat being dry near the end of the night... Our experience was great. All the food was delicious. The steak was perfect medium but they will give it to you however you like. The bread, salad, and appetizers (wings and potstickers) were all good... but I gobbled mostly on the skewered meats. Not a great place if you are vegetarian though..... Oh.... and the bread pudding dessert was to die for...

 

[vettechick99]

I have eaten both and they are both good! Ohana is a lot of meat (a lot!!) and a lot more action. Kona is more subdued...like a regular restaurant, and you'll have more variety food-wise. How about Ohana for dinner and Kona for breakfast or lunch one day?

 

[chocovrdmicears]

I would pick KONA a millions times over Ohana!
We just ate a Ohana a few weeks ago and it was terrible! Sorry! I know Ohana gets a lotta love here on the Disboards...
The salad was soggy, the noodles were gluey and tasted like spaghetti drowned in soy sauce. The dumplings were soooo dry. They honestly were inedible! The veggies were just frozen broccoli and pea pods..nothing bad...nothing great. The chicken wings were incredibly sweet..not good sweet. The meats all tasted the same. At one point we were given turkey and pork at the same time and I couldn't tell the difference between the two. And I must be the only living person that does not like that desert. ick!
Kona, on the other hand, has always been a wonderful dining experience. We have enjoyed every meal we have had there. Service can be a bit up and down...but I would recommend KONA.

 

[WAHMto5]

We have been to both a few times and could pass on Kona, but never on Ohanas!

 

[wdwmouse]

I haven't had dinner at Ohana...yet. But, I have eaten breakfast and dinner at Kona. Dinner three times, breakfast twice. The meals were excellent. My brother swears by the scrambled eggs at Kona, says there is something "magical" they put in them to make them so good. If you have a sweet tooth, they have Tonga Toast. Very sweet, but good.
Dinner had nice portions and delicious food. They were also very accomodating for my son, who is allergic to dairy products.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

I've eaten at both and highly recommend Kona over Ohana any day of the week. The food is better, the service is better and just a better deal for the money.

 

[2manypets]

I've eaten at both and highly recommend Kona over Ohana any day of the week. The food is better, the service is better and just a better deal for the money.

100% agree with this. We gave Ohana three tries and we thought they were bad all three times. Kona was wonderful, from the service to the food. AND I'm all for having a choice of what I eat and how it's cooked.

 

[arielmomma]

Ohana! It is a favorite of my whole family!

 

[treehugnmama]

KONA KONA KONA. last trip I tried and tried to get into ohana and couldn`t so I booked kona. I then got into ohana but like you thought the menu looked better at KONA. We loved it at Kona and it is now my fav resturant.

 

[njtinkmom]

Stupid question - last year we went to the Luau and they had pineapple bread that my daughter fell in love with and wants again! I am not doing the luau again - it was nice but toooooo expensive. So my stupid question is do they have this amazing bread at either Kona or Ohana. I def need to book one of these and that is the deciding factor. Thanks!