Lunch or dinner at Mamas Fish House?
 

Going to Maui first two weeks of March and since we have never gone to Mamas thought we would try it this time. I know it is expensive so wondering if lunch would be a better option since you would at least be able to see the view. Interested in opinions of everyone who has eaten here either lunch, dinner or both. Thanks

Definitely lunch -- same great food, but (as you've pointed out) you'll also get the beautiful view.

Don't faint when you see the menu prices...the food is divine, the service is exemplary. And this isn't something anyone would do daily! 8-)

I can only afford to go for lunch.
Recommend you go when they open so you can get a better table. Our first visit we were by the window with a great view of the windsurfers and ocean. Service and food both great. Our last visit was later in the afternoon; we were in the middle of a big room with very little view. Service was slow and food was lukewarm and dry...like it had sat on the "ready" shelf a long time.

Great place either I think would be good, except as pointed out you may get a better table. It gets dark late unless you talk about dinner at 8:00 p.m. I don't think you should miss the view. Are you going to the seven pools?

We went in August for a late afternoon meal(3:00ish).We had eaten a late breakfast. The food & view were fabulous. It was top-rated for a reason. Remember it is never a bad idea to tip the hostess upon making the reservation in person.Also, explaining about the occasion that you are celebrating & how far you have come to get to Mama's Fish House doesn't hurt the view & seating arrangements.

Colombiana:

Sunset is based on time of year. For example, now in January here on Kaua`i, our skies are dark by 6-6:30.

My post about Mamas being overpriced and not worth the $$ was deleted. Wonder why?

When we were in Maui, we went at dusk for dinner, and once for lunch.The prices are not that much different. We enjoyed dinner and the ambiance of the evening much more. We had views of the beach for both meals. Although we enjoyed the food, and had a nice time, we would not go back due to it being so overpriced. If you do not get a good view, it is REALLY overpriced.

Carley,
I think I am in agreement with most of the previous notes that Lunch is the way to go. I hear at dinner time they have the torches lit but during the day with the sun shining and the waves hitting it is really nice. You can also see a kite surfer or a wind surfer pretty easily. They have valet parking and my wife liked it so much we went back the day we flew home. It was about 80 bucks (we didn't have a cocktail). It was a bit overpriced in my opinion. Although they did cook a banana on the marlin I ate that tasted great. Try it once and I don't think you will regret it.

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I guess lunch is the way to go but am now wondering if it really is worth the $$$. From what I am reading the food and service are very good but is it really worth the price. Most everyone seemed to enjoy it but there is still that little doubt as to if they would go again. Will mull over our other lunch and dinner options and decide if it fits the budget. We usually go to the Big Island and this might be our last visit to Maui for a few years so thought it might be fun to do some things we have never done.

We went for dinner and weren't terribly impressed with the food. It was decent but probably not worth the money. Maybe just go and have drinks and appetizers or something.

It has been awhile since I've been to Mamas, but I remember not being overly impressed. If I went back, I would probably do the appetizer & drink routine.

And that being said--there are restaurants with spectacular views all over Maui!

Sylvia3 - would you mind listing some? Thanks.

We stayed at the Inn at Mama's Fish House, so we were at the restaurant several times. Honestly, drinks/appetizers or drinks/dessert are the best options. We were not impressed with the entrees.

We just had dinner at Mama's on Tuesday night and we enjoyed the evening very much. The restaurant is located on a beautiful beach and it has a lovely ambiance. The experience was great, the food itself was not what we expected. We both had the signiture dish (mahimahi stuffed with lobster and crab) and were not impressed. It was breaded then fried and served with asparagus and seasoned rice. It was good but not $50 each good. We were very impressed with the dessert though... black chocolate pearl with creme bruele and chocolate cake YUM! I'd go for appetizers and dessert. We are leaving Maui today...
so sad...

Aloha

OK, thought this thread was gone, but rather than recommend (IMO!!) any places I particularly like, I just will say that at any of the fine hotels along the beaches (entire west coast of Maui) there are lovely restaurants with fine views and great food at fairly reasonable prices--also, the last Entertainment book had 2/1 coupons for several of them (one was Japanese, and I didn't try), tho (I think) Mon--Thursday were the nights they were good for. (Not to bash Mamas even more, but the only one I ever met who thought it was great was my MIL, and she was there for her 75th birthday 10 years ago.)

Well, from what I am reading it is either lunch, drinks and apps or not go at all. We have eaten at Nick Fish Market and really enjoyed it so maybe we will go back there for a special meal. Any other suggestions. We also like Roys.

We did Nicks ...and I'd have to rate it best of all the places we dined on Maui and Oahu!
The places we ate included:

Okazuya Deli(shopping center take-out)
Pai'ia Fishmarket (In town, no beach)
Old Lahaina Luau (next to the Beach)
Aloha Plate Lunch (cocktail seating was not beach view, but I believe they had it.)
Warren & Annabelle's Magic Show(inside, no beach)
Plantation House (nice view)
Mama's Fish House..we had a couple drinks, split a ceviche, and a meal.
Lelani's (on the beach at Whalers)
Honokawai Farmer's Market (free samples!)
Mama's ...we had a couple drinks & split a ceviche and an meal, since we had snacked earlier and had simply been eating our way through Maui, and was feeling it's effects!--- I agree to do lunch there, if you just gotta do Mama's. There is limited window seating and they refused to reserve it, told me it opened at 5:30, and when we arrived at that time, found out they actually opened at 5:00, so the window seating was already taken. Still a nice place though!
SeaWatch (Beautiful Ocean View!)
Home Grown Market in Ha'ku (picnic lunch )...will try Hana Box Lunch next time though due to service problems.

My favs were Nicks, Lelani's and Seawatch.

If you do the West Maui circle drive, don't miss Auntie Ululani's shave ice....the BEST EVER! About a block or two down is Judith's Banana bread stop...it's fair (Hey, I'm from the south and I KNOW good banana bread!LOL!)

Places I wish I'd tried: Hula Grill & Kimo's

Belle

Lunch at Mama's for two with a tasty entree, one alcoholic beverage each, dessert and pressed coffee was about $140. (Tip included.) We did have a nice view. However, being lunch time there were a lot of kids running around. Dinner at the Hula Grill was just as good, at half the price, and right on the beach. RLS