Nancy03

To all the lovers of Mama's Fishhouse - what makes you rave about this place? There are other restaruants with "reviews" of great views and great food - (Hula Grill, Bay Club, Pacific 'O, Humuhumu...,Nick's Fishmarket, Sarento's on the Beach)

What makes you always suggest Mama's as "THE BEST"? Is the view better than these other restaruants? Food better? Service better? Please help me decide if we should make the time our vacation to take a trip to Mama's.

I do have the Maui Revealed but there is an "ONO" for each of the above restaruants so would like to get your comparisons.

Thanks,

magicone

Go for lunch. The restaurant has a beautiful setting, lushly landscaped, with large windows overlooking the beach and surf. All of this would be lost after dark. We stopped in for a welcome to Maui lunch directly from the airport. It is only about 10 minutes away.
The food was good, imho there are better restaurants on Maui. It struck me as a fun place, but not tops for romance or cusine.

Have fun!

JohnD

From the tropically landscaped entrance to exit, entree to desert, the ambiance of Mama's is unique on Maui.

The presentation of our entree's was photoworthy and it appeared that alot of thought went into arrangement and meal selection.

The view and setting are decent though not above other establishments.
Particularly impressive were the homegrown(Maui) steeped~o)coffees~o).

With the exception of Sarento's, all the other restaurants that you have listed that I have visited are affiliated with a resort.

Mama's makes it on its own, in a class by itself, as you will probably see by it's packed parking lot. We last visited Mama's in 2001, and since I can still remember itshould speak volumes.

jacketwatch

We loved it and I have recommended it to people I know going to Maui who have returned with glowing reports. If there are so many positives that should tell you something. Why do people like it? Many factors including the food (best fish I have ever had), the decor, ambiance, the way you are treated, etc.

Jacqueline1212

I agree with previous poster. If you go, go for lunch. View was pretty, service was OK, food was good. We live in MA and eat seafood 5x/week, mostly at home, so are hard to impress with fish but it was fine. Prices are outrageous but a little better at lunch. Would I go way out of my way to go there? No, but if driving around the area, I would stop again for lunch.

Patty

I think it's mostly the setting and atmosphere. The food is good but you can get as good or better seafood elsewhere on Maui for less. Service was fine, nothing extraordinary. IMHO you're paying for the unique setting. If you don't want to go out of your way, but still want to give it a try, combine it with a day when you'll be doing some other activities on the east side of the island (airport, Haleakala, Hana).

BayArea

Mostly it's the setting, they've done a very nice job of it.

I didn't think that the food was all that stellar. We went on a Thursday or Friday night. It was packed, many of the specials were gone by the time we ordered (8pm reservation). We had service and timing problems. Lastly, while the food was expensive, it didn't seem like it had been prepared with any special care. I felt like I got a $12 plate of fish for the price of $24.

I would go again, at lunch time. I would also wear bug repellent on my ankles. They had sandfleas and we all got a bite or two.

I had better food at the IO Grill, which is right next to Pacific O. Great food, the service was wonderful. I would eat there again in a heartbeat.

Patty

I'll second the recommendation of I'O in Lahaina for great seafood.