Location: Second floor lobby in the main lobby of the Polynesian Village
Parking/Transportation Situation: General Resort Parking or Valet Parking available. Bus service from all parks. Boat and monorail service from Magic Kingdom, Grand Floridian, Contemporary and Transportation and Ticket Center. (If using Disney busses, allow 1-1.5 hours transportation time. For monorail or boat, allow about 30-45 minutes.)
Meals Served: B, D
Characters/Entertainment: Characters at breakfast only. At dinner there is a strolling ukulele player/singer, hula lessons and coconut races for the kids. Also, if you can plan to dine during the Magic Kingdom's fireworks show, you will have a great view from most spots in the restaurant, and the accompanying music is piped right in.
Type of Cuisine: Hawaiian grilled meats and sides
Type of Menu: Family-style, all-you-care-to-eat
Atmosphere: Tropical, tiki-filled dining room
Dress Code: Theme park casual
Dress Code: Theme park casual
Guests Who Would Enjoy This The Most: Kids, Families, Couples
Level of Difficulty of Getting a Reservation: Hard
Fun Stuff for Kids: For about 15-20 minutes, every hour, the strolling ukulele player comes around the restaurant. He or she encourages the kids to get up and learn the hula with them, and occasionally they even offer a coconut race, where the kids are given a coconut and a broom and they race around the restaurant, pushing the coconut like tiny, tropical hockey players. "Kids" of all ages will be smitten by the fireworks view and glimpses of the Electrical Water Pageant floating by, if you time your visit right.
Rating of Appeal to Kid-Diners: What rides?????
Rating of Appeal to Kid-Diners: What rides?????
Stand out dishes: Pineapple-Coconut Bread Pudding with Banana Caramel, Honey Coriander Chicken Wings, Grilled Steak, Chicken and Shrimp
Best Use of Dining Plan Point: Only one option here, but all-you-care-to-eat options are always a great use of your Dining Plan Point.
Best Use of Dining Plan Point: Only one option here, but all-you-care-to-eat options are always a great use of your Dining Plan Point.
Experience: So, remember how I had said that there was no arm-twisting involved in getting the fam to go to Whispering Canyon? Well there WAS arm-twisting with 'Ohana, but only in the form of my hubby twisting MY arm to get this one in ASAP. 'Ohana has been my husband's hands-down favorite restaurant on Disney property for years now. So much so that I think we have eaten there on every single trip we did together as guests before we moved here. So much so that I learned how to make his beloved Honey Coriander Chicken Wings so that when we lived up North, he'd still get to enjoy them. (It's actually pretty easy to do and I will gladly share the recipe if anyone wants it.) So, 'Ohana was a no-brainer. Especially when a 5:10pm reservation happened to show up one Friday afternoon. You should know that booking 'Ohana is a challenge. My husband is far from being the only Guest to love this place, and so it is a highly coveted, and very challenging reservation to nab. Book as far out as you can, (180 days out is the furthest you can go), or be flexible and steadfast in looking for a cancellation. If you're looking for a truly special experience here, research what time "Wishes" is at The Magic Kingdom on the night of your visit, and try to get a reservation that would place you in the restaurant for the show. (NOTE: Not all tables have fireworks views. If this is important to you, check in early and let the host know you are willing to wait a little extra for a fireworks view table.)
We valet parked at the Polynesian Village around 4:45pm and made our way through the newly-refreshed lobby, and upstairs to check in at the podium, for our 5:10pm reservation. We were given a pager and asked to stay on the second level of the lobby. There is a large seating area, as well as a the tropical Tamu Tamu bar available, so if you want to sip from a pineapple, or just take a load off while you wait, you can. We waited about half an hour to be paged, which is not unusual for 'Ohana. They tend to seat in rounds, so you'll notice the seating area getting quite full, and then several parties' pagers going off, all at one time.
