33 Best Restaurants in Maui, Hawaii

This extremely popular purveyor of all food "local" is bright, shiny, comfortable, and just minutes from Kahului airport. Try the signature mahimahi tempura, loco moco, Hawaiian plate, chicken katsu, and daily mixed bentos; and rest assured that everything on the menu is delicious and portions are gigantic. There's an "express" location in Kihei, but we recommend the happy, always-crowded Kahului location.

Just outside of Hana, a former food truck has been transformed into a permanent location with a large, covered patio, real restrooms, and beautiful wood-fired pizzas, calzones, and salads that highlight the vegetables from Hana Farms. While you wait for your food enjoy the free Wi-Fi (rare in the area) and peruse the farm stand for tropical fruits, banana bread, home and bath gifts, and more. For some of the only nightlife in the area, drop by on Friday nights for live music from local musicians.

This unassuming but popular spot across the street from Kalama Beach Park has a breakfast menu that runs the gamut from healthy yogurt-filled papaya to the local classic loco moco, with two eggs, ground beef patty, rice, and brown gravy. Unique menu items include corned beef hash and catfish at breakfast and a calamari sandwich at lunch. There are two additional locations in Lahaina Gateway (just outside the fire zone) and at Maui Coast Hotel.

Spend a sweet afternoon learning about the chocolate-making process during the Kuia Chocolate Factory Experience, a 90-minute tour of this confectioner's operations for guests ages 10 and up, followed by the chance to taste some of Maui’s best chocolate. If you have smaller children in tow and/or are short on time, you can head straight for the café for a hand-mixed chocolate shake, a hot chocolate or a coffee, and a treat from the bakery case. You can also embark on a chocolate-tasting flight, and then customize a box of chocolates to take home. Profits from sales and the tour benefit local charities, including major contributions to fire-relief efforts.

Slow down as you drive through the little roadside village of Olowalu so you don't miss this adorable farmhouse-chic restaurant and pie shop, where everything is prepared with care. All the breads are house-made and excellent, and most ingredients are sourced locally—you can't go wrong with a sandwich or a burger with Kula onions for lunch or comfort food like pot pies for an early dinner. Take note if you're in a rush: this is a big fan favorite, and lines are often very long.

Spanning more than 5 acres, the flagship location of Maui Brewing Company includes a restaurant, brewery, tasting room, gift shop, and outdoor space featuring backyard games and a garden. Craft pizzas, burgers, salads, and more highlight a lively menu, as do craft cocktails made with Kupu Spirits that are distilled on-site. Step behind the scenes with a one-hour guided brewery tour on the weekend.

If you're okay with communal picnic tables, or taking your meal to a nearby beach, head to this place, which serves, arguably, the best fresh fish—choose from four to six types and four preparations on any given day—for the best prices on this side of the island. For non-fish fans, the menu has burgers, as well as chicken and pasta options. There is also a location in Kihei.

This small, humble storefront is the place to try one of Maui’s most famous baked goods—the giant King David cinnamon roll. Although there are scones, croissants, and breads on menu, and there's pizza available most nights, the breakfast pastry is the big draw. It and other popular items tend to sell out, so although there are usually no lines later in the day, it's best not to wait till then to stop by. In fact, some eager patrons get in line around 6:30 am to ensure they leave with their favorites.

Built in the 1960s at the Napili Kai Beach Resort, before there were laws forbidding construction so close to the beach, this restaurant is literally footsteps from gorgeous Napili Bay. Wear your beach wrap to breakfast and enjoy the signature oven-baked pancakes or the beautifully delicious Molokai sweet potato egg frittata; the menu also offers fish from Hawaiian waters and fresh local produce.

Maui Ocean Center's signature restaurant is a great choice for seafood (aquarium admission is not required to dine here) and offers harbor and ocean views from its open-air perch. Although the restaurant promotes heart-healthy cuisine—with dishes made using sustainable seafood and canoe plants (i.e., those brought to Hawaii by early Polynesian explorers) like taro, bananas, and ulu—you can still enjoy an indulgent dessert or a drink from the well-priced cocktail menu.

The desserts on display will surely make you drool at one of Maui's best bakeries, where every day is cake day, the strawberry Florentines are outrageously good, and the cream horns are renowned. Other more-substantial and equally exceptional breakfast and lunch offerings include everything from mouthwatering pancakes to gourmet sandwiches on house-made bread.

One of Makawao's landmarks is this mom-and-pop shop, which has changed very little over the last century. If you arrive early enough, you can get an incredible "stick" doughnut, cream-filled malasadas, or delicious cream puffs. The store makes hundreds daily but sells out.

The meals at this charming vegan restaurant are almost too gorgeous to eat (don't be surprised to find edible flowers or a rainbow of fruit adorning your meal). Choose from hearty soups, salads, sandwiches, and smoothies, plus rice bowls piled high with healthy ingredients. The welcoming staff are happy to answer questions or offer suggestions, making this a great option for non-vegans.

The menu at this budget-friendly café features French, Mediterranean, and Indian dishes, and the food is fresh and tasty. Expect flavors and preparations not easily obtainable at other island eateries, with a nice selection of sweet and savory crepes, curry wraps, and salads complemented by cocktails, wine, and beer. Primarily open for lunch and dinner, the cafe opens for breakfast hours on the weekend.

