Ohana?????

[humboldthny]

OK...I'm a little worried about our ADR for Ohana - this seems to really be a love it/hate it/great food/horrible food sort of TS. From what I've read here the quality of service and food seems pretty inconsistent. We'll be traveling with my dh (easy going), dd (6), and my parents (dad can be a bit of a curmudgeon about dining experiences if he's 'in a mood'). If it were dh, dd and I wouldn't worry about it at all....

What should I do?
Is there any national chain restaurant that I may have been to that would have comparable quality food? Is it more like Chili's quality? P.F. Chang's? Something more upscale?

Thanks!!

 

[Mamu]

I can't think of a chain that you could compare Ohana's with. I agree it a love/hate restaurant.

My family says been there done that, probably won't be returning. It not that it has lousy food, quite the contrary. You need to like meat cooked on a grill and lots of it. Sometimes the meat can be a little dry which can be common when grilled. The sides are very good though. We are not big meat eaters so Ohana's is off our list of favorites. I would just as soon eat at a counter-serve restaurant as pocket the money for something else I enjoy. Don't get me wrong most of my favorite restaurants at Disney are the resort signature restaurant.

I think Ohana's is one of those places that you need to experience for yourself.

 

[holden]

Ohana is just okay for us. The food is fine - not outstanding, not terrible. I actually find some of the entertainment annoying. I love that the kids get up and play, but then when they sit back down to eat, the entertainment is still so loud that it's hard to have a conversation. Maybe it depends on where you sit.

Having said that, we are doing Ohana again on our next trip. This is because it will be our first trip where we will NOT be staying at the Poly, and I can't go for the week and not visit our home away from home! (We have a free stay at Hilton Bonnet Creek) We've done Kona many times, so we don't want to eat there. Captain Cooks is fine too, but not much atmosphere.

It's not the kind of place I'd go out of my way for, but I wouldn't avoid it either.

If you go, I don't think you'll hate the expeirence. You'll love it or feel neutral about it.

 

[tami82]

We enjoyed Ohana, ate there twice last trip. First night we were there was no entertainment, 2nd night there was. I dont think it is inconsistent with the food but rather would say it is probably has to do with the persons tastes. I enjoyed it very much with the never ending chicken, meat, and especially the shrimp. Loved the wings, bread, and other little things they put on the table. Bread pudding is amazing.

 

[goofy4prez]

The first time I made ADR's at Ohana I almost cancelled them because of some reviews; I'm glad I didn't. I love Ohana, it is a must do for us each time we're in WDW. My advice, try any restaurant in WDW for yourself and then draw your own opinion.

 

[TDC Nala]

I find the entertainment extremely annoying. But if you're bringing a kid, the kid might enjoy it.

There really isn't anything to compare Ohana to, and there isn't any way to tell if you'll get decent service on any given visit (my last visit, September '09; some food excellent, some food not so good -beef too tough but there's plenty of other things to eat so no big deal there - service: well, we had two servers, and nicknamed them Surly and Frantic.)

If your dad's in a mood, he'd possibly find something wrong about any restaurant you visited.

 

[WAHMto5]

You will find that just about every place in Disney will have some that love and others that hate. Ohana is a must for us every trip, the entire family enjoys it. I guess we have been lucky as we have always had great food, service, and entertainment for the kids every time

 

[Must C Mickey]

We loved Ohana! It was our favorite meal of the trip and definitely our favorite desert of the trip. That bread pudding was to die for. If you like asian food and grilled meat...it's right up your alley. Everything was wonderful and the atmosphere was fun.

 

[MusiqChic99]

From what I've read hear it's a hit/miss kinda place. Saying that it was a HIT when we went in October. It was our first visit and it didn't disappoint at all. Everyone says it's loud but I don't remember it being that way. Maybe i just didn't care? My son slept through the whole dinner so it didn't bother him either.

We still talk about how good Ohana was and will probably return and hope it's as good as the first time!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I find the entertainment/singing to be annoying but I love the atmosphere (low lighting, tropical plants, big windows) and the food's pretty good (I only eat the dumplings and grilled shrimp though, oh, and the bread pudding). I think as long as you don't go in there thinking it's going to be the greatest meal ever and have very high expectations you'll be fine.

We go to Ohana's at least once every trip since '93. It seems like one of the biggest complaints is how long everything takes. It is definitely not a restaurant you run into, eat, and hurry back to the park. I've waited the longest for our ADR's here (usually no later than 30 minutes past the ADR time) and have had slow moving meals. To be prepared for this I don't go to Ohana's STARVING and I go in with the mind set it'll give my family and I plenty of time to talk and just enjoy each other's company. I also, knowing I don't like to be in the middle of the singing, coconut races, etc., request a table along the side of the restaurant. We usually have to wait a little longer for this but it's so worth it (my favorite place to be sat is towards the back by the windows by the marina area).

I think everyone should try every restaurant once and take the reviews on here with a grain of salt. Even the best restaurants have off nights and there's many restaurants I love at WDW that get pretty consistent negative reviews on here and others I find just ok that get praised greatly. Everyone has different tastes, expectations, and experiences and it's impossible to know if your's match their's.

 

[MissionMouse]

OP, in our experience there are three things at Ohana that determine your experience. 1) table location (you want main floor in front of grill); 2) your servers ability to provide timely service (if their bad you see them 2-3 times); 3)the grill staff' skill set (less experienced results in shortage of cooked meats available to guest or overcooked meats (tuff & dry).

 

[jeepgirl30]

I used to love Ohana but last time I was there I was in the hate it camp. However, DD requested this for first night again.

I like asking for a window table, you can see Wishes in the distance. It is not nearly as specatular a view as from Cali Grill but much better than out my dining room window!

You do need to be a meat eater though for sure! it is all skewers of grilled meats.

 

[bellefromboston]

We loved 'Ohana! We have been there twice and both times were fabulous! The food is delicious, especially the appetizers (yummy salad, pineapple and coconut bread, wings and pork dumplings) The atmosphere is very fun and has a great disney feel (the castle is right outside your window!) I believe the food is above any chain I've been to. I'm sure you'll love it there!

 

[khanna]

We love it too! I almost cancelled it last trip due to mixed reviews but I decided we needed to experience it ourselves. So glad we did! We loved it and will go back in September if we can get an ADR!!!! Try it for yourself, then decide. Have fun!!

 

[TDC Nala]

You do need to be a meat eater though for sure! it is all skewers of grilled meats.

Two of those "meats" are turkey and shrimp so if you're not a vegetarian and just don't prefer red meat, there's an option. If you are a vegetarian, some of what is served besides the skewers is veggie. With prior notice you could probably request a vegetarian meal.

 

[hogwartsdropout]

We had a vegetarian in our party when we went, and we told our server who then brought out the chef. The chef made two wonderful vegetarian dishes for the non meat eater. It was huge portions, and really nice of him.

Everyone should try Ohana, it's one of my favourites.

 

[TDC Nala]

My friend who is a vegan got an incredible vegan meal, but she arranged with the restaurant in advance.

 

[MadiWI]

We went with friends who are vegetarian, and they had a great meal provided for them.

 

[williamson_ja]

'Ohana was definitely one of our favorite meals!! The bread and dessert were both to die for. My ds is also a huge fan of potstickers and really enjoyed them here. The entertainment was lots of fun for the kids.... We'll definitely be trying to get a reservation for our trip this fall.

 

[amshowers]

We love Ohana's it's a must do every trip. We have been lucky and always had a great table. The salad,bread wings, shrimp, dessert and so,so yummy. The turkey and the pork can be a little dry, but I never had a problem with the steak because I order it as rare as they will cook it.