I’m not shy about my love for highly-themed bars and lounges. However, I was never much of a bar person before I went to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland a few years ago. The intimate atmosphere, fun effects, and tasty drinks had me transfixed. It quickly became one of my favorite places to visit at Disneyland, and the trend of themed lounges has only gained momentum in the years since. 

I’m also not shy about my love for Star Wars. Since Galaxy’s Edge was even rumored, a cantina in the tradition of Trader Sam’s seemed like a no-brainer. The hive of scum and villainy that Luke and Obi Wan visit in A New Hope was one of the most iconic scenes out of any of the Star Wars movies. Needless to say, I had pretty high hopes for when I headed into Oga’s Cantina this weekend during my visit to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Were my hopes fulfilled? Or should you have a bad feeling about this?

Getting Into the Bar

Cantina Entrance- Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

Since Galaxy’s Edge opened, Oga’s Cantina has been one of the most in-demand attractions at the new land. Yes, it’s the first establishment at Disneyland park to offer alcohol to the general public, but the promise of walking into a full-scale Star Wars cantina is an obvious draw. The high-demand plus limited capacity made getting into Oga’s Cantina really difficult. I went during the reservation period at Disneyland, once at night and once in the morning. Despite lining up over an hour before our timeslot opened in the evening and partaking in a chaotic mad-dash all the way across the land to enter a “single-file” line, I was really lucky to get the second to last reservation card. Getting in first thing in the morning was less chaotic, but timeslots filled up within the first 15-20 minutes. The entry process has since changed, with same-day reservations opening up at 7am PST for Disneyland’s Cantina at disneyland.com/cantina. These reservations have a $10 cancellation or no-show fee due to the high demand. This change is a huge improvement to the stressful race to the cantina, and I’ve seen plenty of reservations available at 9-10 am PST, so it seems like it isn’t too hard to grab a same-day reservation due to the cancellation policy. Tip: If you log on in the morning and don’t see any reservations available, just check again. The system will put certain reservations “on hold” if other guests have them selected, and will release them for availability if they don’t book with a credit card.

I mention all of this for my Disney World audience. We currently don’t know if Oga’s at Hollywood Studios will have reservations or the rush of humanity (really praying for reservations). Just know that the demand will definitely be there at WDW, so be prepared to either line up early to secure a spot or to log on early in the morning.

Cantina Entry Card- Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

Once you have your reservation, you need to check in with a cast member and line up in front of the Cantina, which is located between the First Order Supply and the Millennium Falcon. We were able to line up 5 minutes before our allotted time. This line actually moved fairly quickly both times I visited the Cantina, averaging about a 10 minute wait. Although I’ve heard other people report waits up to 30 minutes. My guess is that it depends on the time of day. 

Oga’s Rules

While in line, you’ll get a quick spiel about Oga’s Rules. This is a good way to set expectations about what guests will experience while inside. The two biggest rules are a 2 drink per person limit, and a 45-minute time limit. This is another consequence of the demand. Oga’s is designed to churn people through. It’s not a place to sit, relax, and sip like Trader Sam’s or the Carthay Circle Lounge or the Ale & Compass Lounge. It’s just a different experience. The other rules they explained were that the bar is standing-room only if you aren’t sat at one of the booths, and that you should be assertive to find a place at the bar and wave down your bartender to get their attention. This worried me, as I don’t love being in a crowded bar or having to shout over people to order my drink.

Entering the Cantina

When it’s your time to enter, a server will lead you to your booth, table, or your section of the bar. Entering Oga’s is an awesome experience. There’s so much to look at everywhere. The bar feels reminiscent of the Mos Eisley cantina, but completely different… a bit more upscale, but not as trendy or metropolitan as the bar from Attack of the Clones. The Cantina is just simply gorgeous. There are tons of details, like blaster marks on the walls, themed taps on the bar, billowing steam, and creatures in glowing containers. It feels otherworldly and like you’ve stepped into a scene from Star Wars… without aliens. It would be great to see some bounty hunters or alien characters roaming around Galaxy’s Edge in general, but the cantina would just be perfect with a few aliens hanging out. Part of the DNA of the cantina scene is seeing all the seedy aliens through Luke’s eyes, and not having any extraterrestrials hanging out just feels like a missed opportunity. 