We were given the little mini-tour of the fire-grilling area as we walked to our table. Normally, the server would stop at the bread station and grab you a loaf of 'Ohana's Pineapple-Coconut Friendship-Love-BFF's Forever Bread. (Ok, ok, it's really only called Pineapple-Coconut Bread. The previously used name is what we affectionately refer to it as.) Due to K's egg allergy, Disney is very strict about not placing any food on the table until a chef has visited and filled you in on what the person with the allergy can and cannot have. Our server would bring our bread once the chef had been over. We lucked out and got a great castle-view table, but since it was only about 5:30pm, we knew we would not be around for the 10pm fireworks.
Our head server was one of the better we have had at 'Ohana. Very accommodating, friendly to the kids, and on top of things. She took care of our drink orders and would help clear plates. Each table also has an assistant server, who handles food delivery. Within ten minutes, the chef came over to visit. We have been to 'Ohana so many times at this point, though, that we did not require a review of the items that K could and could not eat. We were able to simply request an egg-free dessert and avoid the bread. Everything else on the menu is already egg-free.
Now that we were cleared by the chef, the server brought out our Pineapple-Coconut Friendship-Love-Happiness and Sunshine Dust Bread,
and our assistant server brought a large bowl of salad. This one looked like a new version since the last time we dined here. There were mixed greens, edamame, radicchio and, I believe, Jicama, all in a Lilikoi dressing. It was tasty, but had some bitterness to it because of the veggies, so after a couple of bites, I put it aside. Next, we were given warm hand towels, (which I always think is a nice touch), with our skillet of Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings, (the hubby's favorite), and Pork Dumplings, (my favorite). We also got our Teriyaki Noodles, (K's favorite), and Stir Fried Veggies, (really no one's favorite). Like usual, this was the time that my normally VERY loud family, became silent. No, we weren't bowing our heads in prayer. We were busy shoving food in to our yappers. D and Daddy both loves them some wings, so they were elbow deep in sticky sauce within minutes. I pretty much go to 'Ohana for the dumplings alone, so I can do some damage. The only thing I did not care for was that they have started serving the dumplings covered in a sticky-sweet sauce. Since I liked them plain much better, I asked the assistant server for a bowl of plain dumplings and promptly got some sans-sauce.
Now, kids here do have the option of ordering a kid's meal, with choices like chicken nuggets or mac and cheese, however, our kiddos like the food here so much that there's no need to order them something different. In fact, at this point in the meal, K was dangling the long, curly noodles from his mouth and grinning ear-to-ear.
Almost right after receiving our appetizers, the servers started coming around with the skewered meats. We weren't quite ready for that, since we didn't even have room on our plates for meat, so we politely declined and asked them to return later, which was no problem. D was showing food in her mouth, partially because she was actually hungry, and partially because she wanted to be "ready" when it was time for hula dancing and coconut races. It's always tough for us when we happen to be sat right as the musician is starting up, because then she won't eat because she wants to go dance. This time worked well for us because the singer didn't appear until more than halfway through the meal, so we had plenty of time to fill her belly first.
When my husband deemed the pile of chicken bones to be high enough, we signaled the "meat guy", (according to D), to come over with the delicious steak, chicken and shrimp skewers. Now, those of you that have eaten at 'Ohana in the past may be realizing that meat choices are fewer now. I remember when they used to have grilled turkey breast, pork loin, sausages, and other options in various years passed. The variety has been limited, however, I do have to say... it's not a bad thing. It seems to me that limiting the selection has allowed them to perfect the three options that they do still have. The chicken was juicy and covered in a delicious sweet and sour glaze. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium, and had fantastic flavor. The shrimp, (though I didn't eat them), were D's favorite and she accumulated a pile of tail shells on her plate as she devoured them. Bravo, 'Ohana!
Just after the meats were served, the male singer came out and serenaded the restaurant. He then called for all the kids to go up and learn the hula and the Huki Lau song, so D ran off to have some fun. K was engaged in a battle with a tricky pile of tangled "noo-doos", so he didn't mind being left behind. The performers here are fun, talented and very sweet with the kids. K is a particular fan of the female singer who has been there for years and years. She always stops by out table and sings right to him, which makes him cover his face and giggle.
