Editor’s Note: In addition to the peanut dipping sauce, sweet and sour sauce is now being offered again. Thanks to Disney Mom Leslie for this update!Thanks to Disney Mom’s Panelist and DFB Friend Leslie Krzan for reporting on menu changes at ‘Ohana in Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
We’ve got some interesting news about a few menu updates at guest favorite restaurant, ‘Ohana.
According to a server, changes were made to the menu here about a month ago with the posted menu outside of the restaurant still showing the old menu items. Let’s take a look at what’s been updated with this menu-go-round.
‘Ohana Salad Dressing Update
The fan-favorite honey lime dressing has been a stand-out at ‘Ohana as well as a much requested recipe, however it did not make the latest menu cut. Here’s Leslie’s take:
The new salad features a passion fruit vinaigrette with chunks of passion fruit and mandarin oranges. I don’t eat salad, but my husband said the salad was just OK. He really liked the old honey lime dressing. In fact, he usually eats the whole bowl of salad himself, but left about half of it this time.
New Salad at 'Ohana
DFB reader Anne T. also wrote to let us know about the change. She feels similarly about the new dressing: “The new dressing is still good, but not as good as the honey lime,” she says.
‘Ohana Stir-Fried Veggie Update
The vegetable dish has changed as well with this recent menu update. Here’s what Leslie discovered:
The veggies now resemble more of a stir fry with mushrooms, onions, and peppers added to the broccoli. The old broccoli was one of my favorites. I really liked the garlic flavor of it, but now the broccoli really soaked up the flavor of the onions and peppers. I only ate the broccoli out of it. My husband liked it a lot. In my opinion, it was good, but I really miss the garlic sauté.
'Ohana Vegetables and Lo Mein Noodles
Dipping Sauces
Finally, it looks like even the dipping sauces have taken a hit in the new menu. Leslie reports:
The trio of sauces is gone. Now, only the peanut sauce is served.
We’re sorry to see the changes, but this isn’t the first time we’ve seen ‘Ohana change up its menu. You can read about several other changes in our memoir about the Maui Scalloped Potatoes!
NOTE that Disney menus change regularly, and ‘Ohana often has “trial changes” for its menu where the restaurant tests potential menu options. Your experiences may differ from the ones shared above.
Tell us what you think about these changes to the menu at ‘Ohana. Chime in now in the comments below!
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I think these are TERRIBLE changes! But I wonder if bad food/menu reviews will suddenly make it easier to get a reservation?
It’s sad, to me Ohana was one of the few meals that lived up to the hype. I don’t really eat much meat but loved the meal because I loved the salad and the broccoli so much. I ate every drop of the broccoli myself and looked forward to having again. It’s a vegetable I rarely eat at home so this was surprising to me. I also loved the salad and ate a good deal of this also. I think I tried one piece of beef. My meal was the salad, broccoli and the amazing bread pudding.
I looked forward to going back but it’s not on my list anymore since they took away the reasons I made the reservations.
We ate at ‘Ohana in April 2011, which was the first time we had eaten there since 2005. We were very disappointed that they eliminated the fresh pineapple and warm caramel sauce as the dessert. We opted not to eat there in December 2012 and instead ate at Kona, which we really enjoyed.
The salad was quite good there and I am surprised they changed this. In my opinion the vegetables are not appealing at all.
These menu changes surely will not bring us back.
Rebecca may be correct that this could make it easier to get a reservation there. Not that it will matter to me…..
Canceling my reservations now.
Pity about the dressing (honey lime sounded good) and the veggies. I despise onions, so I’m not sure I’ll like it if the other veggies pick up too much of their flavor.
Did anything change about the meats? I’m dying to try the shrimp, which were not there in 2006 when last we visited 🙂
I must say, I’m surprised people would actually cancel their reservations over a different dressing and more veggie variety. It strikes me as no big deal.
Rebecca Farrell — I’m hoping that this is just a “trial” change. ‘Ohana has done this sort of thing before, then brought back the regular menu. Fingers crossed.
Tracy — Ha ha! They change up the menu so much that these days I only go for the bread pudding and call everything else and “extra.” 🙂
Scott — We love Kona, too! I’ve never been disappointed there.
Robert — Be sure to check the menu as your trip gets closer. Sometimes ‘Ohana does “trial” changes, but ends up going back to their original menu. You never know what could happen.
Jays — So far, we haven’t heard about any meat changes! Fingers crossed! 🙂
I wonder if they still have the other dipping sauces for those of us allergic to peanuts?
I’ve actually had the new salad. It’s pretty tasty, and I really enjoyed the little pieces of fruit in it. I think I actually preferred this salad to the old salad. I can’t say anything about the veggies, as I did not partake. I was too busy saving room for the pot stickers.
Like Jays, I despise onions. I wonder if it would be possible to get an onion-free veggie mix?
I am so disappointed by these changes. O’hana holds a special place in my heart as that is where my husband and I ate our first meal on his first trip to WDW. I will really miss the honey lime dressing and one of my favorite things about the meal was having several dipping sauces. Hopefully there are more changes, for the better, before our next trip.
