There’s no arguing it – Maui is a great food city . Its position as a multicultural hub sets it up to have cuisines from all over the world executed perfectly. If you’re a tourist, it can be hard to know where to start. If you’re a local, you might be looking for your new favorite spot. Check out these picks for Best of Maui Restaurants 2021 for your next food adventure in Maui.
Best Hawaiian Restaurants in Maui
Mama’s Fish House
Starting off this Maui Best Restaurants 2021 list is the oh-so-popular and acclaimed Mama’s Fish House.
Since 1973, Mama’s Fish House is a family-run spot that has been serving up fresh seafood with gracious seafood under a tropical breeze.
It’s widely acclaimed, earning a place on the Top 10 Fine Dining Restaurants in the US list on TripAdvisor, the second most popular US restaurant according to OpenTable and a designation as a semi-finalist for the James Beard Awards in 1991.
The restaurant is located in a converted beach house in a coconut grove on a secluded white sand beach.
The interior decor features Polynesian artifacts and original oil paintings along tropical hardwood walls. The rooms are filled with spectacular flower arrangements and handmade tapa print cloths cover the tables.
They also offer open air dining where you watch the windsurfers performing offshore.
They offer up dishes you can’t get anywhere else. Start with their upcountry green salad with Kul strawberries and Tahitian vanilla dressing.
Next, dig into their Ahi with caramelized Maui onions, Kula watercress, and avocado. If you’re looking for something heartier, try their Pulehu short rib and lobster.
They don’t skimp on the desserts here. Try their liliko’I crème brulee, Polynesian Black Pearl (liliko’I chocolate mousse in a pastry seashell), or sip their white chocolate martini.
Mama’s Fish House
799 Poho Pl, Paia, HI 96779
Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman Wailea
Monkey Pod Kitchen’s menu starts you off at the most important part of a meal: drinks.
Their culinary cocktails feature unique ingredients such as acai spirit, coconut water, and Kula lavender. Try one of their signature cocktails like the Monkeypod Mai Tai (silver and dark rums, lime, homemade macadamia orgeat, orange curacao, and honey and lilikoi foam) or the No Ka’Oi (vodka, lime, Thai basil, and honey-lilikoi puree).
They also have craft beers are on tap, each served at an optimal twenty-nine degrees.
The menu at Monkeypod features fresh island fish, hand tossed pizzas from their kiawe wood-burning oven, and homemade cream pies made from scratch.
You’ll find unique island-inspired options like the Fresh Island Herbs Farm Organic Kale salad, Kalua Pork & Pineapple pizza, and the Organic Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi. While you eat, enjoy the live local music.
Monkey Pod Kitchen – Mau
2435 Kaanapali Pkwy, Bldg I-1, Lahaina, HI 96761
Best Maui Bar or Lounge
Kitchen 5315 Restaurant & Tiki Bar
This isn’t your dad’s tiki bar. The décor at Kitchen 5315 is modern and atmospheric and will make you want to stay and lounge all day.
While their wine, beer, and cider selection leaves nothing to be desired (guava cider, anyone?), since this is a tiki bar, the cocktails are what really shine through here.
Go for the classic My Mai Tai, or try something new and fun like the Chi Chi Kapa (vodka, crème of coconut, pineapple, and lime and hibiscus syrup) or Tiny Bubbles (strawberry vodka, rosé, lemon, and passionfruit).
And you’ll find so much more than just drinks here. Kitchen 5315 specializes in Hawaiian Cuisine with Asian influences. Share a few appetizers for the table like the furikake fries and poke nachos, or enjoy a classic Hawaiian lunch-style plate with a side of white rice and macaroni salad.
Kitchen 5315 Restaurant & Tiki Bar
5315 Lower Honoapiilani Rd #153, Lahaina, HI 96761
Fleetwood’s on Front Street
Fleetwood’s on Front Street is a lively restaurant and bar owned by rock and roll icon Mick Fleetwood.
