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breakfast

How Would I Describe the Vegan Breakfast at Ohana Restaurant?

Restaurant Reviews By December 18, 2022 Tags: , , , , , No Comments

I have a confession to make. I listen to lots of podcasts. Some of them are faith-based podcasts. However, most of them revolve around theme park discussions like dining vegan at Ohana for breakfast. As you might imagine, I tend to focus on the theme park podcasts that discuss theme park food the most. My confession relates to something more embarrassing than that obsession with podcasts. Apparently, I accidentally deleted a podcast during a rather hectic week in my life, when it was released. In between returning from a “work” trip to Orlando and discovering an employment change regarding my “real job”, I deleted an important podcast in my tiny little world of theme park food. I discovered after checking my social media feed that I must have deleted a podcast episode released on September 28th, 2022. I accept all the blame and criticism for this debacle.

If you are still reading this, you must wonder if I will ever get to talking about theme park food. Please stay with me. The reason this deletion possesses great embarrassment revolves around the fact that the guest for that show mentioned that Ohana, at the Polynesian Resort, recently became the most searched-for advance dining reservation according to users of his product. What product would that be? I suspect you can guess. Yes, Dustin Checketts, co-founder of MouseDining.com served as a guest for that episode. I joked in a social media group that this mistake would lead to an awkward conversation.

Since Ohana serves as focus of this dining review, I should mention that I noticed the same change that Dustin mentioned on the podcast about Ohana being most searched for advance dining reservation via MouseDining. Obviously, that relates to the fact that I use data supplied to me by Dustin to plan dining reviews. Based on that data, I have been testing over the last few days whether the reservation demand at Ohana involves just dinner or breakfast also. Using MouseDining, I saw some very limited reservation availability for breakfast as well as for dinner at Ohana. In fact, I have a reservation alert set with MouseDining right now or Ohana for breakfast and dinner. Because of that data, I wrote a recent article suggesting Sebastian’s Bistro as a less expensive alternative. Also, on MouseDining blog, I previously wrote about my recent experience at Ohana for breakfast.

During my most recent all you care to eat dining adventure, I ordered every vegan dining option available. Yes, I knew at some point I would write about the vegan breakfast at Ohana. This article serves as the fulfillment of that plan.

So how was breakfast at Ohana in terms of vegan dining? As someone who often dines vegan when doing theme park food reviews, I found the breakfast quite good. Of course, some weaknesses emerged as evident during that segment of the meal.

The vegan breakfast version here opens with fruit as the standard option does. Yet, instead of pineapple-coconut breakfast bread, vegan diners get a vegan/gluten free cinnamon sugar donut. I enjoyed the donut. However, many of my vegan and gluten free friends do not think highly of this donut.

Vegan Breakfast at Ohana

The vegan skillet comes with scrambled “eggs”, “sausage”, fried island-style potatoes, and character-shaped waffles. Overall, I enjoyed this vegan skillet. Yet, my dining companions disliked it considerably. The vegan eggs came well prepared but lacked the cream that the non-vegan ones possess. The “eggs” worked fine in combination with everything else though. The vegan waffles tasted about as good as the non-vegan waffles. However, on this day, the vegan waffles only came in Stitch shape not Mickey. There seemed to be confusion about if that was always the case. I found the potatoes with the vegan skillet offered more flavor than the ones within the non-vegan skillet. The “sausage”, a vegan chorizo, functioned as only true disappointment for my dining experience.

Vegan Breakfast at Ohana

All in all, even as someone not dining exclusively vegan, I felt this breakfast offered enough merit to be considered for vegan diners without hesitation. In fairness, I have several vegan exclusive dining friends that do not have as high of an opinion of this vegan meal as myself. I apologize for that detail adding confusion but want to state all facts available at the time.

One last note, character breakfast with Stitch and friends returned in September. When I visited, character dining had not returned for breakfast. My meal cost $25 plus tax and tip before characters. Now, the price has risen to $45 with characters included. If considering this solid breakfast option bear that in mind. If it were me, I would opt for Topolino’s Terrace breakfast over this one at that price point. Also, if expecting the old-style parade where your kid joins in with the characters, they currently do not do that. If going for a character breakfast, expect about a minute each with Mickey, Pluto, Stitch, and Lilo during the breakfast.

