Second-guessing: 'Ohana or Boma?

[holcomb-mania]

I want to do both, but time will not allow. For our Oct trip I've made an 8:10 PS (FITS at 8:30 that night) at 'Ohana. We plan to send the kids to the Neverland Club. They love it and I'm certain would forego the coconut races to attend NLC.

But the 'Ohana Stinks thread has me wondering if I should change to Boma and let the kids go to Simba's Cubhouse. But IIRC I've seen a recent thread saying Boma wasn't that great.

I've never eaten at either, but here are pros I see for each:
- 'Ohana: see the fireworks (our anniversary, maybe we'll get close to a window); NLC for kids; get to visit Poly again (we loved it last Oct); I'm a big-time carnivore and the skewers sound killer; and even if the food is bad relative to Disney standards, it's still better than what I'm eating now!
- Boma: we've never seen the AKL and are interested in staying there next visit ('05???); Simba's sounds good; menu sounds good; and much closer to our resort (CSR).

Any thoughts are certainly appreciated.

 

[CarnotaurDad]

Went to Boma Nov 02 with family. It was fabulous. The theming AKL is worth seeing. You can see the animals outside. There are people there to tell you about them and various items around the massive lobby.

We ate with my DD (2 1/2) she had a blast. Staff very friendly (even let us change our res on the stop because our DD woke up cranky and we needed to adjust). The atmposhere was dark and cosy - even for a buffet.

Most of all...food was great. So great that on our trip this Nov - it will be one of our dining experiences.

The store there is great as well. Many things that fit in our budget.

Hope this helps.

 

[bobcat]

We ate at both a week ago and while we liked O'Hana's in my opinion Boma blows it out of the water food wise. Since you are not going to do the kids activities at O'hanas then my vote definately goes to Boma.

Boma has amazing food and you really have to go in with a different mindset. Sample everything that looks interesting. There were dishes that I thought I wouldn't like but after I tried them they were delicious. Same goes for dishes that I thought I would like.

For dinner without the kids you might consider Jiko. I didn't eat here but did do the cullinary tour at AKL and was able to see the menu and sample a couple of items. I really want to eat here next trip.

 

[songbert]

We ate at both places in July, and had a wonderful time at both - however, I felt more rushed at 'Ohana.......the food was wonderful- my DS (14) devoured the shrimp like there was no tomorrow!! I was pleased with the quality of the food, too. Our desserts were delectable.....

Boma - if you like to try new and different tastes - is AWESOME!! My DS wants to be a chef, and was fascinated. I wished I had a bigger stomach that night!!

Good luck making your decision; for the price, I feel Boma is definitely the better deal. And the AK Lodge is really an amazing place.

 

[stellaxluna]

I ate at both last week, didnt care too much for either, but if this helps, service at BOMA is great, and at Ohanas it is bad...also BOMA is in a nicer resort, in my opinion....

 

[Micca]

For the food, it's gotta be Boma. For the view(if you're near a window) Ohana wins. Ohana food seems to be hit or miss(I have experienced both there).

 

[RweTHEREyet]

BobCat

Disney IS a Life Skill!

I love this, and it is so, so true.


We love both Boma's and O'Hana. At Boma's you will have a much larger variety of food to sample from, and it would be a new experience for you to visit the hotel. As a couple, this would be my choice. O'Hana is a lot of fun, and the tiger shrimp were delicious. I filled up a full plate with shells from the shrimp I ate. My family was not quite sure what I had taken then too, but we all 3 enjoyed it tremendously.

I disagree with the threads that are saying Boma and O'Hana are lousy, we like them both. I also might add we are not much into frou frou food and really are happy with the meat and potatoes kind of thing.

You won't go wrong with either, and I know you will enjoy your adults only dinner.

Have a great time.

 

[CindyAnn]

I'm another fan of both Boma and 'Ohana. I love the food at both, and I've had great service at both of them. My children like the Neverland Club better than Simba's Clubhouse (nothing wrong with Simba's, but it just doesn't have the same kind of theming). If you're going without kids, though, the atmosphere at Boma is a little more adult than at 'Ohana. In fact, as bobcat suggested, you might even want to consider Jiko's. I think the atmosphere at Jiko's is more adult (romantic) but the food at Boma is definitely better, IMHO.

Would you consider going to the breakfast buffet at Boma to check out the resort? It's a completely different menu, of course, but there are some interesting African dishes at breakfast too. An early PS at Boma is very convenient on a day when you're planning to visit AK. Just a thought.

Have a great trip!

 

[bobcat]

RweTHEREyet I teach family and consumer sciences and I call my middle school classes Life Skills so it's a little play on words.

For anyone who is staying at AKL and going to eat at Boma or Jiko I highly recommend the cullinary tour they offer every afternoon. It is free and you get to talk with the chefs at both restaurants and even get a sampling.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Boma has much better food than Ohana in my opinion. And it didn't seem as loud or agitated as Ohana. I'm much rather to to Boma any day.

 

[Muffy]

I like Ohana and Boma but would choose Boma if I could only go to one! Fantastic resort, fantastic food and service!

 

[The Disney Bunch]

We LOVE Boma's. We now go each visit for breakfast & dinner. The food is great. We liked O'Hana's but not as much as Bona's.

 

[holcomb-mania]

You guys convinced me! I changed my PS over to Boma's and got a reservation for the kids at Simba's. They love NLC, but are excited about seeing AKL and the animals.

Thanks!

 

[Porter]

I have eaten at 'Ohana a couple of times and found the meal to be to my liking. The restaurant is awesome and the food was amazing in my opinion. If there was one complaint about the food was that some of it was a bit too spicy. Other than that it was a great time and they also go out of there way to keep the children occupied every so often with racing games. I can not comment on Boma but I have heard a lot of wonderful things about it.

 

[disneyfan551]

I haven't seen the Ohana stinks thread, however I have in the past posted on the "I hate Boma's thread!". People have very different tastes! However, I hope your meal is much better than the one we had in April '02!

 

[tiggersmom2]

These are my two favorite restaurants!!!! Both have excellent food, but O'hana's has a much nicer atmosphere IMHO. I have never had bad service at either but BOMA's is very loud. O'hana's is also boisterous but again IMHO BOMA is more of a family deal (being that it is very loud, with lots of little ones)

I think you will be very pleased with the food no matter which restaurant you choose.