Ohana mixed reviews

[thedriggsfamily]

We are only going for one day. I was thinking of splitting up the day with a monorail trip for late lunch/early dinner. I would like o'hanas but I keep finding mixed reviews. Can anyone give me their opinions.
Thanks,
The Driggs family

 

[jlk806]

I have eaten there many times, and have always had a great experience, though at times service can be slow. We have always had great food, and our servers have always been nice, one time last year (i went twice last summer) the service took a long time to get all the food, and our 3 year old just wanted to eat and get back to the MK. I think we skipped dessert that night because we were full anyhow. Ohana is a must-do for us every trip!

 

[lizandjason]

We are only going for one day. I was thinking of splitting up the day with a monorail trip for late lunch/early dinner. I would like o'hanas but I keep finding mixed reviews. Can anyone give me their opinions.
Thanks,
The Driggs family

'Ohana is a fantastic 'uniquely Disney' experience. The Polynesian Resort is wonderfully themed as a 'South Seas paradise'. It is a great respite from the busy parks, the food is good-and there is PLENTY of it! If you're into dessert, the bananas foster bread pudding is one of the most celebrated at WDW.

In my opinion, there is nowhere else on property (with the exception of Boma) that does a Disney dining experience better.

PS-if you get there at 4:15-4:30 ish, you can stand in line and get a 'walk-in' reservation for 5. We've done this often when we couldn't score a reservation in advance and we've never had a problem getting in.

 

[canopynut66]

have been there once each for breakfast and dinner and have finally talked my sister and DBL into going this trip in November the first time I ate there was great and I see the reviews on here as well and figure some days O Hanas may be off a little as then will read ne that says was wonderful. they are slow about getting you seated worst on property matter of fact but once seated all was fine

 

[Just*the*ten*of*us]

We love it, one of our favorites and a must do for each trip. I've seen the mixed reviews as well, but have never experienced anything but a great time at Ohana. Hope that helps

 

[wdw4rfam]

It is a #1 must do every trip for breakfast and dinner. If I couldn't get an ADR, we would seriously rebook the entire trip (actually did ). We were booked for September with FD, and the ADRs were already open, and no Ohana times, so we rebooked for October so we could book at 180 days. I can't think of one time that we've had a bad experience there.

 

[kiki7o5]

We love it! It's our family tradition to eat at Ohana on our first night. The food has always been good, I've never encountered a problem with service. The kids enjoy it because they get to participate (entirely optional) in a little show that takes place around the restaurant. It's really cute. Always a fun time!

 

[lizzyb]

We have only been there once and really enjoyed it...going back in 3 days!

 

[sephorachick]

We are only going for one day. I was thinking of splitting up the day with a monorail trip for late lunch/early dinner. I would like o'hanas but I keep finding mixed reviews. Can anyone give me their opinions.
Thanks,
The Driggs family

I've been there 3 or 4 times. Each time it went downhill I no longer put it on my list on places to eat. It just isn't as good as it used to be. I always love the dessert there but that's about it. If you've never been it is a fun experience though....

 

[poly princess]

DH and I have been to Ohana, for both breakfast and dinner. We have always enjoyed it. I say, give it ago!

Thanks!

 

[jennylyn_b]

We love it! Have been 2 times since Nov 2011 and are going back in Oct. No complaints.


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[Hopefully]

We are only going for one day. I was thinking of splitting up the day with a monorail trip for late lunch/early dinner. I would like o'hanas but I keep finding mixed reviews. Can anyone give me their opinions.
Thanks,
The Driggs family

We have been twice and are going back in October. It is a good, not great, meal. We enjoy it.
"Ohana does not serve lunch. It opens for dinner at 5 PM and it quickly backs up in seating folks. It is one of the most difficult restaurants to get an ADR for, so try right at 180 days. There is only a slim chance of getting a walk in and then it is often a very long (up to 2 hours) wait to be seated if you are lucky to snag a walk in. It may be a bit easier now that it has a "no show" charge.
Enjoy

 

[Christine]

My viewpoint on these matters is that if you really want to try something and it appeals to you, just do it.

