Maui Restaurants Guide: Where To Eat in Maui, Hawaii

Spotlight

Maui

Restaurants

Maui's new generation of restaurants take pride in using fresh island ingredients, like opakapaka (pink snapper) and ono, a relative of mackerel. Exotic tropical fruit like carambola, star fruit, and papaya exemplify the bounty that many tourists have come to expect from the islands. But Maui is also famous for its native onions and locally raised beef, which are some of the finest tasting (and most overlooked) in the world. You'll generally find a fun blend of American, Asian, and Polynesian influences on one menu, or even in one dish. The Maui phone book boasts nearly 40 pages of restaurants for a population of 140,000, with most menus leaning towards Pacific Rim fusion. I always encourage first-time visitors to sample poke (a mixture of raw fish, seaweed, and roasted nuts) and poi (mashed taro root), two traditional Hawaiian dishes worth trying. Both are acquired tastes that don't jive with everyone. Macadamia pie however, is a great way for anyone to end a meal.

Many visitors, too busy beaching, simply settle for the food at their hotels, and luckily most resorts have great (if pricey) restaurants. In general, restaurants on Maui are more expensive than on the mainland. One resort standout is the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a Restaurant (named after a local fish) at the Grand Wailea Resort (3850 Alanui Drive Wailea; 800/888-6100; www.grandwailea.com), where excellent fresh seafood is served in thatched huts built over a seaside lagoon – a very Hawaiian experience and worth the price. Another local hideaway attached to lodging is the Mama's Fish House (799 Poho Pl., Pa'ia; 808/579-8488; www.mamasfishhouse.com) at the inn by the same name. It is set on its own beach on the North Shore, and a favorite of Hollywood celebs who come here to dine on the macadamia nut crab cakes and ono and ahi fish caught by the chef himself.

Believe it or not, some of the best eating (and biggest culinary value) in Maui is hidden in the towns of Wailuku and Kahului, back by the airport, which is chock full of affordable lunch spots. Jennifer Nguyen's A Saigon Café (1792 Main St. Wailuki; 808/243-9560) in Wailuku refuses to put up any signage (call for directions), but it's quite a find. I popped in one day and sat among local old-timers eating Vietnamese "burritos" and other savory specialties steaming in clay rice pots. The Wow-Wee Maui Kava Bar (333 Dairy Rd., Kahului; 808/250-6004; www.kavamaui.com), camouflaged in a bland strip mall in Kahului, serves up incredibly fresh sushi and salads, as well as the traditional (and mildly narcotic) kava beverage. Polynesians have been imbibing the beverage made from root of the kava shrub for over 3,000 years. It's an acquired taste – very, very, earthy – but it mellowed me out more than I thought possible.

In Kapalua, the Pineapple Grill (200 Kapalua Dr., Kapalua; 808/669-9600; www.pineapplekapalua.com) overlooks lovely golf greens and serves local dishes like lobster coconut Thai bisque and furikake-crusted calamari. Lahaina's Mala (1307 Front St., Lahaina; 808/667-9394; www.malaoceantavern.com) has spectacular oceanfront views and light Mediterranean-influenced cuisine like Big Island alii mushrooms and beet and Kula goat cheese salad with fennel vinaigrette.