DVC Dining: ‘Ohana Dinner at Disney’s Polynesian Villas

My family and I have tried many restaurants at Walt Disney World over the years. However, one classic that we hadn’t yet tried was ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows.  While the menu sounded intriguing, it’s always been challenging to get a reservation, and the recent reviews describing rushed service deterred me from dining at ‘Ohana. Since my fiancé (Timothy) and I recently had an opportunity to book a studio at the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows, we finally decided to give ‘Ohana a try for dinner.  While it would be fun to see Mickey, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch during ‘Ohana’s Character Breakfast, we felt like the dinner menu was more unique than the breakfast menu, which features the usual Mickey waffles, eggs, sausage, etc.  

We checked in with the cast member at the podium slightly before our reservation time and received a pager.  Since we were early, we had time to explore the lobby and have some chocolate covered bacon from Kona Island.

Once our pager buzzed, we returned to ‘Ohana to be seated.  After catching a glimpse of the bread by the kitchen and passing by the skewers at the oak-fired grills, we were seated at one of the best tables in the restaurant.  We had a great view by the window facing the pool area; we could even see Cinderella Castle and Space Mountain off in the distance. If we had a later reservation, I’m quite sure we would have been able to view some of the fireworks.

‘Ohana is an all-you-care-to-eat restaurant, and there was plenty of food for the two of us. The food just kept coming!  We started with the pineapple-coconut bread, or rather Timothy did. It must have been good because the whole loaf disappeared!  We then had the salad, which had mixed greens, dried cranberries, crunchy noodles, and a very light dressing. It was nice and light and enjoyable. Then came one of my favorite parts: the skillet with chicken wings, potstickers, noodles, and vegetables.  Everything on that skillet was good. I liked the sweet marinade on the chicken and couldn’t get enough of the potstickers and noodles. Seriously, I lost count of how many potstickers I ate that night.

Our server then came around and brought the chicken, beef, and shrimp skewers.  The chicken was our favorite due to the sweet marinade. Although the beef was tasty, it did come out a bit dry and needed some help from the sweet and sour or sesame dipping sauces.  The peel and eat shrimp was cooked through nicely but a bit bland, so the sauces were good for that too.  

Finally, came the star of the show: the famous ‘Ohana bread pudding with bananas foster sauce.  There’s something about having that combination of warm bread pudding with cold ice cream that is so fantastic.  I could have kept eating this if only I hadn’t filled up so much on dinner.

Despite the recent reviews, Timothy and I thought the service was good.  Perhaps we got lucky, but our server was attentive, especially with regard to my food allergies, and we didn’t feel rushed in the slightest.  Overall, we thought the meal was a good value, and it was nice to get the 10% DVC discount. The same discount is also available for annual passholders. We also had fun taking in the entertainment and watching the kids dance along to the live music. I think Timothy may have gotten that dance down pat for the next time we go.  

What are your thoughts on dinner at ‘Ohana?  Did we luck out by having a good experience? Can we confidently make a return visit in the future?  In the weeks since we dined at ‘Ohana, I’ve been dreaming of that bread pudding and hoping another visit is worth it!