Many people love 'Ohana for various reasons. I've been several times and enjoyed it; however, each and every time (except for maybe in 1995), the meats were dry. A lot of people don't care or they have various opinions as to what constitutes "dry."

If you are a foodie and particular about things, you may find that the food is overcooked the night you were there. Or it may be fine. Or it could be that things like that don't bother you and you enjoy the "whole" experience.

 

[guyver71]

we went for breakfast and the food was good, but it was the Characters that made the whole thing for my 4 year old...hope that helps

 

[TDC Nala]

Don't choose a restaurant based on reviews on this board.

You will find mixed reviews here on EVERY WDW restaurant.

If the restaurant's menu and style appeals to you, try it yourself.

 

[Duster72]

We went last December. As a lover of grilled meats, I thought the meats were at best overcooked and at worst burned. I also wouldn't waste the time if I only had one day. By the time you walk to the park entrance, walk to the monorail, ride there, wait for a table, eat, and ride the monorail back, that's at least a 3 hour trip (more likely 4 hours). If you want to leave the park, I would suggest The Wave at the Contemporary. It's good, not great, but it's faster and a shorter trip. You could also do The Crystal Palace and just eat at a leisurely pace.

 

[one2admire]

For our Oct. trip I've made an ADR, read some reviews, cancelled the ADR, read some more reviews, made another ADR, read more reviews, cancelled that ADR, etc. I've been doing this since I could start booking ADRs and 'Ohana was the first ADR I made. I finally figured it was worth a shot. If it turns out to be a bad meal, we'll just count it as a loss, but I would be really disappointed if we don't at least give it a try.

This is my thing, most bad reviews complain of cold food, dry meat, and slow service. I'm not opposed to asking for what I want. So, if something is not to my liking, I'll just ask for more or something else. I'm sure there's something in that restaurant that I can get full off of.

 

[bdklein]

If you like dry, overcooked meat, you've come to the right place.

 

[cuddleworthy]

I've been to Ohana twice:August 2010 and August 2011. This meal is always the first meal of our trip We come in time to watch Wishes while we eat and it is very relaxing and romantic and a great way to start the trip.

Both times we went, reservations were around 9:00 p.m.; right in time for Wishes. Both times we were seated quickly (within 10 minutes of our arrival) despite our fear that others would be squatting for a long time to see Wishes. When Wishes is not happening, the restaurant is pretty loud, which has never bothered me. Some people who may be looking for an intimate, quiet dinner may not like this. However, others who want something more family-friendly will appreciate it.

Our servers were of the same quality both times and I feel as though it must be hard for them to not deliver good service since they are so scripted. I always am disappointed to read reviews where customers feel ignored, but it has not happened to me. I felt that the service was quick, all the different plates were brought to our table promptly. On this note, I can see why some people would be offended about not having enough space between courses, but I feel that this is done in most family style restaurants, including higher end ones. Also, many folks probably come in with the intention to eat quickly and go on to a park as soon as they're fed. Regardless, our service has been flawless each time.

FOOD

The food here is great! It's not signature quality, of course, but it's really tasty. I'm not big on meat so I don't care too much for the skewers, but every year I dream of the trifecta: pork fried dumplings, coriander winders, and the noodles. This part of the meal to me is second only to the dessert. Also, the bread and salad always taste very fresh. Sometimes the meat is a bit dry but this has never bothered me since I don't go there for the meat anyway. I go more for the atmosphere.

I think it's worth it to do Ohana once. If you are on the dining plan, just give it a try. If not, it's not terribly expensive for Disney and well worth it IMO. People will always complain about something. I've always chosen to ignore the negative reviews and have not been disappointed. Go into it with no expectations and see what you think! Good luck!

 

[AnnieEMT]

We were just there this past Thursday (8/9) - had ADRs for 5pm, got there at about 4:45 & were seated pretty much right away. I've always enjoyed the food there & this was no exception. Lol - they had to bring extra dumplings for us, we love those! Service maybe a little slow but there was so much going on with the coconut racing, etc that it didn't really bother us. They brought out a birthday cupcake for DGD which was highlight for her. I think if you like the looks of the menu, give it a shot