Cantina Wide- Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

Taps - Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

Bar - Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

Alien - Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

The bar itself is surprisingly big. It’s much larger than either of the Trader Sam’s locations. I’ve heard capacity is around 200-250 people, but I’m not sure if Disney is packing Oga’s Cantina to the gills. The bar felt busy, but it wasn’t the overwhelming crowd that I was worried about. We were taken to the bar, and we waited about 5 minutes until we saw a spot open up. We were able to comfortably order our drinks while standing at the bar and take the atmosphere in. It felt perfectly balanced between being busy but not being overcrowded. Also, the atmosphere in the morning felt a bit more family friendly, with the guests acting a bit calmer and the music not blasting quite as loud. Right now, it seems like you have no control over where you are seated, but I would definitely request the side with DJ R3x.

DJ R3x In The House

DJ Rex Closeup- Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

Oh, my best boy has returned. After a failed stint as a Star Tours Pilot, Rex is back as Oga’s Cantina’s DJ. I’m so happy that his job is much less stressful now. He’s a great DJ and so much fun to watch. He has plenty of little jokes and fun callbacks to Star Tours. At one point he malfunctions and says “Lightspeed to Endor!” I just adore having an animatronic as dining entertainment. Rex is like Sonny Eclipse in Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe turned up to 1000 and with much better music (sorry, Sonny). The music in the Cantina is great. Yes, they do play a remix of the Mos Eisley cantina song from A New Hope, but there are so many fun original songs, like a track from a droid band or a Gungan drinking song. I cannot wait for Disney to release the full soundtrack. They play some of the music in the bathroom right by Droid Depot if you are interested in hearing some of the original songs. 

Rex also has a fun but nightmarish storyline: at the end of his 2-3 hour loop, the cantina’s power “shuts off” (this just means the lights dim slightly). The bartender hits the bar with a wrench to power things back up. Rex starts back up with the Star Tours chime, and he says that this is his first time DJ’ing. Basically, Rex is trapped in a memory loop, where he DJs for a couple of hours, shuts down and has his memory wiped, and starts back up to do the same DJ set. It’s a weird detail that I kind of love, and I’m not sure what that says about me.

DJ Rex Red- Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

DJ R3x is amazing. There were so many ways this could have been done poorly: R3x is made to be too annoying or his loop is too short or the music is bland. But Disney nailed it. Oga’s Cantina doesn’t have as many special effects as Trader Sam’s, but Rex makes up for it. Going into Oga’s is worth it just to watch Rex.

The Service

The bartenders were great during my visits to Oga’s Cantina. I had heard reports of the staff being gruff and rude as characters, a la Mos Eisley. However, it seems that Disney has taken guest feedback and adjusted, as the service was friendly and very speedy. Almost every drink in Oga’s Cantina is available on-tap, meaning that all the cocktails are premixed. Bartenders then just have to pour cocktails out of the tap and garnish them. While I’ve seen some people complaining about this on Twitter, I actually really like this. I’ve waited for a drink between 10-15 minutes before if my bartender is slammed at Trader Sam’s. Each drink I ordered took about a minute to show up at Oga’s. Yes, this is all designed to help churn through more people, but if that means I get my order more quickly, I’m very ok with that. Also, the premixed drinks all tasted great (more on that later)… So I really don’t see a problem. The servers also will hand you a bill with each round you order, so you pay for drinks as you go. Another complaint I read was that people didn’t love having to tip on service before it was completed. If you’re one of those people who don’t want to tip on service until your time is done, just bring some cash to tip with or put your entire tip on your second/final round of drinks. I do wish that they only ran your credit card during the last drink, as it’s just extra receipts to put in my wallet, but that’s a minor quibble.

The Drinks

Overall, I was really happy with the drinks at Oga’s Cantina. I tried four different cocktails, and three of them were delicious and I would happily order again. 

