*More* Vegan and Vegetarian Dining Reviews! (May 9 - May 17) With lots of pictures!

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Alright. Before I get to my 'Ohana post, I'd like to set up our dilemma:

First of all, this was a very last-minute decision. I managed to snag a 9:50 ADR about two weeks before our trip. I then felt like this was much too late and kept on trying for an earlier time. I eventually settled with a 9:10 time slot. I felt like this was fine, since I had read about getting to see Wishes from the dining room window and Wishes was at 10:00 that night.

I really wanted a nice meal for our last night in WDW. I had read many good reviews of 'Ohana, especially from those with food allergies or dietary restrictions. Every time I read about these experiences, the same name kept popping up: Chef TJ. I then read this blog article about how amazing the man was, and I was hooked. I couldn't wait to meet him and see what culinary magic he had up his sleeves!

So I had high expectations for this meal. Never a good thing, but they were there, nonetheless.

Review is up next!
 


Here's a bonus picture:

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After a quick swim, we both took showers and got ready to head back to the parks for the evening. When we were ready, we drove to Epcot to do our last-minute to-dos: Spaceship Earth, Innoventions, pictures of topiaries, and a ridiculous, marathon-worthy, 1.5 hour shopping spree around World Showcase. Once we completed our near-impossible feat, we made our way out of the park at 8:40. We were at the entrance to the Polynesian resort 15 minutes later:

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I can't express how jealous I became of everyone staying at this hotel upon first entering. It was so beautiful! We're still working our way up to the moderate resorts, since we spend most of our time in the parks. Hopefully one day we'll be able to slow down and stay at a deluxe! :laughing:

On our search for 'Ohana, we took a glance at some of the artwork in and around the lobby. I found this little beauty and I had to take a picture:

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ARIEL AND A MANATEE. I *love* manatees. They're my most absolute favorite animal. So adorable. I was incredibly happy when I saw this.

So, anyway. We made our way up the stairs to the left on the far end of the lobby after seeing a sign directing us to the restaurant.

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I guess we made it!

We checked in at the podium 10 minutes early and made sure our dietary restrictions were noted. We recieved our pager and decided to walk around upstairs until our table was ready.

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We were at our table within five minutes, seated near the back of the left side of the restaurant:

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Our server's name was Mandie. She saw the dietary restrictions listed on our ticket (the faux allergies and "vegan") and we told her how we were excited to see Chef TJ. "I'm so sorry, but Chef TJ doesn't work on Fridays or Saturdays". "Oh no! What are we going to do?!". She went on to tell us how awesome Chef TJ was with vegan food, but also that she was sure the chef working tonight could help us. I was very dissappointed, but was still holding out to see what kind of food we would end up having.

Coming Up: 'Ohana pt.2
 
We recieved our welcome bread while our server was gone.

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It was taken away after Jon had eaten a few pieces, because our server noticed that it had been placed on the table without checking with her first. We explained that it was fine for Jon, but I don't think we ever got more bread - and that was a good thing!

Our server brought out the chef after a few minutes. He was a very tall and very large man. Now, I feel absolutely horrible for what I'm about to say.. But I can't remember our chef's name. I want to say it was Chef Stacey, because I remember thinking the chef was going to be a woman when our server said his name. But I honestly can't remember if that was it or not.

But, the review must go on.

The chef seemed very rushed and tired (understandable - it was getting close to closing time). But our server seemed to be on good terms with him, as she joked that we were hoping for Chef TJ. She told us she would do this, because it would make him want to show off. :lmao: I was glad for this, because I think it worked! He explained that they had a tofu dish that they made for their vegan diners, and that we could have that. I had heard about this dish beforehand, so I figured it would be fine. He also mentioned that the side dishes (noodles and vegetables) were both vegan, as is.

Once both the chef and our server left, we yet again had food placed on our table without anyone checking on the ingredients. This time, it was the Mixed Greens with Key Lime Vinegarette:

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I put some on my plate and proceeded to eat some, before the chef came out with another salad and told me to stop eating. He told me the dressing had honey in it, and put the new salad on the table. I believe the new salad had another fruit vinegarette, but I can't recall what it was (that's what I get for waiting so long to finish these reviews!)

New salad:
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I wish the first salad didn't have honey, because I liked that dressing much more. I've been meaning to try to recreate it with agave nectar from recipes I've seen online. I'll have to do that soon :goodvibes

But, anyway.. Before our side dishes arrived, the lady with the ukulele that was walking around asked everyone that was celebrating true love to get up and come dance. I really wanted one of those leis, so I made Jon go up there with me. :rotfl2: We only had to dance for about a minute or two (thank goodness!) and she gave us both leis and then we went back to our seats. Soon after we returned, our side dishes arrived:

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Peanut Noodles

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Stir-fried vegetables (mostly broccoli)

I loved both of these dishes. As I've said before, noodles are one of my favorite things to eat and there's nothing better than perfectly cooked broccoli :thumbsup2

Right after the side dishes arrived, the chef brought out the standard tofu dish that's given to vegetarians:
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I was really happy when we got it, as it looked awesome. But once I tasted it, is was way too sweet for my tastes. I attempted to eat more, since I thought that would be all I was going to get. But I just couldn't eat much more of it and proceeded to eat more of the noodles and broccoli.

