It’s a very special day because one of DFB’s favorite restaurants is back! That’s right, ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Resort has reopened!
‘Ohana at the Polynesian Resort
This restaurant has a very special spot in our hearts and we often review it very favorably! From the great atmosphere to the delicious bread pudding, this spot has it all! As if stopping by ‘Ohana for breakfast wasn’t enough, we also decided to grab some dinner! Come explore the newly reopened fan-favorite with us!
Atmosphere
Currently, there’s some construction going on at the Polynesian Resort as the resort continues its significant overhaul. We headed inside the Polynesian and made our way over to ‘Ohana!
Welcome to ‘Ohana!
For dinner reservations, you can use Mobile Dine Check-In on the MyDisneyExperience App, which allows you to check-in to you reservation from your phone!
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Once you’ve checked in using the app, you’ll get a text message confirming your check-in and another message when your table is ready.
We’re on our way!
You can head over to the restaurant entrance and you’ll be escorted to your table!
Time to check-in!
Inside, you’ll find lots of Polynesian theming and a relaxing atmosphere that will immediately transport you to Hawaii!
Tons of theming!
There’s one big dining room at ‘Ohana filled with lots of cool tiki statues, oars, and other Polynesian-themed decor! Be sure to take a look around the restaurant while you’re there — this is some of our favorite theming in Disney World.
One big dining room means this place is hustling and bustling!
In the center of the dining room is a small kitchen where you can see the chefs hard at work!
They’re grilling it up!
For this meal, our table was by the window with an excellent view of the Polynesian Resort! The table setting was your standard plate and a cloth napkin. The only seating option at this spot are chairs and tables, no booths!
Our wonderful seats for the evening
Not only is this spot beautiful on the inside, but you also have so many awesome views from ‘Ohana, including a great view of the Magic Kingdom, the fireworks, and the rest of the resort.
What a view!
We saw a Cast Member perform some songs on the Ukulele, however activities like the Coconut Races are not currently available.
We’re back at ‘Ohana for dinner! pic.twitter.com/0cOmR4OrCv
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) July 9, 2021
Now, it’s time to EAT!
Eats
We sat down, scanned the QR code menu, and checked out ‘Ohana’s family-style menu! The first thing that stands out is the flat fee! Right now, ‘Ohana is $55 per adult and $33 per child, with alcoholic and specialty drinks costing extra. The meal is all-you-care-to-enjoy, so you’ll probably want to come with an empty stomach! This spot serves Polynesian and East Asian-inspired cuisine that has become a big hit! Many of our favorite menu items are still here, but there have been a few changes which we will point out throughout this review.
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If you have specific dietary requests, ‘Ohana has a few different menus. For plant-based diets, there is a plant-based menu.
Plant-Based ‘Ohana Menu
There is also an allergy-friendly menu.
Allergy-Friendly ‘Ohana Menu
There are also plenty of great drink options including smoothies themed after Moana, Lilo, and Stitch! Check out our ‘Ohana breakfast review to see the Stitch smoothie!
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For those who want a cocktail without the alcohol, try a mocktail like the Sparkling No-Jito with Lime Juice, Pure Cane Sugar, and Mint topped with Soda Water or the Keiki Lemonade with Minute Maid Premium Lemonade, Pineapple, Passion Fruit, and Citrus!
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However, if you’re looking for something with more kick, you can try one of ‘Ohana’s numerous cocktails including the Polynesian Mai Tai with Plantation Original Dark Rum, Bacardí Superior Rum, Bols Orange Curaçao, Lime Juice, Orgeat (Almond), and Pure Cane Sugar and the Lapu Lapu with Plantation Original Dark Rum and Tropical Fruit Juices served in a fresh Pineapple and topped with Gosling’s 151 Rum.
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There are a LOT of cocktails to choose from — you really can’t go wrong here!