Yub Nub Mug- Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

Yub Nub – $42 in a Souvenir Mug – This is the closest thing to a tiki cocktail found on the menu, and it’s served in an appropriately-themed tiki mug depicting the Battle of Endor. I loved the look of this mug from the first time I saw it, so I was going to order this drink even if the cocktail description was “a hint of rum served in flat lukewarm Diet Coke.” Forutnately, the drink is Malibu Pineapple Rum, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Citrus Juices, and Passion Fruit. It’s similar in taste to a Krakatoa, with the fruit punch being a bit more passionfruit forward. As a fan of fruity tiki drinks, I found this to be extremely tasty, and the serving was generously sized. Maybe going to overpriced bars in Los Angeles has ruined me, but this drink felt like a serving and a half. This drink is slightly on the weak side, but very slightly, and the big serving makes up for that. Yes, it’s very expensive for a nice souvenir mug to take home. But this was my favorite drink, so I have no regrets. However, there is a downside to this drink: it’s not available to buy without the mug. The bartender did say I could have ordered another one without the mug during my same visit when I bought the mug… but does that apply going forward? I already own one ridiculously overpriced Ewok tiki mug. Will I be able to get another Yub Nub without spending $42? That’s the rub with the Yub Nub mug.

Bespin Fizz- Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

Bespin Fizz – $17 – With Bacardi Superior Rum, Yuzu Purée, Pomegranate Juice, White Cranberry Juice, and Cloud Swirl, I wasn’t quite interested in this drink just looking at the menu. Pomegranate and Cranberry are not my favorite flavors. However, when I saw it being served I just couldn’t help but order it. This is another one of Disney’s bubbling drinks, utilizing dry ice in a container in the bottom of the cocktail to make an eruptive fizzing effect that lasts for a couple of minutes. This made this drink feel very alien and very fun to drink, even though I definitely felt like I was using a neti pot during my first couple of sips. And I was quite surprised to find that I found the drink to be extremely refreshing once the novelty of the fizz wore off. Like the Yub Nub, it’s just slightly on the weak side, but not terribly so. If you are a fan of cranberry or pomegranate, you’ll definitely love this drink. Just sip carefully.

Jet Juice- Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

Jet Juice – $14 – This is Oga’s Cantina’s smallest drink, but it packs quite the punch. If the other drinks tick slightly on the weak side, this definitely swings the other way. It’s not quite a shot, and it’s definitely best if sipped. The blend of Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, Cedilla Açaí Liqueur, White Grape Juice, and Lemon Juice makes for a really sophisticated and tart drink. This is a close second favorite to the Yub Nub, and will probably be my go-to drink.

Spiran Caf- Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

Sprian Caf$16 – When I went during the morning, I wanted to try one of the two breakfast cocktails. I’m not a huge Bloody Mary guy, so I decided to skip the Bloody Rancor. Instead, I ordered this coffee cocktail, partly because I had not had any decent coffee all morning. The Sprian Caf has Peru Alto Mayo Organic Joffrey’s Coffee®, Orange Marmalade, Gosling’s 151 Rum, Vanilla Whipped Cream, and Citrus Zest. This drink was weird. It wasn’t bad… it was just weird. The blend of coffee, cream, and orange strangely worked, but also wasn’t the most delicious thing I’ve ever had. The flavor of rum was non-existent. The whipped cream was cold, but I think the coffee was warm, so it all blended together to be room temperature. It just wasn’t successful. This was the only drink I that I had that was made to order and no premade in a tap, and it was by far the worst drink I had at Oga’s. Avoid this, or just get a Jet Juice at 9 am if you want your ride on Millennium Falcon to become a lot more interesting.

Imperial Guard Red Wine – $16 – Bethany tried the Imperial Red Wine, which tasted pretty good. This would probably be a $12 glass of wine at most restaurants, but it was a bit more structured than I was anticipating. 

Final Review

Cantina Interior - Oga's Cantina Review - Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - Guide2WDW

I had pretty lofty expectations for Oga’s Cantina, and they were exceeded. I found the atmosphere and entertainment to be absolutely top-notch. Having three out of four cocktails that I would order again is a success in my book. Yes, the experience is engineered to maximize turnover. There are some pros to this, as you will very likely receive your drink order in record time. But there are some downsides, as the food offerings are really sparse and having to sign multiple checks is a bit of a pain. However, I have no problem with the 45-minute limit. As someone who enjoys the sit-and-sip atmosphere at other lounges, I felt pretty satisfied to leave after 30-40 minutes thanks to the quick service.

Pros

  • Incredible atmosphere
  • Tasty drinks and a varied menu
  • DJ R3x
  • Awesome music
  • Fun details
  • Quick Service
  • Bar doesn’t feel overcrowded at capacity

Cons

  • Not enough snacks or food options
  • No aliens
  • Souvenir-mug only drinks

Oga's Cantina Review - Galaxy's Edge Bar