Psst. We’re at ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. For those who are new here, hi, we’re Disney Food Blog, and we talk about Disney food. A lot of it. We also check in on Disney restaurants every so often to see if the food is still worth recommending. Now, some Disney World restaurants have reached ICON status and make the “must-visit” lists for any new Disney visitor. But it’s our job to make sure they still deserve a spot on that “must-visit” list!

‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort has that kind of reputation, although — let’s face it — this restaurant has changed a lot over the past five years. But has it changed so much that it no longer deserves its “must-visit” status? Well, let’s go find out!

Atmosphere

You’ll find ‘Ohana on the second floor of the Polynesian Resort’s lobby.

The restaurant is just one gigantic dining room with tables and chairs. There are also huge windows along one wall. We recommend that you consider booking a late dinner starting around 30 minutes prior to the Magic Kingdom fireworks — there’s a fantastic view from ‘Ohana, and the musical score that accompanies the show is piped into the restaurant! The theme is cozy, tropical, and they even have a live ukulele player!

This glassed-in restaurant at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, punctuated by a huge cooking fire in the center, is known for its Hawaiian-style “churrascaria”-type service for dinner.

But enough about the restaurant — what’s on the menu here?!

Menu

Now, many of us, myself included, remember when ‘Ohana used to offer a Brazilian-style service where skewers of meat were literally brought to your table. That’s gone now, but the dinner is still an all-you-care-to-eat, family-style meal.  The price for dinner is $67 per adult and $44 per child (note that’s without tax and gratuity). The food is Polynesian-inspired, with big portions. Dinner includes bread, a salad, a dinner skillet, and that famous ‘Ohana Bread Pudding.

A plant-based version of the meal is also available.

Beverages include non-alcoholic specialties, coffee…

…and specialty cocktails. A selection of beers and wines is also available.

And now, onto the main event — the food!

Eats

We tried both the regular and plant-based versions of the menu. Let’s start with the bread. The Signature ‘Ohana Bread is served with Honey Butter. It’s a pineapple bread, but it’s not super sweet. The texture was a little dry, but the flavor was great. The honey butter had a richness and moisture that balanced the dryness of the bread. It’s a unique way to start the meal, that’s for sure!

The plant-based option for the bread service is vegan Rolls with vegan butter, a plant-based butter. The rolls were a little dry, but sweet, and the butter helps with the dryness. It’s nothing really like the regular bread, though, so we wish Disney had tried a little harder to do a vegan version of the signature bread.

The regular salad is the Mixed Greens Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette. The salad also comes with tomato, cucumber, and shredded bell pepper. The dressing was tangy and light, while the veggies were fresh. There’s a slight sweetness that is very refreshing between heavier dishes.

The ‘Ohana Dinner Skillet comes with Pork Dumplings tossed in Garlic-Chili Sauce, Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings, Wood Fire-grilled Black Pepper-Teriyaki Beef, Peel-n-Eat Shrimp coated with ‘Ohana Seasoning, Grilled Chicken with Guava-Pineapple Glaze, ‘Ohana Noodles with Teriyaki, and Stir-fry Vegetables. We started with the pork dumplings, chicken wings, veggies, and noodles.

The dumplings were sticky, sweet, and salty, for a nice savory balance of flavors. Note, you can also get these at Tambu Lounge. The chicken wings also had a sticky, sweet, and savory glaze with a lightly battered texture. The meat was very tender and juicy. We really like these. The current mix of veggies includes baby corn and water chestnuts. We thought they were a little overcooked and seasoned like everything else, so we were not super impressed. The noodles, though, always satisfy. They have that familiar caramelized teriyaki flavor that ties the meal together.

The Wood Fire-grilled Black Pepper-Teriyaki Beef was a bit disappointing. Although they had a nice smoky and peppery flavor, they were chewy and dry.

