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-   -   Suggest a great Maui Restaurant? (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/suggest-a-great-maui-restaurant-486119/)

bradmundo Nov 15th, 2004 12:53 AM

Suggest a great Maui Restaurant?
 
I will be on Maui for a romantic getaway and am looking for the perfect spot to take my wife for dinner. Any reccomendations from those who have been there?

carbogilligan Nov 15th, 2004 03:51 AM

If you do a search on Romantic Maui Restuarants, you will get so many ideas from so many different perspectives. Pick the one that suits you best.

yale Nov 15th, 2004 06:27 AM

Mama's Fish House

bebe0711 Nov 18th, 2004 08:12 AM

Hi! Here are my favorite places in Maui! Of course they are all in Wailea, but that is beacuse this is where we always stay.
Nick's Fishmarket (in the Fairmont Key Lani)

Spargo (in the Four Seasons)

and the restaurant in the Grand Wailea, which I cannot remember the exact spelling but it was really long and different. It was something like Humuhumu....It is a restaurant over water in a little hut.

All wonderful restaurants! Wish I was going again! Have fun

rebelyeller Nov 20th, 2004 08:19 AM

I have eaten at all of the restaurants that have been mentioned on this thread and all were excellent. However, the best meal we had on Maui with a great view of the sunset was at Capische in Wailea. Very small (only 10 tables) and a small menu but everything from the service, the wine list, and the food were first rate.
You can't go wrong with any of these choices, however. Have fun.

here_today_gone2Maui Nov 20th, 2004 09:18 AM

rebelyeller, nice to hear someone mention Capische for once. I bring it up now and then, but it seems like no one ever checks it out. But, this might be a god thing, given the small capacity fot he place. Gotta leave someplaces for locals to go for special nights out too. lol Do check them out on Fri-Sat nights when they have jazz in their lanai lounge.

jgg Nov 21st, 2004 11:41 AM

We really enjoy the Kea Lani and have stayed there several times with our kids (now ages 9 and 12). Our kids tend to spend most of their time in the ocean boogie boarding and body surfing.

The Grand Wailea definitely has more slides and cool pool area for kids, but it always seems to be very crowded. I will say that the rope swing looks like a lot of fun.

The Kea Lani is currently working on updating their rooms. If you decide to go there just request a room that has already been updated. I know you don't spend a lot of time in the room, but the extra elbow room is awesome!! We originally chose the Kea Lani for the suites, travelling with two kids we didn't want to have to get two rooms and it has been great.

jgg Nov 21st, 2004 11:42 AM

Oops! I am sorry, I posted that last message to the wrong place - but while I am at it, we love Nick's Fish Market at the Kea Lani

orchid Nov 29th, 2004 05:26 PM

Nick's Fish Market at Kea Lani. Expensive -- but the absolute best meal ever. The opakapaka was incredible. We appreciated the attention and small detail service. this is a 5-star restaurant without doubt.

welch Nov 29th, 2004 06:22 PM

Spago is well worth the price (expensive) but to get the most out of it, go at sunset and request a table outside. Do mention it's a "special occasion" and consider making a reservation before you leave home!

Leburta Nov 30th, 2004 12:48 AM

We live on Oahu, but love Maui and try to get over there at least once a year. On each visit we try to get to the restaurant at the Wailea golf course, even if we are not golfing there. The food is very "unclubhouse-ish" (great, in fact) and the views over the ocean are spectacular. We especially like getting there for lunch, but dinners are nice too, especially right at sunset.

If you get over to the other side of the island (the airport, or Kahului side), we also like Haliimaile General Store. It's a little far (as is Mama's Fish House) if you are staying over on the Wailea side though, and even farther if you're in Kaanapali or Lahaina. Too long a drive if you're having wine for your romantic dinner.

