One of the most exciting attractions announced by Disney at Galaxy’s Edge was the chance to Visit Oga’s Cantina. This is a replica of the Mos Eisley Cantina, one of Star Wars’ most iconic locations. To be able to step in these footsteps and actually grab a drink in one of the most memorable bars in the whole galaxy was something any Star Wars fan could get pretty psyched about.
We headed over to the Cantina as soon as we could to check out the Connections on the menu and find out for real what it was like drinking in the most infamous bar in the galaxy. Hopefully, we will come away with all arms!
What is Oga’s Cantina
Oga’s Cantina is one of several dining options at Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland California and Disney World Florida. Themed on the Iconic Scene from the First Star Wars movie. The bar allows guests to experience the lively atmosphere and highly exotic drinks served up in the Galaxy far far away.
This is primarily a drinking establishment with only limited food options, it is a nice place to get out of the sun and experience a really unique and interesting dining experience at Dinsey.
While grabbing a drink at this iconic watering hole is pretty much a dream come true for many Star Wars fans, we wanted to take a look to see if it really stacks up as a MUST-do attraction or something you can skip, especially considering the difficulty in getting reservations.
Inspiration for Oga’s Cantina
The cantina is featured in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. When Luke and Obi-Wan are in Mos Eisley looking for transport to Alderan, they head into the Cantina to find a Pilot and Ship. Here they meet a couple of shady characters, who fall out with Luke and threaten to kill him. This ends badly as Obi-Wan removes one of the villain’s arms with his Saber, We guess you either know the place by now or not. Anyway you can watch the scene on YouTube here
Disney has turned this concept into a fully functioning bar. There are a few weeks and alterations but it is a pretty faithful replica, although as we discuss later, it certainly lacks the atmosphere and feel of the original bar.
Who is Oga
Full name, Oga Garra, a female Business Owner from the water planet of Blutopia. Oga is primarily involved with all things black market and criminal. If there is something shady going on in the Black Spire Outpost, she will have a hand in it. We think the Bar is primarily a front for the other shady activities.
Oga is not well known outside of Batuu and as such has never featured in any of the franchise’s works. Blutopians have however appeared on several occasions most notably Rouge One, although the franchise has never visited Blutopia.
Oga is only mentioned in name and you will not get to meet this mysterious shadowy figure of the underworld. (AKA She is made-up!)
No Alcohol In Disneyland!
First of all, don’t panic, but if you didn’t know Disneyland Park California was a DRY park. There has been no Alcohol served anywhere in Disneyland Park, and there never has been. If you wanted a Drink at Disney, you needed to head over to Disney’s California Adventure, where alcohol is freely served at most dining locations. But in Disneyland itself, you are SOL.
The Original Cantina was a “wretched hive of scum and villainy” as described by Obi-Wan himself, so we doubt very much they would get by serving mocktails, so Disney took the brave decision to override Walt himself and finally start serving alcohol in Disneyland!
So visitors to the Cantina can rejoice in the fact there are definitely Concoctions WITH alcohol on the menu! It is also worth noting that as the rule has now been broken, they also started serving alcohol at the Blue Bayou Restaurant as well!
What is on the Menu at Oga’s Cantina
It is worth noting the menu at Disneyland is quite different from the Disney World Menu, we explore the Disneyland menu here as this is our area of expertise. When they opened the menus were basically the same so it’s interesting to see if this changes again.
Snacks
There are only limited snacks on the menu and overall there is nothing to really hunt out as a must-try. This is not a place to come for food, but some of the snacks are ok if you really cant wait for food. You would be much better off grabbing a Ronto Roasters Wrap afterward though!
Oga’s Obsession by Peter Lee – CC2.0
Oga’s Obsession – $7.50
Minute Maid® Lemonade, Cotton Candy Flavor, and Blueberry Flavor-filled Boba, with a bursting Dried Fruit Mixture
A really exotic dessert, bursting, literally, with wild and exotic flavors and textures.