I actually think the veggies look great. I really didn’t like just broccoli. I always thought it needed something more. I’m going in March. Can’t wait to go!
Most people don’t even remember but Ohana used to have a whole additional course and a trio of homemade sauces. The extra course had fish, sticky rice and other sides. The sauces were a great fruit sauce and some others that they actually made in house. Even the most recent trio of sauces were bottled stuff. The whole restaurant has been on a downward slide since the early 2000s
I’m not thrilled to hear about these changes at my favorite WDW dinning location. However, I’m willing to give it a shot.
I’ve heard that the changes are only temporary and in a trial period. The new salad is still good but not as good as the old one. The peanut sauce is my favorite and I use it on almost everything so that change wasn’t as much of a disappointment for me.
Oh no, how awful. I was really looking forward to our first meal here. We have a peanut allergy sufferer with is and now they have no dip! very unfair! salad also sounds horrible.
A change in dressing would be ok, though I’ll miss the honey lime and I’ve never been a huge passionfruit fan.
I like the idea of added vegetables in the stir fry – though i’m wary of a noted change in the level of garlic. No note was made of how this affected the flavor of the noodles, so maybe I shouldn’t worry?
Dropping the dipping sauces down to a single option, however, is heinous. Different meats, different sauces. This is cheap and lazy in the extreme imo.
We ate at ‘Ohana on Feb 1, 2013. We were first timers, and loved the food. The old menu was still posted, we didn’t even notice the changes.
To be honest we weren’t there for the salad or the noodles, we were there for the meat, and the bread pudding……they did not disappoint!!! ALOOOOOOOOOOOHA!!!!
We ate there on Jan 12 2013 (post-half-marathon meal.) These changes were being “tested” according to our “cousin” (server.)
My wife & I both loved the old salad. I used to have to force myself to stop eating the salad, reminding myself of what was to come. My wife was not as concerned, since she is not as big of a fan of protein as I am. She would ask for another bowl of salad. But now, with the new dressing, this is no longer the case. For me, the salad is easily skippable now. My wife thought the salad was “okay.”
Same with the veggies. They are forgettable now.
The new sauce was good. They still put the sweet/sour sauce over the potstickers. I didn’t mind the sauce change.
It boils down to this: before the change, EVERYTHING was awesome at O’hana. There was not one item that I did not drool over. This is no longer the case with these changes.
They should offer a wings and bread pudding price for this place. Just give me those and the bread and I will happily pay $20 per person.
I do hope these are erroneous amendment reports… we too have a peanut allergy sufferer and I just cannot believe that Disney would only provide the one sauce that a large percentage of the population cannot even smell, let alone eat.
We have ADR’s for our trip in April, our first at Ohana and if this menu change is accurate, it is likely to be our last…. I hope either the report is wrong or the person responsible for the menu sees sense and changes it.
Very upset!!!! My husband, sister and I were here in September and had dinner at Ohana and couldn’t rave about it enough!! My family and I are coming back to Disneyworld in May and were so looking forward to dinner at Ohana. What a let down 🙁
Yikes! If these changes are permanent it’s definitely for the worst. Is there a way to reach out to Disney and let them know that we’re upset by this? Like they say… if it ain’t broke!
That salad dressing was my favorite part of the whole meal 🙁 Well that and the bread…
While I’m not happy and except for some comments above, most people go there for the giant meat fest which hasn’t changed….
Salad and broccoli changes? Our strategy was to limit those distractions and leave room for the meat
@Pardonmyfrench… I 100% agree! OK, so the changes were a new salad dressing, more broccoli that soaks up the flavors and 2 less sauces to dip the food in? I think it is utterly ridiculous that someone would cancel a reservation based on these “changes”. Cry me a river people!
I wonder if they still have the old stuff available if you were to ask your “cousin” for a salad with the honey-lime dressing, or an additional sauce. Usually they’re really accommodating (I went once with my friend and her kid (who wasn’t feeling well and nothing on the menu sounded appealing); they cooked her up a hot dog and mac and cheese (or got elsewhere in the resort)). I wonder if you voiced your opinion about the change & made a request if they’d put it through. Just a thought.
We, too, loved the honey-lime dressing. Since I can’t eat seeds or nuts, these sound like horrrible changes if they provide no alternatives. We usually go to this restaurant at least once during every trip to DW but it will have to be off our itinerary if this change-up becomes permanent.
I hope that Walt Disney World Resort monitors these type of reviews and will return to the old menu. I, like most of the other people have posted, am really unhappy and disappointed with these menu changes. My family and I will probably not be dining here if these changes are permanent. Please, please Disney hear our voices and bring back our Honey-Lime salad dressing, broccoli with garlic and our dipping sauces…Fairy Godmother we need a little pixie dust here!!!
I was looking forward to trying everything they cut. Maybe I can still hope things revert back before my March trip!!
