Dining Review: ‘Ohana – A Walt Disney World Classic
One of my family’s favorite traditions for our Walt Disney World vacations is not only to eat dinner at ‘Ohana, but to dine there the first night of our trip if it’s feasible. It’s one of our favorite restaurants on properly. I hope to give you an understanding why with my review!
‘Ohana is a family style, all you can eat restaurant in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, on the second floor across from Kona Café. The Polynesian is only a short monorail ride away on the resort line from the Magic Kingdom, making it a great stop for dinner before/after a day in the parks!
Photo courtesy Tom Bricker
Photo courtesy the Disney Company
The starters include Pineapple-Coconut Bread, and Mixed Greens Salad with Lilikoi Dressing. I’m not usually a fan of anything coconut, but these bread is delicious! The coconut taste isn’t overwhelming. The Mixed Greens Salad is nice as well, but I tend not to eat much of these options because I like to save my appetite for the stars of the meal.
Pork Dumplings tossed in Garlic-Ginger Sauce. Photo courtesy Tom Bricker
Appetizers will come soon after the starters, and they consist of Pork Dumplings tossed in Garlic-Ginger Sauce, Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings, Noodles (tossed in a Teriyaki Sauce), and Stir-fried Vegetables. The Chicken Wings here are the highlight of the appetizers in my opinion, although everything else are great options to nibble on as well (before the main event).
Photo courtesy Tom Bricker
At this point during your meal, servers with skewers will walk around and ask if you would like any of the featured meats to be put on your plate. The skewers include Sweet-n-Sour Pork Loins, Szechuan Sirloin Steak, and Spicy Grilled Peel-n-Eat Shrimp. This skewers are the starts of the meal, and as a red blooded carnivore, this is where I load up my plate. The steak is usually cooked very well; I’ve rarely had a dry piece of meat. I don’t remember the Shrimp being particularly spicy, but I love spicy food and your experience may differ. Regardless of if the shrimp is spicy or not, they are a good sized and grilled (most shrimp where I live in the south is fried) – which is the way I prefer my shrimp. This is the part of the meal where I begin to feel full, but you have to save room for dessert.
Dessert is Bread Pudding à la mode with Bananas-Caramel Sauce, and it may be one of my favorite desserts on Disney property. The combination of the pudding with the Bananas-Caramel Sauce really complements each other very well. This dessert is worth stuffing your face a little more.
The Lapu Lapu. Photo courtesy Tom Bricker
If you’re looking for a nice tropical drink with your meal that packs a punch, check out the Lapu Lapu (I can’t stop at the Polynesian without ordering one). It is Myers rum and tropical juices served in a pineapple and topped with Bacardi 151 – all served to you in a hollowed out pineapple!
If you time your dinner right, you may be able to watch Wishes from your dinner table. If you’re dinner ends before Wishes, and you want to watch the fireworks show but don’t want to make your way back to Magic Kingdom, you can also watch from the beach at the Polynesian. On the beach and in the restaurant they pump the music in so you can have a more complete experience.
There is also an entertainer there as well playing the ukulele and setting up activities for kids, such as a coconut broom race.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions! See ya real soon!
