My Ohana review

[DisneyMama409]

I ate dinner at Ohana's May 1st 5:00 pm. We rode the monorail to Ohana's. I was pleasantly surprised that it was on the same floor. I checked in and was seated within 3 minutes.

This is where it turns sour. The meal felt incredibly rushed. First they bought out the bread. It was cold...barely had flavor. I didnt really taste anything wonderful about the bread. They than bought out the salad and everything else. It seemed like as soon as we took a bite of one thing they were bringing something else out. There wasnt even anymore room on the table and they were still bringing stuff out We didnt get any refills on drinks . The waiter was so so . He didnt go above and beyond . He didnt even bring out the actual food. I felt so bad about the meal being rushed worse yet we were paying CASH and was still rushed in and out . I had the salad bowl sitting on top of the bread and the potstickers/wings sitting on top of the salad bowl with the noodles/veggies darn near falling into my son's stroller...Everything was bought out too fast! We barely got to enjoy anything. I didnt care for the food. I felt the salad dressing was too sweet . I was disappointed that everyone didnt get a seperate dessert...nope we all had to share banana pudding Great... Not only that but I had it noted on the ressie that it was my mom's birthday and nobody said happy birthday or gave a special cupcake. In fact I had to ask for a flower lei * THREE times!!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Even though my thoughts of Ohana our comparable to yours, it is important to note all your restaurants that it is a celebration, it is not required that a cupcake or something special be done. I noted my Mom's bday for our April trip and her first trip and only one restaurant acknowledged it. Too many people assume that it is a given and it is not.

Sorry you disliked Ohana. It is one of those love it or leave it places. I am a leave it person.

 

[darthtatty]

that was my pet hate about ohanas. we loved it but the same happened to us. the food was brought out very quickly. It was harder for us as we had a disabled son to feed too so it took longer to eat.
I wonder if anyone has managed to get them to slow down?

I have to agree about the cupcake- they arent a guarantee. people from Dis expect them these days and get disappointed-when really theyre not part of the meal.

 

[RDM83]

When we ate at O'hanas this past April 23rd we got the same rushed feeling others are complaining about. I mean seriously, at one point the waiter just picked up our plates and side dishes without even asking if we were done. My husband and I looked at each other in disbelief
They definitely kept everything coming way too fast! The plates just kept piling up. I don't think we will be back.

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

ugh- this is sad to hear- we are taking our first trip in two weeks, and Ohana is our first meal. We really want the whole trip to be laid back, and not rushed-

 

[Celesdragon]

Same thing for my friend and I back on April 26th. Food was really good, but the rest of it... not so much. The waiter insisted on sitting the two of us at the open three-person table that was literally right on the walkway for the kids' games, instead of along the wall where we saw at least 5 open two-person tables. Wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't center stage at the moment, with all the kids lined up facing us doing a dance, and the waiter trying to squeeze us in past all the families standing with cameras and the like.

We had stuff dropped on our table at least twice, and my friend's chair was hit several times when people crowded around us to watch their kids throughout the meal whenever they'd call for races or dancing. We couldn't even request a seating change, because our waiter disappeared within seconds. Our following waitress who finally showed up 15 minutes later couldn't move us, because they had already filled the open seats that we noticed earlier (though we noticed a family of four being squished at one of those two-seaters. We would have gladly switched with them). We also kept having food rushed, before we even had a chance to have a bite of the previous food, something would be dropped by. And it wasn't until they brought dessert that someone finally got a hint and started taking away our leaning tower of dishes. Food was great, service... worst of our vacation.

 

[vettegirl]

I hope we don't get bad service next week. I have been fortunate the two times we have eaten there to have the same waiter. The service was top notch. I guess you just never know what you going to get a any restaurant nowdays. I wished we could get individual dessets there, I don't like sharing mine either, it's too good to share.

 

[DisneyMama409]

I was so upset after my meal. I had it all built up in my mind and i was totally disappointed. I even bragged about everything to my mom and brother about how amazing this meal would be and everything was so so ...and wayyyyy too much food . Crappy service. I thought about writing Disney about it but I should've just complained right there on the spot ..makes no sense to complain about it now but we will never eat at Ohana's again.

