Review: Oga’s Cantina Bar in Star Wars Land
Oga’s Cantina is a bar in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and the land’s most popular attraction–or at least the one with the longest line. We’ll review this lounge in Disneyland and Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, with food & drink photos, thoughts on the atmosphere, and some strategy for what to order and how to approach Oga’s Cantina.
Let’s start by noting that Advance Dining Reservations can be incredibly difficult to score. This is true at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. We strongly recommend being online bright and early 60+ days in advance. See our Top 10 Tips for Difficult Dining Reservations for recommendations about improving your odds of scoring ADRs for Oga’s Cantina.
With that said, it’s still possible to snag last-minute reservations thanks to someone else cancelling, or getting lucky when more availability is added. Walk-up waitlist is also available, and these methods are among the best options if you’re unable to score ADRs at the 60 day mark.
Aside from piloting the Millennium Falcon (check), visiting Mos Eisley Cantina ranks highly among the moments from the Star Wars universe that fans would want to experience themselves. Given that Mos Eisley Cantina exists on Tatooine and Galaxy’s Edge is set on the planet of Batuu, that was not possible. However, Oga’s Cantina is a good consolation prize.
The theme, level of detail, and immersion of Oga’s Cantina are all off the charts. This bar is cool, and feels like a dive bar for scoundrels and other notorious patrons straight from the Star Wars universe. In theory, it’s pitch perfect. However, the practical reality of visiting Oga’s Cantina is pretty far from that, and the location itself still left me wanting something more…
In terms of that something more, I’m still not entirely sure of what, but I have some ideas. While I’m not the most diehard Star Wars fan, Mos Eisley Cantina (of all things) is one thing that left an indelible impression on me when I was a kid. I’ve wanted to visit it ever since seeing Imagineering bring Sonny Eclipse to life at Walt Disney World.
Stepping inside that and Jabba’s Palace are things I’ve always wanted to do. I’m not sure why, but piloting the Millennium Falcon wasn’t even on my radar. I guess I was a weird kid. Not that they’re at all related, but to me, something like that or a show with the Max Rebo Band (or the unbuilt Plectu’s Fantastic Galactic Revue) with multiple creatures was what I envisioned when I thought of a Star Wars bar.
A problem with Disney or Star Wars fandom is that there’s a tendency to build a mental version of the story, attraction, etc., in our heads before that thing comes to fruition.
This can lead to disappointment when the real thing, invariably, doesn’t align with what we’ve crafted in our heads. It’s a personal problem, and one of the genesises of toxic fandom. I try to avoid this to the greatest extent possible, but I’ve nonetheless been guilty of it myself plenty of times.
In looking back at Mos Eisley Cantina, it’s definitely not that the themed design or details of Oga’s Cantina are wanting. To the contrary, Oga’s Cantina is more lavish and ornate than its film counterpart. There’s more eye candy, and the static design itself feels more lived in.
The key difference is the patrons.
Mos Eisley Cantina is endlessly fascinating because of the eclectic lifeforms: bounty hunters, smugglers, rogue traders, curious travelers, and lively entertainers. It’s quite the motley crew that populates the tavern.
No offense to you all (or myself, I guess?), but random Disney tourists are obviously no substitute for all of these characters, and there’s no way to bring all of that to fruition in a functioning cantina that serves guests. Suffice to say, I felt Oga’s could’ve been something more.
Having more than just DJ R-3X would’ve given Oga’s Cantina a greater sense of vivacity. Don’t get me wrong, DJ R-3X is really cool, but the droid basically just bounces around and turns its head.
An Audio Animatronics figure (or three) of more elaborate creatures, or even a couple of performers mingling among guests would give Oga’s Cantina a sense of life and personality. For me, this is actually a missed opportunity, and not just a matter of my own preconceptions.
Again, this is not to diminish what does exist to establish a sense of place at Oga’s Cantina. You could spend hours exploring the bar, appreciating the details, hidden nods, and meticulous design.
