Ohana or Cali Grill?

[maxbuffmelvin]

I am not Foodie, and I tend to get buyer's remorse with the bill at a signature restaurant. I prefer Ohana because of the atmosphere.

 

[kdka421]

Dined at Ohana for dinner in January with my kids age 6 and 8. Huge miss, would not recommend it to anyone, especially at that pricetag. Worst meal of our trip, and the most expensive by almost 2x.
Honestly I'd recommend just about anywhere else over Ohana, FWIW...

That said the kids did love watching the fireworks from the Poly beach. You could grab a to go meal at Kona or Captain Cooks, or even just a dole whip, and relax.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

This would have been a very easy recommendation - 10-15 years ago. But sadly, 'Ohana just doesn't hit the mark for food and service anymore. Definitely recommend CG instead, now.

 

[take36]

California Grill for sure out of the those two. Ohana just isn't the same anymore with the prices, food, and service.

 

[PalmettoPath]

11 years a member and you dont know the difference between CG an OH?????

Apples and Oranges. You can see fireworks anywhere.

California Grill is finer (not as good as it used to be) dining where you sit down and have a slow paced meal.

Ohana is family style slop where mounds of mediocre food is plopped down on your table to over indulge. (also, not as good as it used to be)

Decide what kind of food you want. Again, you can see fireworks anyplace.

I love that frank description, and agree with it. Not a fan of the prix fixe approach at CG but it's still no contest in head-to-head with Ohana for us (and we used to love Ohana maybe 10 years ago.

 

[B-Ride]

With 9 and 7 year olds, I would do 'Ohana and view the fireworks from the beach - Poly is just an, overall, better themed resort and has a real "wow" factor, IMHO. I think it would be a more fun way to start the trip than going to what may seem to be a "stuffier", more formal restaurant. Make sure to book your meal so you finish and have enough time to get to the beach to see the fireworks.

They are 100% different experiences. Quantity and fun at 'Ohana, quality at Cali Grill. With kids I would agree that ;Ohana is the best choice.

 

[rosiebean]

Personally, I'd disregard the "if your kids are between this age and this age, then this restaurant is a one size fits all" advice.

I've done 'Ohana dinner, done the fireworks on Poly's beach more than once, done Cali Grill, done fireworks viewing on Cali Grill's terrace several times. I have two teenagers, and they've been going to WDW since they were about the age of your kids.

Thoughts:

1. California Grill (even with the menu change to prefix, which I am disappointed in) is head and shoulders above 'Ohana as far as food in our experience.
2. Atmosphere inside at both is nice, though different than the other. The vibe at 'Ohana is lively, and at Cali Grill it's more refined/classic but not at all stuffy and very family friendly (views are fantastic as well, even if your table isn't right at a window). We've found 'Ohana to be very loud and service consistently rushed. Out of our experiences at Cali Grill, we've had one rushed server, all the others have given us time to enjoy our meal, and they have given our table personalized attention.
3. The fireworks view at Cali Grill is amazing, more so in our opinion than the one at Poly. But the view at Poly was still outstanding.
4. Our kids (even when they were early elementary school aged) liked Cali Grill's food, atmosphere, and experience better than 'Ohana. They enjoyed being able to choose different options vs a set 'family style meal' where everyone gets the same thing. They enjoyed having servers who chatted with them and discussed menu preferences vs random servers stopping by for a second to put a skillet of dumplings on the table. The liked both restaurants, just found Cali Grill to be more special and memorable.
5. My kids are my kids and not anyone else's. I know lots of others that age would not like Cali Grill (frankly, a lot of adults wouldn't either). Everyone's situation is unique. So long as you understand the difference between the two restaurants, you can make the best choice for your family.

So in the end, I'm just saying don't write off Cali Grill because of the ages of your kids.