Favorite Maui Restaurants???
 

Does anyone have a restaurant experience that the have had in Maui that they will never forget?

Any Maui Restaurant suggestions???

I haven't been to Maui in 10 years but a restaurant experience that was very memorable to me was at Cheeseburger in Paradise. Very simple meal - fried calamari, cheeseburgers and a couple of ice cold beers. But it was an upstairs open-air restaurant right on the water with great views, warm breezes, sun-setting and a guy playing a guitar and singing James Taylor songs. It was a Zen-like moment for me.

Sarento's on the Beach in Kihei - fabulous sunset views and very good food
Mama's Fish House in Paia - great overall

Go to Nick's Fishmarket at the Fairmont Kea Lani. It was the best service we've ever experienced. The food was excellent too. I have ranked it number 1 on my all-time list of favorite restaurants.

Check out www.chowhound.com (elsewhere in america board) There is a lot of info on Maui restaurants. You can search the page using the "cntrl f" function.

Favorite Maui restaurant for me was Mama's Fish House, because despite all the hype and cost it certainly met my expectations and more. Before I get into the specifics, let me tell you that I'm typically wary of others' suggestions since it's a very subjective matter. Not to sound snobbish, but I have no idea what others' past dining experiences were, how consistent a particular restaurant is from day to day, and a whole lot of other factors.

That said, I believe Mama's best captures the essence of Maui in its decor and atmosphere as well as in its menu...they primarily provide fresh fish caught from local fishermen. And it's location on a very pristine beach in Paia, watching a sunset, just tops off the whole experience. I realize that not everyone has had a glowing report of the restaurant, but I noticed they were a very small minority. Mama's is one of the few on Maui that has delivered on its hype for so many years. When I spend over $100 on dinner for two excluding drinks, I want to make sure a restaurant's excellence is consistent the night I dine...and Mama's did not fail. It was spectacular for me in July 2002, and I hope it still is for others.

No question about it---Roy's. Treat yourself!

The Banyan Tree at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua. Excellent food,romantic atomsphere and it overlooks beautiful Kapalua Bay. Sunsets are amazing!!

Definitely don't miss Pacific'O in Lahaina. Ask for a table outside on the beach. Outstanding food and atmosphere. I've been to Maui 7 times and this is certainly the best of the best.

I second hippirep's comment.
Best details/reviews are at chowhound.com.
Mama's is a perennial favorite, Nick's and Spago for resort dining, Kimo's for the casual atmosphere (and sunset views more than anything else), Cheeseburger in Paradise for a local bite.

Da Kitchen.

If you like sushi, I understand Sansei is not to be missed! Half price sushi Thursday nights after 10pm too.

have fun!

Aloha Plate Lunch on the beach between Old Lahaina and Kaanapali - killer kalbi ribs, rice, macaroni, the best.

Cafe des Amis in Paia (on the way to Hana) - curry crepes, who knew?

Well, it's been 3 years since we were there, but I can second the Pacific'O recommendation - we ate a lot of meals in Maui and Pacific'O was my favorite. Great location and food. Cheeseburger in Paradise is a must, and Kimo's is another nice, casual place.

Hi,
Nick's is my favorite, with Roy's either in Kahana or Kihei right up there too. Loved Spago's at the 4 Seasons, Sansei's in Kapalua for sushi (same sushi in Kihei, but it lacks the ambiance of their Kapalua location), Gerard's in Lahaina has great food, but it is on a side street, so loses a bit of the Hawaiian experience. The food is ok, but the view is great at Leilani's in the Whaler Village-Kaanapali(get a seat outside). I really enjoyed the Plantation House in Kapalua, but my wife didn't like it, Erik's Seafood Grotto had great food, but again its location isn't "Hawaiian." Humu Humu Room at the Grand Wailea was also marvelous. Pacifico's has a great location, but our meal was only ok. I'd give it another try. It has a great reputation. Food at Longhi's in Lahina is ok, but we had the corner table and caught the sunset. WOW!!!
Frank

I'll add my name to the Pacific'O fans.

And when you want a break from the $55 meals, Maui Tacos!

For breakfast, if you're in the area, the Gazebo at Napili Shores.

For a casual meal, you can't beat the bar area at the Hula Grill at Kaanapali. Live music, outdoors right on the beach, your feet in the sand, and a terrific sunset.

bluefan...we agree again...

Mama's Fishhouse...end of story.

We liked Hula Grill too, especially for the beach front ambiance. But, for an unforgettable Maui restaurant I recommend Hailemaile General Store Restaurant. It's on the slope up the mountain a few miles north of the road to the summit. Ask the owner about her flower nursery too.

