One of my favorite things to do when I’m on vacation is indulge in some local cuisine. I am true foodie at heart. I love everything about food. I love to cook and dine out. I like anything from gourmet meals to food trucks. So when I’m researching the next place for us to explore, one of the first things I look into is the food situation.
Maui had a plethora of awesome places to eat. So many good places so little time!
Here is a list of places we ate at in Maui in no particular order.
1. 808 Plates food truck – Location: Kahului
We came here as soon as we got our rental car upon arrival! We were starving and wanted something similar to Giovanni’s shrimp truck in Oahu. This was the closest food truck to the airport and the only one open at the time. We arrived at 11am. It was surprisingly really good! The shrimp was already peeled and it was sweet and crunchy. I would recommend this place only if you’re in the area. Not really worth going out of your way for. Also, they didn’t have a “kids menu” or kids option so my son ended up eating macaroni salad and rice which he was perfectly happy with.
2. Japengo – Location: Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa, Lahaina
We had dinner here to celebrate my birthday. It’s a beautiful restaurant inside the Hyatt Regency Resort with wonderful views of the beach and sunset. It is honestly one of the best views I’ve ever seen from a restaurant. My husband and I shared a couple of appetizers, a roll and a sashimi omakase.
The food was good. It wasn’t great. The service though was awesome. We’ve had better (and less expensive) sushi elsewhere but the cost was well worth the views. They also have a happy hour with less expensive items to choose from.
3. Royal Ocean Terrace Restaurant – Location: Royal Lahaina Resort, Lahaina
Not much to say about this restaurant other than we ate there for convenience and that alone. It’s located in the resort that we stayed in and was a quick place for us to get a bite to eat. We had breakfast one time at this restaurant and thought it was decent.
4. Joey’s Kitchen – Location: Inside the food court of Whalers Village, Lahaina
Our first night in Maui, our kids were so jetlagged that they fell asleep at 6pm. We had an ocean front room so our view was phenomenal and that night we decided to get take out and eat on the balcony. My husband and I chose Joey’s Kitchen because of the reviews on Yelp. I got the tuna poke on rice and my husband got the Kahlua pork. Both were really good and satisfied our Hawaiian food craving!
Be prepared to park in the parking structure and walk over to the restaurant in the food court.
5. The Fish Market – Location: Lahaina
Located in a strip mall, this “fast food” seafood restaurant hit the spot on a hot late afternoon. We spent the day hiking and were starving! When we got there, there was a bit of a line so be prepared to wait a little. I got the fish tacos and my husband got the ahi tuna steak. Both were really delicious! Fresh and very flavorful. Would definitely go there again.
Parking is tough during peak hours. There are two lines, one for the food and one for the fresh fish. If you want poke, line up on the right side upon entering.
6. Huli Huli Chicken – Location: Hana
This is a food stand located in Hana. Unfortunately, when we got there around 3pm they had already ran out of chicken.
I ended up ordering something I don’t remember and can’t really describe other than it was wrapped in a banana leaf. My husband got a beef stew with rice and macaroni salad. It was good but we were bummed we didn’t try the chicken. The lunch view is wonderful though and the drive to get there is quite interesting.
7. Mama’s Fish House – Location: Pala
We had lunch here after visiting the Twin Falls and we went on impulse, without a reservation and sweating from our hike. When we got there, we were greeted by complementary valet and a view to die for. I was expecting to wait long since it’s a pretty popular place and we didn’t have reservations but we only waited for about 10 minutes before we were seated.
The service was top notch. But let me tell you about the food. This was THE BEST seafood restaurant I’ve been to hands down. And I’ve been to many seafood restaurants in my day. Everything we ordered was so flavorful and the presentation was gorgeous.
We ordered a Mai Tai and sea breeze for our cocktails and started with a shrimp appetizer. So good! The sauce was killer. For our entrées I had 3 kinds of fish on yellow curry with rice. SO DELISH! And my husband had Mahi-Mahi stuffed with lobster. I mean, common! Ridiculous. My son’s kahlua pork dish was even awesome! The place is expensive. But it is SO WORTH EVERY PENNY!
8. Miso Phat Sushi Restaurant – Location: Lahaina
I miss this place so much! We had the BEST sushi here. So fresh, so flavorful, so satisfying, the owner is a hoot, he gave us free edamame while we waited (a good 30 minutes) and its BYOB! What’s not to love? We ordered the miso phat roll, the TnT roll, salmon and yellowtail sushi and 2 pieces of toro. Guy Fieri supposedly was there for his show “Diners, Drive Ins and Dives” and loved the TnT roll and I have to agree with the dude. That roll was “out of bounds!”
Now let me talk about the toro. Holy melt in your mouth good! It was so fresh and melted like butter. $28 bucks for 2 pieces but it was so worth it! I still have dreams about this toro.
This restaurant is located in a strip mall and is tiny so be prepared to wait. They only have a few tables. Good thing is that its BYOB so buy your alcohol next door and bring it over, and drink while you wait because it’ll be awhile. Wait patiently. You won’t regret it!
9. The Gazebo – Location: Lahaina
We ate here before catching our flight to Oahu. We were determined to eat here! It was our second attempt. On our first attempt we made the mistake of coming too late in the morning (around 10am) and the line was wrapped around the restaurant. We were way too hungry to wait so we left. This time, we arrived at 7am. The restaurant opens at 7:30. When we got there, the line was already so long we ended up waiting an hour to be seated!
The restaurant is located on a condominium complex with a wonderful view of black sand beach. It’s a tiny restaurant overlooking the ocean. We ordered macadamia nut pancakes, fried rice and corn beef hash. Everything was delicious!!!!! The fried rice was especially good. We got the half order to share and still couldn’t finish it so we took it to go and ate it before our flight. This breakfast place is a gem and honestly the best breakfast we had on the island. Definitely worth the 1-hour wait!
Hope this list helps! Bon Appetite!
We have a timeshare at the Hyatt Regency Resort in Maui and so we are very familiar with Japengo. We’ll eat there at least once during our trip for the convenience and the views, and as you said, the food is good but somewhat overpriced. (Welcome to Maui!) But Mama’s… we make sure to make that road trip every year for lunch. One of our favorite places of all time — the food, the atmosphere, the views. We wish we were there right now!