We were looking for good seafood restaurants in Wailea /Kihei area and it looks like most of them are very expensive. We can splurge once in a while but not every day. We are from NY city so we are used to high prices but it seems like Wailea ones are on par with the most expensive NY restaurants . Any good suggestions?

Thanks

You probably have better *seafood* at home. There's nothing like the cold waters of the Atlantic!

Much of what's served in Hawaii is flown in -- sometimes fresh; often frozen. That "mahi-mahi" may well be something else, and it may have arrived as hard as a rock. (You know how useless it is to ask about this at a restaurant.)

OTOH, we've had good meals at Gannon's -- golf course views above Wailea. Our kids enjoyed Humu at the Fairmont. Paia Fish Market has opened in Kihei. The fish at Coconut's (Azeka Place Mall) is good. (Last two very casual.) Sansei is good.

If you're in a condo, Foodland has good fish and poke. Also Eskimo Candy.

I would echo the recommendation for Eskimo Candy and Coconut's in Kihei. You can have lunch at Eskimo Candy and pick up fish for dinner if you are staying in a condo. Gannon's is not cheap but it is good, and less expensive than some of the hotel restaurants. I'm glad to hear that there is now a Paia Fish Market in Kihei.

We usually get great fish on Maui, but we also stick to what we know is caught locally.

The high restaurant prices are one reason most frequent travelers to the islands always stay in a condo, so they can save money by eating in at least some of the time.

South Shore tiki lounge was good and had a happy hour for early dinner/apps when we visited. Check out yelp and you can find places nearby. Some places are cheap and lunch but you'll go back at dinner to find it doubles in price for the same dish. Ask the locals, but from what I remember Wailea was super $$.

Kihei Kaffe for breakfast!

Fabiani's - obviously Italian has great pizza, also Monkey Pod. In Wailea as I type this.

Paradise Sushi in Kihei - great sushi at low prices, cheaper than Koiso which is also in Kihei.

Monkeypod Kitchen - not exactly cheap but definitely less expensive than other restaurants in the area. They have seafood here, but plenty of other options as well.

I happen to have a blog post on both of them!
http://sulynnchen.com/travelblog/?p=540

I've also heard good things about Migrant.

I agree that the best seafood meal is to get a tub of poke or a poke bowl - even from a supermarket like Safeway or Foodland. My favorite is the ahi tuni poke with either shoyu or limu (seaweed) flavors. Sometimes the fish is frozen (which tastes perfectly fine to me) but for a little more you can get the fresh tuna and usually it is local. Eskimo Candy is a good bet too.

I am also from NY and yes the pricier meals are going to be on par with expensive NYC restaurants, especially Wailea since there are so many luxury resorts there. Kihei has much more affordable eats. I would splurge at Mama's Fish House or Merriman's Kapalua and eat cheap local food the rest of the time.

I have a series on cheap eats maui starting here: http://sulynnchen.com/travelblog/?p=579
Not necessarily seafood restaurants but just some of our favorite places we've eaten on Maui over the past 5 years. Enjoy your trip!

Hi, we come to Maui every year and we have tried many restaurants and agree that restaurants can vary great.y from one restaurant to another. We always go to Gannon's (used to be Sea Watch) at the Wailea golf course - fabulous view and good food, not cheap, but I think a fair price. Another nice place is Cafe O'Lei in Kihei - this place has fabulous food at reasonable prices - they also have a restaurant called The Dunes at a golf course, prices are very reasonable. Fabianis is really good, more casual.coconuts has really good fish tacos, but not cheap considering it's a lunch fast food place. The Flatbread Company has delicious pizzas in Paia, and a casual hippy like atmosphere. Obviously mamas fish house is the best - but go before sunset as view is beautiful. This year, 4 of us ladies went while the Super Bowl was on, so our hubbies stayed and watched the game and therefore we didn't have such a high bill - I had a cosmopolitan, a glass of wine, macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi and crime brûlée (plus we shared two delicious appies which were delicious). With tip, each of us paid $134.00 - so don't go if the price bothers you. It is a lovely Hawaiian experience and I go once every time we are here,

Wrote down all recommendations! Thanks Fodorites!
tifa2276 - loved your blogs, we are definitely going for a sushi!
Mama's Fish house looks pretty good - might book it for Valentines day