Imagineering did an excellent job with all of that, and the core, static elements of Oga’s Cantina are fantastic. For me, it just needs something more to give it an authentic energy.
Likewise, DJ R-3X, also known as REX, is awesome. The old Starspeeder 3000 pilot from Star Tours has been repurposed to provide travelers at the edge of the galaxy with interesting music, and REX fulfills that role admirably.
This is a really cool feature that I appreciate, and it doesn’t come across as overly fan service-y.
To create a sense of intimacy, Imagineering made Oga’s Cantina really small. I get the desire to create an authentic, immersive experience, but it’s arguable that this bar does a poor job of balancing that with the operational realities of a theme park.
This is the same quibble we have with Savi’s Workshop for Handbuilt Lightsabers, which we absolutely loved (and highly recommend). The problem is that so many guests will never have the chance to partake. Doubling the capacity by creating more rooms would allow more guests to be able to experience the bar.
Inside, the experience at Oga’s Cantina is chaotic. Move from your assigned seat and there’s a good chance it will be filled by other guests. We received this warning, disregarded it (because who isn’t going to wander the bar and look at all that eye candy), and had our spot filled.
We’d recommend not worrying too much about this or all the warnings. Order a single drink, grab it, and wander to your heart’s content once you receive it. If a Cast Member does fill your spot, oh well; exploring the bar and perusing its many intriguing details is the highlight of the experience, anyway.
Alternatively, after checking in for your ADR at Oga’s Cantina, enter the bar, wander around, and order absolutely nothing. You won’t be charged anything with this approach, and you get to explore the interior of the bar for a bit. Win-win.
It’s worth noting that the entire day’s ration of drinks is mixed in the morning, and these pre-made cocktails means that they’re obviously not hand-crafted or made-to-order. It also means that no substitutions or ordering off-menu is allowed. Given the high prices of the drinks (which have already increased since Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened!), this is really disappointing.
We’ve now been to Oga’s Cantina several times, and have tried most of the drinks in the process. We haven’t sampled everything single thing, but most of what we tried–alcoholic and non-alcoholic–was a disappointment. For better or worse, these are your typical fruity Disney Parks Generic Drink Menu concoctions.
That appeals to a lot of tourists, so you very well might like the libations at Oga’s. If sugary, fruity drinks that are light on alcohol don’t appeal to you, we’d suggest sticking to the solid beer menu.
There are a couple of exceptions to this. First, the Fuzzy Tauntaun, which is the yellow drink above. This features Cîroc Peach Vodka, Bols Peach Schnapps, and Simply Orange topped with tangerine and pure cane sugar. Most importantly, there’s Buzzz Foam.
The Fuzzy Tauntaun is definitely fruity, but the citrus flavor is not too sweet. Moreover, the Buzzz Foam contains a natural numbing agent, that will literally make your mouth tingle (or go totally numb, depending upon how much your have). This was a weird sensation at first, but we all found it “addictively interesting” and would recommend at least giving it a shot. It’s a lot of fun.
Second, the Yub Nub. This one is $42 (!!!) and is served in an awesome souvenir Endor mug. It features Malibu Pineapple Rum and Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum plus citrus and passion fruit juices.
It is the stereotypical fruity rum drink, but that’s not why we’re recommending it (the drink itself is fine). It’s for that mug, which is awesome. The $42 price is tough to swallow, but you figure this will be discontinued in a year or less, and will eventually sell for some astronomical sum on eBay. So consider this drink an investment.
Finally, there’s the Blue Bantha: “Blue Milk served chilled with Bantha-inspired Vanilla-Butter Sugar Cookie.”
As you’ve probably heard by now, the Blue Milk is highly divisive. Some people love it, some hate it. I happen to love it, but I think I’m in the minority on that one. Either way, you need to try it at least once to form your allegiances. The Blue Bantha presentation (and consistency) is superior to the Milk Stand version. Oh, and the thick cookie atop the drink is delicious.
