Meet me at The 'Olele Room

Bar at The 'Olelo Room

Recently Disney Parks Blog and 'Aulani shared news that The 'Olelo Room added sushi to their menu. We met up with some of our friends to check it out. This is my review of the night.

The 'Olelo Room hours:

Beverage and Lounge Menu: 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM Daily

Sunset Hour: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Daily

Live Entertainment: 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM (Sunday - Wednesday) and 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM (Thursday - Saturday)

No reservations needed we just walked right in and found a table.

Getting here: As you enter through the lobby you'll turn left and pass Kalepa's gift shop. Head down the stairs and you'll see the Makahiki restaurant. At the restaurant you'll see the Makahiki Restaurant on the right side and you'll see The 'Olelo Room on the left.

MMAD Tip: You do not need to be staying at the resort to relax at The 'Olelo Room.

Parking: You can either self park or valet. The restaurant will validate your parking.

MMAD Tip: Just know that the validation recently changed and is only good for 2.5 hours of parking. $12 an hour after that. We didn't know this but wish we did or our server told us. Lucky for you I'm letting you know before you go. If you're staying at the resort then no problem.

When we got here the live music was already playing. We found a seat and waited for our server. The live music changes and on this night we got to listen to Ho'okena. They've been around for 32 years and are amazing. Growing up I learned how to dance the hula and Ho'okena plays many of the hula I've learned over the years. You could imagine how excited I was.

Our server arrived at our table and we ordered. They have a sunset happy hour so make sure you take advantage of that.

We ordered:

Strawberry Guava Island Cooler

I tried the STRAWBERRY GUAVA ISLAND COOLER - Strawberry, Guava, and House-made Lemonade topped with Sprite $9. I thought it was quite good. It was nice and refreshing. It wasn't tart for having lemonade in it.

From the Sunset Hour Menu:

Popcorn Fries- $6

Buttered Popcorn, French Fries, Green Onions, Wasabi Oil, Kazama Nori, Furikake, Kabayaki Kewpie Mayonnaise, Mochi Crunch.

This was amazing and probably my favorite. It was so good. While it sounds strange the flavors just all mesh well together. It says it has wasabi oil but it wasn't spicy.

Spicy-Garlic Chicken Wings- $9

Fried Chicken Wings, Spicy Korean Barbeque Sauce, Toasted Sesame, Green Onion

These had a nice flavor. Our table loved them. I would get them again if there for the sunset hour.

From the Appetizer Menu:

Kālua Pork Gratin- $16

Kālua Pork, Cream Cheese, Maui Onion, Reggiano Parmesan Cheese, Lomi Lomi Tomato, Taro Bread

This was amazing. It was so good. It was an interactive food. You put the cheesy gratin dip on the pita bread.

Hawai’i Ranchers Sliders- $16

Applewood-smoked Bacon, Aged-Sharp Cheddar Avocado, Maui Onion Marmalade, Sweet Roll.

I didn't get to try this one. My husband said it was a good but the burger was a little over cooked. The meat wasn't as juicy.

Panko-Calamari Steak- $16

Wild-Caught Calamari Strips, Panko Breaded Spicy-Buttermilk Dipping Sauce.

Another good dish. It wasn't too spicy. The calamari was tender.

Keiki Pupus:

Chicken and Waffle- $8

Extra Crispy Chicken Strip, Mickey Waffle, Maple Syrup, BBQ Sauce.

This is a kid's portion so you get one chicken tender and one waffle. How can you go to Disney and not get a mickey waffle? The waffle was light and crispy. Amazing when dipped in the syrup. The chicken was a good tender.

From the Sushi and Sashimi Menu:

Kaleponi Roll - California Roll- $18

Crab, Avocado, Cucumber

Pāpa‘i - King Crab - Kani- $14

These came plated together. Check out that mickey shaped wasabi.

The California Roll was yummy. It comes with 8 pieces. The crab meshed well with the crunch from the cucumber and the creaminess of the avocado. I would get that again.

The crab nigiri came with two pieces. The crab was king crab. The portion was generous. My only critique is that it had a piece of the cartilage still in it. At least it was big so I could take it out but sushi is usually meant to be eaten in one bite.

As if we weren't full enough we finished off with dessert. A friend brought this over so I have no idea what it's called. It was a chocolate mousse on top of cake surrounded by white chocolate and topped with a nut brittle. On the side were coffee jelly and raspberries. It was decadent and so ono (delicious).

The ono food combined with the live Hawaiian music makes this place a winner. I will be back.

Some of my favorites were:

1. The popcorn fries

2. Kalua pork gratin

3. Kids chicken and waffle

Have you been here? Let me know what you think and what I should try next.