Favorite Maui Restaurants
Betty's Beach Cafe located at 505 Front Street in Lahaina, right thru Lahaina Shore's private walkway. The staff is super friendly, and the food is excellent. Don't miss the bottomless mimosa's at Sunday brunch, and they often have dinner specials that you will find interesting. Wednesday night is live lobster night. This is an absolute must!
Cool Cat Cafe located at 658 Front Street in Lahaina right across from the Banyan Tree is an excellent place for beer, burgers, and great music. There is kind of a '50's theme. Dining is covered, outside, sitting right above busy front street on the second level. My personal favorites are the Marilyn or the Don Ho, both with jalapenos on the side, but I traverse the menu often!
Fleetwoods on Front Street, located in the heart of Lahaina Town, is an excellent choice for fine dining or just to stop by the rooftop bar at sunset. Don't miss the torch lighting and Hawaiian ceremony that usually takes at sunset. So far, everything we have had at Fleetwoods has been excellent, and the service is some of the best on Maui. If you are a fan of Mick Fleetwood, he can be found there often, as he lives just up the beach, and plays there with his band, Island Rumors, pretty frequently.
We often catch a show at the MACC, and our favorite pre-show dinner is at Hali'imaile General Store located between Kahului and Makawao. Don't let the name fool you, this is fine dining featuring locally sourced produce, meats and products as well as an array of unique cocktails to get you started.
Kimo's Restaurant located at 845 Front Street in Lahaina has a great bar, and outdoor dining. We generally favor the fish tacos for lunch here, and they have a great happy hour, but there is always a line of people waiting for Kimo's to open the upstairs dining every evening. We must go up there some time to see what the fuss is about! If you purchase two entrees at either lunch or dinner, you will receive a coupon for a free "Hula Pie", a wonderful ice cream pie on chocolate cookie crust, on your next visit. This special offer is printed on the bottom of your receipt.
If you have a special occasion, the Lahaina Grill is an excellent upscale choice for fine continental dining. The wait staff is incredibly knowledgeable and the food is well prepared and fresh. Reservations are absolutely a must regardless of the night of the week, and the Grill tends to be pretty full, which means it is on the noisy side. Also, be prepared for sticker shock, even by Maui standards, but then again, this is fine dining. Dinner for two will run about $50-$60 each for a shared appetizer and two entrees. Bon Appetit!
Mala located at 1307 Front Street up past the Cannery Mall is an excellent place for lunch, brunch or dinner. They have an excellent lamb sausage eggs benedict. Dining can be out on the deck at the water's edge. Add a glass of wine and it is an experience.
If you dare to try the Road to Hana, or just venture a bit along that fantastic drive, after you leave Pa'ia you will soon pass Mama's Fish House. Located right on the ocean facing east, the fish could not be more fresh. Coupled with a very attentive wait staff, this is so relaxing and delicious. Always make a reservation and this is not an undiscovered gem, but always worth the extra planning.
For a special evening out, try Merriman's located a short drive up in Kapalua. Excellent views of Molokai and Lahaina Roads. The staff is so attentive, and the specialty cocktails worth a look, but the dishes speak for themselves. Fresh and imaginative.
Another 505 favorite is Pacific'O located next door at 505 Front Street. Great for lunch or dinner with seating right on the beach and an excellent upscale menu. Our favorite is Louis' Fish Tacos.
Pa'ia Fish Market located in the heart of Pa'ia is the best place to sample a fish burger. Sound strange to you? Well, I'm here to tell you that it is excellent and a DO NOT MISS! When you arrive, just hop in line to the counter and place your order. It is one of those places that call out a number when your food is ready. The tables are all shared space, but do not let this put you off. This is just too good to miss. If all the tables are filled when you are ordering, do not worry. Space always clears while you are waiting for your food to get ready. Just sip your drink, watch and wait. It will definitely be worth it. Also, if you have trouble with parking, there is public parking on the right just as you enter Pa'ia. I'd recommend that you go ahead and park here as parking can be scarce. Besides, the walk to the middle of town is full of wonderful window shopping and a short walk anyway.
GREAT NEWS! Paia Fish Market, our favorite lunch stop in Paia, has added a location right down the street across from the Banyan Tree. We visited on their very first day and, as expected, it was wonderful! Our personal favorite is the Opah Fishburger. You can add fries for $2.00 but beware, $2.00 buys a lot of fries, enough to share. 632 Front Street, Lahaina. 808-662-3456. Open daily 10:00 am-9:30 pm.
Sam Sato's in Wailuku is another local favorite. Located at 1750 Wili Pa Loop, this noodle shop has the best saimin, dry noodles (a specialty) and chow fun on the island, at reasonable prices. Absolutely delicious. When you arrive, you visit a little window outside to put your name on the list as there is almost always a wait during meal times. The wait was short, and the experience well worth it. Very filling though so keep this in mind when you order.
Soup Nutz & Java Jazz at 3350 Lower Honoapiilani in Ka'anapali is a great place for lunch. They have excellent imaginative sandwiches, great soups, salads, and a very friendly staff. Though we've only enjoyed lunch there, it appears they have a fun nightlife. After lunch, just up the street on the left is a small farmer's market with a nice assortment of papaya varieties.
We searched and ate and searched and ate and FINALLY found an excellent sushi restaurant in an unlikely place. Located in the middle of an open air shopping center, in the heart of Lahaina Town, with a fine art shop to one side and temporary tattoos being applied on the other. Sushi Ko at 844 Front Street in Lahaina serves up delicious sushi. If it's Friday evening, we are there! They have excellent imaginative specialty items, all the traditional things you would expect and an accommodating staff. You can also order online for pickup.