Ohana vs Wailulu

[Minniemoo15]

Wailulu, hands down. It was the best meal of our trip and very reasonably priced (for Disney, anyway).

 

[MGD2007]

Ate at Ohana a few months ago. The quality and experience is just not there anymore. Lackluster food was tossed at us at too quick a pace. Food came out way before our drinks did. I really wanted to enjoy our meal, and we made the best of it, but I won't be back.

 

[disneydad7281231]

Wailulu was our favorite none breakfast meal our last trip! We had a round booth during the fireworks. Tried to go back a second time towards end of trip because it was that good.

 

[Disnsyncey]

This was our last Ohana dinner and we’ll just remember how it was in the past.

the skewers, Lazy susan, and the pineapple with caramel are the things that make me miss the Ohana of the past, WAY before they had the lame bread pudding....

I hadn't looked at the menu for Wailulu yet, but just did, and WOW....Dole Whip Sundae?? I want

 

[matt and beth]

I wouldn’t overlook Kona Cafe. It was pretty darn good.

 

[tx911]

I wouldn’t overlook Kona Cafe. It was pretty darn good.

That's one spot we did not have good experiences in. We ate there once for breakfast and one for dinner, and found the food and service mid on both occasions. Wailulu was the one bright spot. I very much prefer the Grand Floridian Cafe to Kona Cafe.

 

[matt and beth]

That's one spot we did not have good experiences in. We ate there once for breakfast and one for dinner, and found the food and service mid on both occasions. Wailulu was the one bright spot. I very much prefer the Grand Floridian Cafe to Kona Cafe.

Really? We did a dining tour just a few weeks ago. Citricos, Steakhouse 71, California Grill, Grand Floridian Cafe, Summerhouse, Ragland Road, Turf Club, Polite Pig, Kona, Wailulu, and Cityworks. We found Kona came in a solid 3rd place

 

[tx911]

Really? We did a dining tour just a few weeks ago. Citricos, Steakhouse 71, California Grill, Grand Floridian Cafe, Summerhouse, Ragland Road, Turf Club, Polite Pig, Kona, Wailulu, and Cityworks. We found Kona came in a solid 3rd place

Wow. I was really looking forward to liking it, but it just didn't hit with us. I was hoping for something to tip me into buying points at Poly, but it fell flat. We'll have to try it again next time we stay.

 

[matt and beth]

Wow. I was really looking forward to liking it, but it just didn't hit with us. I was hoping for something to tip me into buying points at Poly, but it fell flat. We'll have to try it again next time we stay.

I had the Mahi and DW had the short rib. We both really enjoyed our meals. Hopefully, next time around is good for you. Poly was too busy for us to buy points but it’s nice. We really enjoyed it personally. If looking. For dining options nothing beats BCV or BWV between the various resorts within walking distance and Epcot

 

[sethschroeder]

Isn't Wailulu just a quick and fairly inexpensive meal? Seemed more like a lunch place compared to Ohana that is more high priced large meal for Breakfast or Dinner.

Is there a reason not to do both? I would drop a different meal honestly for the week if you are already at the resort and like Ohana. For me I would drop Ohana but thats because it never has really drawn me in ever.

 

[marmentrout85]

Wailulu was a home run for us back in January. We had a great meal at 'Ohana in January 2024 as well, but I really like the more chill vibes at Wailulu.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Isn't Wailulu just a quick and fairly inexpensive meal? Seemed more like a lunch place compared to Ohana that is more high priced large meal for Breakfast or Dinner.

Is there a reason not to do both? I would drop a different meal honestly for the week if you are already at the resort and like Ohana. For me I would drop Ohana but thats because it never has really drawn me in ever.

Personally, I could do without ‘Ohana but my traveling companion enjoys it. However what she wants are the shrimp and chicken wings so since a variation are on the Wailulu menu, we’ll go there and spend the saved money at a different place.

 

[RivGirl]

Isn't Wailulu just a quick and fairly inexpensive meal? Seemed more like a lunch place compared to Ohana that is more high priced large meal for Breakfast or Dinner.

Is there a reason not to do both? I would drop a different meal honestly for the week if you are already at the resort and like Ohana. For me I would drop Ohana but thats because it never has really drawn me in ever.

Wailulu is similar to Geyser Point and Bar Riva in exposition. Somewhere between a la carte Table Service and Quick Service, but I would say closer to Table Service (just without ADR capability). A lot more seating than Bar Riva. Menu is similar in size to Geyser Point but with a higher end to its price swing. You can get a burger ($23) and chicken wings ($15), or you can get a dreamy white fish curry as I had recently ($32), which felt like an upscale dish at a reasonable price [for Disney]. A larger selection of signature cocktails than I would associate with Quick Service, too.