Could the return of characters be a reason for high demand in terms of advance dining reservations at Ohana? Does the variety of breakfast and dinner options lead to demand? Could it be some combination of both? I think all these work as factors. I would gladly go back and pay for breakfast here without characters at $25 I struggle to be thrilled to pay $45 for this breakfast no matter how cool Stitch and friends might be. However, if someone in your family is a big Lilo and Stitch fan, then the money may well be worth it. Stitch qualifies as a hard-to-find character in the parks, except for special events. Lilo pretty much only appears here. I hope this helps you understand the situation if searching for Ohana reservations. As always, eat like you mean it!

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How Did Breakfast at Ohana Measure Up?

Restaurant Reviews By September 8, 2022 Tags: , , No Comments

One of the many popular restaurants at Walt Disney World resides at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Guests can enjoy breakfast or dinner at this table service location. As you might imagine, getting an advance dining reservation here can be tricky. For my most recent trip, I used MouseDining.com to acquire my original reservation. I also used it to change it several times to get the exact day and time I wanted. Eventually, I got a late breakfast time slot. I wanted a late slot since I knew I would be staying up before typing blogs after an evening at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Could Ohana repair the damage to my system from little sleep and scary food from the Halloween party at Magic Kingdom? Would the food be so average that it would not wake me up after typing until 4am? Would I even make my 11:20am reservation?

Good news I woke up in plenty of time. We arrived at The Polynesian Village Resort with plenty of time to make a reservation. We did experience similar delays to being seated as we experienced at Topolino’s Terrace the day before. After we were seated, we quickly got a fruit plate and breakfast pineapple bread. As usual, fruit just tastes better in Florida compared to most of the USA. The pineapple bread tasted fine but nothing special.

One of the least positive parts of this breakfast relates to the coffee. The coffee tasted like standard boring hotel coffee. I did quickly point out to my dining companions that therefore you can buy upgraded coffee with this breakfast. Of course, this breakfast comes with POG juice. Also, this place supported my diet soda addiction by bringing me a Coke Zero.

Early in our meal, they brought us waffles. Since we were dining at Ohana, we got Stitch and Mickey waffles. These Stitch shaped items make only Stitch guests get to see at Ohana until September 27th when characters return to this breakfast.

Related to characters returning, the current price of breakfast here is $25/adult. I expect price to increase when characters return though.

Back to the food, the waffles provided normal quality. I preferred the Stitch waffles over Mickey waffles. Yet, you may find Mickey tastes better.

The skillets come with plenty to enjoy. I learned from another guest that you can order ham without pineapple. Yet, I wonder why you would do that. The ham with pineapple tasted great. However, many people feel the ham is not as good as before theme parks closed in 2020. I found the sausage tasted average for table service dining. The eggs were very well prepared. They were not as good as eggs for breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace. The potatoes were well seasoned. I found them a great compliment to the other elements of these skillets. Finally, the biscuits were just okay.

Was this breakfast worth our time and money? I think it was. For $25 to get unlimited refills of any of these breakfast food items here currently makes a decent value. Considering larger breakfast buffets over at Universal Orlando start at $27, this price looks okay for Ohana. I could easily visualize a parent saying to everyone in group: “eat up, guys…if you want more food before our 3:00 dining reservation, you are on your own.” Then they might say something like: “If you leave here hungry, it is your own fault.”

Though I currently feel this makes a great value at $25, we will wait to see what price is starting September 27th with Stitch and friends returning to harass dining guests. Can you find a better breakfast on the property? Yes, you can. Can you find it at this price? No, you probably cannot. In fairness, I have several guest reports about Ohana not as glowing as mine. Reports seem to vary significantly. You can decide if this works for your group though. Remember, there are many reasons this restaurant ranks high in terms of Walt Disney World reservations searched for. For many people, this breakfast measures up very well. As always, eat like you mean it!

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What to Expect at a Magical Breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace

Restaurant Reviews By September 1, 2022 Tags: , No Comments

During my most recent trip to Orlando, I got an advance dining reservation for one of the most difficult places to get a reservation on Walt Disney World property, Topolino’s Terrace. Yes, I got this reservation about thirty days before using MouseDining.com alerts. So, do not lose hope if your desired dining options are not available 60 days in advance. Before discussing our wonderful breakfast experience, I should use the proper name for this restaurant. The full name is Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera. As I have written before, this place gets lots of hype but is well worth it!

For my plan, I wanted a late breakfast before we attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party later that day. I surprised my spouse by telling her that we were going to the party that morning via a semi-creative method. I desired a late breakfast to give her time to plan and relax before a long night in Magic Kingdom.

Since that was just a breakfast with my spouse and I, I had concerns about the character breakfast aspect. Characters interacting with past middle-aged males can lead to awkwardness. Yet, I knew my spouse wanted to do that. However, I will cover more about that in a moment.