Well you said "never forget", which I take to mean good and bad. Basically, living in a big metro area, I've found that I can get just about anything here cheaper than in Hawaii, so dining for us isn't a major concern on trips to HI, we usually get a condo for flexibility. That being said, for Maui the best value we've found is Bubba Gumps in Lahaina, they do a great job (as of May '02 at least), good service & decent food. Erik's Seafood was also great but I believe it's recently moved so have no idea of current quality. We went to Longhi's in y2k & thought it way overpriced. For both our Maui trips the winner (loser) in the 'bad' category is the "Fish and Game" in Kahana. Mediocre food, dreadful service (if you even get any).
We never got to Mama's, road construction (delays) & price put us off, we ate in the condo while watching the sunset.. pog n' grog ..
Cheers

Just don't go to Nicks unless you like to dine beside a lame pool full of noisy people

There's a place in Kaanapali with good food, but the guy has naked barbie dolls in a cage...???? What that meant I don't know.

We always hit Maui Tacos, Cheeseburgers in Paradise, Woody's, the mexican place in Kehei overlooking the water...forget the name, next visit I want to go to Spagos. Have breakfast with a view at the Grand Wailea. Hula Grill is great for a drink and sunset music.

Another vote for The Banyon Tree at the Ritz.

HONOKOWAI OKAZUYA & DELI..Lahaina address but pretty close to the Napili Kai.Locals eat there.Its take out.Its the best stuff we've had on Maui.

Tommy Bahama cafe has a great lunch menu and reasonable prices, for Wailea!

Another vote for breakfast at The Gazebo. Their pancakes with coconut syrup is to die for!

For a combination of food and views, our most memorable is the Plantation House above Kapalua. Another less expensive would be the Barefoot Bar section at the Hula Grill in Kaanapalii.

topping for SusieJ :S-

We enjoyed Sarento's in Wailea last month...good portions, comfort-type food with some interesting/different flavors and twists...wonderful desserts...good wine list...attentive wait staff...and we sat at the edge of the terrace, right on the sand, it was awesome. I wouldn't buy the picture they take of you though, it was $20 and they didn't let us see it before it had been put on the bill.

Now, re: Hula Grill...the food was good, the drinks were better, the atmosphere was really awesome, very lively and packed, but my one complaint was about the one thing that drew me there: the fact that outside, you can eat in a section of the restaurant where they've covered the floor with sand--I wanted to eat with my feet in soft Hawaiian sand...but as soon as I sunk in my hot, tired dogs I was transported back to my sandbox days--the sand was very coarse, not at all like good golden Hawaiian sand, very disappointing. Very.

love
roxy

Maybe the sand at the Hula Grill came from somewhere other than Hawaii, like Australia. They say that they import sand for Waikiki Beach from Australia.

The best - Pacifico's! - We go there every time we are in Maui - the best fish we have found on the island. Great views of the sunset from the outside tables.
The worst - Longhi's - first tried the one in Lahaina years ago and thought it sucked. Tried the new one in Wailea a couple years ago thinking our earlier bad experience was an fluke. But no, it was also horrible- mediocre food, ridiculous prices, and bad service with seriously bad attitude.

I know this doesn't sound like a fine dining experience, but we had great meals at Maui Brews (I had ahi sashimi that was fantastic, believe it or not) and also at the Aloha Mixed Plate. It was a great lunch and the people who work there were incredibly friendly. Nice cold beer, outside, under the palms and on the water. What more do you need?

Best breakfast/brunch has to be Charlie's in Paia! They make a special or two each morning - their shrimp benedict was out of this world! This is the perfect place to stop in the morning when you are making the drive to Hana.

Is Charlie's the bar with decor like an old west saloon? Very Hawaiian

We ate at a wonderful restaurant called I'o, right on the beach in Lahaina. I believe the chef here is also the chef behind Feast at Lele, the fancy luau on Maui. The food at I'o was exceptional and the service was very attentive. Be sure to get an outside table. The restaurant is right on the beach and watching the sun set over the water while we ate was amazing.

Longhi's in Wailea has terrific food. A wonderful setting, and courteous staff.

Mama's fish house, the banyon tree, and the bay club

An unforgettable Maui restaurant experience? Ok - Mama's Fish House, July, '03, inside table for 5 of us, a cockroach jumped on my daughter's leg! Not knowing what kind of bug it was she flicked it off and a few moments later it LANDED ON THE ADJACENT TABLE OF 2 people dining. There was a bit a commotion between the two tables! When we asked about it the waiter just said they fumigate every, week blah blah blah. There was no apology nor offer of anything like a free dessert or drink. While the food was great it was very expensive. I think the restaurant is overated. Also beware of the traffic jams in Paia - you need to allow yourselves an additional 15 minutes!! Before anyone says cockroaches are to be expected, in all the years I've traveled to 3rd world countries, Hawaii and Caribbean, I've never seen them on restaurant tables! Disgusting!

We thoroughly enjoyed Longhi's in Wailea and Tommy Bahamas.

Topping for labob :S-

Topping for Jay Burns :S-