Maui has an abundance of fresh, unique and delicious food options. Whether you're looking for something fancy or casual, we have the details on some of the best restaurants according to residents. We hope to save you some time by reading through our reviews before making your meal plans.
Heads up: Some of these restaurants are considered to be the most popular on the island, but they may not be our personal favorites. This article reviews both well known restaurants, but also is made up of the Activity Maui team's top choices. That means there are a number of hot spots that you may not have stumbled upon otherwise.
Mama's Fish House is one of the few 5-star dining experiences in Maui. It is located in Kuau, right outside of Paia town. With its beachside views, tiki torches, open air dining and floral clad wait staff, it resembles Maui in the 1960s. The biggest question about Mama's is always, is it worth the price? Mama's Fish House is worth it, if you can afford it. Main courses range from $44-$95. A mai tai is $18. The food is top notch and memorable.
Pro tip: Their lunch and dinner menu are the same and we recommend eating there when the sun is still up, so you can enjoy the ambiance.
Arrive early, enjoy complimentary valet service and take a walk around the grounds. Their beach is the perfect spot for photos and you'll often see turtles resting on the shore. The bar is open and you can order a drink while waiting for your table. If you're celebrating a special event, be sure to tell them and they'll make it extra memorable for you. The wait staff is professional and always polite and efficient. The appetizers are a decent size, but not too big. Their main courses are a good amount of food. All of the fish is caught locally and you can read about the fishermen in the menu. Favorite appetizers are the crispy Mahi Mahi rolls and the seared beef tenderloin served in a papaya. Favorite main course is Mama's stuffed fish which is usually a mahi mahi stuffed with crab and lobster. Runners up are the fish in a panang curry sauce and the bouillabaisse. For those who don't eat fish, there is steak available. Mama's most famous dessert is the Polynesian Black Pearl, a mouse inside of an edible "pearl shell." It's delicious and photo worthy!
We recommend Mama's Fish House for the experience and the food. It's a special place that everyone should try at least once in their life. Make a reservation as soon as you make your flight arrangements and you should be able to get in, as its often booked up to 3-6 months in advance. If you didn’t get a reservation early, check Open Table in the mornings for cancellations.
Lastly, don't plan a dinner at Mama's after a day on The Road to Hana. It may seem convenient, but you'll be tired and ready to put your feet up on your lanai with a cold beverage. In fact, don't make a lot of plans surrounding your reservation. Enjoy the experience without feeling rushed.
Paia Fish Market is located at the busy Paia intersection of Hana Hwy and Baldwin Road. A town favorite since1989, this restaurant serves fresh fish daily. Most of their tables are set up family style, so you can meet up with friends, or strangers, to talk story in this laid back surfer town. Their menu has everything from fresh fish of the day, to fish and beef burgers and fish tacos. Their Mahi Mahi fish and chips is served with their signature coleslaw. The food, along with their reasonable prices, is why there is always a line out the door at meal times. Parking in Paia can be difficult to find, so we recommend dropping someone off to get in line and then parking your car. You can also skip the line if you call ahead and place a to-go order. However, you won't be able to sit inside. Paia Fish Market has two other Maui locations: Kihei and Lahaina.
Quick tip: The parking situation is better in Kihei and Lahaina, so if you're only going to Paia to try the Paia Fish Market, try their other locations.
If you are craving the best hummus you've ever had, Café de Amis is a must. Located in Paia, just up Baldwin Avenue from Paia Fish Market, Café de Amis is a laid back spot that boosts very relaxing beach vibes. There menu is one of the most interesting menus on island, pairing authentic French, Mediterranean, and Indian foods into a cohesive meal. Think a crepe for an appetizer, with the "Catch of the Day Fish" curry (which rivals Mama's Fish House curry in our opinion) for your main dish. Since the pandemic, Café de Amis has suspended its breakfast, now opening at 1:00 p.m. Regardless of when you go, definitely don't let a wait scare you away as the service is typically very quick.
Local tip: Be sure to order a lilikoi margarita.
You may have seen Chef Sheldon Simeon when he appeared on the popular TV show, "Top Chef." Long before he became famous, Sheldon started out cooking in Hilo on the Big Island, in a kitchen with a tin roof. The food at Tin Roof is local with a Chef Sheldon twist. His mochiko chicken is one tasty example. Regular mochiko chicken is fried chicken with spices and soy sauce. The mochiko chicken at Tin Roof comes with a housemade su-miso sauce & gochujang aioli that elevates it in moisture and flavor. The Spicy Chicken Sandwich is similar. It's not a dry fried chicken sandwich. Chef Sheldon does this with all of his meals. He takes a local favorite and adds his own signature flavors to it.
Tin Roof is located in a popular Kahului strip mall. You'll see a line of people hanging outside the door and some eating on benches in the parking lot. The simplicity is what makes it special. Call ahead to place your order, skip the line and then take your food to the beach and watch a sunset. You can't plan a better Maui experience than that.
Quick tip: Call ahead and skip the line.
