Why do you love Ohana?

[twitterpated31]

Hello!

I'm getting close to my ADR booking day. It's my first trip to ANYWHERE Disney. As with anywhere, there are people who love/hate/are neutral about a restaurant.

I'm interested in hearing what you think is great about dinner at Ohana. It sounds different from places I've dined and might appeal to everyone in my group (ages 5-75).

Food quality? Quantity? Setting?

I'd love to hear about what makes Ohana a must do for you.

Thanks!!

 

[JerseyJanice]

It's the whole package--the food, the drinks, the entertainment, the ambiance. If you happen to be there when the MK fireworks go off, they pump the soundtrack into the restaurant. If you're close to the Tambu lounge side, you can see them.

The food and drinks are reminiscent of the Dragon Inn "Polynesian" restaurants that were popular when I was a child in the 60s/70s. So for me, they are nostalgic. But my baby nieces love the place and they obviously don't have those feelings so it can be fun for everyone.

Lastly, I will say it's my family's favorite Disney restaurant. I have been there nearly every trip, and I have never had bad food. Service may have been dicey a couple times, but we always enjoyed the food.

Hope you get a good ADR.

 

[quandrea]

We don't love Ohana. Too crowded. The waits are long. They never run on time. The restaurant is chaotic. Food quality is poor--tough grisly steak, low quality dark meat chicken (tastes like lighter fluid), slimy chicken wings. So many other, calmer, tastier spots to eat.

 

[amberpi]

Love your user name, OP! I haven't eaten there since I was a kid. The food looks mass produced (are those vegetables from frozen?), but more to that - its SO loud. You hear it when you enter the Poly lobby. Its always chaos right outside. I don't want to eat in chaos.

I understand you can order Lapu Lapu's there though, and I'd say you'd need a couple to get through a meal there, but strong tropical drinks are an endorsement...although now with Trader Sam's that seems like the bigger draw for tropical drinks. I prefer to hit both

 

[ArwenMarie]

We don't love Ohana. That was a once-and-done for us.

We liked the apps and the dessert, but the main course of meats were very poor quality in our opinion.

And we didn't like the atmosphere.

 

[allsaintsatx]

The OP is asking what you LOVE about Ohana not what you HATE. To gripe and complain about Ohana, please chime in on one of the other 200 anti-Ohana threads.

 

[allsaintsatx]

Ahem... we love Ohana for location, ambiance, food quality, setting, it's more than just a meal it's a whole experience. The Poly is a beautiful resort, a WDW opening day original, and Ohana has an old school Disney quality to it while still being modern. And it's served family style AYCTE, so if you run out of anything they'll bring you more! But you won't need more dessert - it's like a meal in itself!! I can't eat the bread pudding (allergies) but my family loves it so incredibly much. The whole meal for us usually takes around 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Enjoy!!

 

[twitterpated31]

Thanks amberpi. I am sad that Thumper doesn't do meet and greets. Twitterpated is one of my favorite Disney words.

And no worry allsaintsatx, I knew I would receive mixed reports. Looking for the positives but am not bothered by the negative reviews. Thank you for your review.

 

[DrunkJam]

We love o'hana

When we were there in 2010, we were having a really tough vacation. DS was newly diagnosed ASD, and we didn't know things we needed to do or know or be to cope better. Ohana was the first meal we got where ALL of us liked the food, EVEN my son, with NO substitutes. The atmosphere really made us feel like we were on holiday, and we all left happy!

We go back every trip

 

[Pumbaa_]

I wondered how this would go. My first reaction was to chime in my dislike, but I resisted

Well, sort of

If the menu appeals to you go. I hope you are in the camp that lives it and wonder what is wrong with the rest of us

To all others, try to resist. I know it's tough

 

[quandrea]

The OP is asking what you LOVE about Ohana not what you HATE. To gripe and complain about Ohana, please chime in on one of the other 200 anti-Ohana threads.

The thing is....the negative reviews give the op a heads up, a different perspective before spending an enormous amount of money on a meal.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I don't like to argue, but after a reply here, I just have to add that the steak is my favorite skewer meat.

In well over a dozen visits through years, I was never once served a tough or grisly piece. Once or twice, it was under or over cooked, but when I mentioned it to the server, I was promptly brought more cooked to my liking.

 

[elaine amj]

We love it. Just the whole atmosphere makes for such a happy meal. I find the food a bit inconsistent. Some trips the steak is the best part. This past trip it was just OK and the chicken was amazing instead. Some trips I have been in love with the salad and chicken wings, this past trip I was bananas about the noodles and the potstickers (and normally I only nibble at either dish).

I will say I was a bit disappointed with the vegetarian option. My DH asked for it and they basically brought out the same veggie stirfry we already had on the table with some seitan added (he doesn't like seitan).

Still, we enjoyed our dinner at Ohana thoroughly and it was worth the extra effort to get there.

 

[twitterpated31]

Under cooked steak...

Does that exist?

Yum!!!!

(Although some in my party won't agree)

 

[twitterpated31]

Thank you all. This is really helpful.

I'm thinking of going here the night before our cruise (our park days are all after the cruise).

Even if we aren't staying at the Poly can we sit by the water after we eat and watch the MK fireworks?

I'm assuming it's relatively simple to get between the Poly and Disney Springs?

 

[allsaintsatx]

Thank you all. This is really helpful.

I'm thinking of going here the night before our cruise (our park days are all after the cruise).

Even if we aren't staying at the Poly can we sit by the water after we eat and watch the MK fireworks?

I'm assuming it's relatively simple to get between the Poly and Disney Springs?

Yes you can! There's even some beach chairs and a swing on the beach for sitting, or you can sit on the beach . You can also see the fireworks from a bit further back. We've watched them a few times on the walkway between the pool and Capt Cooks. Are you taking the bus? We haven't gone from the Poly to DS (or vice versa) on the Disney bus, but we did from AKL to DS and there was a direct bus, so I assume there's also one for Poly. The bus ride was not as long as I've read about, and that was from AKL. Enjoy Ohana!!

 

[allsaintsatx]

I don't like to argue, but after a reply here, I just have to add that the steak is my favorite skewer meat.

In well over a dozen visits through years, I was never once served a tough or grisly piece. Once or twice, it was under or over cooked, but when I mentioned it to the server, I was promptly brought more cooked to my liking.

ohhhh that steak. So good. The chicken is a very close second.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I can't eat shrimp; I have a sensitivity to it. I refuse shrimp skewers and stick with steak and chicken. Love them both and the sauces too.

Lapu-Lapus are the bomb! You can't go wrong eating some place that serves a cocktail inside a real pineapple.

 

[Colleen27]

We loved it. I can understand some of the food quality comments - we did find the doneness of the meats a bit uneven, generally ranging from very good to mediocre/a bit dry, and no one really loves having to peel the shrimp. But the atmosphere is fabulous, the salad, pot stickers, and wings were incredible, and the bread pudding is to die for. I'm not a huge carnivore, so my kids could probably give a better review of the skewer meats, but even I found plenty to love about dinner there.

Oh, and while the lapu-lapu gets all the hype, the island sunset is an underrated bit of fabulous, fruity and light with quite a punch. We don't eat at Ohana every trip... but if we're not dining there, we try to find time to hit the Tambu Lounge for a drink and maybe a quick bread pudding fix.

 

[Farro]

The OP is asking what you LOVE about Ohana not what you HATE. To gripe and complain about Ohana, please chime in on one of the other 200 anti-Ohana threads.

People just can't help themselves! Oh you like something? Let me tell you why I hate it.

OP - I don't have an opinion yet as we are trying it for the first time this trip. I will let you know!