Five-blossom Bread – $10.50
Warm Pretzel Knot with Hawaiian Black Sea Salt served with Calabrian Cheese Sauce
Probably the best value snack on offer. You get two big Pretzel Knots, which are soft, salty, and savory, along with a really filthy cheese sauce to dip in!
Batuu Wilds Bounty – $18.00
Pastrami-infused Whipped Cheese, Mustard Seed Spheres, Pastrami, Chervil, Pickle Ribbons, and Pickle Salt served with Warm Focaccia Bread
A kind of Charcuterie platter, with various meats and Cheese and oddities. It is a lot of money for not a lot of food but it certainly has some interesting flavor and texture combinations.
Spiced Wroshyr Pods – $11.99
Seasoned Edamame, Sliced Cucumbers, spicy Citrus-Gochujang Dip
Spicy Edamame Beans, with a nice dip. Honestly, this is a reasonable snack, but we found it hard to get excited about it.
Batuu Bits – $8.00
a light crisp Snack Mix from the galaxy
A selection of various dried snacks. Chips, Tortillas Chips, Peas, Corn puffs, Vegetable Chips, and some other things we are not sure what they were. Overall a nice salty side to soak up the alcohol. But it’s an $8 bag of chips really!
Concoctions With Alcohol
At Disneyland California, there are 10 different Cocktails on offer, which is more than over at Disney World (8) and there are quite a few differences between the two menus. At Both Parks, the Yub Nub is offered in a souvenir Endor mug or just a regular Glass.
Talking of which we see a lot of cool and fancy Glasses in the Promotional Material, but we found the glasses our drinks were served in were pretty basic.
It is definitely worth remembering that the drinks here are all pre-made, and there is a lot more sugar syrup in most of them than you expect from the descriptions. Flavors are often very fake tasting and not individually discernible. We know this is Disney and we don’t expect incredible quality, but for the cost of these drinks, we kind of expect hand-crafted drinks, not pre-mixed cocktails straight from a tap. Some drinks also do not taste like they have very much alcohol in them at all.
Takodana Quencher – $16.00
Bacardi Dragonberry Rum, Bols Blue Curaçao, Simply Orange® with Pineapple, Kiwi flavors
Big, Tall, and refreshing, but the fruity flavors tasted pretty artificial, and the presentation was pretty bland. We ordered it for the Dragon Berry, but that flavor was lost.
Yub Nub – $17/46
Malibu Pineapple Rum, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Citrus Juices, and Passion Fruit
Not the most exciting drink really and while the Souvenir Endor mug is cool, it is incredibly expensive. Overall this one didn’t excite. It’s rum and Juice.
The Outer Rim – $16.00
Patrón Silver Tequila, Pomegranate Liqueur, Lime Juice, and Pure Cane Sugar, topped with Exotic Fruit Purée, rimmed with Black Salt
A kind of fruity and tropical Margarita. The Fruit Puree gives it a real kick but once that has gone it was a bit watery.
Fuzzy Taun Taun – $17.00
Cîroc Peach Vodka, Bols Peach Schnapps, and Simply Orange® topped with Tangerine, Pure Cane Sugar, “Buzz Button Tingling” Foam
The drink itself is a nice fruit-based long drink, but the showpiece here is the foam. This uses dome culinary trickery, to make your lips and tongue tingly and numb. Pretty cool!
Bloody Rancour – $19.00
Tito’s Vodka, spicy Bloody Mary Mix, and Rancor Bone
A decent bloody mary served with a Rancor Bone, which is basically a meringue treat shaped like a bone. This is a nice drink, but $19 for a bloody mary is asking a lot!
Coruscant Cooler – $17.00
Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Maraska Maraschino Liqueur, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth, Cranberry Juice, Lime Juice
Not at all what we expected, the name Coruscant Cooler conjures up images of blues and cool tones. Instead, we got a Short red drink. pretty obvious if we read the ingredients. A sort of mix between and old-fashioned and a Negroni, which are two of our favorite things as it happens, and as such we really liked this one!
