Ohana, you're officially off my list!

[springandmac]

DD16 & I are at WDW now & last night we ate at O'hana, what a waste!

We couldn't get a reservation so we showed up at 5:00 & patiently waited the hour & 45 mins to get a seat. I didn't mind waiting but i was upset once we got in & saw oodles of empty tables open the whole time we were eating. Our server was Newton. The salad was nothing more than lettuce in a bowl. The dumplings & chicken wings came out cold. DD didn't like the dumplings & I don't like chicken
wings. Next was the broccoli & noodles. The noodles were hot but dry & flavorless & the broccoli was cold & flavorless. By this time we had a whole table of food that is going to waste. I don't know about anybody else but I like to eat my meat with my side dish, not as a meal all by itself but that's pretty much how it was served. The chicken & pork came out too frequently (but the chicken was good). The steak came around one time & the shrimp came around alot because they couldn't believe how much of it DD was eating. Finally dessert came - I had a few bites & DD ate the rest (it's her favorite).

Then came the bill - $77 for both of us. That's the part that did it for me. We won't be going back until they make some improvements to the menu especially the side dishes. I don't enjoy paying $77 for some meat & dessert.

Farewell O'hana!

 

[gillep]

Sorry that you did not like your meal, did you ask for hot items when yours came out cold? I have to say the one thing I hate more than anything is cold food I would prefer bad HOT food to great cold food anyday!! DH and I are going in October for our first time and I will certainly ask for hot food if ours comes out cold. The order of them bringing food would not bother me as I have read many reviews of this restaurant and expect this progression of sides then meat then dessert.

Hopefully the rest of your vacation was wonderful!!!

 

[mom2OandE]

I've been 3 times. The first two it was amazing. To die for amazing. The last time it was horrible! It was exactly two years ago and it took forever for our party to be sat (we did have a reservation) than once we were sat it was 30 minutes before we ever saw a waiter. My poor ds who was only 4 fell asleep waiting yet they still charged us for him. My cousin was with us and he is a Manager at Disney and he was embarrassed. He actually got teary eyed because he felt bad that he suggested it to us for Dinner and it went so horribly. Our whole meal took almost 3 hours. Food was sporatic and cold. Drinks took forever. It was just awful.

We are going to WDW in just under two months and I didn't even try to make a reservation.

 

[crostorfer]

Not trying to start a debate or anything, I am sorry you had a bad experience, but you can't really complain about your wait. You did show up without a reservation and they probably hold tables for people that actually have them.

 

[VAN]

We've also been fans of Ohana, but the last two years we went with very bad results. Ohana is also off our list!

We had reservations and just like others found the food to be cold, dry, and the meats didn't come around very often. Our wait staff (both years) was TERRIBLE! What should have been a 90 minute meal turned into 2-1/2 hrs. Even had to wait 15 minutes from the time we were done with dessert to get the bill!!!! I was fuming.

This happened in 2008, but since we'd always enjoyed Ohana in the past decided it was an off-night. NOT. Almost identical BAD experience in 2009 as well.

So long Ohana.

 

[snykymom]

In any restaurant, not just at Disney, remember that there is more to availability than empty tables. You must have the wait staff to service the tables (or you get the "30 minutes before we saw a waiter" situation), you must have kitchen staff to get the food out efficiently and not get slammer (or you have the "cold food, coming at out different times" situation). You can't say, "Why were we kept waiting when there were empty tables?" All restaurants, not just Disney, have cut back on staff.

Sorry you had bad experiences, springandmac and mom2OandE.

 

[tony67]

I am always surprised by the good reviews here.

There was a time when it was very good.

Large shrimp, not shell on shrimp.

Juicy meat.

Fresh Pineapple caramel dessert.

Now, it is just awful IMO.

Don’t even get me started on the powdered eggs at breakfast...

 

[VAN]

Yes, the restaurant has the same name and is in the same place .... but it is not the Ohana of old. Service, food quality, etc have all gone right down the tubes!!!

 

[springandmac]

Not trying to start a debate or anything, I am sorry you had a bad experience, but you can't really complain about your wait. You did show up without a reservation and they probably hold tables for people that actually have them.

I'm not upset about the wait. I knew there would be one since I had no reservation but it was upsetting to see so many open tables that we could have sat at that were never filled & they were holding people who did have reservations & who could have easily been seated.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

sorry to hear your experience was bad! we have had good, excellent, and terrible food/service at a lot of disney restaurants but that wont keep me away. i expect that sometimes the experience will be better or not. if you went there again it could be great. i'm going in a week so i'll let you know. hope it's a good one!

 

[Cinderella1122]

I ate at Ohana last week and had a fantastic meal. Probably the best meal on my trip.

We also didn't have a reservation. We arrived at 5pm and were told that it would be about an hour and 15 minutes before we could be seated. So, we spent the time at the bar.