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If cocktails aren’t your style, perhaps some beer? There are quite a few beers on this menu, including an assortment of Kona Brewing Co. and Maui Brewing Co. Hawaiian beers!
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There’s also wine…
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…and more wine.
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Now that you know what ‘Ohana has to offer, let’s get into the food! To start off, we got two drinks: a classic Iced Tea…
Iced Tea!
…and a Hawaiian Mule, which costs $13! This drink features Pau Maui Handmade Vodka, Lychee-Citrus Reduction, and Fever-Tree Ginger Beer. This drink is the perfect balance between a refreshing tropical drink and a more bitter cocktail! If you want that refreshing, fruity flavor without overwhelming sweetness, this is the one for you. The ginger and lime really come through on this drink, so beware! If you’re normally a fan of mules, you’ll love this one.
The Hawaiian Mule! LOVE the cup!
For our bread service, we got Ohana Coconut-Papaya Scones and Cheddar-Bacon Biscuits with Honey Butter! These are no Homecomin’ biscuits, but they’re pretty delicious! The Coconut-Papaya Scones were sweet and moist (more like a biscuit than a scone) and the coconut flavor was really strong! If you love coconut, you’ll love this one. This option replaced ‘Ohana’s signature Pineapple Bread.
So crisp and yet so fluffy!
The Cheddar-Bacon Biscuits were great with the honey butter, a great sweet-salty combo. We wish the jalapeño flavor was stronger, but the cheddar and bacon flavors were full, smokey, and a great savory variation on the typical dinner roll!
Butter makes it better!
Next, we tried the Mixed Greens Salad! The sweet almond brittle on top, the acidic vinaigrette, and the fresh veggies made this an exciting bite. There was a hint of sweetness from the vinaigrette that went perfectly with the brittle and the sweetness of the carrots and baby tomatoes. The red onions added a strong flavor that really cut through everything else and made the salad even fresher. The flavor balance was great and this was a very refreshing salad overall! Although we miss ‘Ohana’s old salad, we’re pretty happy with this one.
This isn’t your ordinary salad!
Now, let’s talk about the Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings. OMG! These were absolutely delicious! The skin was crisp, the wings had just the right amount of sauce, the meat was moist — these were just the perfect wings. The honey-coriander glaze wasn’t overly sweet and had a nice spice to them without being too spicy. These wings were a winner as usual!
These were seriously delicious!
Yet another winner from this trip were the Pork Dumplings Tossed In Garlic-Chili Sauce! Just like the wings, these dumplings were crisp on the outside and nice and tender on the inside. The flavor wasn’t too intense, just the right amount of heat. Our only complaint here is that we wanted more sauce, but this was a winner in our books.
Yum!!!
We’ve made it to the main event, the ‘Ohana Skillet with Woodfire-grilled Teriyaki Beef, Island Shrimp Casserole with Herbed Breadcrumbs, Roasted Eight-way Chicken with Polynesian-inspired Chimichurri Sauce, Kielbasa Sausage, ‘Ohana Noodles, and Roasted Broccolini! First on the list are the iconic ‘Ohana Noodles! These are pure perfection!
Some of the best noodles in Disney!
Savory with just a little bit of sweetness, these noodles have an amazing balance of flavor and the cabbage added a nice little crunch! If you love noodles, especially chow mein, you’ll love these. Even though we had a little scare when we didn’t see them on menu originally, we’re glad these iconic noods are here.
They look even better up close!
The Broccolini, Roasted Eight-Way Chicken, and Kielbasa Sausage on the other hand were just…okay. The broccolini was typical, cooked well with a little bit of salt and pepper, but nothing particularly special. The roasted chicken was moist and had a nice mild flavor that hardly compares to wings we had right before! The new kielbasa was mild in terms of spice and well cooked, but we wish it had a bit more kick to it. However, it was still some good sausage.
These three get the job done, but they’re nothing to sneeze at! The chicken certainly made us miss the good ‘ol days when your server would bring around the meat on skewers. If that’s what you’re expecting or what you liked most about ‘Ohana, you might be a little disappointed.