Jedi Mind Trick – $16.00
Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit and Rose Vodka, John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum, Bols Blue Curaçao, White Grape Juice, Lime Juice, and Grapefruit Bitters
Looks great on the illuminated tables and glows like a Jedi Lightsaber, but overall not that impressive, we expected some kind of sensory trick where it looked like one thing but tasted like another. But it pretty much tasted as it looked/sounded. Can you tell we have been to too many fancy cocktail bars?
Jet Juice – $16.00
Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Chile Liqueur, Pomegranate Liqueur, White Grape Juice, and Lemon Juice
This is very disappointing when it arrives. Until you realize it actually looks like a small glass of Jet Fuel. It is however a really good drink. Nice and strong without too many overly sweet flavors and watery ice. A bit like a whiskey Sour but with a firey kick.
Tarkenian Night Flower – $18.00
Refreshing Blend of Gin, Elderflower Liqueur, with flavors of Ginger and Huckleberry garnished with sweet Hibiscus Flower
If you do not know what a Sweet Hibiscus Flower is then this drink is definitely for you. The stunning Garnish will blow most people away and looks about as out of this world as you can get! We have had them before so it’s not a huge surprise, but this is still one of the best drinks on the menu
Dantooine Tonic – $18.00
Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, Passion Fruit Syrup, Ginger Beer, Lime
Concoctions Without Alcohol
Cantina Drinks by Eden, Janine, and Jim – CC2.0
We actually find some of the concoctions Without Alcohol, or mocktails, are actually better than the ones with and this is not something we say often!
Like the Alcoholic drink Yub Nub, the Cliff Dweller is offered with or without a Suniver Tumbler.
Blurrgfire – $7.00
Minute Maid® Lemonade, Pomegranate Juice, and Habanero-Lime
Fun presentation with a nice kick from the Habanero
Jabba Juice – $6.50
Simply Orange® with Pineapple, Kiwi, Cantaloupe, and Blueberry Flavor-filled Boba
While the Juice is fairly standard we like the Addition of the BLuberyy Bursting Boba balls.
Black Spire Brew – $7.00
Cold Brew Joffrey’s Coffee®, Honey, Falernum, Passion Fruit, and Citrus
Not your average Coffee, but gives a nice kick if you need a pick-me-up
Moogan Tea – $7.00
Gold Peak® Unsweetened Tea, Chocolate Milk, Vanilla, and Cinnamon, topped with Vanilla Whipped Cream, Cinnamon & Sugar-dusted Cereal
This is more of a milkshake than a Tea and is really delicious
Tarine Tea – $6.50
Gold Peak® Unsweetened Tea, Peach, Huckleberry, and Mint
A more traditional Tea
Blue Bantha – $13.00
Blue Milk served chilled with Bantha-inspired Vanilla-Butter Sugar Cookie
Blue Milk is extortionate from the Milk Stand but at $13 this takes it to another level. However served with the Vanilla Butter Sugar Cookie, this is actually one of our favorite items on the menu! That cookie is seriously good!
Hyperdrive (Punch It!) – $6.00
Powerade® Mountain Berry Blast, White Cranberry Juice, Black Cherry Purée, and Sprite®
One of the best-looking drinks on the menu. A cool Powerade blue, the cherry Puree is speckled through the drink going it a really pretty appearance.
Cliff Dweller – $6.50 / $35
Citrus Juices, Coconut, Hibiscus-Grenadine, and Seagram’s® Ginger Ale
Ok, Porgs are not exactly cool, but they are pretty cute. One of the most hated creatures of the new films for Die-Hard Fans, but they are still ridiculously cute. and this Souvineer mug is also really cute. This is one we could definitely justify, we are not big mug collectors but the Zombie Heads and this Porg Mug are two we can really get down with. The drink itself is really nice, although it could definitely use some Rum.