This colorful, airy, and brightly painted hangout is right in the thick of things, so the people-watching is excellent. The food is great, too, and the menu features everything from burgers and fish to four different preparations of duck.

Smack-dab in the middle of town, this restaurant has a brick, wood-burning oven, which was imported from Italy and which has turned out perfect pies and steaming-hot focaccia for more than 20 years. Ingredients are local and fresh, and portions are generous.

A Maui institution since 1969, Charley's is known for satiating your cowboy-size breakfast appetite: omelets, pancakes, and sausage biscuits with country gravy lure customers in. Charley's also serves hearty portions for lunch and dinner, including handmade pizzas and awesome burgers.

Not only is this popular restaurant, an outpost of a Vermont-based operation, a great place to take the kids, but it's also a valued member of the community, giving to local nonprofits with proceeds from benefits held each Tuesday night and sourcing local, organic, and sustainable ingredients, including 100% organically grown wheat for the made-fresh-daily dough. Although it only accepts reservations for large groups, it offers "call-ahead seating," so you can put your name on the wait list before you arrive.

Healthy, fresh, and fast best describe this busy eatery, the second restaurant for chef--owners Jaron Blosser, Cody Christopher, and Travis Morrin (the first being Three's Bar and Grill in Kihei). You can order a signature salad or create your own with the impressive selection of add-ons, including many grown on Maui. Sandwiches and soups are also featured, as are fresh-squeezed juices. The line can get long, but it moves quickly; order online and skip the wait altogether. Sit-down dining is available, though this bustling restaurant can get noisy.

Breakfast is the reason to seek out this restaurant located poolside at the Napili Shores Resort. The food is standard diner fare, but the portions are big, the prices are low, and many folks think the pancakes—with bananas, macadamia nuts, or white chocolate chips—are the best in West Maui. The ambience is a little funky but the oceanfront setting and views are spectacular, affording opportunities to spot turtles, spinner dolphins, and, in winter, humpback whales. Expect a long line any day of the week.

The Franco family has been perfecting its organic coffee since 1918, growing and handpicking the beans, drying them under the Maui sun, and then roasting them at the coffeehouse. Pop in or order takeout online—the food here truly reflects local culture, with dishes that tutu (grandma) would make for the ohana (family) and baked goods, bagels, and burgers that all hit the spot.

Located within a nondescript mini strip mall, this small place has only a few stools and a couple of tables outside, but service is fast, and the food is consistently good—all it takes to keep the place filled with locals. The beef and black bean chow fun and the mahi mahi (dolphinfish) with lemon capers are the top-selling favorites, but there are vegetarian options and lighter fare such as Grandma's spicy tofu, egg foo young, and even a veggie burger. It's cash only, so arrive prepared.

A bustling, family-oriented spot on Kaanapali Beach, this restaurant designed to look like a sprawling ’30s beach house serves large dinner portions with an emphasis on fresh local fish. But if you're just in the mood for an umbrella-adorned cocktail and some tasty, more casual fare, head to the popular Barefoot Bar, where you can wiggle your toes in the sand.

The only full-service restaurant in Maui's largest shopping center, the well-established Koho's serves things like sandwiches, burgers, and fried chicken, as well as fajitas and other Mexican dishes. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and there's a happy "hour" from 2 to 6 pm Tuesday through Saturday.

Nestled on the slopes of Haleakala, this bistro evokes trattorias in northern Italy, serving homestyle food with a dash of Italian. Start the day an egg dish or the indulgent white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes; opt for a panini at lunch; or, for dinner, enjoy anything from specialty pasta dishes and signature pizzas to prime rib to the local favorite loco moco.

One of the go-to places for airport comers and goers, this popular Italian restaurant also draws a steady crowd of residents, mainly for business lunches. Meatballs, sausages, and sauces are all made in-house, a long list of sandwiches is available all day, and the affordable salads are big enough to share. Substitutions or special requests are not recommended.

Momona is the Hawaiian word for "sweet," and this place definitely lives up to its name with the variety of flaky treats that are available every morning. The bakery is especially known for its cinnamon rolls and its medialunas, Argentinean croissants with sweet or savory fillings such as Nutella, dulce de leche, custard, lilikoi (passionfruit), or ham and cheese. In addition to baked goods, you'll also find sandwiches and dishes like avocado toast. The coffee is available with your choice of four types of milk, various sweeteners, and cinnamon or other toppings that perfectly complement the confections.

Fresh gelato made with locally sourced ingredients is the big draw here (try Surfing Goat Dairy's Lilikoi Quark flavor and thank us later). You'll also find jams, jellies, and dressings from Jeff Gomes, coffees from Maui Coffee Roasters, and picnic lunches from Hana Lunch Co.

This small place packs a powerhouse of a menu with reasonably priced pizzas, pastas, salads, and sandwiches. As the restaurant's name suggests, several dishes feature penne, and portions tend to be generous enough so that two people can easily split a salad and entrée and leave completely sated.

For a little break from the Maui sun and fruity cocktails, spend an afternoon digging into elegant pub fare backed by an excellent, expert cocktail program with a focus on whiskey. This is the type of place where you want to sit at the bar and talk story with the bartender (if they’re not busy), and, though it may not seem like it at first glance, this is a family-friendly restaurant—it even has a keiki (kids) menu.