Now, Topolino’s Terrace resides on the top floor of Disney’s Riviera Resort in the EPCOT resort area. Walt Disney World says you can take in sweeping rooftop views here. They tell the truth about that. The view from here rates as excellent. Based on our schedule, I did not have time to truly enjoy that view though. Even the view from the small area once you get off the elevator offers some great views.

To get to Topolino’s Terrace, you will need to enter the Riviera Resort. From the lobby area, follow signs to the east elevators down the hall from lobby. You should see signs indicating that. Once it is time for your reservation, you will take the elevator to the top floor where the restaurant resides. I suggest using the “My Disney Experience” app to do mobile check-in. Our reservation was for 12:05pm. Since breakfast hours end at 12:15pm, I believe this is the last seating for breakfast for the day. I checked in on time. We eventually moved to the waiting area. Our table was called at 12:33. During this trip, being seated later than your reservation became commonplace.

We were seated. Soon after, our excellent server Michael came to greet us. He brought us the Topolino’s version of POG juice.

As usual, we quickly got the breakfast pastries brought to our table. They tasted remarkable. In fact, I asked for more later in our meal. Soon after our pastries arrived, Minnie Mouse came to greet us. My spouse wore her Minnie Mouse shirt and ears to breakfast. She got some photos to earn “street cred” with younger family members that adore Minnie. These character interactions like all during this breakfast seemed effortless for all. They lead to some excellent conversation (well, conversation by us toward characters not speaking of course).

If you are an adult adverse to character interaction, this setting alleviates much of that awkwardness. I fail to enjoy characters as a grey-haired male, but these characters added to our breakfast enjoyment. Considering you get to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy, if casual character interaction merits you attention, this breakfast does that very well. Also, the character in their themed outfits adds to this experience. By the way, do not ask Mickey or Donald why they have not put a ring on Minnie and Daisy respectively. They might just walk away from you.

Now, breakfast here costs $42 for adults. That may seem high to you. However, for a character breakfast at Walt Disney World, that price rates as reasonable. In addition, once you understand how the system works at Topolino’s then the value starts to rise. Each adult guest gets to choose one main entrée. On this occasion, I chose the Butchers Steak entree. My spouse ordered “Two Eggs Any Style.” The other entrées offered are:

Frittata Gruyère

 

Avocado Toast

Fruit Plate

Wild Mushroom Scramble (Plant-Based)

Sour Cream Waffle

Side portion seen in photo

Smoked Salmon

Bread Pudding.

 

The key to ordering here revolves around ordering everything you want all at once. You only get one main entrée. Yet, you can have as many sides as you want and/or smaller versions of the other entrée also. As Michael pointed out, they just ask that you order this all at once. In theory, you could order one main entrée which already comes with some sides. Then, you could get as many of the other entrées in smaller form at same time. I thought of it as buffet you just order all at once. In future reviews, I will break down the pros and cons of each breakfast entrée. I suggest no matter what entrée you select, that you ask for a sour cream waffle.

If you dine here getting a pastry or two and then just one entrée, this place will be nice but lacks value. However, if you order an entrée and two smaller entrees as sides, this place offers a solid value. Michael even asked me directly about an annual pass discount. Over the last few months, we have seen less and less checking by Cast Members for dining discounts.

The service here reaches top notch level. For example, my spouse noticed some kids had themed waffles on a stick with their meal. Michael brought some to her. The best part of this breakfast meal, besides maybe the characters, involves the wide variety of menu items and flavors you can enjoy. In fact, I have yet to find anything lacking in solid flavor and quality here.

On the negative side, the process to get a reservation here adds stress. Of course, MouseDining.com can help with some of that. The check-in process could be better also. For breakfast at least, if you desire a quiet setting, this would not be the best place with all the character interaction. Though I really enjoyed my meal without characters, the food by itself falls below being worth $42. Also, like many table service meals, picky eaters will be overpaying. Of course, if you desire truly signature dining, the dinner menu fulfills that. The evening cuisine tastes so much better. Still, the breakfast quality offered here exceeds most places.

Once again, I really enjoyed this breakfast. In fact, it made Ohana breakfast the next day look weak by comparison. Spoiler…we had a great experience at Ohana also. Would I do this again? I can answer positively to that. Be on the lookout for more specific reviews of the breakfast entrees here at MouseDining.com As always, eat like you mean it!

 

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What Should We Do for Weekday Breakfast at Disney Springs?

