Ohana=Overrated!

[Tiffany_m15]

OP - your experience was the same as my 2 dinners at Ohana over the past few years. Loved the dessert. Could have left everything else. I'm always happy for others who have enjoyed their dining experience. I've just never had a good experience here. Like PPs have mentioned, way too $ for such inconsistent food.

The dessert was excellent! We liked the salad and two of the sides but we just couldn’t find the value in the things we did like.

 

[HopperFan]

All of our visits there we left saying .... never again. I think this time we meant it.

From the crazy waits (even to check in) to the poor service to the meh side dishes to the dry meat .............. I honestly can't process ever paying that kind of money for that kind of experience again.

I hate that because it's Disney we are supposed to accept the price, the food quality and the service. Sounds like no doubt your sever wanted you to eat and get out so she could gather another tip based on an overpriced meal, probably twice what it should be.

 

[Tiffany_m15]

All of our visits there we left saying .... never again. I think this time we meant it.

From the crazy waits (even to check in) to the poor service to the meh side dishes to the dry meat .............. I honestly can't process ever paying that kind of money for that kind of experience again.

I hate that because it's Disney we are supposed to accept the price, the food quality and the service. Sounds like no doubt your sever wanted you to eat and get out so she could gather another tip based on an overpriced meal, probably twice what it should be.

“I think this time we meant it.” Lol! It’s like, I just don’t understand the popularity of this place?!? Right? The view is beautiful if you’re lucky enough to be seated facing that direction but is that really the only thing that makes this reservation so hard to get? Because for us, it certainly wasn’t the food.

 

[HopperFan]

“I think this time we meant it.” Lol! It’s like, I just don’t understand the popularity of this place?!? Right? The view is beautiful if you’re lucky enough to be seated facing that direction but is that really the only thing that makes this reservation so hard to get? Because for us, it certainly wasn’t the food.

Well, you keep thinking it was just an off night .......... but now that it's been consistent, we're done.

Lucky you on the view ... we've never had a good view, usually right in the bumper lane to get jostled by servers, guests and rogue coconut racers.

 

[Tiffany_m15]

Well, you keep thinking it was just an off night .......... but now that it's been consistent, we're done.

Lucky you on the view ... we've never had a good view, usually right in the bumper lane to get jostled by servers, guests and rogue coconut racers.

Those coconut races don’t make it too easy to get around and if we had been seated at our reservation time we probably would have missed them all together but instead they held up dessert and our check. They don’t seem to have the timing quite right on them because we noticed people filing out already with kids having completely missed it. One and a half hours is too long to wait for them to start. I thought they were part of the appeal for young families.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Sorry you had a not-so-great experience, OP. Ohana is a family favorite, and we have yet to have a bad meal there.

I want to interject something that may be helpful to people reading this thread—the bread should be served with their delicious macadamia nut butter. But for reasons I do not understand, they don’t always serve it, and it can be hard to get it out of your server.

We dined there a few times without ever receiving it, and I was meh on the bread. Then, one time, it was brought to us, and I couldn’t get how wonderful that butter is. It’s whipped and has a delightful nutty flavor. Totally elevated the flavor of the bread.

Next trip, our server told me that there was no such thing, but he would bring regular butter if I really wanted it. Another visit, the waitress told me that the bread was sweet and tasty on its own and didn’t need butter. When I pressed her for it, she said she’d get it, but never did.

Why that butter is elusive, IDK.

 

[Tiffany_m15]

Sorry you had a not-so-great experience, OP. Ohana is a family favorite, and we have yet to have a bad meal there.

I want to interject something that may be helpful to people reading this thread—the bread should be served with their delicious macadamia nut butter. But for reasons I do not understand, they don’t always serve it, and it can be hard to get it out of your server.

We dined there a few times without ever receiving it, and I was meh on the bread. Then, one time, it was brought to us, and I couldn’t get how wonderful that butter is. It’s whipped and has a delightful nutty flavor. Totally elevated the flavor of the bread.

Next trip, our server told me that there was no such thing, but he would bring regular butter if I really wanted it. Another visit, the waitress told me that the bread was sweet and tasty on its own and didn’t need butter. When I pressed her for it, she said she’d get it, but never did.

Why that butter is elusive, IDK.

That is really strange, I wonder why it is so hard to get? We have dined at Kona Cafe a half-dozen times so I know exactly what butter you are referencing. It is excellent stuff. This was definitely not what we were given.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Our upcoming trip will be the first time we aren't staying at Poly thus the first time we'll actually eat at 'Ohana's as opposed to ordering their food from room service.
About the bread.........we aren't big bread eaters so are pretty opinion-less on that.

We tend to mix the salad into the noodle dish so prefer a limited amt of dressing.