I have been going to O’Hanas with family since I was a kid and will not cancel a reservation there due to the changes. But, no honey lime dressing??? The salad and the potstickers are my favorite part of the meal! 🙁
Commenting from ohana. 10th time here in last few years and started with less than the usual great service so my radar was up. When the meats started coming out I waited for the dipping sauces that never came. My wife thought I was remembering wrong so I googled and found this thread. Asked one of the meat deliverers for sweet and sour sauce and he said to ask my “cousin” instead – said it takes awhile. Eventually got it and asked cousin about the other missing spicy mustard sauce. He said the change has been in place for a month and is because of new chefs. Said they were throwing out a ton of sweet and sour and mustard. I agree with majority of you that it’s not as good a restaurant as it once was. I will pass on my next visit.
If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Add things are provide options…………dont take away beloved items that people are clearly attached to and look forward to enjoying.
I hope nobody cancels their reservations over these changes. I had dinner there Sunday night, and the restaurant is as delicious as ever.
Regarding the vegetables, the new platter is an improvement, now offering more than just broccoli and the occasional snow pea. The salad is probably better as well — the fruit is a great addition, and the new dressing is as delicious as the old one.
I do understand the disappointment over the sauces, because it’s the one that seems like a “cutback.” I can see it both ways: I liked the other two sauces, but I also understand that from ‘Ohana’s perspective, they were a waste of resources. People would go through bowls of the peanut sauce and barely try the other two. Why serve them if nobody is eating them?
I’m not trying to apologize for Disney, but the reality is that any change at ‘Ohana results in a massive outcry. It shouldn’t be that way. Everybody should actually experience the new menu before drawing a conclusion. I would be shocked if many are you are disappointed.
(For the record, Sunday was one of the best meals I have ever had at ‘Ohana, and I have probably been there 10 times. I don’t know who was on the grill that night, but everything was perfect — that is to say, not overcooked.)
We were also there Sunday night (another post-half marathon proteinfest.) This time they didn’t mention the change. The vegetables were good, but the salad was bland. Pretty sure I’ll just skip the salad next visit.
Yeah, next visit. If you loved Ohana before, you’ll still love it. Don’t cancel a reservation because of this. You have every right to “protest” the changes, I suppose… but if you really want to get them to change something back, try eating there first and then give feedback.
We just ate there last Sunday evening. Menu changes were fine with me with the exception of the missing dipping sauces. Our server advised us more menu changes were planned in the coming months but could not elaborate.
I have always waned to go to the character breakfast here but finding out they only offer eggs ( my kids will not eat them ) really disappoints me !!! They need to have other options !!!
We ate at Ohana for the first time last year. I was unimpressed with the meat-heavy, vegetable-light menu, but my husband loved it so much that we returned this year. I am one who is pleased with the new veggies because more veggies were needed to combat the abundance of meat. However, there isn’t much on the menu that my kids like. The meats are tasty, but very seasoned, and my kids didn’t like them. There are so many other excellent places to eat in WDW that we will not be returning to Ohana next year.
Disappointed! Why change something when it is working and everything is so delicious! Changing the salad? Are they crazy? If they want a different salad then give he customer the option, the original salad or the new salad. The new salad is probably good however the old salad was delicious. If there is a new chef and he wants to try some of his/her ideas I say great just leave what is there and work in the new ideas and allow customers to make their choice.
WDW is very allergy conscious so I can’t imagine why they would only offer a dipping sauce that so many are severely allergic to. When my family eats at Ohana the chef always comes to the table because of numerous allergies. One thing that’s disappointing is that is sometimes takes forever for the allergy-free options to arrive.
We went to Ohana’s for the first time this February. I happened upon this site looking for the salad dressing recipe…. of the NEW dressing. My family all loved it, including two kids. I’m surprised at some people canceling reservations without even having tried it. Give it a chance!
I found the old recipe, and it’s pretty good, too. But I think we like the new one more!
Update: I ate there in March and loved the new salad. Dare I say it was better than the previous salad! I know, but it is. The pieces of fruit in the salad make it sweet and the dressing is tangy. It was awesome!
Just got back from our very first trip and ate one night at Ohanas. I LOVED the passion fruit dressing! Normally not a big salad eater, I had 3 helpings! As a matter of fact I stumbled across this blog in my search for the recipe. I never tried the Honey Lime since this was our first trip, but I can tell you that I will be disappointed if when we go back (and we will) they no longer serve the passion fruit.
LOL, just read Rona’ s comment. Seems we are of the same mind.
I would still stay there but bring my lime dressing with me. It’s very easy to make. SO if you see someone pouring something on there salad, it’s just me. Think outside the bowl…….
I went there two nights ago and they had sweet and sour and peanut for the sauces. Everything was excellent too… except the chicken wings. They used to be more carmelized and really sticky, were my favorite. This time the sauce is definitely thinner and not as flavorful. 🙁
Like I said, everything else was excellent though. Even the shrimp which my roommate had three entire skewers of.
PLEASE change it back!!!! This is horrible! There was nothing wrong with the menu as it stood. Sometimes, change is not a good thing!