Ten minutes later, the chef came back out with another dish:
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Sweet and Sour Tofu over white rice. After he placed it on our table, he said there was more comng! I was shocked! Our server's trick to get the chef to try to show off had worked, and I was beaming. I couldn't wait to see all the food we were going to get.

I tried our new entree, and I was in love. This was probably some of the best tofu I've ever had. The sauce was phenomenal, and the breading was super crisp and crunchy. I tried to hold back from this one, as I wanted to save room for whatever was next.

Within three minutes, another dish arrived:
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Coconut-crusted tofu with peanut sauce. This dish could have been amazing, had the tofu been marinated beforehand. I understand this wasn't possible, as the chef had been given very short notice. But the coconut breading was great, and I appreciated the effort.

Six minutes later, this dish arrived:
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The chef explained how they served a steak with a teriyaki-pinapple glaze at the Kona Cafe, so he made us Pan-Fried Tofu with a Teriyaki-Pinapple glaze with roasted potatoes and stir-fried broccolini.

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Again, the tofu would have been amazing with a bit of time to marinate, but it was still really awesome! The potatoes and broccolini were great, as was the sauce. I was very impressed with all our chef tried to get done in such a short amount of time with very little notice.

Soon, our table looked like this:
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All this food, for only two people! Me and Jon nearly destroyed our stomachs trying to cram all this in. We were so appreciative of everything both our server and the chef had done for us.

At 10:00, Wishes started. There were quite a few heads between us and the window, so our view wasn't the best. But it was still a great thing to experience just once.
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I can imagine it would have been much better at a table by the window.

After the fireworks, our server came back and asked if we would like to take the rest of our food with us. It didn't occur to me that we could do this, but we said of course! She brought back a bunch of plastic containers and me and Jon loaded up all our favorites from the meal until we ended up with this:

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The chef came by one last time to see how we liked everything, and we thanked him as much as we possibly could. I don't believe he offered us dessert, but I also don't think we could have fit anything else inside of our bodies at that point. I had never been more full in my entire life. Our server gave us a bag for out leftovers and we left the restaurant (afer paying and leaving a huge tip, of course!)

On our way out, I took a few more pictures of the nearly empty restaurant:
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We decided to take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, as it was open until midnight. We really just wanted it to be our last park, and we both wanted to ride Pirates and the Haunted Mansion one last time. We just walked around, taking in all the beauty of the park, riding our two favorite rides, and just enjoying our last few minutes in the happiest place on Earth.

When we got back to the Poly, we got in our car and headed back to Pop. When we got back to our room, there was a signed photo of Mickey and Minnie laying on our bed! What a great way to end a perfect day, and a perfect vacation :lovestruc

Coming Up: DTD Rainforest Cafe (ugh) and store-bought snacks around World Showcase
 


I just read your great reviews...thank you for writing them! I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for about 15 years and my kids (5 and almost 2) are both lacto vegetarians who are allergic to eggs (DD's allergy is severe). We end up eating vegan a lot as a result of the allergies.

I am so excited to see your Ohana review. My carnivore DH LOVES Ohana, but I have balked on going there for our last couple of trips. We were lucky enough to meet Chef TJ at Boma a couple of years ago and had just about the best meal I've ever had in my life. I think we will definitely need to make an Ohana reservation (for a weekday) for our next trip.
 
...The chef seemed very rushed and tired (understandable - it was getting close to closing time). But our server seemed to be on good terms with him, as she joked that we were hoping for Chef TJ. She told us she would do this, because it would make him want to show off. :lmao: I was glad for this, because I think it worked! ...

OMG - I'm sooo excited for 'Ohana! The pictures...the descriptions...you're killing me! Our ADR is for a Friday night (8:50pm) so hopefully we'll get some of your good luck with the chef :)

A million thanks for your amazing reviews!
 
I just finished looking through all of your reviews and pictures and I just wanted to say thank you!!

I'm a vegetarian and I hardly ever read reviews since most people don't order vegetarian entrees unless they're vegetarian...and I only care about the vegetarian entrees at restaurants. So when I saw your post I just had to read through it. Thank you for taking the time to review and post pictures. I'm actually excited to try some new restaurants based on your reviews and pictures of the food.

