Sebastian’s Bistro & ‘Ohana Reopening!
Walt Disney World has announced the return of fan-favorite restaurant ‘Ohana at the Polynesian Village Resort and unheralded gem Sebastian’s Bistro at Caribbean Beach. In this post, we’ll offer opening dates, Advance Dining Reservation timeframes, plus what else we can expect from WDW dining for the next few months.
We love to eat at Walt Disney World, and the reduced restaurant lineup and scaled back menus have been among our biggest post-reopening disappointments. Physical distancing started out as the big culprit there, both in terms of seating for guests in the dining rooms and for Cast Members in kitchens and behind the scenes.
As park attendance and hotel occupancy rates have increased since the start of summer, Advance Dining Reservations have become increasingly difficult to score. While physical distancing is no longer as much of an impediment to improved dining capacity, staffing shortages have become a bigger issue. Thankfully, Walt Disney World is starting to resolve these problems and we’re seeing more and more restaurants return. Here are details about the return of Sebastian’s Bistro and ‘Ohana…
Let’s start with Sebastian’s Bistro at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. This table service restaurant will open on June 24, with nightly walk-in availability through July 4, 2021. (Presumably that means via Walk-Up Waitlist in the My Disney Experience App.)
Advance Dining Reservations will be available for booking starting on June 10, 2021 for meals on and after July 5, 2021.
As a reminder, the Disney Skyliner gondolas stop at both Caribbean Beach and Riviera Resorts, and Sebastian’s Bistro is a short walk from either. (On a related note, see our Disney Skyliner Sip & Snack Strategy for a good time on your non-park day at Walt Disney World!)
If you’re unable to score ADRs in Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios, are staying at Pop Century, Art of Animation, or just want to make the trek out to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, it’s a fun flight.
When Sebastian’s Bistro reopens, it will continue serving delicious tastes of the Caribbean, but via a new family-style meal at dinner. To my knowledge, this is the first time during the reopening that an a la carte menu has transitioned to family style.
This menu will get you started with Sebastian Bistro’s signature buttery house-baked pull-apart rolls, which are a personal favorite of ours. That will be followed by the Taste of the Caribbean platter, which includes oven-roasted citrus chicken, slow-cooked mojo pork with mango sambal, and grilled flank steak with mojito relish. The Taste of the Caribbean platter comes with sides of cilantro rice and beans, vegetable curry, and grilled broccolini. Coconut shrimp can also be ordered as an add-on to your meal. For dessert, Sebastian’s Bistro will serve the popular coconut-pineapple bread pudding.
If you gave me 25 guesses as to which Walt Disney World restaurant would reopen next, I wouldn’t have gotten this one right. Maybe on guess number 26. Maybe. (Eh, probably actually would’ve gone with the Diamond Horseshoe debuting a new abomination of a menu.)
Despite it being a relatively new venue, Sebastian’s Bistro never really caught on, and just when it was starting to see more traffic thanks to the Skyliner and Riviera Resort, the closure happened. Part of me feared that might be the final nail in its coffin. (I still fear the same for Spyglass Grill, and I really hope to be wrong about that!)
In any case, this comes as a colossal relief, as we absolutely love Sebastian’s Bistro (click here for our full review). While I feel like other family-style menus have been a downgrade or lateral move at best, I’m cautiously optimistic that the change here will be a net positive for both the restaurant and guests.
This could be just the shot in the arm Sebastian’s Bistro needs, making the restaurant more appealing and accessible to families. Personally, I am very much on board with the idea of unlimited pull-part rolls. Normally, it’s foolish to waste valuable stomach space on bread at an all you can eat restaurant, but I’ll have to make an exception here!
While I wouldn’t have gotten the first one right with 25 guesses, I would’ve gotten this next restaurant right with only a single guess. ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will be reopening on July 9, 2021 with Advance Dining Reservations going live on June 10, 2021.
‘Ohana will again offer its all-you-care-to-enjoy breakfast and dinner offerings when the table service restaurant reopens. Although Disney characters will not be hosting breakfast, a strolling musician will entertain guests for dinner. (As someone who cares exclusively about dinner at ‘Ohana, that right there sounds like a win!)
For breakfast, start with pineapple-coconut breakfast bread, followed by Stitch and Mickey Mouse waffles, then skillets with ham, sausage, and breakfast potatoes.
The ‘Ohana dinner menu features all-you-care-to-enjoy platters of grilled beef steak, roasted chicken, sausage, and island shrimp casserole served with fried rice and roasted broccolini. ‘Ohana pot stickers, crispy soy chicken wings, and the signature ‘Ohana bread pudding served warm with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream are back!
I’m excited for ‘Ohana…but not nearly as excited as I am for Sebastian’s Bistro. I know that’s almost certainly an unpopular opinion, and it’s likely in large part because the return of ‘Ohana in July or August was an inevitability, whereas Sebastian’s Bistro feels like it’s coming out of left field.
Also, if I’m admitting to my unpopular opinions, I think ‘Ohana is a little bit overrated. Not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but not the end-all, be-all that some Walt Disney World fans have made it out to be. Some of the new menu choices (looking at you, shrimp casserole!) strike me as a tad questionable, while some of the omissions (noodles?!) are also dubious.
