Ohana Restaurant Review Walt Disney World

Before each visit to Walt Disney World, we always make a list to include all the restaurants we want to try whilst we are there. Ohana restaurant was high on the list and probably one of the best places to dine at Disney World for many guests.

Situated in the Polynesian Village Resort, one of the resorts on the monorail loop around Magic Kingdom and Bay Lake. We decided to hop on the monorail to arrive at the Polynesian.

You could also take advantage of a Lyft or Uber to the Polynesian resort if you’re not using the Disney World transport system.

Arriving at Disney World Ohana Restaurant

We ate at Ohana restaurant quite late in the holiday and had settled into a nice pattern of arriving for dinner a little early if we had been resting during the afternoon. This was so we could enjoy a drink in the bar, or have a wander around if we were visiting a resort.

There was quite a queue at the Polynesian resort when we arrived to check in for Ohana and the seating to wait for the restaurant on the second floor of the Polynesian was crowded so we opted to enjoy the seating on the ground floor. The weather had taken a turn and a storm was arriving, so we took the opportunity to relax for a while.

The restaurant was running behind schedule during our first experience of Ohana. we didn’t know if there was a shortage of staff or what was happening, but when we were called for our table, we weren’t offered a bar menu and the drinks took ages to arrive.

Our second visit to Ohana was a much better experience. The restaurant was still busy and was running slightly behind. Reservations for Ohana are definitely very popular as we heard plenty of people taking their chances with early check in’s and also people without a reservation trying to get a table. Our drinks and food were delivered quickly this time around.

Ohana is one of the best Disney World restaurants for views as well as food. We had an amazing view of the castle in the distance so I can see the appeal of the restaurant, especially later in the evening to catch the fireworks.

Does Ohana Have Characters At Dinner?

Whilst there are no characters at Ohana during dinner service, if you book breakfast then you can expect to dine with Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto. (Although there are currently no characters in Disney World restaurants, the hope is that they will return in the future).

Food At Ohana Restaurant

The food at Ohana restaurant is served family style with all you care to enjoy. This means that the food will be served on big platters and you can help yourself.

Ohana dinner menu begins with a mixed green salad with a Lilikoi dressing is quickly delivered to the table, along with pineapple- coconut corn bread. I enjoyed this more than traditional corn bread, but I am always aware that I don’t want to get too full at the start of the meal. The salad was delicious and very tasty.

Quite quickly the next course is delivered which consisted of honey coriander chicken wings, pork dumplings tossed in a garlic ginger sauce, noodles and a vegetable stir fry. A pot of sweet and sour sauce and satay sauce is also placed on the table.

I found that the pots of sauces were very nice but they were so small to share between the three of us. I would have liked to see bigger portions of the sauces on the tables.

The food was hot and fresh and all of it was delicious. I particularly liked the vegetables on the platter, despite them being quite sparse in quantity, they were very welcome and tasty.

Different servers were appearing with skewers of shrimp, chicken and Szechuan sirloin steak. All of which were cooked on the open grill which you can see as you are seated, and all of which were so tasty.

Ohana restaurant is all you care to enjoy and the dishes are replenished as often as you like. I think they have their portion sizes worked out quite well as we didn’t want too much replaced. The meat continues to arrive until you say no thank you.

We couldn’t fault the service on the food side of the restaurant, we just happened to catch a glitch I think during the drinks service.

We did notice the table next to us kept having bowls of plain noodles delivered. I’m not sure why but I’m guessing that one of the guests was enjoying the noodles.

We were really too stuffed for dessert however we all gave it a go. Ohana bread pudding topped with vanilla ice cream and toffee caramel sauce! Not a dessert for me but the ice cream was delicious. You can also request just a bowl of ice cream which Hubby welcomed and did his best to polish off.

We didn’t feel rushed at all during our dinner at Ohana, but I think we were full within the hour. The bill was around $180 for three adults, but as we were on the Disney dining plan we used one table service credit per person. This meant we just had to cover the gratuities.

We will definitely return in the future as Ohana is one of our favourite Disney World restaurants.

Breakfast At Ohana Restaurant

Ohana is open for an American style breakfast. You can enjoy scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, Stitch and Mickey waffles, ham with pineapple, a variety of fresh fruits and ʻOhana pineapple bread. All this is served family style.

Can You Watch The Fireworks From Ohana Restaurant?

If you’re looking for the best place to watch Magic Kingdom fireworks outside the park, I would recommend the beach at the Polynesian Resort, or inside Ohana itself.

As I mentioned we could see Cinderella’s castle in the distance from Ohana. Although our timing was off for watching the fireworks, this would be a possibility.

I would suggest booking a table for around an hour before the fireworks are due on that evening. Try to check in in slightly early to request a window view. This may mean a wait before your table is ready, but it’s always worth the ask.

You could also watch the Happily Ever After Fireworks from a boat on Bay Lake as well. We did this on a different evening.

Additional Disney Word Restaurant Reviews include –

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3 thoughts on “Ohana Restaurant Review Walt Disney World”

Tracey Williams

08/09/2017 at

Dining at Ohana was always our last night tradition. We would time it so we could finish our meal and head down to the beach area at the hotel and watch the fireworks. I remember how gorgeous those skewers of meat and fish were. Your meal looks delicious and you can’t beat the dining plan can you x
- spicers1976
  
  09/09/2017 at
  
  it was so tasty, really happy that we got to experience it.
Jill S

03/07/2019 at

Hi! I’ve been reading a lot of your posts and they are super helpful! i like that you try to understand from the perspective of the employees when something doesn’t go quite right, instead of just complaining. It helps me understand the experience, plus your details help me plan. Thank you very much! : )