For breakfast Wailulu is definitely Grab and Go "Quick Service," and that's according to Disney. For Lunch and Dinner it is designated "Casual Dining" by Disney. It seems as if, since it's the only dining option in the Tower, Disney tried to make it all things in one - Quick Service for Breafast, mid-level Table Service for Lunch and Dinner, and close enough to the Tower Pool that it can serve as the Pool Bar.

 

[rdaky]

Ohana is probably the most inconsistent restaurant on property. Wailulu has gotten nothing but rave reviews as far as I can tell. The latter is much more of a sure thing.

Yes. Ohana is high risk. Sometimes it's good. Sometimes it's really bad. We didn't eat there for many years and finally tried it again. Meh. It was okay. Not as bad as I feared, but not really anything amazing, either.

 

[kylenne]

Yes. Ohana is high risk. Sometimes it's good. Sometimes it's really bad. We didn't eat there for many years and finally tried it again. Meh. It was okay. Not as bad as I feared, but not really anything amazing, either.

I’ve literally never had a bad experience there, including last September. But people are always complaining. Maybe we just have good luck.

 

[bp2412]

I’ve literally never had a bad experience there, including last September. But people are always complaining. Maybe we just have good luck.

Same here. We have eaten at O'hana I think 3 times now and have always really, really enjoyed it. But all visits i believe were post Covid so i guess we didnt get that experience a lot of people talk about. We have an upcoming trip mid-May at Poly and have reservations at both O'hana and Kona and also now very excited to try Wailulu after reading this thread! Only thing I am nervous about is the walk up and seeing how long we will have to wait, with a 2 year old I'm worried if it's too long of a wait we might need to bail since we will probably be eating at peak dinner times. But we have a couple of open nights so far so multiple times to try.

 

[kylenne]

Same here. We have eaten at O'hana I think 3 times now and have always really, really enjoyed it. But all visits i believe were post Covid so i guess we didnt get that experience a lot of people talk about. We have an upcoming trip mid-May at Poly and have reservations at both O'hana and Kona and also now very excited to try Wailulu after reading this thread! Only thing I am nervous about is the walk up and seeing how long we will have to wait, with a 2 year old I'm worried if it's too long of a wait we might need to bail since we will probably be eating at peak dinner times. But we have a couple of open nights so far so multiple times to try.

Even before Covid people were complaining about uneven service and mid meals so I’m not really sure if that has as much impact as we’d generally assume. We never ate in the actual restaurant in those days, because we just did the Twilight Feast (the room service version). It’s probably the thing I miss most about our Poly stays.

Re: Wailulu, remember it has mobile order if all else fails. We’re there at the end of this month and plan on hitting it up before heading over for extended hours at MK.

 

[bp2412]

Even before Covid people were complaining about uneven service and mid meals so I’m not really sure if that has as much impact as we’d generally assume. We never ate in the actual restaurant in those days, because we just did the Twilight Feast (the room service version). It’s probably the thing I miss most about our Poly stays.

Re: Wailulu, remember it has mobile order if all else fails. We’re there at the end of this month and plan on hitting it up before heading over for extended hours at MK.

No, I don't think I was aware of that, so thanks for the heads up. We assumed if all else failed with getting a spot we would order Captain Cooks that night and eat around the beach or pool, but I'm thinkin Wailulu mobile order sounds like a better option!

 

[emilymad]

We ate at Wailulu tonight. We did the waitlist at 5pm and had a 3 minute wait for 2 adults. The restaurant was less than 20% full. They gave us an attitude when we asked to sit outside despite it being not busy but did finally let us.

The food was excellent but the service was a little slow. Not our servers fault but it took forever to even get drinks. We didn't get out of there until almost 6:45. It only started to get full as we were leaving so I am not sure what the issue was.

An appetizer, 2 entrees, and drinks came out to about $30 less than two meals at Ohana.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Even before Covid people were complaining about uneven service and mid meals so I’m not really sure if that has as much impact as we’d generally assume. We never ate in the actual restaurant in those days, because we just did the Twilight Feast (the room service version). It’s probably the thing I miss most about our Poly stays.

Yes, to Twilight Feast! It became our go to when we stayed at Poly
Children would get up in the middle of the night to eat cold noodles and chicken wings, lol. I suspect those memories are fueling DGD’s want