Sherri Dec 7th, 2004 11:27 AM

You do not mention what part of Maui that you will be visiting, but in Wailea I would definitely recommend Sarento's in addition to Nick's. Last July my husband and I had a romantic dinner at Sarento's one night and the next at Nick's (not our first time for both). In both cases, the food was absolutely delicious. But...for romance, my first choice would be Sarento's. Book a beachside table in advance (a few weeks before departure) about an hour before sunset. We also stopped by for a drink a few days before our romantic dinner and picked the exact table that we wanted. Guaranteed success! Nick's has a number of good tables, but since you are at a hotel, there are more families with kids. Also, Nick's is set back from the beach quite a ways. Both are great! Enjoy!

Sherri Dec 7th, 2004 11:29 AM

I forgot to mention to avoid Humu Humu. Really great location, but really average food. Not worth the money in my opinion...

NYJets Dec 7th, 2004 12:05 PM

The best meal we had in Maui was at I'O in Lahaina. Great location (on beach) and very good food, especially for the value.

We ate at Nick's and my wife got the opakapaka which apparenty is their signature dish...we weren't that impressed (my dish wasn't earth shattering either but I did a poor job ordering as I was jetlagged and just wanted something simple so I have myself to blame). Nick's does have a good atmosphere (as someone else mentioned its set back from the beach so no real ocean view) and great service but to be honest, I doubt there's any such thing as a 5 star restaurant in Maui. There are many wonderful reasons to visit Maui but food isn't one of top reasons. We've been to no less than 20 restaurants in New York that were better than what we had in Maui foodwise, but certainly you if you can grab a seat with an ocean sunset view it helps tremendously.

dantheman Dec 7th, 2004 12:32 PM

Yeah, but you like the Jets, so what do you know about taste?

boatguy2199 Dec 7th, 2004 12:36 PM

Bring your credit card and go to Sorento's. Unworldy food, and the best service I have ever had at a restaurant. Not to mention a great view.

Chrys23 Dec 7th, 2004 02:03 PM

I stayed at the Four Seasons in Maui on my honeymoon, this past September.

A nice romantic spot at the hotel is their restaurant Ferraro's -- the restaurant is outside-only & you can request seat right in front of the beach overlooking the ocean. It's great at sunset and the food is amazing as well.

here_today_gone2Maui Dec 7th, 2004 02:42 PM

Hey, NYJets, you need to come back to Maui and try some of our better restaurants. The only one in your trip report I would recommend is I`o. Come back and try out Capische, The Plantation House, Gerards, Chez Paul, Mama's, Hakone.

Ansd when you come back, you need to get out of Wailea and Lahaina and see the real Maui--away from all that blatant commericialism! Spend some time in the `Iao Valley, upcountry and up Haleakala and, visit Poli Poli Springs, the north shore, Kaenae, Hana, Kahakuloa, Honolua, even Kaupo. We're not all tshirt shops, activity booths and timehares, although it might seem that way if you visit certain areas!

TravelDiva Dec 28th, 2004 06:52 PM

Sherri,

I see you went to both Nick's Fishmarket and Sarento's. Did you think the menu/type of cuisine/experience was different enough, particularly since you ate there on consecutive nights? (They're sister restaurants, and based on the menus on their web site, look fairly similar, though Sarento's is supposed to be more Italian.)

My boyfriend and I are big foodies (tend to prefer creative food over traditional) and were planning on Nick's our first night (we're staying at the Kea Lani) and our last night in Wailea at Sarento's. I was worried that doing both would be a waste of nice dinner if the food was a lot alike (neither of their menus really blows my socks off, but I'm hoping the execution will).

Sounds like you were happy going to both places, but I'd love to hear your opinion on my questions.

Oh yeah, we're also planning on dinners at Mama's, I'O, Sansei, Hula Grill, possibly Roy's (we have one in Chicago, so I could live w/o going there in Maui), and lunch at Sea Watch....though I'm going to look up some of here_today's suggestions.

mauimary Dec 29th, 2004 12:23 PM

I have had dinner at Mama's, Nick's, Humuhumunukunukuapau's, Kimos, Hula Moons, Tommy Bahamas,and more I can't think of right now but one of my favorite places is SeaWatch. Have dinner on the lanai at sundown the view is beautiful and the food is wonderful and well priced for Maui.


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