Restaurant Reviews By August 10, 2022 Tags: , No Comments

I have developed a reputation for above average knowledge of food in Disney Springs area of Walt Disney World Resort. However, I learned something new today about dining at Disney Springs. I will get back to that but let me elaborate on something else first.

Regarding this reputation for Disney Springs dining knowledge, I think that might be exaggerated. Sure, most of the reviews I have written for MouseDining.com correspond to Disney Springs locations. Yes, I scheduled two entire days earlier this year just to dine in Disney Springs. Okay, maybe I booked a hotel in the Disney Springs area so I could walk to Disney Springs to eat for a trip later this year. I, also, took three different queries asking me about Disney Springs options today from theme park media or podcasters. Also, I just scheduled a podcast interview to simply talk about Disney Springs restaurants for a week from today. Even the friend of MouseDining, Jeremy Stein, let me come on his podcast to talk about some Disney Springs restaurants (among other things).

I have a day job, so I do not consider myself an expert on food. Yet, I eat, and I know things. Yes, I spell my name “Jon” with no “H” because the letter “H” is “Ew!” However, I would be slightly offended if you looked at me talking about food saying “You know nothing” like a famous pop culture “Jon” was told.

Remember I said I learned something today about dining at Disney Springs. As you may have guessed, it relates to breakfast. I get asked intermittently what to eat for breakfast during the week at Disney Springs. In fact, I often laugh when asked this. I suggest places like Earl of Sandwich, Everglazed Doughnut, Starbucks, and maybe even Erin McKenna Bakery NYC. Now, some Disney Springs restaurants offer phenomenal weekend brunch menus. What about Monday through Friday? The choice rate as basic. I love Everglazed and Starbucks. Yet, if you can wait until 10am for breakfast, I have a table service weekday breakfast for you to consider.

In fairness, I recently learned Raglan Road opens Monday through Friday at 10am for breakfast. I eat and know things, but I did not know this. That makes this place the only table service dining option available for breakfast during the week at Disney Springs. The breakfast menu items will be offered from 10am to noon during weekdays.

The breakfast menu items offered here are limited. Yet, guests dining at this time may also order off all day dining menu also. Three of the breakfast menu items listed are:

FULL IRISH-Full Irish Breakfast with Cheshire heritage pork Irish banger, black & white pudding, Irish bacon, roasted tomato, mushrooms, and fried eggs with boxty potato cake for $25. This item also appears on the weekend brunch menu.

BACON AND EGGS- Scrambled or fried eggs with boxty potato cake and Irish style rashers or American bacon for $19

FRENCH TOAST- Vanilla French toast with fresh fruit compote and crispy bacon for $19

Phot Credit: Raglan Road promotion photo

Yet, the fourth and final breakfast menu item comes with the unique name “Hipsters Lament.” I guess our Irish themed restaurant created some humor in a recovery breakfast of sorts. Maybe this menu item helps people who drink and do not remember. Still, the “Hipsters Lament” features smashed avocado, Irish bacon & poached eggs on sourdough. This also comes with chive butter, boxty potato cake and roasted tomato. This costs $21. Like the “Full Irish”, this appears on the weekend brunch menu as well.

So how is the “Hipsters Lament” for breakfast?  Well, if you need something to replenish your system, this menu item meets that need. The avocado does not overwhelm this breakfast item. I mention that first since this is basically super powered avocado toast. The bacon and eggs come to your table well prepared. Still, they offer solid flavor but nothing extraordinary. The most common weakness voiced about this menu item would be the potatoes. The butter and tomato enhance this entrée. However, the quality rates as good but once again nothing special.

With a price point over $20 for breakfast, this lament could be for your bank account. Yet, with the portion size, this makes a filling breakfast. If a day of Disney shopping comes after breakfast, this choice will fuel you well to shop and avoid dropping

Would I go to breakfast at Raglan Road just to order this? I would respond negatively. However, if your group wants a sit-down style breakfast outside the theme park, this breakfast menu deserves consideration. If your plans include some time at Disney Springs, this breakfast provides a better option than the counter service/snack choices that are your alternative. I respect this review is a “wishy-washy” endorsement of Raglan Road weekday breakfast. Still, if one person in your group wants breakfast, then others can order off the main menu.

Now, my dining review schedule changes often. Still, I currently have two different advance dining reservations at Raglan Road for upcoming trips to Disney Springs. Though I cannot strongly endorse this menu item wholeheartedly, Raglan Road added several new menu items this summer. I plan to try some of them soon. Of course, MouseDining can help with getting challenging advance dining reservations like Raglan Road. Thanks for reading. As always, eat like you mean it!

 

 

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