The grilled meats have always been cooked to our liking with allowances made for DGD's love of shoe leather AKA well done and the quality was good as well to date. I frequently cook shrimp shell on so the taste of the shell permeates the meat. I know I'm going to lose some seasoning when I peel off the shell so assume 'Ohana's is using the same technique. When cooking at home (or eating out) you should over-season to compensate.

We wuvvv wuvv the dessert and are looking forward to having it with the ice cream which doesn't come w/ the room service version.

I've observed the long lines (and lei giving) that can stretch to the lobby level boutique, as people wait for their table to be ready at 'Ohana's. I plan for us to plop in the upstairs lounge chairs instead of waiting on the line for our 9:45 PM ADR.

Here's hoping the coconut race makes the new experience worthy, LOL.

 

[Tiffany_m15]

Our upcoming trip will be the first time we aren't staying at Poly thus the first time we'll actually eat at 'Ohana's as opposed to ordering their food from room service.
About the bread.........we aren't big bread eaters so are pretty opinion-less on that.

We tend to mix the salad into the noodle dish so prefer a limited amt of dressing.

The grilled meats have always been cooked to our liking with allowances made for DGD's love of shoe leather AKA well done and the quality was good as well to date. I frequently cook shrimp shell on so the taste of the shell permeates the meat. I know I'm going to lose some seasoning when I peel off the shell so assume 'Ohana's is using the same technique. When cooking at home (or eating out) you should over-season to compensate.

We wuvvv wuvv the dessert and are looking forward to having it with the ice cream which doesn't come w/ the room service version.

I've observed the long lines (and lei giving) that can stretch to the lobby level boutique, as people wait for their table to be ready at 'Ohana's. I plan for us to plop in the upstairs lounge chairs instead of waiting on the line for our 9:45 PM ADR.

Here's hoping the coconut race makes the new experience worthy, LOL.

Part of the problem with the wait for us was that there weren’t any seats to sit in upstairs when we got there. That was only a problem for about 5 minutes because they were calling names pretty rapidly.

I absolutely agree with you on the dessert. It was really tasty!

 

[beachclub1011]

I COULD NOT AGREE MORE! We were there 2 weeks ago with our 8month old, everything you explain happnened to us PLUS we sat along the aisle where they teach everyone to hula, etc and while some were polite, most parents knew no boundaries and literally leaned over us while we were eating to get a picture of their kids, obviously I understand you have to get that special moment but it was a little obnoxious......we were being rushed so much so we jus ate really slow and i was full so i was going to pretend to eat the dessert while Happily Ever After was going on, and I ended up eating it all! haha....we will not return to Ohana for dinner, there are better places on property to spend that type of money.....glad we werent just overreacting!!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Part of the problem with the wait for us was that there weren’t any seats to sit in upstairs when we got there. That was only a problem for about 5 minutes because they were calling names pretty rapidly.

I absolutely agree with you on the dessert. It was really tasty!

Ugh. I wish they had those electronic gizmos that flash colours to call you to the reservation desk but maybe the signal would be confused what with Capt.Cook's doing the same thing. Waiting for a table makes me feel like I'm back in NYC and that's not really a good thing, LMAO.
I'm hoping since our ADR is so close to closing we won't be rushed which nevah sits well with me.

 

[Shanti]

Ohana February 2018 Postscript:

There were things that I haven't included in my overall review of the restaurant. We were very hungry by the time we sat down for dinner. We had skipped lunch knowing that the meal was buffet-style and usually when we are hungry like that everything is delicious...lol...but even being as hungry as we were the food was really nothing special and in some cases just bad. I'm also the kind of person who likes everything I need for a meal on the table at the same time. If I had all three meats and our sides on the table all at once I would have known to go easy on one thing because I would have tried a little of each rather than eating all of the one thing we had while waiting for the next thing, getting full on what wasn't so good and then not getting to eat more of what I did like.

Also, our server was very busy and was not exactly the nicest person we came across on our trip. We generally try to give people the benefit of the doubt though because bad days can happen to anyone. Due to the fact that she was busy and the coconut races had just begun, our dessert and check took forever to arrive. We had allotted a little more than 2 and 1/2 hours from reservation time of 4pm to eat and to make it to MK for a Fastpass reservation. We weren't seated until about 4:30, we waited quite a while for the second round of meat skewers. Then waited while a wedding proposal happened near us. Then waited through the coconut races for our dessert. Then waited for our check. By this time it was about 6:15. We used the restroom and waited for two monorails and made it to MK by 7. By this point the Happily Ever After crowd was heading in and the lines were very long and our FastPass window was closing and we knew we wouldn't make it. I know they probably would have let us in but we were already running late for our plans to take a carriage ride at Fort Wilderness during the fireworks so we decided to skip it all together. While these things contributed to our evening not going exactly how we planned it, we didn't let that affect our overall experience of the meal. Stuff happens, you know?