All other non-alcoholic drinks are sugary and fruity, with several using Powerade or Odwalla as a base. Other than the Blue Bantha, I thought the Jabba Juice was serviceable.
The rest of the non-alcoholic drinks were downright bad. You’re better off with drinking fountain water or a Coke.
On the alcoholic drink front, other than the Fuzzy Tauntaun and Yub Nub, there are a few decent options. The Jet Juice is essentially a large shot, and is the strongest drink on the menu.
The Dagobah Slug Slinger is also not too sweet, but has an herbs-meet-citrus flavor that is definitely an acquired taste. (At least it’s interesting!) The Outer Rim is basically a margarita, and is a relatively safe choice if you don’t want too much fruitiness.
As for how you can have the best experience at Oga’s Cantina, our first recommendation would be starting at another bar where you can order drinks that are actually potent. At Disneyland Resort, Carthay Circle Lounge is a good alternative. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Brown Derby or Tune-In Lounge are good choices. All of these are superior in terms of drink quality (by a wide margin), and is a good place to have cocktails that are actually good before heading off to Galaxy’s Edge.
Once inside Oga’s Cantina, order only the Fuzzy Tauntaun, Blue Bantha, beer, or as mentioned above, nothing at all. The first two are fun drinks that, at the very minimum, are also good ‘conversation pieces.’ Take them, wander the bar for 45 minutes, and don’t worry about anything else.
At this point, I feel like this Oga’s Cantina review is a bit too harsh. To be sure, the drink menu isn’t good (aside from presentation), the way the location is operated to churn guests leaves a lot to be desired, and the energy of the cantina could be enhanced considerably with atmospheric entertainment. All of those qualms are easily addressable or ignorable.
I’m not here to be a Disney apologist–the Oga’s Cantina experience as it presently stands is far from perfect. The flip side of that, though, is that the crucial, baked-in elements of the experience (like the architecture, fundamental design, and details both little and big) are all exceptional. It could be even better with a few tweaks, but there’s a solid foundation in place.
Overall, Oga’s Cantina is a cool place to experience, and spending some time there can be satisfying. It’s not your typical relaxed lounge experience, but it has a lot to see and appreciate. The enthusiasm of other patrons is contagious, and the sick beats from DJ R3X will be felt in your bones. It ranks among the better things to do in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which is saying something given that this is a land of highlights.
If you’re planning on visiting the new land, you’ll also want to read our Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Guide. This covers a range of topics from basics about the land and its location, to strategically choosing a hotel for your stay, recommended strategy for the land, and how to beat the crowds. It’s a good primer for this huge addition. As for planning the rest of your trip, we have a comprehensive Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide as well as a thorough Walt Disney World Planning Guide.
Your Thoughts
Have you visited Oga’s Cantina? What did you think of the theme and atmosphere? What about the drinks? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Looking forward to experiencing Oga’s Cantina, or is it low on your list of Star Wars Land priorities? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
The way to have non-humans in the bar without overcrowding should have been simple. Disney SHOULD have built a non-accessible second floor interior balcony where a combination of actors and Animatronics/puppets sit. They could have then planned a number of scenes, like Storm Troopers coming in and demanding that the bartender reveal if there are any rebels hiding in the bar. A scene where a bounty of hunter catches his/her prey. And pop a band or live DJ up there every once in a while.
Hi Tom, we are hoping to go to Disney World this January. We didn’t want to order drinks or food at Oga’s….we just wanted to go in and look around. Do we need reservations to do that?
Ha! What happened to the advertised interaction with guests based on there Smugglers Run Performance, is that not happening ???
We’ve had it happen a couple of times, but definitely not to the degree I would’ve expected given how they talked it up.
However, it’s still early, and getting Cast Members trained on the main (actual!) responsibilities of their job is probably priority #1.
I don’t get why Disney gets the pass on serving awful cocktails. Using Powerade as a base? That’s pathetic. The land cost a cool billion, the drinks are very expensive, and it’s not that hard to make a decent cocktail.