The Peel-n-Eat Shrimp were large, well-cooked, and NOT chewy (that’s a good thing). They had a nice savory seasoning, but they were a little messy to eat.

The Grilled Chicken with Guava-Pineapple Glaze had a heavy smoke aroma and flavor. They were super tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. The glaze added a nice, sweet, and fruity tropical twist.

The Plant-Based Dinner Skillet comes with ‘Ohana Noodles with Teriyaki, Stir-fry Vegetables, and Edamame Dumplings tossed in Garlic-Chili Sauce, Guava-Pineapple Glazed “Chicken,” Plant-based Sausage, and Black Pepper-Teriyaki Plant-based Beef and Broccoli. Let’s start with the noodles, stir-fry vegetables, and edamame dumplings.

The noodles are the same as those in the regular skillet. This is one of those items that is consistently good here. The stir-fry vegetables were also solid, and we ate more than we expected! The texture was great, and they balanced the rest of the skillet well. The edamame dumplings were new to us, and we’re now happy to say that we are big fans. They had actual pieces of edamame inside (it’s not like a puréed filling), and the taste was light and fresh with a nice bite of garlic chili. The “beef” and broccoli were also sweet and balanced with a nice texture. We’re pretty happy with the plant-based options here.

The “chicken” was surprisingly tasty with a nice teriyaki flavor. We’re not usually big fans of fake meats, but Disney nailed it here. The plant-based sausage is the same you can get all over Disney World, but here it was cooked well (you get that perfect snappy bite) and had a nice sweetness.

For dessert, there’s the classic ‘Ohana Bread Pudding…you know it, you love it. It’s served à la mode with Homemade Caramel Sauce. This is the main reason we come here… no lie. That warm, soft, pineapple bread pudding with caramel drizzle and ice cream? Well, it hits right every single time. You get the perfect portion size, too, so you’re not overloaded on sweetness at the end of the meal.

The vegan option is the Bread Pudding with Soy-based Frozen Dessert. We were a little taken aback by the soy-based frozen dessert, but y’all, it worked. This is another solid plant-based option, and a great way to end the meal.

So, should you make a reservation for ‘Ohana?

Nosh or Not

This Disney World restaurant is a must-visit if…

• You’re vegan. We were genuinely surprised by the vegan meal here, and the quality was incredible.
• You’ve got a big appetite. This is an all-you-care-to-eat meal, and you’ll want to arrive good and hungry if you book a meal here.
• Want a nice table service meal with a view. ‘Ohana is a great spot for special occasions when you want a nice, relaxed sit-down meal that also includes a view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

You should skip this Disney World spot if…

• You’re on a budget. This isn’t a cheap meal, and we could recommend a few other restaurants that offer similar food for less. Plus, you can get some of these items at Tambu Lounge, too.
• You want to experience the old ‘Ohana experience. After 2020, ‘Ohana changed, as did its service. You no longer get skewers of meat brought to your table like before, and if you want that old experience, it’s gone.
• You want a lighter meal. Like we said, there’s a lot of food here, and if you’re just looking for a small bite to eat, you’d probably be wasting your money here.

Overall

We’ll be honest…before 2020, ‘Ohana was always a “must-do,” but things changed when Disney World reopened. One thing we’ve noticed is that the restaurant isn’t as consistently good as it once was. The food is still flavorful, fresh, and well-prepared, but, as we said, we’ve noticed some inconsistencies from meal to meal. Then you’re also paying a pretty penny for the experience. If it’s just the idea of this kind of tropical food vibe you want, you can get something similar for about half the price at Sebastian’s Bistro at Disney’s Caribbean Resort, right down to the bread pudding. So, does it still belong on your “must-do” list? We’d say YES! From the bread pudding to the classic ‘Ohana noodles, the classics here did not disappoint (even after our millionth visit).

In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for more restaurant updates from Disney World and beyond. Make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney news and more!

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Have you eaten at this Disney World restaurant before? Tell us in the comments!