The ‘Ohana Noodles with the Chicken, Kielbasa, and Broccolini!
Next up was the Island Shrimp Casserole. This one was a surprise for us, it was much better than we expected! It was like mac and cheese but, instead of pasta, it had shrimp!
A shrimp…casserole???
The crunchy breadcrumbs, creamy cheese, and big pieces of shrimp made this one a fun bite with lots of different textures! This was sooo good! However, we would’ve loved some grilled shrimp in here instead.
It’s even better than we thought it would be!
After the shrimp, we tried out the Woodfire-grilled Teriyaki Beef! This one was great as always! It used to be served on a skewer, but it actually thrives in the new skillet format! The teriyaki sauce was sweet and balanced the smokey flavor of the beef. This is the quintessential teriyaki beef, so if you typically love those flavors, or love barbecue, you’ll enjoy this one!
Teriyaki beef is always good!
Last (but by no means at all least) is the glorious return of ‘Ohana Bread Pudding with Homemade Caramel Sauce!!! If you’re a fan of DFB, you already know how we feel about this one! This is, in our book, the perfect Disney dessert! The pineapple bread pudding is the perfect amount of fruity and the vanilla ice cream is rich and delicious!
The moment we’ve all been waiting for… BREAD PUDDING!!!
And did we mention that caramel sauce??? It takes a perfect dish from delicious to divine! Although there aren’t any bananas in this new sauce, the ‘Ohana bread pudding remains the ultimate dessert.
The sauce really brings it all together. Perfection.
But that’s not all — since we were dining with a little one, we got to try some of the items made just for kiddos! Here, children can choose between mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs for their meal, but your choice is all-you-care-to-eat.
You could get a lot of food!
We started by trying the chicken tenders, which were just like what you’d find in the Disney parks. They weren’t anything particularly special, but we still thought they were pretty tasty. Especially if that’s what you’re craving!
Not bad at all!
We also sampled the mac and cheese which was, in a word, WOW. It was SO creamy and very cheesy — everything we’re looking for in one of our favorite kinds of pasta. We’d totally order that one again!
Yeah, this was amazing.
And for dessert, your kiddo gets a fun Rice Krispy treat with chocolate drizzle, edible glitter, and Mickey sprinkles. It tasted freshly made and it had all those sweet flavors that kids love. Plus, who doesn’t want Mickey sprinkles?!
Isn’t it cute?!
And we can’t forget about the beverage — we ordered the Moana smoothie to go with this meal (which costs $6.49 extra), and it was a fresh, tropical delight! The biggest flavor we got was the guava, but we could taste the mango and the watermelon a little bit in the background. We couldn’t really find any of the ginger flavor.
Very fruity and oh-so-delicious.
And just like that, the meal was over!
Nosh or Not
Stop by ‘Ohana for Dinner if you…
- Love to try lots of different things in one meal. Rather than ordering one entree and eating one thing like at other table service restaurants, you’ll get to try all sorts of eats at ‘Ohana!
- Are looking for great “All-You-Care-To-Eat” dining. If you really enjoy this dining style, ‘Ohana is a great all-you-care-to-eat spot!
- Want a long relaxing meal! This is not an “in-and-out” type of meal, it’s a bit more drawn out!
You might want to skip ‘Ohana for dinner if you…
- Don’t think you’ll get your money’s worth! You do have to eat quite a bit to make this a steal, so if you’re more of a snacker, this might not be the meal for you.
- Are on a budget! The price point of this spot is a bit steeper than many other spots in the area, and you might want to visit a quick service restaurant instead. If you’re staying at the Polynesian, you can check out places like Kona Cafe, and Captain Cook’s which are more budget friendly.
- Are a die-hard fan of the classic ‘Ohana experience. This meal is certainly different than we are used to, especially with the disappearance of the meat skewers. For the time being, these are not available, so if that is a major reason you visit ‘Ohana, you might want to skip.