The fresh farm-to-table cuisine is affordably priced and delicious. With a nice selection of vegan and gluten free options, I love to eat their vegan Bahn Mi on fresh gluten free bread, mushroom congee and their Green Bowl which is a delicious Buddha Bowl made with local seasonal roasted veggies, buttery avocado and their famous “mac crack.”
Before a member of Activity Maui moved to Maui, she asked a local guy where his favorite restaurant was, and he told her about this hidden treasure. Located under a bridge and kind of next to nothing in Wailuku, this gem has been serving tasty Vietnamese Food since the early 90s. It seems to be a local secret, so it’s always full but never too busy. We recommend their fresh summer rolls, clay pot dinners, funny waiters and deeply affordable prices.
Restaurant Marlow serves Neopolitan pizza in upper Pukalani near Kula Malu. Their restaurant has a clean black and white aesthetic with an open air kitchen. They serve coffee and specialty drinks and have a couple tables in the front by the door. For lunch and dinner, you can be seated in the more formal dining area where they specialize in thin crust sourdough personalized pizzas. The flavor of their pizza is good enough. The sauce, cheese and other toppings were skimpy. The margarita pizza is $18 and barely has any cheese on it. Extra toppings can be added for an additional cost.
It should be noted that customers who want to order take out are expected to use their online ordering system, even if they walk in to order. They will not take a to-go order from the counter. It is unclear if this is an organization issue and just easier for the kitchen or if they just don't want to deal with to-go orders while serving and seating guests. The whole experience was off putting. Customer service did not seem to be a high priority in this situation. If the pizza had been amazing, this glitch could be overlooked in the future, but it just makes the whole restaurant not worth the hassle.
Craving a beer? Mahalo Ale Works right next door is the newest brewery to hit Maui, and it's quickly become a local fave. In addition to a lovely selection of draft beers, Mahalo Ale Works is a great place to sit and wait for / enjoy your pizza from Restaurant Marlow.
Quick tip: Maui has a competitive pizza market. You may find something else more delicious and worth the price somewhere else, such as Flatbread in Paia.
Leoda's Kitchen and pie shop is located in Olowalu, a small community located 11 miles outside of Lahaina. Their food is described by them as "glorified grandma comfort food" and it is delicious. Fried chicken and waffles, hearty sandwiches and personal sized pies are among a few of the favorites on the menu. Their mini chicken pot pies are clearly made from scratch and give that fresh from grandma's oven feel. Their desserts are mostly cream pies along with banana bread loaves. There isn't a bad item on the menu. The only thing they used to have that they don't offer anymore is french fries. They used to come with an aioli sauce on them and were a meal by themselves. New customers won't notice the fries missing but returning guests may be disappointed.
Leoda's can get very crowded at peak times. The line to order and sit down is usually out the door. If you don't plan on eating in, we recommend calling ahead and using their new pick-up window. It's right next to the entrance and you don't have to go inside to get your food.
Quick tip: Go outside of peak lunch time to dine inside, otherwise, call ahead and take your food to-go.
The Plantation House Restaurant sits inside the Fairways of Kapalua's Plantation Golf Course. With breathtaking vistas of the ocean and Molokai island, The Plantation House is one of the best restaurants with a view. Serving brunch, lunch and dinner, there isn't a bad time to visit this elegant, yet casual golf club style venue. The menu has a wide variety of options, including for kids. They have everything from poke and pancakes to Mahi mahi and Hawaiian brazed short ribs. The price points are average for the type of food serves and the ambiance gives it that extra special touch that you're looking for when out to dinner on Maui. A sunset view from this vantage point can't be beat and that's a huge draw for The Plantation House. Thankfully they ask have great food and a friendly wait staff.
Quick tip: the parking lot is sloped so be sure to drop off anyone to the front who needs assistance walking or has to use a mobility aid.
Coconuts Fish Cafe is located in Kihei at the Azeka Marketplace. This cafe has been voted as having the best fish tacos on Maui by No Ka Oi Maui Magazine. With their family style seating it has a casual atmosphere. Their menu has nothing over $25 with most entrees around $16. Parking is free and easy. The fish is fresh and if you're looking for a decently priced meal in Kihei this is a go-to. It's reliable and tasty, but there are better fish tacos around the island.
We don’t know what voodoo blackmagic is in their breakfast potatoes, but it’s worth standing in their long lines to order them on the weekend! The food at Nalu’s is fresh, tasty and a fun spin on local flavors. Also, they have really yummy water concoctions with fresh fruit and herbs, which beats the usual tap offerings at most restaurants.
Go for the name, but stay for the rolls. Their menu is as funny as it is tasty. I (our staff writer) usually just orders their miso soup and veggie makis (so fresh!), but she likes reading the names of their specialty rolls like the 69 Roll (Miso Horny) and the 007 Roll (Miso Secretive).
After spending our working lives abroad as expatriate Americans, my husband and I escaped a worsening Covid pandemic and came to Maui, just a day before lockdowns went into effect. We have spent the past year exploring this wonderful island which we now call our home!
Julia H.
Julia H. | 