With all of that said, you better believe we’ll be making Advance Dining Reservations ASAP for ‘Ohana! I am very eager to revisit it and (hopefully) be proven wrong in calling it overrated. There’s literally nothing I love more than eating delicious food that also forces me to eat crow, figuratively.
Speaking of which, expect Advance Dining Reservations to book up quickly for ‘Ohana (probably less so for Sebastian’s Bistro). Due to physical distancing and the reduced capacity that entails, staffing shortages, and the immense popularity of ‘Ohana, you’ll definitely want to be online right when ADRs drop on Thursday.
On the topic of physical distancing and staffing shortages, earlier this week we covered how Walt Disney World tweaked its physical distancing verbiage to allow for the relaxation of table spacing in restaurants. In that, we noted how another party was seated at a table directly adjacent to us, no more than a couple of feet away at Geyser Point.
We subsequently dined at Whispering Canyon Cafe, and it was a very different story there. Above is a photo of the main dining room during our breakfast; as you can probably see, most tables are marked with the “not available” signs. We believe this is a result of staffing shortages rather one Wilderness Lodge restaurant not getting the memo.
Presumably, more tables will be brought online as soon as staffing allows for it. This goes not just for Whispering Canyon Cafe, but for restaurants all around Walt Disney World. (We’ve observed many tables still being marked as unavailable at numerous locations around the parks & resorts since this weekend; the only one at which we’ve dined is Whispering Canyon Cafe.)
Until the restaurants have sufficient Cast Members to seat more guests, the optics of having signs on the tables indicating they’ve been taken out of commission in the name of your health and safety is better than nothing at all. Removing the signage and telling walk-up guests the restaurant is “fully booked” when it’s plainly visible that over half the tables are empty might be a bad look.
In this same release about the triumphant return of Sebastian’s Bistro and ‘Ohana, Walt Disney World announced that BoardWalk Ice Cream Shop…exists, I guess.
Normally, I would just skip over that part, but I just walked between Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT in 92º heat for no particular purpose and just so happened to take a photo of BoardWalk Ice Cream Shop along the way. Now I have an excuse to share that photo, and feel slightly vindicated in my dumb decision to walk while Sarah took the Skyliner. Okay, not really–but it’s “important” for us to occasionally race to see which mode of transportation performs better. 😉
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of this news of restaurants reopening at Disney’s Polynesian Village and Caribbean Beach Resorts? Excited for the return of Sebastian’s Bistro and ‘Ohana? Thoughts on the new menu options at either or both? Disappointed that more isn’t returning for earlier in Summer 2021? Hoping for more ‘restored normalcy’ announcements in the near future? Planning on going to Walt Disney World this summer, or holding off until the start of the 50th Anniversary celebration? Does this have you optimistic or pessimistic for more dining to reopen at Walt Disney World? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I too am so disappointed by the menu changes made by ‘Ohana. I won’t be back until the menu reverts to the original. Shrimp casserole- really????
I also am much more excited about Sebastian’s than ‘Ohana reopening. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to try it yet but am so happy to hear it is reopening!! Looking forward to your review of the family style menu.
@Wolverine In Exile,
Uber/Lyft will just take you to the TTC, so stick to the monorail. Previously, ‘Ohana opened at 7:30; if that’s still the case I would only try that if the Magic Kingdom *posted* opening is 9AM.
I assume Aunt Polly’s opens up after Tomorrowland Terrace in December, right?
Thanks for all of your posts, Tom! It’s so nice to see new activity at the parks, hotels and restaurants! We’ll be going in 2022 for my youngest nephew’s graduation trip. Also, of course, to celebrate the 50th WDW Anniversary. Your posts just build our excitement and make days brighter! Lovely pic of Sarah with the pineapple!
I wonder if some of the Ohana menu changes have to do with border line ups and supply line issues. I know I have noticed the supplies of noodles at my local store are often sporadic and in short supply. Its likely the Ohana noodles are imported and Disney may be having issues with supply. Shrimp could easily be the same story. It maybe the supply is not steady enough in fresh shrimp so they are going with frozen ones in the casserole.
SOOOOOOOO disappointed in these drastic changes at O’Hana!!! Not really understanding why they are doing away with the skewers and NO SHRIMP. C’Mon Disney – you would think they would have learned their lesson by now in trying to change this menu. Thanks but no thanks unless it is back to skewers, shrimp and noodles 😉
Ohana was never a buffet even before COVID, the dinner was always family style with the skewers, noodles and salad so why did they even feel the need to change the menu?!?! I was so excited for them to reopen, we are staying at the Poly in September, but now I’m extremely disappointed
Bummed that more restaurants arw converting to family style. I’m a light eater, and we’ve long ago given up on buffet-style restaurants at Disney since most (if not all!) cost north of $35pp. I know many a la carte restaurants have similar prices, but 9 out f of 10 times I don’t finish the meal; I bring the leftovers back to the hotel for breakfast/lunch/snacking. As it stands, on-property meals have become a splurge for us. Not too long to go before we do our meals split between groceries and Disney Springs.