Overall
Although we miss some of the old parts of ‘Ohana (looking at you, broom races!), we are very very happy to have ‘Ohana back! The atmosphere feels like home, even though there have been some changes to the overall experience. If you’re a fan of classic ‘Ohana, we are warning you that is IS different! However, we would still recommend giving this new experience a shot — the food was still great, the atmosphere and views can’t be beat, and it’s still one of Disney World’s most beloved restaurants. The service was attentive, helpful, and super nice! While the meal is pricey, you do get a LOT of food for what you pay. As with other all-you-care-to-eat meals, it’s only worth it if you are able to eat a lot of the meal. The price is pretty similar to other restaurants like it including Chef Mickey’s and Crystal Palace. Although we miss the skewers, we were very pleasantly surprised by the Teriyaki Beef. Also, even though the bananas are now missing from the Caramel Sauce for the Bread Pudding, we thoroughly enjoyed the dessert. So even though ‘Ohana is a bit different nowadays, we still highly recommend making a stop here if it makes sense for you and your party!
Click here to read our ‘Ohana Breakfast Review!
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It’s all you care to enjoy, but honestly, is that for any/everything? Say I had a picky eater that was all about the chicken wings, rolls, and bracollini, but not the rest? Same with dessert? Will they allow us to refill on the not-main dishes?
Wow…very disappointed to say the very least. No protein on the skewer any more? I will definitely not be going there any more. That was the big deal at O’hana, filet/steak, chicken, pork, shrimp on the skewer way the big draw, now it appears it is a skilled of poor substitutes. If this is true, they have lost a loyal diner that has frequently visited O’hana for the past 35 years. Best meal on property used to be O’hana, but of this is correct, not any more. Too bad, it was a great place to eat, but now I will not be dining there. Bad show Disney…
I am so happy to see the plant-based menu I am adding Ohana back to my dinner list!
Can you still order some of these items at the Tambu Lounge (like the noodles and bread pudding)?
Shelley, one of our reporters checked on this and was told you can order ‘Ohana favorites to be eaten at the Lounge, but you can’t get them packed to go.
My comment’s been awaiting moderation for four days and I was still hoping for an answer on it. ^_^;;
DJ Moves, yes, you can pick and choose which items you’d like more of.
I’ve never commented on an article or review before but I feel compelled to do so based on the dinner I just experienced there tonight. After having read your review I still wanted to try the new menu but with lowered expectations. Let me start by definitively stating that this is NOT worth the money. There is no justification to spend this amount of money on this menu. I absolutely DO NOT recommend the new ‘Ohana. The food is an insult to the pre-pandemic offering. If they could not safely serve grilled meet like before and the offerings are so inferior, they should have kept this restaurant shuttered. Although the ‘Ohana breakfast is decent, what they are serving for dinner is an abomination and I took personal offense on behalf of everyone who misses the restaurant. The only positive thing I can say about the dinner menu is that there are 2 items on the menu that are petty close to their former counterparts pre-covid: the potstickers and the coriander sesame chicken wings. The potstickers are not as crispy as they once were and do not come with dipping sauce but are still flavorful and the chicken wings in my opinion were crispy and tasty. Beyond these 2 items, the rest of the menu feels like it was created by a chef who had no idea what ‘Ohana was or what Polynesian cuisine tastes like. Your review is incredibly misleading and readers deserve an unfiltered version of the dining experience before they pay for this travesty. On a side note, the portion of food we were given was out of control for two people. I’d have felt extremely guilty about the amount of food sent back that we just couldn’t eat but luckily it was mostly inedible so it didn’t really go to waste.
Now for some truth regarding this food:
1) the salad was bland, dressing was sour and lumpy but didn’t have a distinct flavor, and the scones were dry and gritty. All the honey butter in the world couldn’t help and the coconut was not “strong”.
