Ohana Disappointment

[stashbin]

Last week I posted on this board about how sad I was that I couldn't get Ohana reservations for my family. So imagine how excited I was when I scored last minute reservations the day before our trip! We always look forward to Ohana because we love the food, the atmosphere, etc. However, this time, we were very disappointed.

Ohana's has changed their menu. The delicious salad with the honey lime dressing has been replaced with some type of stir fry on a lettuce leaf. It was inedible. We actually sent it back... and we NEVER do that kind of thing.
The noodles were dry and the meats were all over cooked.

The lady that normally does the little show wasn't there anymore either, and the man taking her place was on a permanent break while we were there.

We didn't use the dining plan either so this meal cost my family of 5 almost $200. We were upset about the money yes, but more upset that our favorite place seems to have hit the skids.

I don't think first timers would even realize the problems....but those of you who are return guests of Ohana's will feel the pain.

 

[maxiesmom]

I've never tried Ohana, because it seems to get very mixed reviews. The salad was changed a while back, and I think they did away with the chicken too. I'm sorry you had such a rotten time.

 

[lillygator]

yeah we used to always go to Ohana, but last summer it was awful and I vowed not to go back.

 

[shana398]

My DH's favorite has always been Ohana. We just got back a week ago from and went to Ohana on our last night. I have to agree. It has gone way downhill. The food was cold. The lettuce wraps were not good. Some of the meats were way overcooked and some way undercooked.

My 25-year-old-son hadn't been before, and as a first-timer, he said, "I thought this was going to be really good since it's you guys' favorite place." The only thing he really liked was the pot stickers and the dessert.

It's not a must-do for us anymore.

 

[ajwolfe]

We've only tried it for breakfast, but after seeing the reviews lately don't think I would give it a go for dinner. Breakfast was good enough since we were on the DDP, but I can't imagine paying oop for it.

 

[lborne]

Agree. A lot of the restaurants have gone downhill in our opinion. Some of it may be that we just remember things better from years ago, or that we just don't like change, but mostly we think there has been a slow decline in the overall quality of food offered throughout the world. Then again, there have been some places that have seemed to improve.

But Yes, Ohana is not a place we go to anymore. We will often just eat at Disney and not visit the parks as we just like walking around the resorts, so we could spend hours walking around the Poly, shopping, etc. and topping it off with a good meal. Last time we went over to the Contemporary to eat.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I tried Ohana about 2 years ago i believe....honestly it was terrible. Just as you said, the noodles were dry, so were the potstickers, meat was over cooked. Wings were slimy. Blah!

 

[Texas Barbie]

Sadly, I have to agree. We were there November 16 and were so looking forward to it. Used to love that salad, but found the lettuce wraps difficult to manage and flat tasting. The noodles had obviously been sitting somewhere awhile, awaiting delivery to our table. The meats were still good, and dessert of course was fabulous. Will see if it improves before our next trip.

 

[North of Mouse]

Well, guess I'll be the only one loving 'Ohana, but it has always, and still is a favorite with us. The salad (with slightly different dressing) can be substituted for the 'lettuce wraps' as far as I know.

For it to be as terrible as some are saying, it is sure a very hard ressie to get.
We have been going for many years, and yes, it has changed it's menu, but we have never had a bad experience with the food or the service.

Now, disappointment with the changes to the hotel, oh yes, very much!

 

[Vernie822]

This was our favorite meal of the trip. All of our food was hot and fresh. We didn't care for the lettuce wraps, they were too spicy. Our steamed veggies were slightly cold, but nothing to fuss about since we ate so much of everything else, haha.

 

[jen73]

we were there last week and it was our first time there...It was ok, not sure if we would go back again. We loved the potstickers, noodles, and our boys loved the lettuce wraps. The proteins were all overcooked to our liking and the only thing we were offered twice was the shrimp. And even those were ehhhh.. We only got shrimp, beef, and pork. I thought there was chicken but it never made it to our table. We also got super small servings of the bread pudding, which was prob the best part of the meal. I am just glad we got to try it...

 

[L&Lfan]

^^^^^
No chicken anymore, just wings.

We ate there in September and the meal was perfectly satisfactory, but I've never understood the extreme popularity of this place.

 

[drquest]

We were there on November 26th, and it wasn't great, but was far from bad. The meats were a little overcooked, but the rest was ok. Same thing, family of 5, $200+

My DS12 and I was there in May and it was by far the best meal I've had for quite a while and was hoping for the same last week...

 

[Micca]

^^^^^
No chicken anymore, just wings.

We ate there in September and the meal was perfectly satisfactory, but I've never understood the extreme popularity of this place.

I think 'Ohana is the kind of place we'd all really like to be wonderful. The beautiful resort (well, pre and post construction), the tropical island theming, and some tasty items that are a little different from what we eat on most days. Besides, there are still plenty of places in the U.S. that don't have the "all the meat from a skewer you can eat", sounds fun!

For years it was a big success, but like most of the dining experiences at WDW, it has taken a turn for the worse. As a standalone restaurant in the real world, this place might have gone out of business due to the quality decline. At WDW, you have so many first-timers, and so many guests whose tastes vary, it remains very much in demand. There is no consensus on almost any WDW eatery on these boards except for maybe Victoria & Albert's.
You'll see argument both pro & con for 'Ohana, but either some of us are wrong, or this is the most inconsistent restaurant on the planet.

 

[momtwoboys]

we've always loved it, but we also have always been on the DDP. Next april will be first time paying OOP for all food, wonder if we should try somewhere else?

 

[DisneyHardin]

We ate there a month ago and the lady did the show. I'm sure she doesn't work 7 days a week, so possibly you were just there on her night off.

I didn't care for the lettuce wraps, but I wasn't a huge fan of the salad either so I didn't bother to request salad. Our meats were fantastic. That probably just depends on who is manning the grill that night though.

 

[princess aleya]

Oh man, I'm hoping we have a different experience when we go this month. This is one of DH favorite places to go. We had it last December and thought it was fantastic! I heard about the lettuce wraps but I was planning on asking if we could have the salad instead. Fingers crossed we will have a good dinner.

 

[WDWsBFF]

Oh man, I'm hoping we have a different experience when we go this month. This is one of DH favorite places to go. We had it last December and thought it was fantastic! I heard about the lettuce wraps but I was planning on asking if we could have the salad instead. Fingers crossed we will have a good dinner.

I'm right there with Ya princess aleya! We ate there in August 2012 on our first night of our honeymoon and loved it! (The only issue we had was with our server who preferred the larger tables...oh well) It's always been a tradition of ours...reading all of this makes me nervous for our Upcoming June trip.

We're still gonna book it and hope for the best though.

 

[mommyrosa2]

Oh man, I'm hoping we have a different experience when we go this month. This is one of DH favorite places to go. We had it last December and thought it was fantastic! I heard about the lettuce wraps but I was planning on asking if we could have the salad instead. Fingers crossed we will have a good dinner.

We were just there in August and had another great meal. Also, if you really want the salad, just ask for it...we saw PLENTY of folks getting bowls of salad instead of the wraps.

With the exception of one time (quite a few years ago), we've always enjoyed our meal there and it's a must-do for us. We love it so much that we have an ADR coming up in a couple of weeks and another at the end of January...cannot wait .

 

[aaarcher86]

Bummer. We really enjoyed our meal again in October. I didn't car for the lettuce wraps, but I like chicken in mine. We requested and were served the salad. Didn't even miss the chicken.

It was especially fantastic that my 8 year old can eat steak and my 7 year old can get shrimp.