Beers
There are 4 beers on offer and they all offer intergalactic-sounding names, but not the whole they are fairy standard beers. We are not really sure if that’s a good or bad thing as they could have gone too far and made them undrinkable. So while these beers are fine, they are not really $14+ worth of beer.
Black Squadron Lager – $14.25
Golden Lager with a touch of Honey (Delahunt Brewing) (ABV 4.8%)
Gamorrean Ale – $14.25
(ABV 5.2%) Red Ale with Roasted Caramel, Hop character, and a touch of Grapefruit (New Belgium Brewing Co.)
White Wampa Ale – $15.25
(ABV 4.5%) Classic Hefeweizen with a Banana and Citrus character (Ballast Point Brewing Co.)
Bad Motivator IPA – $14.25
(ABV 6.0%) Tropical India Pale Ale with Galaxy and Comet Hops (Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.)
Rancor Beer Flight Souvenir Board with Four Teeth – $86.00
If you can’t decide which beer to try, then you can order a beer flight, however, the price is certainly eyebrow-raising! These are small 4-oz samplings served in rancor teeth. The Board is seriously cool and we so wanted one, but just couldn’t bring ourselves to drop $86.00 on it. Ye’s the teeth are actually made from pottery and it would look really good in our kitchen, but that is just too much of a gouge for us.
Sesid Seltzer – $13.25
Tropical Pineapple-Orange Hard Seltzer (Garage Brewing) (ABV 5.0%)
Not one to miss a bandwagon, the is also a Seltzer on offer. This is replacing a Hard Cider that was previously available.
Wines
Finally, there are a couple of wines on offer if the Cocktails are just not doing it for you. These are nothing special, despite the quirky names, but they are solid wines and worth a try if your wine is all you fancy, but really we would much rather be over on Sonoma Terrace with a nice bottle in the sunshine.
Imperial Guard, Goldschmidt Vineyards, Sonoma – $18
Fully clad Crimson-colored, nicely Focused Red Cherry and Raspberry Aromas combined robust Red Berry Fruit flavors, a touch of Caramel, Dark Chocolate, and Spice with long, supple Tannins
Toniray, Goldschmidt Vineyards, Sonoma – $15
Formerly produced on Alderaan, Teal-colored, refreshing Crisp style, Aroma characteristics of Green Apple and Meyer Lemon with flavors of juicy White Peach, Apricot and a hint of Vanilla
Overall Impression of Oga’s Cantina…a Letdown
You will read in most blogs, see in most videos, and hear all the time how awesome Oga’s Cantia is. And honestly, we would have no problem repeating and re-enforcing this…If it were true. But almost every element of the experience was a letdown.
Getting in is a pain, so it really shows how popular it is, but this is more down to the concept and unending hype. As we said at the beginning of the article, we were super hyped about the Cantina and went in with really high hopes. We are well-versed in managing expectations. We know not every experience is as incredible as you imagine, and we usually see the best in most things, but there is a lot to unpack as to why Oga’s is a huge letdown.
Design – The Scene where Luke and Obi-Wan first meet Han and Cheiw, is seared into my brain. I have watched that scene literally hundreds of times and I absolutely love it. To walk into that bar would have been a real moment, It would be akin to being starstruck. However, when We did, all I could think is “This looks NOTHING like it”
We have heard over and over again how faithful the replica is, but on entering we just couldn’t see it. Our initial reaction was just that they had got it completely wrong. After the fact, we can clearly see actually, it’s actually spot on. The shape of the bar, the stage machinery and pipes in the middle, the booths around the edge…it’s perfect. But it still looks and feels nothing like it. Why?
We think it’s the lighting and the color palette. As you can see, Ogas is steeped in orange, purple, and bright fun colors. The actual bar is very monochrome. Blacks and whites adding a moody and seedy feel. We understand that may not be to everyone’s tastes and in creating a bar the Disney version is far better. But they were not creating a bar, they were REcreating a bar, and the vibrant lighting and color palette kills the feel.