2) the ‘Ohana noodles have been changed from lo mein (Chinese noodles) to what I believe is spaghetti. Our serving lacked red cabbage & tasted mostly of garlic. This was a huge let down because the noodles were a staple item we were hoping had come back after all the client feedback and requests.
3) Eight ways chicken- huh? I don’t know what was eight ways about it. It was like the wrong chicken for the chimi and the wrong chimi for the chicken: conflicting spices and flavor profiles. Verdict- all ways lead to wrong.
4) the rest of the skillet was as you said, not impressive.
5) giant skillet of island shrimp casserole. This was horrifyingly bad, like one of the worst things I’ve ever had served to me at a Disney restaurant. It was not like mac and cheese as you related. It was a little like pot pie with shrimp and covered with cheesy breadcrumbs. And again the portion brought to our table was cray-cray and it was disgusting.
6) teriyaki grilled beef- Inedible. Mine was raw and I believe from frozen hence the issue with cooking the meet all the way through. The chunks were huge, why?!! And like the honey butter earlier, no amount of teriyaki sauce can hide the lack of flavor and bleed. This was the last entree brought to the table, again in excessive portion. Weird, considering all the food already brought, presumably eaten, etc…
7) Finally, the dessert. I’m so frustrated with your description of the bread pudding. This is not the same bread pudding as before and was inferior in many ways including having caramel sauce overpowering everything, what appeared to be pineapple topping dumped on the top of the bread pudding, and there was something not quite right about the bread pudding itself. Previously the bread pudding was made from bread chunks that had been baked and then rebaked after being soaked first. That’s how it got those crispy caramelized corners. This was like a premade bread pudding lacking texture and flavor depth.
I have rarely been so dissatisfied and disappointed with Disney. It’s mind boggling to me given there seems to be no reason for this disaster and offense, no need to rush to replace the old menu, and several options that would have worked even with pandemic-style health precautions!
In closing, I want to address your review and ask how is it possible you could give such positive marks for something Disney should so obviously be ashamed of. How could you be complicit in this culinary malpractice and sleep at night knowing your review might encourage someone to spend $120+ of their hard-earned money on this? I don’t read DFB regularly but would think twice about trusting your opinion after experiencing the disparity myself.
We have dined at Ohana consistently and recommended it to everyone for well over 10 years. Our visit on July 16, 21 was a tremendous disappointment! We were a party of 3 adults and although it was family style and we could request refills on food, the portions brought out were so small and in these tiny baby sized bowls and we felt like we were getting samples. The bread selection was okay but in paled in comparison to the warm pineapple bread. The salad was again underwhelming , edible but nowhere as delicious and the butter lettuce salad and sweet tangy dressing we loved. The dumplings were good but not the same experience as they were served with no dipping sauce selection . The once delicious noodle skillet and broccoli side was replaced with flavorless noodles, and an addition of undressed rice noodles, and two stalks of the most undercooked and inedible broccolini ever! We do not waste food and I know we could ask for more but seriously , there were barely 2 forkfuls for each of us. A very disappointing dish again. The wings were delicious!!! The 8 way chicken??? This came out as a more generous offering of two , large and what appeared to be thighs with a colorless thick rubbery skin covered with what looked like a thick green pesto . I could not visually get past the thick layer of yellowish fat, neither could anyone else in my party. The sausage was a very small piece and my husband ate it said it was nothing to write home about, we didn’t ask to try it. The shrimp casserole was like a crustless chicken pot pie covered in cheese and breadcrumbs. While edible this was no comparison for the delicious large grilled skewered shrimp we previously enjoyed there. The steak came out in a tiny skillet , 5 cubes about 1 to 1.5 inches in size . These bite sized pieces had grizzle in them and were both a strange consistency and color inside. Shiny meat and looked like the color of raw tuna on the inside, almost uncooked in the center, again the initial servings was minute but I am glad so it was less food that had to go to waste. The dessert, bread pudding was very dense , and personally always been too sweet for me. This was severely over priced at $55 per adult for the quality, actual food choices , and presentation. Huge disappointment Disney! Staff was pleasant, nice to see some long term employees back to work, but we will not be back.