I'll be at Disney in less than 2 weeks and we have a reservation at Sci Fi. I've never been there before, but I'm glad to hear the tofu was good since that's what I'll be getting. I also never thought that Ohana would be so vegetarian friendly! After looking at all those pictures, I actually really want to go eat there now. The food looks amazing! I actually checked to see if there's any openings while we're there, but unfortunately they're all booked up. Oh well, maybe next time.
 
Thanks for your update.:thumbsup2

You're welcome :)

I just read your great reviews...thank you for writing them! I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for about 15 years and my kids (5 and almost 2) are both lacto vegetarians who are allergic to eggs (DD's allergy is severe). We end up eating vegan a lot as a result of the allergies.

I am so excited to see your Ohana review. My carnivore DH LOVES Ohana, but I have balked on going there for our last couple of trips. We were lucky enough to meet Chef TJ at Boma a couple of years ago and had just about the best meal I've ever had in my life. I think we will definitely need to make an Ohana reservation (for a weekday) for our next trip.

I'll be making another 'Ohana reservation for our next trip, too! Next time I'll be sure to call ahead to see if Chef TJ will be there. I can only imagine how much better it would have been with him!

'Ohana....oh....my...god.....:love:

Indeed!

OMG - I'm sooo excited for 'Ohana! The pictures...the descriptions...you're killing me! Our ADR is for a Friday night (8:50pm) so hopefully we'll get some of your good luck with the chef :)

A million thanks for your amazing reviews!

I wish you luck with whatever chef you get! I hope you have a great trip :goodvibes

We're eating at 'Ohana on Sunday!

I hope you have a great time! I'd love to read your reviews when you get back :thumbsup2


OMG...the food at Boma looks amazing! Can't wait to try it out :)

Boma was fantastic!

That is a lot of tofu:scared1:

Yeah, it was a lot of tofu. I would have liked more vegetables, but I think our chef was trying to pump out as many meat-substitute entrees as possible :lmao:

I just finished looking through all of your reviews and pictures and I just wanted to say thank you!!

I'm a vegetarian and I hardly ever read reviews since most people don't order vegetarian entrees unless they're vegetarian...and I only care about the vegetarian entrees at restaurants. So when I saw your post I just had to read through it. Thank you for taking the time to review and post pictures. I'm actually excited to try some new restaurants based on your reviews and pictures of the food.

I'll be at Disney in less than 2 weeks and we have a reservation at Sci Fi. I've never been there before, but I'm glad to hear the tofu was good since that's what I'll be getting. I also never thought that Ohana would be so vegetarian friendly! After looking at all those pictures, I actually really want to go eat there now. The food looks amazing! I actually checked to see if there's any openings while we're there, but unfortunately they're all booked up. Oh well, maybe next time.

I'm glad you and enjoyed the reviews, and even more glad that they were helpful! The tofu dish at Sci-Fi is one of my favorites, and I'll definitely go back to 'Ohana! Next time I'll try to make sure it's a night where Chef TJ is working, though, as I think the experience would have been even better.

I hope you have a great trip, and you should post reviews when you get back! :thumbsup2 This board really needs more veg dining reviews.
 
Great reviews, especially the 'Ohana one. I'm a vegetarian so I'm hoping to receive some tofu goodies when I eat there next month.
 
I'm so happy I found your wonderful reviews! I am vegetarian, and I usually don't bother with the reviews on the Dis b/c most folks order meat stuff. WOW you were treated like a queen at Ohana's! You have pushed me over the edge, now I must try that place. I have flirted with the idea for awhile, but always backed off b/c I was worried about all the meat, that I'd end up eating just rice and broccoli. Thank you!
Please do tell where you get all your cute vintage tees! I especially loved the classic Pooh one! :goodvibes
 
Great reviews, especially the 'Ohana one. I'm a vegetarian so I'm hoping to receive some tofu goodies when I eat there next month.

I hope you have a great time!

I'm so happy I found your wonderful reviews! I am vegetarian, and I usually don't bother with the reviews on the Dis b/c most folks order meat stuff. WOW you were treated like a queen at Ohana's! You have pushed me over the edge, now I must try that place. I have flirted with the idea for awhile, but always backed off b/c I was worried about all the meat, that I'd end up eating just rice and broccoli. Thank you!
Please do tell where you get all your cute vintage tees! I especially loved the classic Pooh one! :goodvibes

I think every vegetarian should try 'Ohana just once to see what it's like. Even when we were worried we would have an awful experience, it turned into something great!

I get most of my Disney shirts from Hot Topic and eBay. Delias, Alloy.com, and 80stees.com are also really good places to find cute graphic tees. Most of the Disney ones are on the Disney Couture line. They sold them a lot on HotTopic.com for a while, but you can find tons on eBay. :thumbsup2
 
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