When Dining at ‘Ohana, Come Hungry

TouringPlans welcomes Guest Author Bridgett Hurley.

Ohana, of course, means “family.” And family is the theme of this busy and usually full restaurant at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Our family had dinner there, and we were happy we did.

Located on the second floor of the resort’s Great Ceremonial House, Ohana’s main attractions at breakfast are the hosts Lilo and Stitch. They aren’t there at dinner, and the main attraction is instead the great views of the Seven Seas Lagoon and, for those there at just the right time, the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

Meals at Ohana are served family style (naturally) and cost $62 for adults and $40 for children nine and younger. They do accept annual passholder and DVC discounts. The price seems steep, but the meal is all you care to eat. Considering the amount of food you get, we felt it was a relative bargain. For those who are prone to menu indecision, it’s also easy; you don’t need to order because they bring you some of everything on the family-style menu. Even so, it’s helpful to know the menu before you go so you can ask the server to skip things you don’t want.

The Meal

Openers

The service starts with a mixed-greens salad and Ohana bread. The salad comes dressed with a lovely, subtle citrus vinaigrette. It’s also the healthiest thing on the menu. The bread is a sweet Hawaiian-style pull-apart loaf. It’s warm and delicious.

Appetizers

Next up, the server brings a skillet full of honey-coriander chicken wings, pork dumplings tossed in garlic-chili sauce, roasted vegetables, and the famous Ohana noodles. There’s nothing subtle about anything on these plates. The chicken wings come coated in a heavy, sweet sauce. Honey-coriander sounds exotic, but they tasted a lot like typical teriyaki chicken wings. Still, the pieces were large, meaty, and juicy. The dumplings and the roast vegetables were solid but nothing to write home about. The noodles were delicious, but a bit heavy on the salt.

Entrees

At that point, just when you think you’re finished and can’t eat another bite, the server brings the highlight of the meal: a plate of grilled chicken topped with chimichurri sauce. The chicken was moist and tender with just the right amount of char and the chimichurri was light but flavorful. Make sure you save room.

Before we finished the chicken the server brought out a plate of teriyaki beef. It was good, but as with the honey-coriander chicken, sweet and heavy. We’d hardly taken a bite when she brought out a heaping platter of peel-and-eat shrimp. The shrimp are big but not terribly interesting, just lightly seasoned. Good, but forgettable.

If you choose the plant-based option, you’ll get the noodles and vegetables with pineapple barbecue jack fruit and chimichurri “chicken” sausage.

Dessert

Having been overwhelmed by wave after wave of incoming entrees, you’d be forgiven for overlooking dessert. But the piece de resistance is the bread pudding. This reviewer grew up in New Orleans and has eaten her share of bread pudding. This one was top-notch with a hint of fruit served warm with ice cream and a caramel sauce.

The Verdict

Would we eat here again? Absolutely. But I’d do it a bit differently the second time around. By the end of the meal, I felt guilty about all the food we left on the table. Going back, I’d probably ask to skip some courses, but if you’ve never been before, you probably still want to try them all. Here are my recommendations on where to ask for reduced servings – remember, if it turns out you love the dish and don’t agree with me, you can always ask for more.

• The menu’s theme is sweet and salty, so if that’s not a flavor profile you enjoy, focus on things like the chicken with chimichurri and the shrimp.
• If you’re looking for the more unique offerings, I’d skip either the chicken wings or the beef; as noted they weren’t much different than regular teriyaki you’d find other places.
• The peel-and-eat shrimp weren’t at all unique, but unlimited peel-and-eat shrimp isn’t cheap, so you’ll have to make the call on this one.

What not to skip: the salad, bread, dumplings, noodles, grilled chicken, and definitely not the dessert.

To make sure you have room for dessert, I would go in hungry and ask the server to slow down with the service. If you don’t, you’ll have everything served in about 30 minutes. That might seem perfectly reasonable for a regular restaurant, but this isn’t a regular restaurant. Sit back, soak in the ambience, and take in the views. And, as one huge family-style plate after another lands in front of you, pace yourself by focusing not just on the food, but on conversation and enjoying the experience with your family — your ‘ohana.

Have you eaten at ‘Ohana? What’s your verdict on the noodles? Let us know in the comments!

Bridgett Hurley is an attorney, organizational development expert, mom and foster mom who loves to share Disney with her family and friends. She has been a Disney Vacation Club Member and annual passholder since 2016.