Once we were seated, the place was packed and the servers were running all over the place. The lime dressing on the salad was amazing. We asked for a second bowl. The dumplings, chicken wings, and noodles were also good. I didn't eat too much of the meat that was offered. I tried a piece of each though. I did however, have a ton of shrimp. It was messy, but so good. We also loved the banana bread pudding.

I guess free dining has all of the Disney restaurants in a tizzy. Every place we at ate, the servers were running around. I guess if they have one or two servers not show up for their shifts, it ruins how smoothly the restaurants run and leave open tables.

 

[springandmac]

I am always surprised by the good reviews here.

There was a time when it was very good.

Large shrimp, not shell on shrimp.

Juicy meat.

Fresh Pineapple caramel dessert.

Now, it is just awful IMO.

Don’t even get me started on the powdered eggs at breakfast...

Maybe that's the problem - I've gone several times when it was soooo good. Maybe if the last few times had been my first I wouldn't know any different & I would think it was good.

 

[DaisyD]

'Ohana is our favorite restaurant. We have two dinners and a breakfast booked there for next week. I'm sorry to hear your appetizers were cold. I would have sent them back for hot ones. 'Ohana has always given you your meal in sections so no surprise there. We eat them as they come out. Since I am not a fan of too many meats I just get the shrimp reordered over and over. I love the shrimp! And the bread pudding is IMO the best dessert in WDW. We can't wait to eat there!

 

[pianoronni37]

Not trying to start a debate or anything, I am sorry you had a bad experience, but you can't really complain about your wait. You did show up without a reservation and they probably hold tables for people that actually have them.

OP did say that the wait wasn't the problem...

But yes, getting into 'Ohana at *all* without ressies is a miracle!

Although maybe that's why she got the cold, hard food... leftovers? They go to the NON-ADR table!!

 

[Dizneydaz]

We've only had dinner at 'Ohana's once and it was quite awhile ago. Back when it was supposed to be better. Let's just say it wasn't good enough for us to come back for dinner, ever again. We have enjoyed our breakfast there but dinner was a total waste.

We had ADR early in the evening. We, a party of 3, were seated at a table for 8 by ourselves. Located in the back area, furthest away from the windows, near the entrance. Too far for DD to participate in the games. By the time she got there, they were over.

Meat was awful. Very dried out.

Service was very iffy.

Best part for us were the starters and those have changed.

We much prefer the food at Kona.

And having to wait for a long time even when you have ADRs is really annoying. Last time we had breakfast there, with ADRS, we still waited over 30 min. to be seated.

I know a lot of people like 'Ohana's so by not eating there we are letting some of the fans eat at one of their favs.

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

thanks for posting and sharing your experience. We never ate here and I got an ADR b/c of the hype. My husband said he really doesn't want to go here and he looked at the menu and said that our son would not eat anything except for the salad and the brocolli. So I cancelled our ADR for upcoming trip and reading your review made me feel better for myself at least that I'm not missing out.

 

[jjsdad]

We went this past summer for the first time and loved it. The dumplings, wings and bread were just great. We ate soo much of the early stuff (salad included) I barely had any room for the meats. They were ok, not great but not bad. The desert was amazing. We loved it and for a family with a toddler this place is def on our list for our next trip. Totall a unique and fun experience which is what we look for when we select a disney restaurant.

 

[jjsdad]

thanks for posting and sharing your experience. We never ate here and I got an ADR b/c of the hype. My husband said he really doesn't want to go here and he looked at the menu and said that our son would not eat anything except for the salad and the brocolli. So I cancelled our ADR for upcoming trip and reading your review made me feel better for myself at least that I'm not missing out.

Keep in mind that they can make other things for you if you'd like such as grilled cheese and chicken fingers with french fries. We ordered a grilled cheese and fries for our ds2 at most restaurants during our last trip even though they weren't on the menu.

 

[mcd2745]

I'm not upset about the wait. I knew there would be one since I had no reservation but it was upsetting to see so many open tables that we could have sat at that were never filled & they were holding people who did have reservations & who could have easily been seated.

Unfortunately, this is a scene that is repeated at many restaurants. Until they start charging people for no-shows, it will be the case.

As for the quality at Ohana...when we were there for dinner 3 weeks ago and i thought it was fantastic. Service was good, but not great. The food though, was excellent. The bread, the wings (i wasn't crazy about the dumplings), all the meats (didn't try the shrimp, i don't eat seafood), and the noodles were delicious. And the dessert...giddyup!

 

[VAN]

It's interesting how many of those who post positive comments about Ohana have only gone for the first time during the last 2-3 years ... and how many with negative comments remember how GREAT a place Ohana used to be.

Again, it was more than just the change in the menu. It was the freshness of the food served and the total LACK of service. I don't think we saw the person who introduced themselves as our server once after the initial introduction until we finally got the bill! As stated earlier, this has been our experience in both 2008 and 2009.

Ohana is off my list until I hear that they have reversed their downhill slide.