It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer plethora of Disney Dining options out there – from snack carts to counter service to buffets, character meals, fine dining, family style….it’s hard to pick where to eat! I always try and mix it up and test out some new places on each WDW trip – and we have yet to be disappointed with any of our choices! One dinner that we were particularly impressed with on our last trip was ‘Ohana – we loved it so much that we are seriously confused as to why we didn’t check it out sooner!
For those of you who have never heard of ‘Ohana, it’s a restaurant located in Disney’s beautiful Polynesian Resort (which is easily accessible via the monorail from the Magic Kingdom), and they serve up a delicious family style breakfast and dinner daily (family style means they bring you platters of food and you can have as many refills as you want!). Breakfast items served include Mickey waffles, bacon/sausage, eggs, and more – and the meal features Lilo and Stitch and friends (which normally include a Mouse or two!), and dinner is served without characters, but with plenty of grilled meat that the servers bring around on giant skewers to your table…yum!
We started out with warm coconut pineapple bread, salad with passion fruit dressing, and delicious chicken wings and dumplings with dipping sauces – all of which were fresh and delicious
Within moments the main course arrived – noodles with vegetables, and then various skewers of meat were brought over too – there was shrimp, chicken, pork, and steak – all of which were well grilled, and I have to say my personal favorite was the steak – it was perfectly tender and not too rare, and it paired really well with the noodles.
We were really full at this point – but not too full for dessert of course – warm coconut pineapple bread pudding topped with ice cream and bananas and a delicious caramel sauce…let’s just say we scraped the plate clean on this one!
Aside from the amazing food, the restaurant itself was great too – dark woods and dim lights made for a nice nighttime setting, and the ukulele music and view of the huge grill make for the perfect dinner entertainment. They also have a bar menu featuring some signature tropical drinks, including the Lapu Lapu that’s served in a hollowed out pineapple! (Check out the recipe for this delicious drink here)
“‘Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind, or forgotten” – it’s a line from the Disney movie Lilo And Stitch, and I think it encompasses the atmosphere and essence of the restaurant perfectly – you definitely feel at home, and the cast members provide great service – oh and you won’t leave hungry, that’s for sure! I am so glad I finally got to try ‘Ohana, and it is now firmly on my “must do” list of Disney Restaurants – but I would love to know what you think – have you dined here? Are you a fan of their character breakfast, or their dinner?
Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.
Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.
Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel
For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!
“Ohana is our favorite…both friends and family love it. I’ve had good and bad experiences, but the good far outweigh the bad. It’s a fun atmosphere and probably the best value on property. My father is always concerned about Lipoa, the musician lady who sings each night. He worries that she doesn’t ever get a day off! Haha! She’s amazing and so wonderful with the kids. We’re going for my birthday next month.
You could be right but for around $100 for two people I think we will pass. Glad you have had good experiences. If you haven’t tried Boma, you may want to try it. We LOVE it. It’s great, especially the zebra dome desserts. This doesn’t deal with dining, but last week we took the Steam Train tour at Magic Kingdom and the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage from the Contemporary. Both were great (we are in our 60s and had a great time — we are now officially Pirates!).
It sounds like you got a “not so good waitress” and maybe got caught on a round of skewers that were over cooked. We go to ‘Ohana’s every time we go to Disney – LOVE it. But I will say we have had some “not so good waiters” and sometimes the rounds on the skewers can be more cooked than other times. Fortunately this did not happen to us on our first trip like it did to you so we were able to experience ‘Ohana several times prior at its best. It rarely does happen so I would really encourage you to give it another try. It really is a great place. The high expectations you had were probably right on.
I’m still wanting to try this place. I’ve had too many friends and Fellow Disney-philes tell me it is a wonderful place to experience. Hopefully, one day soon….
We went to ‘Ohana in October 2013 when we were finally able to get reservations. We had high expectations but unfortunately it turned out to be the worst dining experience we have had in the 30+ years we have been visiting WDW. The waitress (who had been there for several years) was unenthused. She brought the potstickers and they looked like they had been sitting around for quite a while (how could she not see that) and were cool. We finally got her attention and she brought us some fresh ones. The sides were OK but the meats we were served were mostly charred (aka burned) and did not appeal to us at all. The shrimp was OK. This is an “all you can eat” establishment, but having tried everything once, there was no way we wanted seconds. To each their own. If you want a really great buffet, try Boma
I went to ‘Ohana with my family on our last trip in 2012 for dinner. It was absolutely amazing!!! My brother and I are picky eaters, but we seriously loved everything they brought out! My personal favorites were the steak and the pork dumplings! We will definitely be going back on our next trip if at all possible!