Ohana Review: Book It or Skip It

For years, I’ve been trying to score a reservation for the “all-you-care-enjoy” offerings at Ohana. I came close at Easter with a bunch of friends but our party was too big to accommodate in the reservation. All this time, I’ve been drowning my sorrows with Pulled Pork Nachos and Dole Whips at the restart. I…just…want…to…eat…there.

When I saw a dinner reservation pop up for Ohana (shout-out Mouse Dining), I jumped at the opportunity. While I would have loved to get a table closer to the showing of Enchatment, I had to settle for a 3:45 time slot. That meant we were the first party in the dining room. Bonus points…somewhere. It also meant an incredible view of the pool side and Space Mountain  (if you squint).

When I said we were the first party seated, we were also the only ones in there for about 10 minutes. Awkward!

Our server (and her assistant) greeted us and explain that the meal would come out in separate courses, but you are welcome to request more of any dish. Oh boy!

as the meat grilled were hard at work, our drinks and first round of food came to the table.

First, the bread. I’ve heard stories about Ohana bread. This baby came right out of the kitchen, so it was still warm and easy to pull apart. Plus, two loaves so Mom and I didn’t have to fight.

The Ohana bread was nice and fluffy with a hint of pineapple and coconut. The soft honey butter made a great spreadable for the bread. Yummy carbs!

After that, the Mixed Green Salad with a Citrus Vinaigrette. Okay, I love salads, and I love red and yellow peppers, but I’m not a fan of raw peppers on a salad. These peppers were fresh, crisp and added an ever-so-slight spice to the salad, but the rest of the pepper flavor seemed to overwhelm the dressing and mixed green lettuce. If you love veggies, this salad was full of cucumbers, carrots, red onions, and cherry tomatoes. All the ingredients were fresh and flavorful- that pepper just wanted to take over the party.

By itself, the citrus dressing had a little bit of sweet and tart. If the peppers weren’t overpowering, I would added more to my plate. I did drip a little of the bread into the dressing. As you know, it’s never a good idea to fill up on bread and salad because we have a ton of other dishes on the way.

Forget about the roasted chicken and steak, I was here for the Pork Dumplings Tossed in Garlice-Chilli Sauce, Honey Corindar Chicken Wings, Brocoilini, and Ohana Noodles.

Before I even took my first bite, I knew we would be getting seconds. The Pork Dumplings (or potstickers) had a crispy surface but not overly cooked. The pork filling had a nice flavor along with the garlic chili sauce. We would have liked more sauce on them, but that seemed to have soaked into the noodles. Still, the dumplings were fantastic (and we order a whole other plate of them). The pork dumplings won over my Mom who claimed she’s coming back just to get them.

The chicken wings were tender and moist with a skin that had the right amount of crispness. They were lightly sauced, but still had that touch of sweetness and spice to them. 

I’m a huge fan of Disney’s green beans and broccoli. I do t know what magic they do in the kitchen, but those veggies are tender and flavorful. The same can be said for the Roasted Broccolini – tender but not soggy, and it soaked up all of the favors of the dumplings and pork dumplings.

Topping off this round was the Ohana noodles. now when I shared my recipe, the noodles were really saucy. These noodles have that same pineapple-teriyaki flavor, but we’re a bit on the dry side. Also, I didn’t notice much cabbage in our dish. Despite that, I still loved the noodles and we asked for seconds of them.

 

Who does live shrimp? I’m like George Costanza chowing down when I see a seafood platter. The Spicy Peel-n-Eat Shrimp had the smoky flavor from the grill with a hint of spice. There was a pepper there, but no one dared to eat it. While I like my shrimp peeled, these were easy to pull of the outer shell.

 

 Unfortunately, not everything was a hit. The Wood-Fire Grill Teriyaki Beef may have been the worst cut of meat. The teriyaki sauce was great, but the meat was tough and chewy. Usually, I can cut it into little pieces and chew away, but this meat was like rubber. My cat at home was able to enjoy the leftovers and had no complaints. 

The Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce was another disappointment. On the outside, the skin had a rich smoky flavor with a tangy chimichurri sauce. With all those flavors, they would have to reach the meat, right? Nope. The chicken meat had zero flavor. Ever boil chicken with no seasoning? You can have the same experience with this dish. On the plus side, the flavorless meat was tender and moist. 

You know you’re in a “fancy” place when hot towels show up at the tables. Always nice to get the teriyaki-shrimp-garlic-honey off your hands.

 

Ohana Bread Pudding is the perfect way to end the meal. When the dessert comes to the dinner the hot homemade caramel sauce is pour over by the server. You get a huge scoop of rich vanilla ice cream on top of the decadent pineapple bread pudding. Some bread pudding can be thick and mushy. Oh no, this bread pudding had an excellent t texture that just blended into the smooth ice cream. Caramel + sweet bread pudding + vanilla ice cream = heaven. This dessert has been hyped up over the years, and it does live up to that reputation.

Extras

While dining at Ohana, not only do you get to enjoy the food, but there’s a bit of entertainment as well. A strolling ukulele players walks through the dining room, offering up a few musical notes that add to the atmosphere. As he walked passed tables, he asked if anyone was celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, etc. A nice added touch as you chow down on food.

Service was excellent. Our server was working with her assistant, so we had twice the help. Both were courteous and helpful, I never had to ask for a drink refill: it was just done. We even were able to get take home boxes at the end of the night, which some people said is not common.

Final Report

Is Ohana worth the money? I do feel like that most of the dishes were hits, but a couple of them were definite misses.

Though my mom wants to come back for the dumplings and noodles, but that’s a lot of noodles for $59.99. I did like it. There’s something to be said for dining at a classic resort like the Polynesian. I wouldn’t make it an monthly outing, but for a special occasion, this restaurant is the place to go.

Tips

There are several ways to travel to Ohana. You can park at the resort (with a reservation) or leave your car at the Transportation and Ticket Center. From the TTC, it is about a 5 minute walk.

If you want to enjoy those classic items, you can skip the high dinner price tag. Ohana noodles, wings, dumplings, and bread pudding are part of a secret menu at the Tambu Lounge. However, it’s smaller portion and not “all-you-care-to-enjoy.”

Walkup reservations are available, but you have to get there right at the restaurant’s opening. Even then there is no guarantee of grabbing a table.

Ohana does offer discounts. AP holders can get 10% of the bill.

We will definitely be back to this restaurant.

Have you dined at Ohana? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!