By the time D came back to the table, it had gotten dark enough out that we were able to see the Electric Water Pageant floating by the windows and that kept the kids entertained as the table was cleared and dessert was brought out. People LOVE 'Ohana's dessert, a warm bread pudding made from the Pineapple-Coconut Best Friends In Love For Life YOLO bread, and served with a banana-caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Personally, I think it's very good, but it doesn't "send me". Give me a chocolate lava cake and I'm thrilled. Cinnamony bread pudding? Eh. The hubs loves it, though, and always manages to squeeze some in, no matter how full he is. D was psyched because they brought her the "kid's dessert", which was a dense chocolate cupcake, with a gooey marshmallow fluff frosting, and mini- M&M's on top. Mr. K of course got a grand, egg-free dessert brought out... vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, egg free cookies and fresh raspberries. The whole family was happy. And full. Very, very full.
We paid our check and rolled on out of 'Ohana as content as we always are when we eat there. It may be tough to make a reservation, but it's totally worth it!
Tink's Tots Try It Out: According to D (6 yo girl) D, did you like Ohana? "Yah, I liked the foods." What was your favorite thing to eat? "Oh, I liked the chicken and the shrimps. Dessert was good too. The marshmallow fluff on the cupcake was good." Do you think other kids would like it? "Oh, they'd love it! The coconut races are so fun and I liked to learn the hula dance." (Proceeds to give me a demonstration of her hula skills, which look a bit like she's dancing to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off".) Tink's Tots Try It Out: According to K (2 yo boy) Hey, K, you liked Ohana, right? "Hana? Eat." What was your favorite thing to eat? "Noo-doos" (Noodles) Yeah, you loved those noodles. You ate a ton. Did you like your ice cream for dessert? "Yes. Ice keem. Ooooo... Hana, peez? Dinna, peez? Eat, peez?" (Translation: Yes, ice cream. Ooooo. Ohana please? Dinner please? Eat please?) Dude, you are always hungry. I feel ya.
We valet parked at the Polynesian Village around 4:45pm and made our way through the newly-refreshed lobby, and upstairs to check in at the podium, for our 5:10pm reservation. We were given a pager and asked to stay on the second level of the lobby. There is a large seating area, as well as a the tropical Tamu Tamu bar available, so if you want to sip from a pineapple, or just take a load off while you wait, you can. We waited about half an hour to be paged, which is not unusual for 'Ohana. They tend to seat in rounds, so you'll notice the seating area getting quite full, and then several parties' pagers going off, all at one time.
We were given the little mini-tour of the fire-grilling area as we walked to our table. Normally, the server would stop at the bread station and grab you a loaf of 'Ohana's Pineapple-Coconut Friendship-Love-BFF's Forever Bread. (Ok, ok, it's really only called Pineapple-Coconut Bread. The previously used name is what we affectionately refer to it as.) Due to K's egg allergy, Disney is very strict about not placing any food on the table until a chef has visited and filled you in on what the person with the allergy can and cannot have. Our server would bring our bread once the chef had been over. We lucked out and got a great castle-view table, but since it was only about 5:30pm, we knew we would not be around for the 10pm fireworks.
Our head server was one of the better we have had at 'Ohana. Very accommodating, friendly to the kids, and on top of things. She took care of our drink orders and would help clear plates. Each table also has an assistant server, who handles food delivery. Within ten minutes, the chef came over to visit. We have been to 'Ohana so many times at this point, though, that we did not require a review of the items that K could and could not eat. We were able to simply request an egg-free dessert and avoid the bread. Everything else on the menu is already egg-free.
Now that we were cleared by the chef, the server brought out our Pineapple-Coconut Friendship-Love-Happiness and Sunshine Dust Bread,
 |
| The Magical Mystical Pineapple Coconut Bread |
Now, kids here do have the option of ordering a kid's meal, with choices like chicken nuggets or mac and cheese, however, our kiddos like the food here so much that there's no need to order them something different. In fact, at this point in the meal, K was dangling the long, curly noodles from his mouth and grinning ear-to-ear.
