Ohanas or Kona Cafe for dinner??

[Iluvthemouse]

2 adults and 6 yr old

I think day of arrival we will eat dinner at either above restaurant then head over to the Poly beach and watch Wishes.

 

[The Disney Family]

When we went last summer we loved Ohana's. The food is great, and the kids have a blast. My 6 year old still talks about the coconut races. Kona Cafe looked nice too, but I remember thinking the prices seemed high for what it was. Not that Ohana's was cheap, but you do get all you want, and well, we loved it!! Have Fun!!

 

[Iluvthemouse]

Can you explain how Ohanas works? DH and I went to a Brazilian restaurant once that they brought out skewers of meat and cut them and we didnt like it at all. Is that how it is?
TIA

 

[wfloyd]

First you get a "tray" of appetizers. They consist of rice, honey corriander chicken wings, shrimp and vegatable wontons, salad with honey lime dressing, green beans and 3 sauces. After a bit, they start bringing out the meat. Usually steak and turkey first then shrimp and pork. The meat is on skewers but the server takes a couple of pieces off and puts them on your plate for you. Then they take the skewer away. You can keep asking for refills of any of the food and they will keep bringing it out.

We love this place and try to go as often as we can.

 

[tamu91]

Can you explain how Ohanas works? DH and I went to a Brazilian restaurant once that they brought out skewers of meat and cut them and we didnt like it at all. Is that how it is?
TIA

That's the jest of it but with a Disney twist. They have coconut races and hola-hoop contest for the kids and if you time it right, you should be able to see the Wishes from your dining chairs

 

[Kaycee]

With a 6 year old, the games at 'Ohana should be a lot of fun. However, we are in the minority in that we did not enjoy the food at 'Ohana. We did think a couple of the appetizers, the pineapple bread, and the pineapple and caramel for dessert were very good. But these items were not worth the cost of the meal, and none of us cared for the meat at all. I rarely eat meat and my husband isn't a big meat-eater either, so I wasn't surprised that we didn't care for the skewered meat. My two teenage DS's are meat lovers though, so I was very surprised when they didn't like any of the meats served at 'Ohana. If you've been to a restaurant that serves meat in a similar manner and didn't like it, you may feel the same way at 'Ohana.

Kona Cafe is one of our favorite WDW restaurants. There isn't a lot of theming and there aren't any activities like at 'Ohana, but the food is delicious. We've been there several times over the years and have had a great meal every time.

 

[Leota]

With the 6 year old, Ohana's might be the best, although I think the food at Kona is way better. We think Kona is one of the best restaurants on Disney property - not as Fun for a 6 year old tho.

 

[tlev]

We also found the food at Kona to be much better. The apps. at O'Hana's were great, but the meats were overcooked and dry and the shrimp was unpeeled and became a big mess. To me it seems that you peel off the flavor with the shell. We had a great meal at Kona for dinner and the breakfast was great too. Your young one would probably like the activites at O'Hana's more than sitting at a table in Kona.

 

[lillygator]

Ohana's!!
We have been fortunate enough to not have had a bad meal there...as in the food - sometimes service is a little off but generally very good!

 

[BCV23]

We haven't had dinner at 'Ohana so I can't make a fair comparison but I'm jumping in to say that I think Kona is of the best bargains at WDW for excellent food.

The setting can't match Narcoossee's or California Grill but the food is on that level....it is so good.

 

[JMD]

I would go to Ohana for dinner and save the Kona Cafe for breakfast. IMO, its the best place for breakfast on Disney property.

Just be aware that Ohana is mostly all meat. If you, or someone in your family, is not a meat eater, then it makes no sense to go there.

 

[DisneyWisher]

We first ate at Ohana's April 2004 and have been back about 8 times since. We took my niece, her husband and their 4 yr old. Alex (the 4 yr old) right away ordered chicken strips but ended up eating the wings, steak, and wontons. When I have had a piece of meat that I thought was too dry I would just push it to the side of my plate and ask for more the next time they came around. I love the turkey and DD11 loves the steak. My niece's favorite part was being able to see the castle from our table and watching it change colors (she's 24) I guess its something you never outgrow. All we kept saying is how much grandpa (my dad) would love it. We are thinking about a trip in December and going all out. Paying for my parents CR Tower and us staying in the wings, My dad loves fireworks and for him to be able to watch them one night from his room would priceless. oohhh!! aahhh!!!.

 

[Jen D]

I prefer the food at Kona, by a long shot. But Ohana has a more festive, theme-like feel, and if you are looking for something like that your first night, I'd go there.

But only if you promise to try Kona later.

 

[mmounsey]

We loved 'Ohana...of course we are big meat eaters, but the wontons and dipping sauces were excellent!

We also enjoyed the Luau, but I don't recommend doing it on your arrival day unless you are there a couple hours before it starts...we checked in at our resort and rushed over to Poly and were completely frazzled when we arrived...

Our boys (3 & almost 6 at the time) loved it. They did the coconut races, the hula hoops and really enjoyed the ukelele player.

We timed it right so we were able to view Wishes from our window seat!

It was definitely our favorite place we ate at the last trip and possibly a must do for every future trip!

 

[Iluvthemouse]

Thank you everyone.

I just made PS for Kona. DD is very, very shy so the games wont matter and we tried a restaurant before with the skewers and we didnt seem to like it so we will check out Kona. I know we are probably missing a great thing by not going to Ohanas but we can save that for next trip.

 

[swimmom]

You are not missing anything. I have three boys who love meat of any kind and are the most outgoing creatures you could find. They would have loved the games - but we were seated in the part of the restaurant where you can't see the games. It is so crowded that you barely know there are game going on becasue of the din!! The food is just bad - overcooked meat and sticky rice and soggy veg. Kona on the other is is brilliant. The food is really well done and the value for your dollar is far greater. Good choice