Please don't throw pineapples but...

[rlyrehc]

We were disappointed with 'Ohana. We tried day after day on this past trip to get a seating for dinner and finally snagged one for 5:30 which made us jump for joy. I don't know why we weren't thrilled. The service was good, we had a window seat and the food was good. I guess that we must have been expecting a lot more because of the rave reviews.

That being said...we were pleasantly surprised by Kona. I am not usually a red meat eater, but the table next to us ordered the prime rib and it looked good so both my son and I ordered it. One word-WOW!! We ended up eating here 3 times between breakfast and dinner during our stay.

 

[Wee Annie]

we didn't like 'Ohana at all, and will not be returning. But we also had very poor service and fairly dry meat. There have always been some who post who don't like the place (but usually in the minority). The way I look at it, it actually makes life easier for us re dining options -- it's one less popular place we are going to frequent. And there are so many other options, if 'Ohana isn't your cup of tea.

I would love to try Kona, though.

 

[maggs]

I agree. I was totally underwhelmed by the experience. The meat was nothing special and was too heavily smoked. The service was poor too. I would never go back.I so wanted to like it.

Maggs

 

[webray]

We too were disappointed with O'hana, especially the food. We loved the appetizer platter, but the meat left something to be desired.

 

[Kaitysmom]

Ditto. Not going back. Service was fine, meats were really dry, table not great. I had requested a window seat, (no flames please - I know that you can't be guaranteed one) and we didn't get one. OK, we are fine with this. We were celebrating DDs birthday (which was noted on reservation) and we weren't going to let it bother us. Unfortunately, DD wasn't feeling well and she didn't want to participate in the games. We were right in the direct fire of all the kids doing their race. Lift feet! Wishes starts and then everyone in our view of the fireworks decided to not watch them and had friends coming in and standing in our way of the show. I ordered a ginge ale for DD and the server gave me a hard time for not letting her order it for herself. I was not happy as I was trying to take care of DD who was fading fast. Very disappointing - we walked out before DH made a scene.

 

[bavaria]

Ditto. It was my bday and best friend was convinced by her GF concierge that it was better than CG or any other option on the monorail. I tried to dissaude her, but she was convinced.

6 unhappy adults and 1 delighed 3yo who didn't eat a scrap of her meal but played all night.

Wishes was the only good part....

 

[CamColt]

Look out, here comes one.
Thanks for the honest review. Its good to hear both good and bad about restaurants.
I do agree with you about Kona though...thats one of our favorites too. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[PamNC]

however - my "family" is just me and DH. He LOVED it, raved about the food. I thought the atmosphere was great but the food was just "good." Nothing special. Didn't find the meat to be particularly dry. We love Kona too - for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's a great alternative, and not that expensive.

PamNC

 

[Asil65]

Wow, You all have got me thinking that I need to cancel my reservations. I had heard such excellent reviews. Have any of you eaten at the Luau? Is the food similar to Ohana? We are planning to eat at both places in a couple of weeks. Maybe we shold go to Kona instead.

 

[Leota]

I really enjoyed Kona, but DS, the carnivore that he is, loves the all you can eat skewered meat fest at Ohanas.... So, we'll be going back again.

 

[oogieboogie]

Sorry you didn't like Ohana. This and Kona are 2 of our must-eat places everytime we go to WDW. We've never had a bad meal. We love the green beans so much I asked and got the recipe.

My BIL, MIL and FIL are also big fans of Ohana. And this is one of the few places where my kids will eat steak.

 

[jellymanoffspring]

Wow, You all have got me thinking that I need to cancel my reservations. I had heard such excellent reviews. Have any of you eaten at the Luau? Is the food similar to Ohana? We are planning to eat at both places in a couple of weeks. Maybe we shold go to Kona instead.

My family enjoyed the Luau very much....BUT I would not go there soley for the food..it was fine..nothing exceptional...

Bread on table....Good salad with yummy mandarin orange dressing...
ribs/chicken on a platter(family style)...and they refill for you
I think there was rice/veggie... The dessert was pretty bad...much too sweet

Expect a Really good show and a nice dinner.......

 

[vettechick99]

That's the funny thing about these boards...you get rave reviews about something and then when you go its just "eh". I went to O'hana before I got on these boards, but like you I was underwhelmed. When people on here go on and on about how great it is, I'm kinda like

Now this past trip we went to Le Cellier based on major recs and it met my expectations. BlueZoo, on the other hand, did not.

So when I plan dinners for WDW, I try to expect average. I figure if my expectations are low (average is low for Disney ), it has to be at least decent!

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

I've heard complaints about the Luau from friends as well. Unfortunately, I'd never been but told them that I had read it was great here on the DIS and they were pretty disappointed. Same complaints: Food was dry/average and the show was a typical hokey luau type show you'd see anywhere. Sorry, guys!!

 

[Peter Pirate]

Asil65, don't take this thread as the end all of 'Ohana. Like the OP said, 'Ohana gets mostly rave reviews, but all restaurants are not for everyone. Each person here has stated why they didn't like 'Ohana for a very valid reason but they are not the majority.

I can certainly see that if someone doesn't like the smokey flavor of meats or spicy shrimps they won't like 'Ohana...But if the offerings intrigue you, give it a try. You'll probably like it.

 

[Kaitysmom]

That's right. I am sure if DD had been feeling good and we hadn't had rude neighbors during Wishes, we wouldn't been so disappointed. We'll move on and someone else can have our table next time. Don't forget to lift your feet when the race starts though!

 

[skuttle]

Wow, You all have got me thinking that I need to cancel my reservations. I had heard such excellent reviews. Have any of you eaten at the Luau? Is the food similar to Ohana? We are planning to eat at both places in a couple of weeks. Maybe we shold go to Kona instead.

Please don't change your mind based on what you read here. If a restaurant sounds interesting to you, try it and decide for yourself if you like it or not. Ohana is my favorite restaurant...I LOVE it, have always had great food and service. Sci-Fi constantly gets bad reviews...we decided to try it, and while we only ordered hamburgers, they were great burgers and we'd go back. Tony's we tried twice and never enjoyed even though others rave about it. I plan on trying every restaurant at WDW eventually, both the "good" and the "bad".

 

[Aimeedyan]

Different strokes for different folks, nothing wrong iwth that! Our family enjoyed it, but we have been disappointed in other things people love.

I think the biggest issue is that people go with too high of expectations, because they hear so many great things about them, and it's almost impossible to top what you expect. NOT saying that's the case with you, but I KNOW it's been the case with me. I just expect too much, and am let down.

 

[Jasminesmommy]

My whole crew loved Ohana. The meat was very tender. This is a must do every trip.

oogieboogie can you share the recipe for the greenbeans. Do they taste the same.

 

[debbiedoo]

When going to different restaurants you have to have an open mind about them. I will go to three or four different boards for reviews and go from there.

We enjoyed Ohana's and the different offerings, and we had a great time. Will definitely be going back. I will say this--they sure do feed you!!