Mary Joan’s Maui Restaurants Review

KIHEI

1. Pita Paradise – Kalama Village, 1913 South Kihei Road. Very good Mediterranean food, but you’ll probably not want to eat in. Great spot for take-out. It’s also cheaper than the one in Wailea. Lunch and Dinner. 808-875-7679.

2. Vietnamese Cuisine – Azeka Place I – # 107, 1280 South Kihei Road, Kihei. Very good Vietnamese food at excellent prices. Lunch and dinner. 808-875-2088.

3. The Kihei Cafe – 1945 South Kihei Road. Good breakfast and lunch spot. This is very casual and you might overlook it as it looks pretty grungy. You can sit outside and eat and the food is good, especially breakfast.

4. Sansei – Japanese and Sushi Bar – Kihei Town Centre – 1881 South Kihei Road. This is our favourite spot for sushi. You usually need a reservation. 808-879-0004.

5. Five Palms Restaurant – 2960 Kihei Road, Kihei. It’s on the main floor of a condo development and they have good food and great ocean views. We always sit on the patio. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A great place for half price drinks and appetizers in their bar up until 7 pm. 808-879-2607.

6. 808 Bistro – #A-2511 South Kihei Road. It is open for breakfast and dinner though we haven’t tried breakfast.  Good food but not great, casual atmosphere, BYOB. We were a bit disappointed in the food in 2012. 808-879-8008.

7. Coconut Fish Café – 1279 South Kihei Road. A café with great fish burgers and fish tacos. Very casual. Best for take-out. 808-875-9979.

8. Cuatro Restaurant – 1881 South Kihei Road (Kihei Town Centre). A very small restaurant but very good Latin- Asian-European food. 808-879-1110. BYOB

9. Three’s Bar and Grill – 1945 South Kihei Road – We tried this restaurant in 2011 and were not impressed. We went again in 2012 and thought it had really improved. The bar is a bit noisy, the inside tables in the restaurant a bit dark, so sit on the lanai. 808-879-3133.

WAILEA

1. Gannon’s (formerly Sea Watch Restaurant) – 100 Wailea Golf Club Drive. Very good food, expensive, and a fabulous view. Ask for a table on the lanai. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Reservations 808-875-8080.
2. Spago – Four Seasons Resort, 3900 Wailea Alanui. Excellent food, but very expensive. We don’t usually go to the hotels but we had a very good meal. Again ask for the lanai and a view of the ocean. Reservations 808- 879-2999.

3. Mala at Wailea – Wailea Beach Marriott Resort. Open for breakfast and dinner but we’ve only tried dinner. Excellent food, expensive. We sat on the lanai and had a wonderful view of the sunset. 808-875-9394.

4. Monkey Pod – A new restaurant that opened in 2011 in Wailea. It’s very noisy inside, much like Earls. The food was okay, but eat on the lanai for sure. We didn’t try it in 2012 because the reviews were not great. 10 Wailea Gateway Place. 808-891-2322.

5. Tommy Bahamas – in the Wailea Shopping Centre. Very good food, fairly expensive. A nice lanai but no view. 808-875-9983.

6. Joe’s Bar and Grill – We have eaten here over the years and have not been overwhelmed the last year or so. I don’t think we’ll go back. 131 Wailea Ike Place. 808-875-7767.

7. Ferraro’s Bar and Restaurant – We tried this restaurant for the first time in 2011 and had a wonderful meal on the lanai with a great view of the ocean. We went back in 2012 and had another great meal. Very expensive. Four Seasons Hotel Wailea. 808-874-8000.

8. Pita Paradise – 10 Wailea Gateway Place – It’s a bit more expensive than Pita Paradise in Kihei but it has a better dinner menu and a much nicer environment. We ate on the lanai. The food was very good. 808-879-7177.

KAHULUI and WAILUKU

1. Maui Coffee Roaster – 444 Hana Hwy in Kahului. They have great beans and coffee and good food for casual breakfast and lunch.

2. Down to Earth Health Food Store and Take-Out – Very good health food grocery store and great take-out. 305 Dairy Road, Kahului. 808-877-2661.

3. Bistro Casanova – 33 Lono Ave, Kahului. Very good Italian food at pretty good prices. One of the only Italian restaurants on the island that we like. No view however. 808-873-3650.

4. Main Street Bistro – 2051 Main Street, Wailuku. This is a real find. Great food at great prices and very casual. They are open from 11 am until 7 pm Monday to Friday. They serve lunch and tapas. 808-244-6816. Live entertainment Friday 5-7 pm on the first Friday of the month but it’s very noisy for that night only.

5. A Saigon Café – 1792 Main Street, Wailuku (under the highway overpass). Very good Vietnamese food and the prices are good. 808-243-9560.

UPCOUNTRY

1. Hali’imaile General Store – Hali’imaile Road, 4 miles up Haleakala Highway, left at Hali’imaile sign, continue 1.5 miles. Probably my favourite restaurant. Excellent food, expensive. We have gone for lunch and dinner for over 20 years. No view but it’s a fun spot. We like to sit in the front not the back room. Reservations 808-572-2666.

PAIA

1. Moana Cafe and Bakery – 71 Baldwin Avenue, Paia. If you are heading out for the day and end up at Paia (the beginning of the Hana Highway), this is a great lunch spot. You don’t need a reservation and the food is very good. Paia is a very fun town to wander around – very artsy. 808-579-9999.

2 Paia Bay Café was Green Banana Café – 137 Hana Highway, Paia. A wonderful coffeehouse in Paia. All homemade cookies and muffins. Great cappuccino. 808-579-9130 This café changed hands and is now the Paia Bay Café. We didn’t try it this year but it was really busy so it looks good. We’ll try it next year.

3. Mana Foods – 49 Baldwin Avenue, Paia. Our favourite grocery store. They also have excellent take-out food. The best cinnamon buns by the cash register.

4. Mama’s Fish House – 799 Poho Place, Paia. It’s just out of Paia on the Hana highway. You need a reservation for sure. The food is very good but very expensive and I think a bit over rated. It would be a good place to go for lunch because you can really see the ocean then. 808-579-8488.

5. Flatbread Pizza Company – 89 Hana Highway, Paia. Excellent thin crust pizza. It gets really busy for lunch so go early or late. 808-579-8989.

KA’ANAPALI and LAHAINA

1. Hula Grill – Whaler’s Village, 2435 Ka’anapali Parkway, on the beach. This is over on the other side of the island in Ka’anapali. It is Jim’s favourite beach spot for lunch because it’s right on the beach and the food is okay, but not great. Everything tastes good on the beach however and the view is wonderful. 808-667-6636.

2. Mala Ocean Terrace – 1307 Front Street, Lahaina. It’s a great spot for lunch. It’s on the ocean, the menu is very good, casual, and reasonably priced. It’s also open for dinner which we haven’t tried yet. 808-667-9394.
KAPALUA

1. Pineapple Grill – Nice spot for lunch on a golf course. Good food. 200 Kapalua Drive. 808-669-9600.

2. Merriman’s  – We had read that Merriman’s was not that great and too expensive so we just stopped for appetizers and drinks to watch the sunset. It was good bar food and a lovely view. 1 Bay Drive, Kapalua. 808-669-6400.

Mary Joan Cornett
Updated March 23, 2012

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