Of all the Hawaiian Islands, Maui has the best dining. There are plenty of good eating places on Maui. I won’t say that you won’t go wrong, but with a little homework, it will be really hard to go wrong.
Favorite eating establishments are very subjective, so I encourage you to do your homework. Look up some of these places on tripadvisor.com or yelp.com to see if they offer what you are looking for. I hate to give too much advice on where to eat, but I often get asked that question. I may offer up a fantastic steak house and you may be a vegetarian. To get you going, here is a list of some of my favorites.
Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion is one of our family favorites. We have eaten at all the Roy’s restaurants in Hawaii, and the Maui location is consistently our favorite. We have also eaten at several Roy’s on the mainland, but they don’t come close to the satisfaction we get from Roy’s on Maui. For years we thought the original Roy’s was the one on Maui, but we recently learned that the original Roy’s was on Oahu. When you go to Roy’s, be sure and try the Roy’s soufflé for dessert—but order the soufflé at the same time you order your entrée as they take some time to bake.
I mentioned Mama’s Fish House in Paia earlier. It is a great restaurant with killer views of Ho’okipa Beach. If you get there before sundown, you can watch the windsurfers. It is pricey and you will need a reservation.
If you want to go cheaper, another favorite is Maui Taco. It’s good food at a good price, and it’s just plain fun to look around the place to see all the pictures of celebrities that have eaten there. They do have a variety of food on their menu. If you do not like fish tacos, you can find something else to eat. But really, if you do not like fish tacos, you should probably eat somewhere else. There are five Maui Tacos on Maui, so there should be one close to where you are staying.
Voted the best fish tacos on the island is Jawz. Jawz has a restaurant in Kehei (41 East Lipoa Street) and my favorite spot is the taco truck down on Makena road south of the Makena resort.
If you are vegetarian, check out Fresh Mint in Paia or Veg-Out in Haiku. If you are vegetarian and eating with nonvegetarians, try the Plantation House in Kapalua, I’o in Lahaina, or Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar in either Kihei or Kapalua. Roy’s also has a vegetarian menu.
If you are in Hana, be sure to try Thai Food by Pranee. It is authentic Thai food and the place consistently gets great reviews.
There are all kinds of great places to eat in Lahaina: Kimo’s, Honu Seafood and Pizza, Lahaina Grill, etc. If you are into sweets, while you are in Lahaina, visit the Lahaina Fudge Company, right there on Front Street. They have a huge variety of fudge flavors and other candy.
A popular stop for breakfast is the Gazebo restaurant at Napili Shores.
One great place to stop for lunch is Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop in Olowalu. As the name suggests, it’s a great place to pick up a pie too.
If you are staying on Ka’anapali Beach, you won’t need to leave the beach to find a good place to eat. Most of the resorts have good restaurants, but you should also check out the Hula Grill and Duke’s Beach House. If you go to Duke’s, save room for some Hula pie for dessert. It’s one of my personal favorites.
A powerful resource to help you find a place to eat on Maui is the OpenTable website. There you can filter restaurants by type and price, and more importantly, you can click down through the restaurant listings and see the actual menus. Also, in your quest to find something good to eat, don’t forget the concierge at your hotel. They know an awful lot about the local restaurants that you will not find surfing the web.
