Thinking of dropping Ohana and picking up another...negative reviews everywhere!

[mickeynut1]

We love Ohana.....we were just there this past December and it was great . I agree that you should try it for yourself and decide .

 

[goofyintoronto]

To put it simply, if you canceled a reservation every time there were a cluster of negative reviews on these boards, then there would be nowhere left to eat.

I personally enjoyed 'Ohana and would eat there again in a heartbeat. The only reason we are skipping it on our next trip is simply because it will not fit with the rest of our plans.

I so agree with you on this. If you cancelled a ressie everytime you came across a negative review, you'd be left with nothing. So just give it a shot and form your own opinion. If you dont end up liking it then you know not to go again right? If you looked at the menu and it appeals to you, then so far so good.

I unfortunately suffer from severe "let down" when a restaurant is so hyped up. I go there expecting something from heaven, cause my expectations are so high due to the rave reviews, but in the end i get really disapointed. This happened to me with Le Cellier. Anyway, im just rambling. Lol! As i said, check out the menu's and decide for yourself if you like it or not. We'll all have different opinions. So many ppl love Le Cellier & Chef Mickeys but i cant stand those two places.

 

[jdisnut]

I don't understand all the negativity surrounding 'Ohana and am convinced it is a product of the gigantic herd mentality on these boards. It has somehow become fashionable to criticize 'Ohana, so now we see thread after thread bashing it.

Perhaps I have just been extremely lucky for the last 10 years, but I have never had a disappointing experience at 'Ohana. I just ate dinner there last weekend, and it was as wonderful as I remembered. The food isn't gourmet, but it's tasty and plentiful. The sticky wings and bread pudding are particularly wonderful.

I agree that the atmosphere can be annoying. The emcee lady that leads the coconut races and other entertainment for children is grating. But that's not enough to alter my opinion about the restaurant overall.

 

[Vickis3js]

On our first trip I almost canceled Ohana due to all the bad reviews. I am SOOOO glad I didn't because it is our families favorite restaurant! The kids have fun and we can all fill up on the bread, salad, wings and noodles. Some of the meats are hit or miss with how they are cooked but if something is too tough or too dry I just ask for more. So definatly try it for yourself. I know I did change one ADR that trip due to restaurant hype and canceled Lecellier for Teppen Edo and we were SO disappointed.

 

[marivaid]

I don't understand all the negativity surrounding 'Ohana and am convinced it is a product of the gigantic herd mentality on these boards. It has somehow become fashionable to criticize 'Ohana, so now we see thread after thread bashing it.

Then you obviously were not in my resort room the day after we had dinner there. Let's just say we had to keep the door ajar.
Trust me, nothing about that day could be called fashionable.

 

[goofy4prez]

I have learned one thing when it comes to restaurant reviews on the DIS, I ignore them whether they are positive or negative. I went to a very popular restaurant on the DIS because everyone raved how it was so spectacular and a must do, I found the experience to be otherwise. And I almost cancelled my ADR for Ohana because of all the negative reviews, and I'm glad I went. Is it 5 star awesome? No. But I did enjoy it; I found the food to be decent and I personally love the atmosphere of Ohana. I say go and form your own opinion.

 

[CathieArms]

Besides the coconut races and atmosphere, I keep reading that the food at O'Hana's is not the best...anyone else switching or have switched b/c of the reviews?

I did. I had a 5:00 ADR that I finally just cancelled entirely.

My issue wasn't with the food, but with the recent reputation for long wait times to be seated. On this particular day, we expect to be not only very hungry by dinner time, but also very tired. The last thing I want to do is to hang around waiting an extended period of time at the end of the day, when all we wan't to do is sit down and eat.

We ate there in July '09 and I don't recall having any real impression of the food, good or bad; and my ds is to reserved to get up and join the fun.

 

[pigletto]

I did. I had a 5:00 ADR that I finally just cancelled entirely.

My issue wasn't with the food, but with the recent reputation for long wait times to be seated. On this particular day, we expect to be not only very hungry by dinner time, but also very tired. The last thing I want to do is to hang around waiting an extended period of time at the end of the day, when all we wan't to do is sit down and eat.

We ate there in July '09 and I don't recall having any real impression of the food, good or bad; and my ds is to reserved to get up and join the fun.

In your case I completely understand why you cancelled. If waiting is an issue then I wouldn't advise anyone to go to Ohana unless they got the first ressies of the night.

We stayed at the Poly on the last trip and the area outside Ohana was JAMMED with people every single night. The waits can be awful.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

if you don't want your reservation.... i'll take it

 

[RoundtownGirl]

We make 5 pm reservations because I believe that is when it first opens. This cuts down on our wait time. We've eaten at 'Ohana on every trip and plan to go back this time. We enjoy 'Ohana because of the atmosphere. The food is okay and there is plenty of it. If you've never been there, I say try it.