Atmosphere – This one is forgivable, but the atmosphere falls flat. Sure we didn’t really want to walk into a hive of villainy and be threatened with death by some bizarre alien being, but we expected a little more immersion. This just feels like any chain restaurant in the country. There is no effort whatsoever to pretend you are anywhere other than a theme park. We have this problem in the whole of Galaxy’s edge, but at least the cast member try. Here, they just take your order in a standard service manner. It’s a very flat experience and this extends to the clientele, if they are not being immersed, they are unlikely to react that way.
Seating – There are only two seating options. A shared booth, fit for about 5-6 and filled with 8+ people all from random groups. Ot standing room at the bar or tall tables. We suppose this is pretty standard for a bar, but it feels out of place here. We understand some of the design queues have come from the Films, but we feel it could be better. It’s a small issue, but it’s just another little piece of straw for the camel.
Food – The food is not cheap, not particularly exciting, and not particularly good. We just don’t eat here, and this is fine really, we are happy with a bar that is just a bar, but if you are going to charge the earth for snacks, they should at least be amazing. We all know Disney CAN do snacks really well. Why the complete failure here?
Drinks – We could probably forgive all the above if the drinks were amazing, but they are not. We can accept, Nasty if they are strong. We can accept weak and sugary if they are cheap. And we can accept overly expensive, if they are great. But the drinks here are Expensive, weak, and pretty nasty.
We really feel they have missed the mark on this one. We think it’s best compared to Trader Sam’s Tiki Bar. The concepts are very similar, and they could be very similar experiences. But they are not. Traders Sams is an immersive, fun, exciting experience that we consider a must-do. Oga’s we will not even bother with again. At least not until something changes. We were told this would be an interactive experience where actions in Galaxy’s edge would impact your experience in the bar. We barely got a word out of our server, mainly because they were responsible for 100+ other people.
The issues seem to stem from the popularity and the fact the more people they can cram in the more money Disney will make. The overcrowding means there is no chance of any real immersion or interaction with the customers as the Cast Members are just too busy.
Honestly, we hate writing negative things like this, we so want to love Oga’s but it’s just not got that balance right. There really was not a single part of the experience we felt was up to scratch.
However, as we get into the next section, we have t accept, our negative opinion will not make the slightest bit of difference. The Cantina is packed daily, with queues for walk-ups snaking down the street. And this leads us nicely on to…
Getting Reservations at Oga’s Cantina
Before we went, we would not have listened to a review like this. Or cared really in the slightest. Oga’s cantina is a childhood dream and something we just HAVE to do, so we know you are going to feel the same. Tbh, we are not even telling you not to go, sometimes you just have to try things out yourself. However, the other big issue with Oga’s, is it’s incredibly hard to get reservations!
The Booking window opened 60 days in advance, at 6:00 am Pacific Time. You need to be at a computer, or with your phone, open and ready at the booking page. As soon as the time ticks over hit the search for the day you desire and do your best to grab a reservation. These go in minutes. at 6:05 am expect everything to be gone!
There are more details on this here
However, if you have missed this, there are still a couple of options.
First, you need to keep checking. Reservations open up all the time. These are simply thrown back into circulation and pop back up on the Disney Reservation Page. This is especially true the day before. Oga’s has a 2-hour Cancellation policy where you are charged ($10pp) if you cancel less than two hours before your booking. So most people whose plans change, leave it late to cancel.
There are also apps and websites that offer alerts when reservations become available. Again more details here.
Finally, if all this fails you are going to need to join a Mobile Dine Walk-Up List. If one is open that is, they are often closed due to demand so do not rely on them, but if you keep checking the app availability may open up. Here you simply join the queue via the app and then head to the Cantina when called. The average wait time is displayed on the app.
Overall the best option is to just bag those reservations early, but we know this is not always feasible.
Have Your Say
We know some people will take issue with our direction of this bar. Some people really love it, but we just think Disney is wide of the mark on this one. We would love to hear your thought though, whether you agree with our assessment or not. Let us know in the comment and if you have any questions we are happy to oblige.