Very True……Expensive, awfull, cocktails……I have learned my lesson and will not purchase any further……unless there improved, not holding my breath for that to happen!
Especially when Club 33 and Carthay Circle both serve outstanding world-class beverages. Maybe the should have had the bar teams from those bars do the cocktail menu instead of marketers from Diageo and Pernod Ricard.
No offense to you all (or myself, I guess?), but random Disney tourists are obviously no substitute for all of these characters, and there’s no way to bring all of that to fruition in a functioning cantina that serves guests.
For the One Billion Price Tag on this New Land, you would think that much more along those lines could have/should have been done! Seems to me it’s just like the engines conking out on the Falcon as they engage light speed…..Too Bad…So Sad
Do you need to tip the bartender/server at the cantina?
I have the same question. Thank you.
I loved it, but we weren’t drinking a lot of the overly sweet drinks. I had one of them and thought it was okay, and then splurged on the beer flight. I thought the beers were really solid. We were intrigued by the Fuzzy Tauntaun but my husband did not like the weird numbing feeling at all. He really liked the T-16 Skyhopper. I’d say Oga’s was my favorite part of the morning. Loved DJ Rex too.
Your review was spot on. I went to Oga’s alone the first time but I cannot drink alcoholic beverages so I was severely limited. My daughter and I visited Oga’s and she ordered two drinks, one she liked and the other she didn’t. A big yes to enhancing the environment with cast members in alien costumes. The problem are the health & safety rules for costumes characters. Animatronic characters are not limited to imposed regulations. The bar could have used a couple of swarthy bartenders but they were so busy filling orders that there was little interaction with the customers. Disneyland overestimated the crowd level. Visiting the resort since the beginning of the soft opening until now has seen such light crowds that it was a pleasure to walk around and ride everything without interminable lines. Galaxy’s Edge stopped requiring boarding passes (virtual queue) because so few visitors were at the park. Perhaps everyone else is waiting for the Rise of the Resistance ride to open later this year.
We will have children (13, 11, 7 years) with us. Would it be an appropriate place for them?
It will be wonderful because my food friend Amanda Pierce will be working there!!
I was there this weekend but sadly wasn’t able to get a reservation into the Cantina. I’d like to see them build a second Cantina with a band! Animatronic or Live, either way. More aliens needed!
Yeah, but Figrin D’an wasn’t scruffy. He was slick, in his black suit. (I may or may not have had an action figure…) I wasn’t expecting any specific characters, but was hoping for something in the same vein. Then again, geeks like me would also be thrilled to see someone lose an arm by lightsaber at the bar. I guess Batuu might be a more peaceful place than Mos Eisley.
Do they serve any food or a breakfast drink menu (space coffee)? With the 6am opening at the Studios, I was wondering if I could rope drop Smuggler’s run and then have a quick breakfast and a drink at Oga’s.
We didn’t do breakfast at Oga’s, but they do have a couple of different options then. I’d expect a larger breakfast menu at DHS, given the early openings.
For what it’s worth, I’d do those in the opposite order: rope drop Oga’s, then do Smugglers Run. The latter has roughly 10x the hourly capacity–it’s a people eater, whereas Oga’s is not.
If you’re willing to spend $200 but no more than $200 on Galaxy’s Edge experiences and you’re quick on the draw enough to have your pick of Savi’s or Oga’s, which would you choose? Based on the reviews of each experience I’m thinking Savi’s, but for our family of 4 that would mean either me or my husband would have to sit out the experience under the current builder-and-2-guests rules.
If there were more non-earthlings at Oga’s my math might change.
Why not both? Make reservations for Oga’s, check-in so you don’t lose your $10 per person reservation hold fee, go inside, walk around, and then leave? Nothing says you’re required to buy any drinks!
As for a more direct answer: I’d absolutely do Savi’s over drinking at Oga’s Cantina. No question about it whatsoever. The drinks are nothing special.
