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Rest, relaxation…and good eats! Those are the first things I think of when I think Maui. On our first trip to Maui, I was surprised at how many great restaurants there were. By our second trip, I was drooling before I even got off the plane. Maui is a true foodie destination with great American, Asian, and Hawaiian cuisine all over the island. These locations are a mix of inexpensive to high end, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the best restaurants in Maui.
Da Kitchen
Cuisine: Hawaiian
Location: Central Maui/Kahului
This is our first stop every time we land in Maui. This restaurant serves huge portions of island style food. It’s located right near the airport which makes it the perfect place to eat after a long flight. Since it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives with Guy Fieri, it can be very busy. They take your phone number and then text you when your table is ready. You can also order online for takeout.
Da Kitchen features a wide variety of Hawaiian specialties plus pineapple Dole Whip for dessert! Their specials are always changing so you’re bound to find something new to love each visit. We love Da Kitchen so much that we regularly order bottles of their teriyaki sauce to use at home.
There is a second location in Kihei called Da Kitchen Express. However, the one time we ate there, we found the quality lacking compared to the Kahului location. It’s still a great place to stock up on that teriyaki sauce.
Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman
Cuisine: American/Asian
Location: West Maui/Ka’anapali and South Maui/Wailea
Menus: Ka’anapali and Wailea
Best. Happy. Hour. Ever. Two times per day! Early happy hour runs from 3:30-5pm while late night happy hour runs from 9-11pm. They have specials on drinks and appetizers during both. You can make reservations on OpenTable: Ka’anapali and Wailea.
On our first trip to Maui, we visited the location in Wailea and fell in love. By our second trip, they opened their new location in Whaler’s Village in Ka’anapali. The Ka’anapali location overlooks the water so you get the same great food, drinks, and service with an incredible view.
Their mai tai with lilikoi foam is one of my all-time favorites. But they also serve a wide variety of draft beer perfectly chilled to 29 degrees. There are just so many great options at Monkeypod Kitchen. After Da Kitchen, this is an absolute must try in Maui!
Hali’imaile General Store
Cuisine: American/Asian
Location: Upcountry/Hali’imaile
The Hali’imaile General Store is located in Upcountry Maui. It’s a great place to stop if you’re venturing to the Surfing Goat Dairy or the Maui Winery. Owned by acclaimed Chef Bev Gannon, the restaurant has been open since 1988 and it’s well worth the drive from anywhere on the island.
Both lunch and dinner are excellent times to visit Hali’imaile General Store. However, lunch is much more reasonably priced. You can make reservations on OpenTable. For either meal, order the crab pizza. I know seafood and cheese aren’t supposed to go together, but they just do! It’s our favorite appetizer in Maui. And the Tai Mai which is a spin on the classic Mai Tai is delicious too!
Sunday Brunch at Grand Wailea
Cuisine: American/Asian Buffet
Location: South Maui/Wailea
Sunday Brunch at Grand Wailea is one of the best I’ve ever experienced. It’s well worth the steep price if you take advantage of the bottomless sparkling wine or bloody marys. Plus, kids under 5 are free! Sunday brunch runs from 10am-1:30pm and you can make reservations on OpenTable.
We enjoyed the brunch when it was still served in the Grand Dining Room with incredible ocean views. However, now it’s called Sunday Brunch on the Reef and located in the Humuhumu restaurant. The menu looks to be the same so I would expect the same stellar quality. The extensive seafood selection was my husband’s favorite. I always love dessert buffets and these were delicious!
Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop
Cuisine: Bakery/Breakfast/American
Location: West Maui/Lahaina
It took two trips to Maui before we actually tried Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop. That was a big mistake! I’d eat here every day if I could. How can you go wrong with mini pies? Basically, you can’t. We loved the Strawberry Cheesecake pie and the Macnut Chocolate Cream pie.
Leoda’s also serves hand pies, pot pies, burgers, and breakfast. Their banana pancakes with macadamia nuts are delicious! Order at the counter and then find a seat. Or order pies and sandwiches for takeout.