 

[fairyfan]

I was there last week and agree that the service was poor, but we loved the food and we ate at our own pace no matter how fast the food came out.
Our waitress also did not refill our drinks either and my husband asked about alcoholic drinks and she never brought him a drink menu. Needless to say, it reflected in her tip for sure. We would definitely eat there again because we loved the food. The bread wasn't warm, but it was delicious and we thought it was one of the top 2 meals of our trip and a new favorite.

 

[vway2552]

I too agree with the OP about the rushed service. My experience was also felt very rushed. My advice would be to think of it as a buffet, and instead of getting up and choosing what you want, everything they have is brought to you.

 

[SuzieN]

I thought 'Ohana was totally yucky when we ate there last October! HUGE disappointment as this was the restaurant I was most looking forward to.

 

[wish_upon_a_star35]

We are going to Ohana's in June. But we are going for breakfast. I've been calling back to try and get a dinner ressie but I'm not having much luck at all.

I was wondering with all of the not so good reviews if anyone has ever complained about the service during their meal and if so what happened? I know in the past when we traveled we did suffer through a horribly serviced meal or two.

I hope our experience isn't so bad...but it's true nowdays you never know!!!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

We are going to Ohana's in June. But we are going for breakfast. I've been calling back to try and get a dinner ressie but I'm not having much luck at all.

I was wondering with all of the not so good reviews if anyone has ever complained about the service during their meal and if so what happened? I know in the past when we traveled we did suffer through a horribly serviced meal or two.

I hope our experience isn't so bad...but it's true nowdays you never know!!!

I had the manager come to our table to tell him about our service. I did NOT want anything in return and told him this immediately. He noted our concerns, said he was sorry that we were not happy, and that was it. I personally just wanted to leave and go get something to eat. I was hungry!!

 

[wish_upon_a_star35]

I surely don't blame you at all! It's a shame that the service is so poort. It's not as if Ohana's is a cheap eat either

 

[kathie859]

The pacing of the meal is a real challenge at Ohana. The first trip was absolute chaos--food being thrown on the table....hit and run servers....it was unsettling. We tried it again and focused on managing the service. We actually sent some food back when we weren't ready for it and noted where the server would be in order to get more drinks, food, whatever. It seems a shame that it's on the diner to orchestrate the meal--but that's how it is there. I will say that the food on the second visit was much better than the first visit. So I guess it's hit or miss.

 

[tluvstink]

I'm sorry your dinner wasn't what you expected. I think 'Ohana either has a good night or a bad one. There doesn't seem to be a lot of in between. I hope that makes sense

We had dinner there several years ago and the service was great and we did not feel rushed at all. We actually had to wait a while for the check.

I hope this does not turn you off of Disney dining. There are a lot of great places to try.

Terri

 

[DisneyDancin7]

oh no! I'm eating there tomorrow night!!! I guess I'll let you know how it is!

 

[Joshua_me]

I'm sorry to hear of this...

'Ohana *used* to be a much more leisurely experience.

Imagine the same food, (except of a somewhat higher quality) brought out more slowly and when you were ready for it... And a waitstaff that asked what you wanted more of and what you didn't...

Nowadays, they've taken the "get 'em in, get 'em out" thing to a ridiculous level...

I hate to see this happening at The Poly.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Wow! I'm shocked at the bad review for Ohana. It is our family's absolute favorite, non-character, meal in all of WDW. We have been many times over the years and the food and service has always been so good when we have been there. And the kids are always so excited for the hula lessons and coconut races. Sorry to hear of the bad experiences, but it's a must do for us.

 

[apirateslife4us!]

I agree with PP who said 'Ohana is either a love it or leave it kind of place. And also, with the person who said it's like a buffet that is brought out to you. We loved it when we went three years ago, although back then the reviews were no different I still wanted to try and am so happy that we did. The food was brought out in the way everyone described, however we didn't take it as a sign of being rushed, we just ate what we liked, asked for more of what we loved, and spent around an hour enjoying our meal. We'll definitely be going back, but I can see how this wouldn't work for every kind of diner. The fanciest food we get here at home is IHOP or Red Robin's, so I guess it's no surprise that every table service at WDW was an amazing and much-loved experience to us.