It seems like every restaurant is switching to these family style menus. Am I the only one who thinks of all the food waste with these big amounts of food or being served something you would never order on your own? I’ve only been to Ohana once and we loved it but would not go for a menu like this. I was looking forward to trying Sebastian’s after all the good reviews I’ve seen but I will pass on both. 🙁
Sorry. Didn’t mention before but I am talking specifically about ohana
I just looked at the menu and didn’t see a kids menu? Do they not have one? My kids won’t eat any of the main entrees for dinner. My wife and I will but they will only eat nuggets and kids meal food.
I am so disappointed in the menu changes at O’Hana. Fingers crossed that this is not a permanent change!
Tom, next time you go to both O’Hana and the Bistro, would you be able to ask what the gluten free options are? We used to always be able to go to O’Hana, but now with the changes, not sure if it would be worth my while. We have never been to the Bistro, but staying at CBR in February, so wondering gluten free options there as well. Thank you for all the great insights in your blog. I love reading all the updates.
Thanks for this update. After checking out the menu, I think it will be breakfast at O’hana for us and Sebastian’s for dinner.
The menu changes at ‘Ohana are so disappointing… and boring and predictable. I mean, nothing says traditional Polynesian cuisine like… shrimp casserole, kielbasa and broccoli!??! I totally get why they had to switch up the style of service, but the only reason for any of these menu changes (rice instead of lo mein, shrimp “casserole” instead of actual shrimp, Polish sausage instead of roasted pork) is to pinch pennies. Dinner at ‘Ohana used to be a tradition for us every time we went to WDW. No more. Other than the pot stickers and wings, the menu is now the same retreaded one we see at all the other former buffets and family-style restaurants, with only minor variations. I really think that a la carte dining is the only way to get a decent meal at WDW anymore.
Definitely bummed about the menu changes at ‘Ohana, especially the noodles. My wife is nearly devastated – she’s been hoping for ‘Ohana to re-open before one of our trips for the past year, specifically bringing up the noodles every time she mentions it.
Besides dropping what is arguably one of the most recognizable and signature dishes on property (I mean, they’re the “‘Ohana noodles,” and the recipe was all over the internet last year a the height of the pandemic – tried it but not even close to being the same), I find some of the other menu changes really odd:
– They’re getting rid of the bread at dinner – which they always made a big deal about when they were seating you.
– The casserole is dubious (brings back memories of happy hour at a bar in college where the free food was frequently some casserole thrown together with random stuff – just awful).
Then, all the other changes that seem to be straying from the theme of the restaurant and how the food fit with that:
– the skewers are gone (that fit the island/luau theme)
– cheddar & bacon biscuits (while I love biscuits, seems more appropriate for Whispering Canyon than ‘Ohana)
– Kielbasa sausage (!?!?) – don’t see how that fits the theme of the restaurant at all.
While improvements are always a good thing in the restaurant, an overhaul of a highly-themed, extremely popular restaurant with signature dishes just doesn’t make sense and is hopefully not Disney taking the approach that it’s the name that counts and it doesn’t matter what they do inside it – people will adapt and still fill the place and spend the money. As Tom said in the article, this makes more sense at other restaurants.
Re: Ohana… looking for expert advice…. staying at Boardwalk in Nov and am planning on going to MK with the family group on at least two of the days. Was thinking about maybe going to Ohana for breakfast one day before MK… early breakfast, monorail ride, enter park, no snacks for a while since kids bellies will be full of waffles. How early does Ohana open for breakfast and am assuming Lyft/Uber probably most efficient transport for this plan?
Even if it’s one of the super popular restaurants, I’m glad WDW is reopening Sebastian’s Bistro. We stayed at CBR over Christmas, and between the earlier than normal park closings and lack of dining options, we were desperately in need of a good dinner option near our hotel. Unfortunately since the open Riviera table service restaurants were also booked, that left the food courts. We even took the Skyliner over to Art of Animation to eat at that food court one night, just to have “something different” after having already ate at the CBR food court a couple times. I know park hours are extending past what they were at the end of last year giving more people the chance to eat in-park, but that might not be so true once the slow season hits in August. Adding another table service option to this clump of hotels is definitely necessary.
It occurs to me that having either “family style” or a la carte meals requires more servers than buffets. So the temporary replacement of buffets is another staffing headache for Disney.
We, too, found our one meal at ‘Ohana underwhelming in late 2018. The main courses were particularly meh and the service wasn’t particularly great. Fairly early they seem to have decided that we had had enough of the main courses and started avoiding us. I mean, time after time someone with a skewer would approach us and do a 180 a few feet away despite our plates being cleaned. Then the waiter asked us what we wanted for dessert and we said we wanted more food first. He audibly sighed and left without saying anything more. I tip on top of the TIW standard gratuity, and he was the only person not to get an additional amount in the 10 days we were there. Did not return to this restaurant on our visit a year later.
More interested in when Garden View Lounge at GF resumes afternoon tea