Soy/Gluten/Dairy/Egg/Peanut free at 'Ohana?

[stackyallred]

I have a long list of allergies as you can see from the title of this thread. The main things I need to avoid are soy, dairy, gluten, egg, peanut, garlic, tomato, broccoli and flaxseed (and many more but these are the most common). Before my allergy diagnosis, my husband and I LOVED eating at 'Ohana. We are returning this year with some family members who I think will enjoy it. So my question is: Can I get enough food there to make it worth my while? I am a big protein eater and am happy with some meat, a veggie, and a starch. I have had wonderful meals at Kona Cafe these last few years and am thinking maybe I should give 'Ohana a chance for the sake of my team. Anyone have any experiences they can share with a similar list of allergies? TIA!

 

[clanmcculloch]

We aren't soy free but we've had great experiences with gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and a bunch of less common allergies. I believe that the meats they bring out are not marinated and just seasoned and I believe the salad dressing is free of top 8 allergens (it was safe for me but again, I'm not soy free or egg free so I can't be sure, my DD who's egg free couldn't eat it because of citrus so totally unrelated). They custom cook vegetables and bring a bunch of rice and at the moment I'm spacing on what else they bring but I do know we left really stuffed each time we've eaten there.

I should note that we're not contact sensitive for peanuts (heck, we're not even cross contamination sensitive to that allergen). If you are contact sensitive then you need to be very cautious about 'Ohana because they have a peanut sauce and they encourage kids to move around the restaurant so you never know where sticky little peanut sauce covered fingers may have touched.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

You've mentioned just about everything on the menu!

I don't have any food allergies but wanted to avoid garlic. The chef came to see me and basically said that everything was marinated (including the meat) in advance so they couldn't hold some special aside. He made me some salad (but the dressing was horrible and I preferred the original). He also made me a special dish with plain veg (carrots and brocolli), a ball of plain boiled rice and 4 skewers of unmarinated meat - but which had been liberally covered with black pepper which I hate as much as I hate garlic. The plain chicken wings were nice, but that was about it really.

The bread would be a no no for you, as would the pudding. The pot stickers are wrapped in a parcel which contains flour, and the noodles obviously contain flour and have a peanut sauce.

To be honest, I can't really see how you could avoid everything you can't eat, and as much as you'd like to be with your friends and family, the chances of something you're allergic to being splashed about due to the sauces are pretty high.

 

[sleepingbean]

I would think they would give you unseasoned meat, rice, salad, rice dream (or other) and I am sure they can work with you, but it may not be as exciting as your pre-diagnosis. I found Kona to be very disappointing for our dinner, but great for breakfast (in terms of dealing with allergies). Ohana was a lot of fun. If you have extreme allergies to nuts and soy, however, I would call ahead and make sure the chefs are aware and can accommodate.

 

[Chelley00]

I'm egg, dairy, wheat, peanut, tomato free and I try to limit soy and corn. I ate like a crazy person at Ohana They were so careful and the chef acted like it was fun to try and feed me

Here's my review.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=46779488&postcount=26

 

[Toffeewoffy]

I'm egg, dairy, wheat, peanut, tomato free and I try to limit soy and corn. I ate like a crazy person at Ohana They were so careful and the chef acted like it was fun to try and feed me

Here's my review.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=46779488&postcount=26

Interesting presentation for your special meal, there. This was my one:



There was so much broccoli - and it was way undercooked and so unbelievably bitter! As it was served totally plain, it was very hard to eat it as it was very dry. And despite the fact they're supposed to bring you 3 different sauces, the only one we were given appeared to be chilli or something, so none of us had it. I had to scrape the black pepper off before I could eat it. I had to ask for some more steak, as that small skewer had only 4 tiny pieces on it.

 

[stackyallred]

Thank you all for chiming in! It sounds like everyone has had quite different experiences! Of course that is expected with the many different chefs and special needs we all represent. I appreciate you all sharing your thoughts on the matter.

Because of my extremely long list of foods I must avoid (cross contamination does not appear to be an issue for me as of yet), most chefs email or call me after I contact special diets. Because of this, I have only had about 2-3 so-so meals out of approx. 25 meals since diagnosis of allergies (and even though they were so-so, I still always left full) . I think I'm going to make a reservation at 'Ohana and request the chef contact me to discuss my options at their convenience. If he/she doesn't contact me or he/she doesn't seem to be able to offer me much, I will change our ADR to something else. Before our trip arrives. I am very thankful so many chefs have been willing to accommodate me but I know some just won't be able to and that is understandable with my diet!

I sort of hesitated to consider 'Ohana at all because I know my limitations are very present in the regular menu but I have had such fantastic service and meals at many restaurants that at first glance, appeared to have nothing for me (for instance, I can't eat ANYTHING off the buffets at WDW but the chefs always out do themselves for me by making me something fresh!). I have spoken to chefs and felt it would be too much of a challenge for them and not enough food for me so we decided to cancel. I hope that doesn't happen at 'Ohana mostly for my family's sake but if it does, we will have a great meal somewhere else, I'm sure.

Thanks again for the replies!