We recently stopped by Aulani, the Disney Resort in Hawaii, and we are in love!

We’ve checked out the rooms, tried the desserts, said hello to Mickey, and enjoyed the beach! Next on our list of to-dos, we’re dining at The Olelo Room, and we’re bringing you along with us! 

The Olelo Room is a lounge located at Disney’s Aulani Resort that serves up appetizers, grab-and-go options, cocktails, and mocktails! The live music and decor are designed to immerse guests in Hawaiian culture. We grabbed a seat at the bar to dive right in.

The theme is dedicated to the Hawaiian language, with the word “Olelo” being the Hawaiian word for “language.” The walls were filled with Hawaiian words to teach you what you were looking at and enjoying during the meal. The bar itself even lit up periodically with different letters during our dinner.

Of every Aulani experience we had, this one felt the most “Disney.” It reminded us of something similar to Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom. The bartenders were fantastic, just like the rest of the service at the resort.

The menu was really unique in our opinion, and this location is where you’re going to find the more upscale cocktails at this resort. They had their own exclusive cocktail and mocktail menu, which really impressed us!

To start, we grabbed the Lychee En Voyage for $17. This was probably our favorite cocktail on the entire trip! It was made of Kai Lychee Vodka, Giffard Lichi-Li Liqueur, lychee nectar, and lemon juice. The lychee vodka was perfectly balanced with the lychee fruit.

The lemon juice addition cut through the sweetness with some tartness, and we couldn’t have enjoyed it more. It felt upscale and is easily something we will daydream about after the trip. Next up, we grabbed the Island Cruise Mocktail for $10. 

This mocktail has strawberry purée, cream of coconut, lemon juice, and is topped with soda water. It reminded us of a coconut strawberry soda in the best way! We also appreciated that it felt like a true mocktail for adults rather than just a strawberry drink for kids. It was refreshing, fruity, and sweet.

For our food, we grabbed the Moriawase Platter for $36. It came with ahi, salmon, and a Hamachi Sashimi assortment. There was also marinated daikon and Mickey wasabi on the side.

This was so high quality! The fish was super high quality and reminded us of something we would find at Morimoto Asia in Disney World. It was beautifully cut and prepared sushi with a wonderful freshness. Sushi feels like a must-have on any Hawaii trip, and this didn’t disappoint.

We also tried the Pua’A Kalua Gratin for $16. The dish was made up of kālua pork, cream cheese, Maui onion, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and lomi lomi tomato, served with naan bread. Our reporter had three words: “OH MY GOSH!”

This was incredible! It was a bit heavy, but we think it might have been the best dish we tried on the entire trip. This reminded us of something your friend’s dad would make for the Super Bowl, and then you’ll dream about it all year. The dip was creamy and cheesy.

The flavors married together beautifully and were perfect on top of the warm naan bread. If you need more naan bread, you can ask your server and they’ll bring you more, which is worthy of a 5-star rating in our book.

Overall, the Olelo Room was a big hit in our book! We think this is a great spot if you’re looking for upscale drinks and small plates during your Aulani stay. This dining location had some of the most memorable eats and drinks of our entire trip, and we can’t wait to go back.

Tell us in the comments if you’ve ever been to Aulani!