Off The Hook Bar & Lounge Review
Off the Hook Bar & Lounge is the poolside bar at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii. Calling it a poolside bar is a bit deceptive, as Off the Hook actually has a pretty good lounge food menu that gives other restaurants at Aulani a bit of a run for their money.
In terms of theme, there’s not much here. It is loosely designed to resemble a Hawaiian fisherman’s seaside shack, with some decor meant to evoke this theme. Given the painstaking level of detail Disney’s Imagineers otherwise put into making Aulani such a beautiful resort, Off the Hook is a bit of a letdown. Being reasonable, though, this is an open air poolside bar and the views out into the Waikolohe Valley pool area are really all you need.
More importantly, what about the food? Let’s take a look…
Off the Hook’s menu has several specialty drinks that are essentially Hawaiian twists on familiar, fruity drinks. Likewise, the food menu is mostly American cuisine with a slight Hawaiian twist.
We sampled a number of different drinks in name of “research” to scientifically determine which offered the best intersection of taste, value for money, alcohol content, and buzz quality…
…Unfortunately, we did so much research that we forgot the results of said study. 😉
Kidding. The Big Island Iced Tea was the best option for ‘strength’ and the Blue Hawaiian was the favorite in terms of taste. These drinks were better than what you’d find on the Disney Parks Generic Bar Menu, but they are still fruity mixed drinks.
While the drinks were good, the food was the unexpected highlight. The menu had far more options than expected and prices were pretty comparable to Ulu Cafe, the main counter service restaurant at Aulani.
One disappointment was the shrimp entree. They tasted good and the dipping sauce was fantastic, but I don’t care how “jumbo” they are, 3 pieces is not enough.
The tacos were another letdown in terms of portion size, but they were really delicious. It’s tough to get past the price and size, though. Only 2 tacos, which were small, for $14. Welcome to dining at Disney’s Aulani…where the food price-points are exorbitant because most people won’t leave property to eat!
Now is a good time to mention that there are some nice little restaurants that are much more reasonable in the strip mall across the street, and considerably better options around Oahu, if you’re willing to drive.
The Angus Chuck Burger was fantastic. A juicy and flavorful meat patty topped with quality veggies and a soft, high quality bun. There are definitely much more interesting, authentic options if you venture off-site, but as far as dining at Aulani goes, this is pretty good in terms of value. It’s all relative.
The sushi was slightly above average, which I found a bit disappointing because I expected exceptional sushi in Hawaii. I’m not sure why, but you’d think that an island would do sushi well.
The sliders were exceptional. Like the burger, the beef was really high quality, juicy, and bursting with flavor. I find it a bit odd that the two beef dishes would be the highlights at Off the Hook, but beef is excellent, so I’m not complaining.
Overall, Off the Hook Bar & Lounge is a serviceable option if you’re down by the pool area at Aulani and want to quickly grab something to eat. This is one of my preferred places to eat at Aulani, but it’s all relative, as I think the food is generally overpriced and not all that special at Aulani. It’s not that the food is bad (AMA AMA is a prime example: pretty good food, but expensive making it tough to justify), it’s just that there are some really good hole-in-the-wall places elsewhere on Oahu that serve unique Hawaiian cuisine at much more reasonable price points. There are even some good choices a 5 minute walk away in Ko Olina at the mall across from Aulani. Everything is more expensive in Hawaii, but there’s no justification for the food at Aulani offering such poor value for money.
If you are planning a trip to Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa in Hawaii, we highly recommend reading our Aulani — A Disney Resort & Spa Trip Planning Guide for comprehensive advice for Aulani and beyond!
Overall Score: 7.5/10
To read other Disney restaurant reviews from Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland, organized by location, check out our Disney Dining Reviews Index.
Your Thoughts…
Have you been to Aulani? What did you think of the dining options? Any specific recommendations of places to eat–either on-property or off-property elsewhere on Oahu? If you have any questions or thoughts to share, please post them in the comments. We love hearing from readers!
Hi! Just thought I would add here that the menu has been somewhat updated, and some of the above items (veggie wrap, kalbi tacos, aulani sushi roll, and sliders) are actually no longer offered at Off The Hook. The shrimp cocktail is offered, however it is only available after 5pm as a “nightly special,” and these specials are different every day of the week (not sure what day the shrimp cocktail is available). In addition, the poolside menu has been updated with more options, and is now served all day long (11am until 930pm, I believe) at Off The Hook. The menu now includes options like fish tacos, beer battered onion rings, kalua pork (sandwich or pizza), grilled mahi (added to a salad or wrap,) along with many of the old items (like the large chuck burger). Just FYI 🙂
We were able to visit Aulani this last May and we LOVED this place! Great food, amazing drinks, and friendly staff. Our bartender Cassie was especially great. Make sure to ask for her.
Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Nice review! Does this mean you’re going to finish up the Aulani trip report? Since it’s probably the closest thing I’m ever going to have to a “home park,” I’d love to read more about your experience.
Yeah…the food at Aulani can be pricey and underwhelming. I think the best value for your money is at Ulu Cafe during breakfast and happy hour at The ‘Olelo Room for dinner. Breakfast at ‘Ama’ama is pretty reasonable and tasty as well.
In response to Kristi’s question above, I’ve never tried them but I found this company on yelp:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/akamai-grocery-shopping-and-delivery-kapolei
Otherwise, your best bet is probably driving in to Kapolei (about 5-10 minutes away with light traffic, or a Ken Burns documentary away during rush hour) and hitting up Safeway or Foodland. Much cheaper, but less convenient, than the minimart across the street that’s owned and operated by ABC Stores.
For offsite dining, Monkeypod Kitchen across the street is a pretty good upscale casual option (but avoid the ginger beer unless you’re mad at your throat). For a fancier occasion, try Roy’s up the road at Ko Olina Golf Club. Similar to shopping, dining in Kapolei is generally cheaper and offers plenty of big chain restaurants if you’re looking for more familiar fare.
Thanks for all of the recommendations–I’ll have to remember these for our next trip to Aulani.
As for the trip report, I’m not sure. It’s difficult to do a report when most of the time was spent not really doing much of anything. I will have more Aulani posts, at the very least.
On my 2 Aulani stays, I found Off the Hook to be a real fun, social place to watch sporting events. The crowd really got into NBA Playoff games on my June visit, and College Football & NFL games on my September visit.
I also had the strange occurrence of meeting Dog Chapman (of bounty hunting fame) in there. He was staying with his family at Aulani (on my floor) for a weekend birthday celebration of some kind.
Meeting Dog the Bounty Hunter anywhere (I don’t care if it’s the shadiest Wal-Mart known to man) instantly makes the place where you met him 1000% more awesome. That’s just science.
HaHa. So true.
I was initially really surprised because I had ridden the elevator with Leland (his well-known Bounty Hunter son), but then saw the Big Cheese himself at Off the Hook.
Is there a grocery delivery for there? Like Garden Grocer? I’m thinking that might be worth it if you stay in a villa.