Almost right after receiving our appetizers, the servers started coming around with the skewered meats. We weren't quite ready for that, since we didn't even have room on our plates for meat, so we politely declined and asked them to return later, which was no problem. D was showing food in her mouth, partially because she was actually hungry, and partially because she wanted to be "ready" when it was time for hula dancing and coconut races. It's always tough for us when we happen to be sat right as the musician is starting up, because then she won't eat because she wants to go dance. This time worked well for us because the singer didn't appear until more than halfway through the meal, so we had plenty of time to fill her belly first.
When my husband deemed the pile of chicken bones to be high enough, we signaled the "meat guy", (according to D), to come over with the delicious steak, chicken and shrimp skewers. Now, those of you that have eaten at 'Ohana in the past may be realizing that meat choices are fewer now. I remember when they used to have grilled turkey breast, pork loin, sausages, and other options in various years passed. The variety has been limited, however, I do have to say... it's not a bad thing. It seems to me that limiting the selection has allowed them to perfect the three options that they do still have. The chicken was juicy and covered in a delicious sweet and sour glaze. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium, and had fantastic flavor. The shrimp, (though I didn't eat them), were D's favorite and she accumulated a pile of tail shells on her plate as she devoured them. Bravo, 'Ohana!
Just after the meats were served, the male singer came out and serenaded the restaurant. He then called for all the kids to go up and learn the hula and the Huki Lau song, so D ran off to have some fun. K was engaged in a battle with a tricky pile of tangled "noo-doos", so he didn't mind being left behind. The performers here are fun, talented and very sweet with the kids. K is a particular fan of the female singer who has been there for years and years. She always stops by out table and sings right to him, which makes him cover his face and giggle.
By the time D came back to the table, it had gotten dark enough out that we were able to see the Electric Water Pageant floating by the windows and that kept the kids entertained as the table was cleared and dessert was brought out. People LOVE 'Ohana's dessert, a warm bread pudding made from the Pineapple-Coconut Best Friends In Love For Life YOLO bread, and served with a banana-caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Personally, I think it's very good, but it doesn't "send me". Give me a chocolate lava cake and I'm thrilled. Cinnamony bread pudding? Eh. The hubs loves it, though, and always manages to squeeze some in, no matter how full he is. D was psyched because they brought her the "kid's dessert", which was a dense chocolate cupcake, with a gooey marshmallow fluff frosting, and mini- M&M's on top. Mr. K of course got a grand, egg-free dessert brought out... vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, egg free cookies and fresh raspberries. The whole family was happy. And full. Very, very full.
We paid our check and rolled on out of 'Ohana as content as we always are when we eat there. It may be tough to make a reservation, but it's totally worth it!
Tink's Tots Try It Out: According to D (6 yo girl) D, did you like Ohana? "Yah, I liked the foods." What was your favorite thing to eat? "Oh, I liked the chicken and the shrimps. Dessert was good too. The marshmallow fluff on the cupcake was good." Do you think other kids would like it? "Oh, they'd love it! The coconut races are so fun and I liked to learn the hula dance." (Proceeds to give me a demonstration of her hula skills, which look a bit like she's dancing to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off".) Tink's Tots Try It Out: According to K (2 yo boy) Hey, K, you liked Ohana, right? "Hana? Eat." What was your favorite thing to eat? "Noo-doos" (Noodles) Yeah, you loved those noodles. You ate a ton. Did you like your ice cream for dessert? "Yes. Ice keem. Ooooo... Hana, peez? Dinna, peez? Eat, peez?" (Translation: Yes, ice cream. Ooooo. Ohana please? Dinner please? Eat please?) Dude, you are always hungry. I feel ya.
Will we be back: We probably shouldn't have done Ohana so early in the review process, since there's no way the hubby is going to be ok with it not being in rotation again very, very soon. We may have to do a double-check on this one!
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