Dinner at ‘Ohana | Polynesian

“What are the must-do restaurants at WDW?” is one of the most common questions that we get asked. Our response is typically the same mentioning Satu’li Canteen, Frontera Cocina, and the Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast, but dinner at ‘Ohana is ALWAYS at the top of our list. Located at the Polynesian Village Resort, ‘Ohana is one of the most popular restaurants at Walt Disney World, and for good reason! With an awesome character breakfast (featuring Stitch!) and an amazing All-You-Care-To-Enjoy dinner, it’s hard to go wrong!

Like all table service restaurants at WDW, reservations open 180 days out, or 180+ 10 if you’re staying on WDW property. Since this one can be difficult to get, we recommend snagging it at the 180-day mark if possible. However, we’ve had plenty of success getting a reservation, even as a party of seven, the night before so definitely keep trying if you don’t get it the first time.

We’ve been eating at ‘Ohana for the past decade- look at how little Nick and Ben were on our first visit!- and it is hands down, the favorite WDW restaurant of our entire crew. Like to the point that it’s what they request for their birthday dinners EVERY year knowing full well that we aren’t driving to Florida. As our kids have gotten older (4/5 are Disney adults) and dining prices have climbed, it’s become a restaurant that we do once a year instead of once a trip, but it’s definitely a can’t-miss for our fam!

See, we like ‘Ohana so much that our kids dress like the valets at the Polynesian! ???? If you’re staying in one of the WDW resorts you’ll either need to drive your vehicle or take a Minnie Van (or Uber/Lyft) to get to the Polynesian since there are no busses between resorts. If you’re coming directly from one of the parks you can take the monorail, boat, or bus depending on where you’re coming from, but make sure that you have a way to get back to your car or resort when you’re done. If you’re driving, let the guard know that you have a dinner reservation which they typically verify by scanning your MagicBand, and then you’re free to park in the resort parking lot or use valet. TIP: You can valet your car for FREE at the resorts if you have a Tables in Wonderland card OR a handicapped placard.

We always stop for a quick photo with the tiki guy in the lobby of the Polynesian and oftentimes there is a PhotoPass photographer that will take your picture- with their camera or yours! Since we go every year, this is a fun way to see how much the kids have grown over time. ‘Ohana is on the second floor of the main building of the Polynesian so from the tiki guy, head to the back right corner and up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, you can check-in for your reservation and usually, they will give you a pager that goes off once your table is ready.

Look at those happy kids! When we check-in at the desk we always request a window table and let them know that we’re willing to wait for one if needed and our request is usually granted. TIP: If you want to watch the fireworks from your table, make your reservation for 1-1.5 hours before the show.

‘Ohana means family and that theme continues throughout your time at the restaurant. Your server is affectionately known as “cousin” and all of the food is served family-style, including the AMAZING pineapple-coconut bread that kicks off dinner.

Check out that view of Cinderella Castle from our table!

The mixed green salad came out next and the kids dug in. They’re big salad eaters at home, too, so I wasn’t surprised when they all loaded their plates up with salad, but I did remind them that the best was still to come!

This skillet was stuffed full of pork dumplings, honey-coriander chicken wings, teriyaki noodles, and stir-fried veggies. The kids wasted no time and filled their plates and their bellies. Like other AYCTE restaurants, a non-alcoholic drink is included in the price of the meal. We all love the POG juice (passion fruit, orange, guava) at the ‘Ohana breakfast and we always order it at dinner, too!

Ellie LOVED the wings and ate half a dozen herself. Kids can order the usual nuggets and mac and cheese if they’re picky eaters but ours have always been able to find at least a few things that they like even if it means eating their weight in chicken wings.

All of the meats (chicken, steak, and shrimp) are prepared over an oak fire and then brought out on skewers. Your “cousin” will serve you as much or as little as you would like though we’ve found that they typically give you a bit more than you ask for.

The spicy grilled peel-n-eat shrimp is always a hit at our table, especially with Lexie- I think she ate about 30 last time! Even though it’s called “spicy” shrimp, I’ve never really noticed much spice so definitely give it a try even if you’re spice-averse. The bigger issue is that it is peel-n-eat shrimp and does still have the legs attached so there’s an extra step in getting it ready for the kiddos, at least until they learn to peel their own shrimp!

There are also skewers of sweet-n-sour chicken and Szechuan sirloin steak that make the rounds. And since this is an All-You-Care-To-Enjoy meal, you can ask for seconds, thirds, etc of anything and they’re super good about asking several times if you’d like more of any of the meats.

This girl loves her shrimp, and she’s super lucky that she has a nice Dad that peels it for her since she thinks it’s gross! And in an effort to maintain transparency, he peels mine, too! ????

We always end up requesting more potstickers because they’re a family favorite! After they bring your initial skillet of appetizers and accompaniments, you can get smaller plates of individual items. That way if your fam wants more potstickers and wings (our usual request) you’re not wasting the other food.

For our family, ‘Ohana is the epitome of Disney magic. We’ve had fantastic service for every dinner, the food has always been amazing, and we love watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks from our table. This restaurant will always be our little slice of Disney heaven. If you time your reservation for about an hour before the fireworks you may be able to watch them from your table. The window tables have the best view (and we prefer being on the left side away from the pool/pool lights) but many other tables also have a decent view as well.

After the fireworks ended, our cousin brought out the famous ‘Ohana Bread Pudding à la mode for dessert. It’s Nick’s absolute FAVORITE dessert of anything that he’s ever had and he requested (and received) his own slice, but the rest of us were more than okay sharing since we’d just eaten a massive dinner. There are Rice Krispies Treats available for the kiddos if they don’t like bread pudding or they can get a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Things to Remember for an ‘Ohana Dinner

• This one is All-You-Care-To-Enjoy so make sure to come hungry!
• Dinner at ‘Ohana is one table service credit if you’re on the Disney Dining Plan. Otherwise, it’s about $55 (including tax/excluding tip) for adults and $31 for the 3-9 crowd. There are often slight seasonal price fluctuations so keep that in mind.
• Dinner is NOT a character meal- if you’re looking for characters, you’ll want to check out the ‘Ohana breakfast.
• Reservations can fill up quickly so make sure to book 180 days out (or 180+10 if you’re staying on-site). If you can’t get a reservation, keep trying, because people cancel and move around their plans all the time.
• Many people like the earlier reservation times as a break from Magic Kingdom since it’s just a quick monorail ride away. If you time it right, you can hop over for dinner and be back in the park before the fireworks!

What’s your fave restaurant at WDW?? 

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