The best of the best is here! The best Maui restaurants to eat at. I’ve personally tried each restaurant I recommend here. Maui has some of the best seafood and unique blend of local taste that you cannot get on the mainland. And to top it off, many restaurants have spectacular oceans views without breaking your bank account. Here it goes … hand picked from your one and only Maui by Foot creator!
The Top 10 Best Maui Restaurants
Da Kitchen – Best Budget Friendly Maui Restaurant
You know a restaurant is good when locals line up to eat there and Da Kitchen is the place where the locals go. They serve up great local Hawaiian dishes that are affordable and the portions are BIG. They have everything from the traditional kalua pork, mahi mahi, loco moco to edgy dishes like fried spam musubi. They desserts are also great! The Kalahui location is only 1.5 miles from the Kahului airport so this makes a great place to get a excellent meal after disappointing airport food. They have other locations throughout Maui too.
Aloha Mixed Plate – Best Budget Friendly Maui Restaurant with Ocean View
Does such place ever exist? Absolutely! Aloha mixed plate is located in downtown Lahaina on Front Street, right across the street from the ocean. Can’t go wrong here, local cuisine such as loco moco, huge plate lunch selection, kalbi ribs, kalua pork sandwich and some tasty Asian noodle dishes with a million dollar view. Kids menu is also available here.
Mama’s Fish House – Best Overpriced Maui Restaurant with Ocean View
I’m not joking when I say this but to eat here you need to empty your savings, take out a line of credit from your home equity and sell your kids. The restaurant is located in a Paia, right in front of a small secluded beach. Lunch dishes start at $30 and dinner dishes start at a whopping $36 to easily over a $100. Don’t get me wrong though, the seafood here is excellent. The fishes are locally caught daily, even the fishermen are recognized on the menus. Their menus are printed daily, yes daily! So the high prices could be justified. Your dinning experience immediately starts when you arrive at the parking a lot. You get complimentary valet service and towards the restaurant entrance provides an excellent photo opportunity with the ocean in the back ground. The ambiance inside the restaurant is pleasantly wonderful. The service is what you expect from a 5 star restaurant. I recommend trying the stuffed mahi mahi and making reservations in advance! Having a sunset dinner here is also an excellent choice.
Leilani’s on the Beach or Hula Grill – Best Maui Restaurant with Ocean View
I think this deserves its own category. Maybe you want to go somewhere more upscale than Aloha Mixed Plate but not have to take out a loan like Mama’s Fish House. I can’t decide between Leilani’s on the Beach or Hula Grill Barefoot Bar. Both offer great Steak, Seafood and Hawaiian cuisines with a gorgeous of view of Kaanapali Beach that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg but still feels fancy. Hula Grill might have the upper hand because you really experience eating on the beach. You can dig your toes into the sand while you eat and sip on mai tais plus they have nightly live entertainment and a happy hour menu. At Leilani’s you must try their Hula Pie dessert and the portion is huge. Dinning here when the sunsets is also a great experience. Afterwards you can walk to the Whalers Village to shop or take an evening stroll on Kaanapali Beach.
Plantation House Restaurant – Best Maui Restaurant with a Maui View
If you want a 360 view of Maui from a restaurant this is the place! Plantation House Restaurant sits at the top of a hill with views of Kapulua’s Coastline. You’re surrounded by gorgeous views of the greens (golf course), West Maui mountains, North Shore, pineapple fields and a distant views of Lania and Molokai. They take simple local Hawaiian dishes and recreate them into magnificent pieces of art and they taste wonderful. Breakfast Lunch is excellent as well here. I recommend trying the crispy crab stuffed ahi-roll and crab cake Benedict. Reservations are highly recommended.
Pineapple Grill – Best Overall Maui Restaurant
This category is reserved for restaurants who have everything you need to have a wonderful dinning experience in Maui and Pineapple Grill fits the description. It is located at Kapaulua Bay Golf Course with distant views of the ocean. The Hawaiian cuisine here is excellent. I recommend the Pistachoi & Wasabi Pea Crusted Rare Ahi Steak, Crispy Shiitake Mushroom Pork Hash Spring Rolls, Kalua Pork Quesadilla and their famous Pineapple Upside Down Cake! If you’re seated before 6pm you can try their 3 course meal for $39. Also a great place for breakfast.
Star Noodle – Best Asian Restaurant in Maui
I love Asian Fusion restaurants and Star Noodle did not disappoint. They serve up local dishes from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Japan with a creative twist. I recommend their Garlic noodle, Star Ramen, Steamed Pork Buns and Vietnamese crepe. They change their menu selections often. The last time I went Chef Sheldon Simeon was mingling with guests…brownie points!
Ululani’s Hawaiian Shaved Ice – Best Dessert in Maui
Hands down Ululani’s Hawaiian Shaved Ice is the best dessert place in Maui! They shave their ice so fine here, it’s soft and fluffy not choppy like other places. You can pick from over 30+ flavors made with real sugar cane. You can add add-ons like ice cream, red bean, tapioca pearls, etc. As a topping the snow cap (condense milk) is a must! I recommend trying Lahaina, Haleakala and Lahainaluna. The shave ice makers are also super friendly with an Aloha Spirit. The line is always long here but worth the wait. There are several locations throughout Maui and one conveniently near the Kahului Airport.
Feast at Lele – Best Luau Food in Maui
Calling it a feast is underrated, it’s more like an eating marathon and a food orgy combined into one sitting. Unlike most luaus Feast at LeLe you get your own private table and food is served to you, not buffet style. Get this, it’s a 5 course meal. Each course represents a cuisine from a different culture … Hawaii, New Zealand, Tahati and Samoa. The 5th is dessert. After each course, they perform traditional dances from the culture the meal represents. The food is excellent and represents the Polynesian cultures very well. I would recommend just trying a little bit of each course so you’re not stuffed by the 2nd course like me. As appetizers they serve mango salsa and banana chips, don’t fill up on those! To top it off, you have an ocean view. It does comes with a hefty price tag of $112 per person.
Geste Shrimp Truck – Best Kept Secret in Maui
Does a shrimp truck even qualify as a restaurants? Who cares, this place rocks! This is my favorite place to eat on Maui and doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. The shrimp here is cooked to perfection and the flavors cannot be found on the mainland. Each lunch plate comes with 2 scoops of rice and a scope of macaroni salad. I don’t even like macaroni salad but I love the salad here! By eating here you will have to forget about any service, tables and chairs but you do get an ocean view. 🙂 You either have to stand eating or eat inside your car. The chef/owner is nice and friendly. It’s parked in a dirt lot next to the ocean with other food trucks. It can get busy between 11am to 1pm from locals getting lunch. Ask for a stamp card, for every 10 shrimp plates you buy, you get one free. It’s only a couple miles from Kahului airport, so from the airport you go on Kahului Airport Road towards Hana Hwy/State Hwy 36, make a right on Hana Hwy/State Hwy 36, continue on Kaahumanu Ave, right on Kahului Beach Road and it’s on your right hand side. After I land in Maui, Geste Shrimp Truck is always the first pit stop I make. I am drooling right now just thinking about it. They close Mondays and Sundays.