That’s a great idea. Will do that when we visit DW. Drinks don’t look good and we just want to see the Cantina for a bit. Then ride Millennium Falcon and get out of GE. Looks like Disney has created a very expensive swing and a miss.
Thank you, Tom, for your heroic sacrifice in drinking disgustingly sweet disney cocktails so we don’t make the mistake of ordering them. Would it be so hard for them to come up with a Galaxy Edge riff on a Sazerac or a nice dry gin martini?
Just a quick question: Do you think it’s necessary to use terms like “Star Wars Land’s Bar” in this blog? I think most people who read this will already know what Galaxy’s Edge and Oga’s Cantina are. You don’t need to use the kinds of obvious terminology used in media aimed at casual audiences.
A majority of this blog’s readership is first-timers.
That’s not reflected in the comments section, which definitely has a very different tone, but it’s the case overall.
I had no idea most of your readers were first-timers. That’s great! This is one of the best blogs to introduce people to Disney parks, IMO.
I did not know that Tom. Interesting factoid. And I agree with Ricardo that this is the resource I send people to when they need Disney planning help.
Sorry but I have to reply to this post as it’s really annoyed me reading it. Not everyone is a star wars fan, so some people may need this terminology to understand the post! Star Wars isn’t real, galaxys edge isn’t real – it is a land in a theme park and oga’s cantina is the bar – I think the phrase used by Tom wss quite accurate!
Quick Clarification. When you get up to look around and your seat is taken. Is it by another guest sitting down instead of standing? or is a Disney cast member taking your spot to keep you from sitting back down?? Also is there a bathroom inside or do you have to exit?
Cast Members will assign new guests to your seats or spot.
I’m extremely excited to experience this cantina, but do wish that there was live entertainment, a la “Modal Nodes.” I feel like early concept art also gave the impression that there would be “scum and villainy” to interact with, but all the patrons are just regular earth-folk. On the drink front, I very much wish that Disney would offer more adult flavors in their adult beverages. Everything I’ve tasted off their specialty cocktail menus taste like fruit punch mixed with simple syrup.
Agree with the idea that more recognizable characters performing would be fun and add a lot of ambience. I was envisioning Jabba’s dancing slave girl, Oola, performing on the balcony, but then I realized that wouldn’t go over well these days. But, some kind of street urchin type performers outside would be a fun addition too. But, then again, that would also not be received well come to think of it.
Yeah, but Figrin D’an wasn’t scruffy. He was slick, in his black suit. (I may or may not have had an action figure…) I wasn’t expecting any specific characters, but was hoping for something in the same vein. Then again, geeks like me would also be thrilled to see someone lose an arm by lightsaber at the bar. I guess Batuu might be a more peaceful place than Mos Eisley.
We wants the Redhead!!!!
Haha!
I think with the new comic book series and future book based on Batuu and Black Spire Outpost coming out, they were thinking (I’m guessing) that there would be much to expand upon concerning characters in this land. I would bet that there will be more performances and an evolving in-park plot that will be in real time. I would hope they’d do that. They have to keep it relevant and alive, not only nostalgic.
I’ve read one of the comic books and they set the scene including some of the curios at Dok Ondar’s and the Spira medallion (which itself is pretty awesome).
“Given that Mos Eisley Cantina exists on Tatooine and Galaxy’s Edge, that was not possible.”
Tom, I think you may be missing the word *not* or *not on* here, so it’s “Given that Mos Eisley Cantina exists on Tatooine and not on Galaxy’s Edge, that was not possible.”
You’re right, I was missing a few words. Fixed it–thanks for the heads up!
Well I was already picturing in my minds eye what all the creatures from other worlds would look like and how cool that would be.
That’s disappointing! So much for expectations.
I’m old and saw the first three Star Wars movies and liked them. Then saw the prequels when they came out and wasn’t impresses. They left no lasting opinion. I think we saw one of the newer ones, but I’m not even sure how many they have done so far. None of this even makes any impact on me. I may or may not even visit Star Wars land.
Cool Story Bro!