Nathan, thank you for sharing your experience.
@DFB did you provide your feedback to the restaurant? Reviews have been almost universally poor since Ohana reopened. This review is probably the most positive, but even you guys pointed out the issues (shrimp is a big one, lower quality meat choices, lack of dipping sauces). It’s clear the quality took a severe hit.
Management seemed to be seeking feedback early on and I’d imagine yours would be impactful…
Do not listen to this review, the food is horrible and nothing like the past. I am sad to see such a raving review from a food blog with such flavorless food. I’m disappointed.. like others said save your money and make your opinion known that you do not like the changes. I have gone to many restaurant during covid who have served at the table safely
We as a family are avid followers of your food blog. So much so, that my kids make lists of the foods you say are a must try and we search them out to experience them for ourselves. Your review of O’hana is way too complimentary. This is by far our favorite Disney restaurant and when we heard it was reopening in time for our trip we all burst with excitement and secured a coveted reservation for dinner.
This was the biggest disappointment we’ve ever experienced with Disney dining. We completely agree with all the negative reviews. This menu is not even close to the same caliber that O’hana’s reputation has been built on. We were always willing to pay the higher price because the food was beyond excellent EVERY TIME!
Kielbasa and Shrimp Au Gratin are NOT Polynesian!!! The Au Gratin shrimp could be compared to a bad boxed side dish you could buy at a supermarket- dehydrated potatoes and powdered cheese sauce resonate here. Not one food offering stood out as O’hana worthy.
The only consistent standard of O’hana was the amazing and friendly staff as well as the wonderful live music. Sadly, those combined, made us miss this magical Disney dining experience even more. We will not be dining at O’hana any more until there is a serious change back to the original menu.
I live in the Orlando area and I was on as soon as the dates opened up. I can never get a reservation. I can’t get in each day I try and still no luck. Got any ideas I ve tried them all so far. Called, used Disney experience app no luck. If Walt came back from the grave he couldn’t get in,.
We were extremely disappointed in the food and will not return unless they go back to what it was before. I will say the chicken wings were good, the dumplings were good as well but we miss the peanut sauce to dip them in. Also, the wings and dumplings were the only things we asked for more of and at $55 per person I am pretty sure there was no way we could eat enough wings and dumplings to make it worth it. The noodles were just ok. They were not as good to us as before but again, could be because we liked to put the peanut sauce on them. The bread was dry, the salad wasn’t bursting with flavor like it did before when they had the honey lime vinaigrette dressing, the chicken wasn’t worth getting again nor was the sausage. The steak was very chewy but we did like the teriyaki flavor. The shrimp casserole was just plain nasty to me. My husband doesn’t eat shrimp so he stayed away from it and after trying it I also stayed away from it. I just don’t understand why the menu would change when it has been a nearly sold out/hard to get reservation for all these years. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it! Add to it if you want to make changes, don’t take away all of the favorites that keep people coming back for more.
I have not dined at O’hana in the past so I have nothing to compare it to. The food is underwhelming and not worth the 400+ dollars that we spent for 4 adults and 2 children! The service was less than pleasant as the waiter slammed food and drink onto the table and kept calling us “cousins.” The appetizer and bread portion of the meal was ok. Friends had raved about the delicious bread but I felt it was mediocre. The meat was served in large chunks and too tough to cut let alone eat. Chicken was decent tasting but full of fat. The shrimp were fair tasting but for 400+ dollars, peel and eat shrimp …..seriously! I heard the meat and shrimp used to be served on a skewer, which would seem more appropriate for Polynesian food. All the other Disney restaurants have been fantastic and much more enjoyable. Wish I would have read the reviews before choosing. Never again!!