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Explore Maui
Since 2012, guests have asked us one question at check-in more than any other: where should we eat? This page is the long version of the answer.
Maui dining runs from plate-lunch counters with a line of contractors at 11 am to oceanfront rooms where you plan the reservation before the flight. Both ends are worth your time, and this list works the whole range — breakfast in Kihei, poke for the beach cooler, and the one splurge everyone should do once.
Two habits will serve you well: book the famous rooms far ahead, and eat your casual meals early — island kitchens close sooner than mainland ones. For the full Kihei rundown, our where-to-eat guide goes street by street.
01
The most famous restaurant on Maui, in a palm grove on Kuau Cove just past Paia. The fish is listed with the name of the person who caught it, and the tables book out months ahead.
Read the full guide →02
Dawn opens, plate-lunch portions, and a line that looks alarming and moves like a conveyor — Kihei's breakfast institution.
Read the full guide →03
The fish tacos that launched a thousand recommendations — grilled fresh catch, a pile of crunchy slaw, and surfboard tables in a Kihei strip mall.
Read the full guide →04
A food truck with a fish-market soul: line-caught fish from local boats, cut into poke bowls, tacos and grilled plates until the day’s catch runs out.
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The easygoing open-air grill in the middle of Kihei where breakfast runs all day, the loco moco arrives under a proper flood of gravy, and somebody is usually playing music while you eat.
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The island's gold-standard shave ice: snow-fine, drowned in house-made syrups, and the only correct answer to a hot Kihei afternoon.
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A corner storefront in a former plantation town, grilling fish plates the same honest way since 1989 — the north shore's official refueling stop.
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Chef Sheldon Simeon’s little takeout counter in a Kahului industrial park, where the mochiko chicken has a bigger reputation than most resort dining rooms.
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Peter Merriman's casual flagship: farm-first plates, wood-fired pizzas, live music — and a mai tai crowned with honey-lilikoi foam that earns every word of its reputation.
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Roy Yamaguchi’s relaxed oceanfront room at the Wailea Beach Resort, where a fish-forward dinner comes with front-row sunsets and the Wai Bar handles the golden hour.
Read the full guide →11
Peter Merriman’s flagship on a lava point above Kapalua Bay: farm-to-table Hawai’i cooking, a sunset that behaves like part of the menu, and the toughest reservation in West Maui.
Read the full guide →12
Lahaina’s beloved noodle house, back on the north end of Front Street: garlic noodles, steamed pork buns, and a dining room whose reopening meant far more than dinner.
Read the full guide →| Restaurant | Known for | Area | From the bungalows | Price | Reservations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mama's Fish House | Fresh catch named for its fisherman | Kuau, near Paia (north shore) | About 40 minutes | $$$$ | Essential, months ahead |
| Kihei Caffe | Banana-mac pancakes, loco moco, dawn opening | Central Kihei, across from Kalama Park | About 8 minutes by car | $$ | None — the line IS the system |
| Coconut's Fish Cafe | Loaded fish tacos, grilled fresh catch | Central Kihei | About 10 minutes by car | $$ | None — counter line, shared tables |
| South Maui Fish Company | Poke bowls and fish tacos | South Kihei | 10 minute drive | $$ | None, order at the window |
| Nalu's South Shore Grill | Loco moco and breakfast | Central Kihei | 8 minute drive | $$ | Walk-in friendly |
| Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice | House-made syrups, snow-fine texture | Kihei (multiple Maui locations) | About 10 minutes by car | $ | It is shave ice. Walk up |
| Paia Fish Market | Grilled fresh-catch plates, fish burgers | Paia town, corner of Baldwin & Hana Hwy | About 35 minutes by car | $$ | None — counter line + communal benches |
| Tin Roof Maui | Mochiko chicken | Kahului | 15 minute drive | $ | No, walk in or order online |
| Monkeypod Kitchen | Mai tai with lilikoi foam, happy hour, pizzas | Wailea, at the Shops at Wailea | About 15 minutes by car | $$$ | Smart for dinner; bar is walk-in |
| Humble Market Kitchin | Roy Yamaguchi's fresh fish | Wailea | 15 minute drive | $$$ | Recommended at sunset |
| Merriman's Kapalua | Farm-to-table fresh catch | Kapalua | 50 minute drive | $$$$ | Essential, 60 days out |
| Star Noodle | Garlic noodles and pork buns | Lahaina | 40 minute drive | $$ | Recommended, book online |
Five of the twelve are in Kihei itself and take ten minutes or less to reach: Kihei Caffe and Nalu’s South Shore Grill for breakfast, Coconuts Fish Cafe and the South Maui Fish Company truck for fish tacos and poke, and Ululani’s for shave ice. Wailea adds Monkeypod Kitchen and Humble Market Kitchin, about fifteen minutes south.
The rest are day-trip meals. Plan Paia Fish Market or Mama’s Fish House around a north-shore or Road to Hana day, Tin Roof around an airport run in Kahului, and Star Noodle or Merriman’s around a West Maui day.
Seven of the twelve are counters, windows or walk-in rooms where you simply line up. Two need planning: Mama’s Fish House books months ahead, and Merriman’s Kapalua opens its book 60 days out. Every bungalow has a full kitchen, so plenty of our guests eat one meal a day out and cook the rest; our Kihei farmers market route covers the shopping.
Stay With Us
Four beachside bungalows in North Kihei, hosted by Megan & Bryan since 2012.