On the plus side, our fireworks-view carriage ride was amazing! Really peaceful! Love Fort Wilderness!

Bummer. We really enjoyed our Ohana dinner a few years ago but haven't made it back since. There's no excuse for cold food or rushed service, but my response to that (particularly when paying a lot as you do at WDW), is to refuse to be rushed (refuse or ignore the food they put down until you're ready to eat it), and send back any cold food as soon as you touch it. This would be especially easy at Ohana, as they have plates of the same foods constantly coming out of the kitchen.

I wouldn't make a big deal about dining at any non-signature WDW restaurant in regards to its food quality or service. People on the boards exaggerate both things they like & dislike about restaurants, & taste is subjective in any case, so I wouldn't put too much stock in people's raves or bashing about any restaurant on these boards.

 

[Tiffany_m15]

I COULD NOT AGREE MORE! We were there 2 weeks ago with our 8month old, everything you explain happnened to us PLUS we sat along the aisle where they teach everyone to hula, etc and while some were polite, most parents knew no boundaries and literally leaned over us while we were eating to get a picture of their kids, obviously I understand you have to get that special moment but it was a little obnoxious......we were being rushed so much so we jus ate really slow and i was full so i was going to pretend to eat the dessert while Happily Ever After was going on, and I ended up eating it all! haha....we will not return to Ohana for dinner, there are better places on property to spend that type of money.....glad we werent just overreacting!!

With as popular as this place is I’m sad we didn’t have the experience that Ohana’s reputation suggests, but I feel validated that other people had the same problems. In one respect I’m happy that we were seated in the corner based on what happened to you but the crowded corner we were in meant we got very poor service.

 

[Tiffany_m15]

Bummer. We really enjoyed our Ohana dinner a few years ago but haven't made it back since. There's no excuse for cold food or rushed service, but my response to that (particularly when paying a lot as you do at WDW), is to refuse to be rushed (ignore the food they put down until you're ready to eat it), and send back any cold food as soon as you touch it. This would be especially easy at Ohana, as they have plates of the same foods constantly coming out of the kitchen.

I wouldn't make a big deal about dining at any non-signature WDW restaurant in regards to its food quality or service. People on the boards exaggerate both things they like & dislike about restaurants, & taste is subjective in any case, so I wouldn't put too much stock in people's raves or bashing about any restaurant on these boards.

I definitely agree with you that taste is subjective and people should absolutely experience Ohana for themselves especially if it’s been a big meal they’ve been excited to try.

I’m judging the quality of what we experienced at Ohana based on the number of people that want to eat there and return there (eg. how difficult the reservation is to get) along with the food and service we had.

We did try to pass on the food when we weren’t ready and request hot food when we were ready for it but the length of time it took to get the meat and, subsequently the dessert, was too long. And you’re right that we are paying a premium to be at Disney (in general, not just for food) so any amount of time we are held up because of poor service has cost us theme park time or resort time that we would have otherwise been enjoying elsewhere rather than held ‘captive’ (lol) waiting for a check, you know?

Out of curiosity, we haven’t had the chance to dine at any signature restaurants yet...what have been you’re favorites?

 

[Shanti]

Out of curiosity, we haven’t had the chance to dine at any signature restaurants yet...what have been you’re favorites?

Yachtsman Steakhouse serves the best steak we've ever eaten, anywhere. And everything else we've had there the times we've eaten there have been good, too.

 

[Tiffany_m15]

Yachtsman Steakhouse serves the best steak we've ever eaten, anywhere. And everything else we've had there the times we've eaten there have been good, too.

Good tip, Thank you! I’ve heard that it even trumps Le Cellier (which I haven’t had the chance to try), Do you agree?

 

[wdw4rfam]

Guess we have just been lucky. Over 15 times for dinner and it’s still by far my favorite restaurant at Disney.

 

[Elle23]

We ate at ‘Ohana in December (5pm) and there were zero activities when we were there (no coconut races, hula, etc). I wonder why.

 

[Elle23]

Ohana February 2018 Post 2 of 8

First off, the bread everyone raves about was dry and stale.

It must have been a off night. The bread we had was wonderful. Some of the best I’ve ever had (and I haven’t held back on voicing my displeasure with most of the food we ate that trip. But the bread....if I could have just replaced the rest of my meals with that bread, I would have been a happy camper. )

 

[Shanti]

Good tip, Thank you! I’ve heard that it even trumps Le Cellier (which I haven’t had the chance to try), Do you agree?

Our experience at Le Cellier was as bad as yours at Ohana. Burned steak, slow service, tiny tables crammed together. Way overpriced for what you get. Some people love it, but I can't recommend it. The Yachtsman is in a different league.