It’s a great place to stop on your way to your Ka’anapali or Lahaina hotel. They also open at 7am so it’s a good spot to get a sandwich or snack if you’re heading out to explore the Road to Hana or Upcountry.
Tin Roof
Cuisine: Hawaiian
Location: Central Maui/Kahului
Tin Roof is…unique. It’s only open four hours per day from 10am-2pm and even at 10am there’s a line. This restaurant is owned by Top Chef Alum Sheldon Simeon so it’s very popular. (He’s one of our favorite contestants.) The menu is simple, but the food is delicious! This is another great spot if you’re going to or from the airport during opening hours. You can also order online for takeout to skip the line.
We tried the garlic shrimp and chop steak bowls with a six minute egg and loved everything. We managed to find seating at the counter because we were second in line, but there’s very little seating inside the restaurant. Be prepared to eat in your car. Don’t forget to try their specialty seasoning called a “dime bag”. The ingredients change daily. Ours was cheeto and olive oil popcorn dust. We took it home with us to try later and loved it.
Teddy’s Bigger Burgers
Cuisine: American
Location: West Maui/Lahaina
Looking for that Cheeseburger in Paradise? Look no further than Teddy’s Bigger Burgers. Located in a strip mall in Lahaina, it’s a large restaurant with ample seating and parking. You can customize your burger any way you want with traditional and Hawaiian options. It has a bit of a fast food vibe to it, but better quality than you’d get at McDonalds. Our burgers and fries were delicious. We loved having so many options to spruce up our burgers. Plus, it was easy to get to and not very busy.
Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice
Cuisine: Shave Ice/Ice Cream
Location: West Maui/Lahaina
No trip to Hawaii is complete without some shave ice. Ululani’s has multiple locations in Maui, but we visited their store in Lahaina. They have a wide variety of flavors and popular combinations like the Haleakala which I loved. Try it with Mac Nut ice cream at the bottom. It’s a tasty treat that will help cool you off on those hot Maui days.
Leilani’s on the Beach
Cuisine: American/Hawaiian
Location: West Maui/Ka’anapali
Menus: Beachside Grill
Hula Pie, anyone? Okay, I know there are multiple places on Maui to get Hula Pie, but we loved Leilani’s. It’s also located in Whaler’s Village, next door to Monkeypod Kitchen. Leilani’s is part of the same family of restaurants as Duke’s and Kimo’s so you can expect the same great service and Hawaiian flare.
They have ocean view seating in the dining room as well as a beachside grill where you can order food, drinks, and dessert. The dining room is being remodeled and should reopen in Spring/Summer of 2018.
Fabiani’s Wailea
Cuisine: Italian
Location: South Maui/Wailea
Sometimes when you’re on vacation, you just want some comfort food. That’s where Fabiani’s comes in. Their Italian food is classic and delicious. It’s a great choice for take-out if you just want to relax at your hotel on the lanai while enjoying the sunset. There is another location in Kihei, but we haven’t tried it. You can make reservations on OpenTable.
Bonus Tip: Honolulu Cookie Company
Cuisine: Cookies
Location: West Maui/Lahaina and Ka’Anapali, South Maui/Wailea, and Airport
These little pineapple shaped shortbread cookies are so good! With flavors like pineapple macadamia, lilikoi, guava, mango, coconut, and more, each bite tastes like a bite of the islands. I wish I had purchased an entire suitcase full. We stumbled upon their shop when exploring old Lahaina, but they also sell cookies in the airport. Make sure to grab some before your flight home, you will not be disappointed. You can also order them online if you’re willing to pay the shipping fees. (I definitely bought a box online after writing this post.)
Final Thoughts on Best Restaurants in Maui
Can I just say, yum? Honestly, I’m planning another trip to Maui just to eat at all of these places again. Do you have a favorite place to eat in Maui? Share it in the comments below.
Oh man! I would love to go back to Maui and eat at every one of these places! Unfortunately for me, I was super motion sick during our last visit from riding the Road to Hana. Booooo!