 

[Wendy31]

The times we have been, we have really enjoyed it.

Honestly, I could take or leave the meat & just eat the salad, sides, & dessert!

However, we haven't been since 2008, & the recent reviews of long wait times does have me a little worried. In 2008, we had to wait about 15 minutes to be seated which is completely within reason, I think. But all the talk about recent long lines to even check-in & then having to wait a long time to be seated had me reconsidering making an ADR.

I currently do have an ADR - but it's (I hope) for an early enough time that we won't have to wait long. It's for 5:20 pm. (I wanted 5:30 pm.)

Like others have said, if you've never been before, I think you need to try it for yourself. It really is a wonderful family restaurant! Additionally, it's a type of restaurant w/ a certain "atmosphere" that you probably can't experience in your hometown.

There's a reason it's such a hard (almost impossible sometimes) ADR to get!

If you think, at all, that you might want to eat at 'Ohana, I would make an ADR for it on my 180 day mark, if I were you. You can always cancel it later, if you change your mind.

 

[photobob]

Haven't read any of the posts here, but if you go by negative reviews you'll never eat anywhere at WDW. One person's favorite is the next person's never again restaurant.

 

[lurkernj]

I've eaten here twice and had positive experiences both times. We do book the first ressies at 5p and have not had to wait more than 10 mins.

In Dec I went with BFF and she couldn't stop saying such great things about it and couldn't believe it was the same dining credits as the other restaurants.

I feel the meat is hit or miss, first time some of the meat was dry, second time it was perfect, but the shrimp were over cooked and couldn't get them out of the shell. Either way, it was enjoyable and there were some very delicious items (especialy the dessert)

 

[fatdaddy68]

We love Ohana it is a must everytime we go just in Sept we were there with friends of ours who never ate there and they said they could have eaten there everyday. You have to take the reviews with a grain of salt some people are just negative period if you gave them a 100 dollar bill for free they would complain its not crispy enough. I read the reviews but still have to try things for myself the reviews for Coral reef were great when we went there and we hated the place we didn't get seated until over an hour past our adr and only really liked the desert. So the only way to find out if you like the place is to try it.

 

[MaleficentRN]

I did. I had a 5:00 ADR that I finally just cancelled entirely.

My issue wasn't with the food, but with the recent reputation for long wait times to be seated. On this particular day, we expect to be not only very hungry by dinner time, but also very tired. The last thing I want to do is to hang around waiting an extended period of time at the end of the day, when all we wan't to do is sit down and eat.

This was my first problem with Ohana. 8pm reservation. Arrive at ten of, hungry and tired and waited in chairs by the bathroom until 8:30 to be seated. I was much happier with Kona. Arrived with no reservation, waited 10 minutes to be seated.

 

[Ramsfan28]

I would never eat again at Ohana - it was just horrible experience.

 

[VeganRazzleDazzle]

Ohana was DH and DS's Favorite Restaurant of our Trip. I liked it too but always want to try something new but DH insisted on going back this trip. You never know until you try it! If you end up loving it you could have skipped it and would've never known! LOL! I say go for it!

 

[TDC Nala]

Be careful of the reviews. 'Ohana can be hit or miss service-wise, but the food reviews are pretty consistent except for those who just don't like that type of food for whatever reason. There are just as many good reviews of 'Ohana on this board as there are bad reviews, but to many readers the bad reviews seem magnified. If you like the way the menu looks, and the possibility of sub-par service doesn't deter you, then try it out for yourself. Also remember you are not going to get a quiet dinner there.

Agreed the food is not "the best" but I have never found it to be bad, with the exception of some inedibly tough beef on the last visit, and there was so much else to eat that I did not miss the beef. If I were only going for the beef I would probably not go back after that, but I didn't really care about the beef.

 

[topmonkeygirl]

I love 'Ohana! I don't really care for the grilled/skewered meats ( my sister loves them). I do like the shrimp though. And I love the sides: noodles, chicken wings and pot stickers. And I think the bread pudding is heavenly.

I'm ready to go back now!

Ditto. Love all of the sides, but I admit the meat is a little dry. They cook it a liitle too long, but the shrimp is really good. I hate bread pudding but this stuff is to die for.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

We ate at 'Ohana several years ago ... DH & DS loved it, I hated it! Then in 2008, DS and I had a Mom & Son trip, I loved it, he wasn't thrilled. So it hasn't been on my radar. Made all of our AUgust ADRs at 180 days without even considering 'Ohana. Literally this morning, DH asks about juggling to fit it in! WHAT?! Don't you know it is impossible to get without booking at 180 days! Well, lo and behold I was able to get an early reservation on the night I wanted! (5:10, wanted about 5:30). So we are going back. Hopefully all 3 of us will enjoy it this time! I definitely like the sides more than the meat and thought the bread pudding was to die for!