Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa — located in Ko Olina, Oahu, Hawai’i — is a Disney Vacation Club property with a TON of activities, restaurants, entertainment, recreation, character interactions, and more.

We’ve been spending some time at this resort, and while there’s plenty to do, we ARE Disney Food Blog after all. And that means we’re most excited about the FOOD! So, come with us to check out Ulu Cafe at Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa!

Atmosphere

Ulu Cafe is a quick service spot with “delicious self-serve items or cooked-to-order specialties that you can take to go or enjoy on our covered patio with an ocean view.” It’s located on the first floor of the resort, right next to the Wailana Pool.

Since this is a quick-service restaurant, you’ll place your order and pick it up at a counter (or you can Mobile Order!). You’ll find self-service condiments and drink stations here…

…along with plenty of seating — both covered and uncovered, but all of the seating is outside.

So, what’s on the menu over at Ulu Cafe? We’re glad you asked!

Menu

Ulu Cafe serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner depending on the time of day, and the menu is mostly comprised of grab-and-go items along with some made-to-order specialties. You’ll find breakfast sandwiches, acai bowls, poke bowls, burgers, pizza, and even traditional Hawaiian dinner plates.

You’ll also find a variety of drinks — both alcoholic and nonalcoholic — on the menu here!

Eats

To kick things off, we grabbed the Spicy Tuna Poke Bowl for $22. This is made with ahi tuna, sriracha aïoli, fried shallots, chili water, and sushi rice. This was TRULY delicious — our reporter said it was one of the better poke bowls they’ve ever had. We did have high hopes because poke bowls are definitely a Hawaiian thing, but at the same time, it’s a Disney resort, so how authentic is it gonna be? But we were pleasantly surprised!

They loaded us up with toppings, including two different sauces and sesame seeds. They seasoned the rice in front of us — it was THAT fresh — and she put it all together right in front of us, too. It was so delicious and fresh. The tuna was so tender and flavorful and just perfectly cooked — every bite had so much of the toppings, and it all blended together to make this fun tropical dish. We did get the spicy tuna, and honestly, it was not spicy at all. It was very “Disney” spicy, but it had more flavor than actual heat. It’s a bit on the expensive side; however, tons of high-quality tuna were in this, and this was easily shareable.

Next up, we grabbed the Hawaiian Dinner Plate for $29. This comes with slow-cooked Hawai’ian-style kalua pork, poke, and two sides — we picked macaroni salad and a tropical salad. This seems pricey at first, but it was a LOT of food. This could have easily been shared between two people, maybe even two adults and a kid, or three not-so-hungry adults.

Kicking things off with the kalua pork, which was just simple, tender, well-cooked pork. It was slightly sweet but not in a teriyaki way, and was just really hearty and delightful. What we loved about this was that it came with a little sample of poke if you want to try something a bit more adventurous, but still have an old standby with the pork and mac salad.

Speaking of which, the mac salad was also one of the best we’ve ever had, which also isn’t surprising since Hawai’i is known for mac salad as well. It was super light and well-balanced, and it helped to sort of make for a creamier addition to a pretty meat-heavy plate. It was tangy, and the veggies and noodles were both cooked well.

The dressing on the tropical salad was awesome — it was a tropical citrusy sort of vinaigrette that helped to cut through some of the richness of the other items on the plate. Again, this was kind of expensive for a walk-up quick service restaurant, but it was really high quality, and there was so much food that the plate could definitely be shared.

For dessert, we grabbed this adorable Olu Mel Cupcake. This is a pineapple macadamia nut cupcake with vanilla frosting on top — along with an Olu Mel white chocolate piece and sprinkles. There’s pineapple cream and pineapple preserves in here as well.

This is one of those classic Disney cupcakes that has a tower of cake in the middle of the frosting, so the frosting looks good. We didn’t think this had enough filling! We got the pineapple for sure, but we couldn’t really taste much of the macadamia, which was a bummer, and the cake was a bit on the dry side. We didn’t mind the cake’s texture, though; we just think if it had more filling, the dry side of the cake wouldn’t have been as apparent, but still, this was a really good cupcake.

We wrapped things up with the Pineapple Mango Cream Puff for $10. Look at how BIG this thing is! Definitely shareable, which makes the price sting a little bit less.

This cream puff was one of the better bakery-case Disney desserts we’ve ever had. The cream puff dough was perfectly soft and chewy without being dense, which was surprising to us with its size. To be honest, we bought this one because it was pretty — but then it was actually really good! The pastry tasted just like a perfect cream puff — it was super flaky and airy, and then it had all this delicious cream, which was just like a well-made whipped cream.

We didn’t taste a ton of the pineapple, but there were actual mango pieces, not only in the garnish but in the actual sandwich of the cream puff. We really enjoyed this, and it was super refreshing. It has coconut shavings on the outside, but it was not a very noticeable part of the treat. This was just a well-balanced, tropical pastry we’d recommend!

You can also pick up an Aulani Resort Refillable Mug for $25 at Ulu Cafe!

This mug can be used for FREE drink refills during your Aulani stay on things like sodas, coffee, tea, juice, and more!

Nosh or Not

Stop by Ulu Cafe at Disney’s Aulani Resort if…

• You’re looking for a quick bite to eat with a TON of options.
• You want something a bit more adventurous, like ahi tuna or a poke bowl.
• You’re looking for a poolside ambiance with your meal.

Skip a meal at Ulu Cafe if…

• You’re looking for something a bit more formal or fancier.
• You want a break from being outside and would rather dine inside.
• You aren’t looking for a counter-service experience.

Overall

We were SUPER thrilled with everything we had at Ulu Cafe. The poke was some of the best our reporter has ever had — at Disney or otherwise — and we still can’t get over that kalua pork and mac salad. Make a pit stop at Ulu Cafe if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat at Disney’s Aulani Resort!

In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for more news from Disney’s Aulani Resort and other Disney vacation spots! Make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for more restaurant reviews, park updates, and the latest news.

Have you eaten at Ulu Cafe at Disney’s Aulani Resort? Tell us in the comments.