Ohana, it is just me?

[JimmyV]

I know that lots of people rave about Ohana. We ate there last summer, and thought it was horrible. The meat was either fatty or dry, the noddles and the dumplings tasted like they were from the box. And, we barely ate one bite of one course and the next one came out. I was so disappointed in this meal.

I am right there with you. Once was enough.

 

[dixonsontour]

I think the mistake is thinking in 'courses'.

The food is designed to be served family style - you are supposed to end up with everything on the table, not eat the salad have it cleared away, eat the wings/potstickers have them cleared away etc.

We've eaten there twice and enjoyed it but I can see ehy it's not to everyones liking.

 

[wdwfan1]

I know that lots of people rave about Ohana. We ate there last summer, and thought it was horrible. The meat was either fatty or dry, the noddles and the dumplings tasted like they were from the box. And, we barely ate one bite of one course and the next one came out. I was so disappointed in this meal.

No, it is not just you. We hated it. We could not get any silverware (they said they ran out) and it was downhill from there.

I may give it another try, but I will have to talk DH into it.

 

[JerseyDisneyGirl]

Glad it isn't just me. There are lots of restaurants at Disney, there is no way that every one is going to like every place. Reading too many reviews isn't a good thing, it makes you over think your dining. What do I know, I liked H&V. An aside, I just ate at a restaurant in San Juan that got nearly all rave reviews on Trip Advisor, some thing that rarely happens. It was outstanding!

I don't plan on returing to Ohana. Not only because we had a bad experience, but we want to try all new places on my next trip.

 

[gillep]

we have a 5:25 adr here in early Dec.
i am hoping it is possible to request a table AWAY from the entertainment and parade route....please tell me this is possible!

You can certainly ask there are tables that are not 'on' the main route but a lot of those are by the windows which seemed to be in high demand. Good luck Hopefully you fare better than we did!!!

 

[gillep]

Did you get hit in the foot with coconuts like we did? And then have rude parents knock one of you over trying to get their kids coconut? And then give you an attitude for getting in their kids way?

No thankfully only our table was actually hit with the maracas, but it was more than enough for me.

No, it is not just you. We hated it. We could not get any silverware (they said they ran out) and it was downhill from there.

I am glad some enjoy it here DH and I just didn't, we did not like the food or the 'entertainment' and usually when we eat I like to actually be able to HEAR him but that is just me!

 

[walkdmc]

I had the same experience as the OP. The beef was especially dry and nothing was particularly tasty, except the dessert. That dessert was heavenly.

 

[lblume91]

We ate at Ohana for the 1st time a few trips back. It is the only restaurant that DH makes sure is on the agenda for every trip since. I can pick the rest of the week's TS meals as long as Ohana is on the list. I think it is good, nothing spectacular but he absolutely loves it. He is a total carnivore so I think that's why.

 

[DisMN]

We were shocked that something so well loved on this board could be so bad.

The Electrical Water Pageant.

Just sayin'.................... LOL

 

[chottsy]

double post...sorry

 

[chottsy]

okay, so we ate dinner here on Dec. 10 @ 6:15.
here's my review:


food: okay, but nothing great...
greasy noodles, dryish meat...bread pudding okay, but i have had better many times at local restaurants. the salad was the best thing.

now..the real thing that made this a NEVER again dining experience for us was the atmosphere:....even though we were seated away from the main dining-room..with a window view..from which we could see nothing but twinkling lights in the darkness, it was just soooooo loud. the background music was not relaxing for us...it grated on my nerves so bad, and the lady who sang and did the children's games etc. was comical at first, but that didn't last long...her sing-song voice was just so loud and intrusive...it totally overshadowed what might have been a nice (even though the food wasn't anything special) meal for us.

we've tried Ohana's now...we know it is not for us. everyone should definitely try places out for themselves..you will never know if YOUR family will like anyplace unless you go see for yourselves!!

oh & the peel your own shrimp..total pain the you know what! we live on the gulf coast and eat shrimp quite often...these were large yes, but tough and not easy to peel..totally not worth the effort IMHO.

 

[NMW]

No it's not you. We dined at 'Ohana 1n 2003 and loved it. We have tried it 3 times since then and all have been so-so experiences.

The meat was dry, really dry. The sides were ok, but not amazing. Dessert was ok.

The worst part of the meal is that after waiting quite a bit to be seated, even though we checked in early, we were so rushed by our servers. The last 3 times we ate there, I felt like they could not move us out fast enough. Last trip we decided to drop it for good.

We do enjoy breakfast there however. Just no plans to do dinner again, ever.

 

[n2mm]

OP, add us to your list too. We tried it the first time and liked it. Booked it the second time and the novelty wore off. We never raved about it and found the choices very limited. We like menu selection dining and don't like to be limited to a small choice of items. I guess the second time, the choices were even less than the first time, the meat was dried out, the shrimp was chewy/tough and the service was lacking. Too many places to choose from, so we moved on.

 

[Kricketnp]

I've been there a fewtimes and have never had a problem with the food, although have encountered HORRIBLE service. In August 2009, we went there and our waitress failed to even take our drink orders before food started coming out, never was around for refills or to bring more food AND didn't even make mention of the fact that we were celebrating a birthday, despite the fact that it was clearly written on the ticket. However, we went again this past summer and had a great experience.

 

[maraki527]

We ate there in July and thought it was an off night. Food was ok and the service was horrible....We ate there in November and it was even worse. I felt like the Server threw all the food on the table at once and then could not be found. Everything was rushed. When it came time for the check he took forever. The food was just ok. We will not be going there our next trip.

 

[lisam427]

We ate there for the first time this past september. it was one of the best meals we had and everyone in my party agreed. it was delicious. i will defentely be going back this upcoming trip.

 

[AquaDame]

Its not just you - we ate there last week and had to wait a long time to be seated (yes we checked in well ahead of our ADR) and found the food to be OK but not good enough for the price we would have paid if we were not on 'free' dining. The meats were dry and the hassle of peeling and deveining the shrimp made it so we did not enjoy the main course; the appetizers were both oily but good and the salad and bread pudding were wonderful! Next trip we've decided to put the $$$ toward some signature dining since the cost of Ohana's would pay for some nicer entrees.

 

[Micca]

We love the concept, but the execution is lacking. We think the food is "ok", but does not measure up to the price. Over the past 15 years or so Ohana went from a "must" to a "probably not".

 

[DVC Jen]

First time we were there several years ago we loved it. Tried it again the next year - ick. Again a few years later.. ick again. Gave it one last shot on our last trip a year and a half ago - we won't be going back.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I can only speak for my experiences at Ohana and me and my family just love it. I agree the service is just okay - nothing spectacular but the food and atmosphere is great! We find the chicken/turkey to be dry but the shrimp and steak are great (the pork is good). And the rest of the sides, appetizers, and desserts I find to be awesome. I can't believe they make broccoli taste that good!

But it's okay, not everyone likes the same exact thing! I can't stand Chef Mickey's but there are others that just adore it.