'Ohana for vegetarians?

[Welsh]

I know this is probably a ridiculous question since there is technically no menu at 'Ohana and the fare seems pretty meat-heavy, but my brother would love to try this place the next time we visit and I'm wondering if there's anything for a vegetarian like myself there? I eat eggs and dairy products but I don't eat any kind of meat, including seafood. I'm used to living on side dishes so I don't need a lot of food. Is it possible to pass on courses when they bring the meat around? Sorry for all the questions, I've just never had a 'family style' dinner before.

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
I don't eat any meat, and you can tell them that you're vegetarian. When I was there in December, I recognized Chef TJ and told him I was vegie. He was at a table next to us checking with someone about their requests. He told me to stop eating (salad) and he said he was going to make me something. He first brought out 2 different kinds of hummus with pita chips. Then he brought out a huge dish of food. It was rice with asparagus, broccoli tempura with crispy rice noodles in some kind of delicious sauce. It also had tofu, which I don't eat. There was so much food, I couldn't eat it all. You can ask to see if he's there on the night that you go. He told me to always ask for him. He said "this is what I do". We also had our picture taken together. Have a great time!!

 

[2Tiggies]

Are you going for Dinner or breakfast?

I am not vegetarian, but don't eat any red meat, including pork, don't eat eggs either. I usually get by with just telling them not to bother with certain things and it is fine. It depends on the person's reasons for being vegetarian I guess, as I am just happy to pick out what I like and leave what I don't. Obviously some would not be comfortable with that.

i would imagine that it would be easier for him at dinner simply due to variety of options.

 

[DVC mom]

We LOVE O'Hana's and I am vegetarian. TJ is wonderful! He does make special meals IF he's working. Call ahead to check if he is working once you are on property as his schedule changes a bit. His "usual" days off are Sunday and Monday but that doesn't always work. We too have pics with him he is GREAT! If he is not in, I get the "usual" veggie selection and it's good just not as unusual as some of his wonderful creations! We own DVC and can visit up to 5-6 times a year so unusual is great on the 3rd or 4th trip of the year.

 

[brytorlyn]

We did this restaurant with a friend who is a non fish eating vegetarian who is allergic to citrus. We told the server who sent out the a chef to speak with us. They asked for our friend's preferences and then made her a pasta dish with loads of veggies and a miso dressing. She enjoyed it very much. They are very accommodating.

 

[brytorlyn]

oh and it had tofu in it.

 

[everythingALICE]

Hi
I don't eat any meat, and you can tell them that you're vegetarian. When I was there in December, I recognized Chef TJ and told him I was vegie. He was at a table next to us checking with someone about their requests. He told me to stop eating (salad) and he said he was going to make me something. He first brought out 2 different kinds of hummus with pita chips. Then he brought out a huge dish of food. It was rice with asparagus, broccoli tempura with crispy rice noodles in some kind of delicious sauce. It also had tofu, which I don't eat. There was so much food, I couldn't eat it all. You can ask to see if he's there on the night that you go. He told me to always ask for him. He said "this is what I do". We also had our picture taken together. Have a great time!!

If you go to the dining reviews, you can see some pictures of this - it looks absolutely incredible (I think v_gan has a review on there). Unfortunately when I went Chef TJ was not there (I'm hoping that he will be when I go in September), so I did not get a vegetarian feast, but I still thoroughly enjoyed my meal. The chef on that night made me a big dish with tofu, mixed veggies, rice, and some sort of sauce that was really good! Then I was also able to have the salad, lo mein, broccoli, and bread pudding. I definitely recommend checking it out - call Ohana ahead of time or call the Disney dietary line so that you can talk to someone about making an alternative meal for you.

 

[Welsh]

Wow, these comments are very helpful! I will have to remember Chef TJ for later (we won't be going until late 2011 most likely) but even when he's not there it sounds like the other chefs are pretty accommodating. I've never made any special arrangements beforehand because all of the restaurants I've been to have some kind of vegetarian dish available. It's great to know they'll accommodate even at the meat-heavy restaurants. I figured places like Le Cellier would, I just wasn't sure about 'Ohana since it's a different style of service. I'm really excited now. I've wanted to have dinner there for a while so if we do choose 'Ohana, I'll be sure to let them know I'm a vegetarian when I make my ressies. Thanks, everyone!