There you’ll want to start with drinks. They have a selection of local beers and signature cocktails like Night Moves (rye whiskey, pomegranate demerara, orange bitters, and absinthe).
Their pared-down menu offers the Hawaiian food you expect with a luxurious twist. You’ll find things like lobster tacos with mango salsa, seafood chowder with pork belly, and herb and panko-crusted mahi mahi with wild mushroom risotto.
After your meal, share a slice of Maui pineapple pie with the table, or sip a cup of white guava ginger tea.
Fleetwood’s on Front Street
744 Front St Lahaina, HI 96761
Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar
At Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar, enjoy tropical libations like the Pineapple Paradisio martini with elderflower and crème de banana.
You won’t want to skip the appetizers: share an order of coconut-crusted crab cakes or macadamia-crusted goat cheese with your friends.
For the main course, choose from island-oriented fare like the lump blue crab bisque and Kona coffee-crusted ribeye.
Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar
The Shops at 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr, Wailea, HI 96753
Best Maui Farm-to-Table Restaurants
Merriman’s
Merriman’s is serious about freshness. 90% of the ingredients on their menu are locally sourced, from their seafood to their produce.
All food is prepared in a way that highlights the natural flavors of the food.
Their prix fixe menu changes frequently to take advantage of the best ingredients available. Currently, choose from dishes like the Hawaiian ahi poke, peppercorn-crusted UDSA prime ribeye, and the Big Island goat cheese cake.
Merriman’s is located on a breathtaking oceanfront setting in Kapalua Resort where you can watch one of the most incredible sunsets.
Merriman’s – Kapalua, Maui
1 Bay Club Pl, Lahaina, HI 96761
Hali’imaile General Store
The Hali’imaile General Store has been a Maui destination for over 32 years, serving up signature eclectic Pacific regional American cuisine with Asian overtones.
Vegetarians will be in paradise; they have an entire vegetarian menu with offerings like their trio of Asian mushroom steamed buns, blacked tofu niçoise, and blackened tofu noodle bowl.
Omnivores will be equally pleased, with offerings like the duck pasta and Korean BBQ braised short ribs.
Hali’imaile is open for lunch, dinner, dessert, cocktails and take reservations.
Hali’imaile General Store
900 Hali’imaile Road Makawao, Hawaii 96768
Best Maui Food Trucks
Maui Fresh Streatery
Maui Fresh Streatery is not to be missed on this Maui Best Restaurants 2021 list. It is a very popular gourmet food truck in Maui that serves dishes like Lamb Birria Tacos; Okonomiyaki; Shrimp Louie Salad; Chicken Makhani and more.
Maui Pizza Truck
A newcomer to the Maui dining scene is Maui Pizza Truck which opened up in 2020 and specializes in Napoli style pizza.
All of their pizza’s are hand crafted in a kiawe wood-fire oven which weighs 4,000 lbs and burns at 900 degrees to be able to cook each pizza in 90 seconds. They use fresh ingredients and the best imported pizza flour from Italy.
Choose from their pared-down menu options or build your own from their choice of toppings.
Promising premade pizzas include the Maui Onion BBQ, Maui Pizza (with white sauce, sweet bell pepper, pineapple, and kalua pork), and the Truffle Mushroom.
Maui Pizza Truck
24 Kiopaa Street Makawao, Hawaii 96768, US
Maui’s Best Casual Eats
Coconut’s Fish Café
Moving on to the best casual eats on Maui Best Restaurants 2021 is Coconut’s Fish Cafe.
With two Maui locations, you’re never too far away from the best fish tacos in Maui at Coconut’s Fish Cafe. Take your pick of proteins (fish, chicken, steak, or veggie) and customize them to your heart’s content, from 17 different ingredient options. It is recommended kicking yours up a notch with their signature South of the Border sauce.
If a member of your group isn’t into fish tacos, you’re in luck, because the rest of their menu offers plenty of options as well. Their salad section is particularly well-rounded. They also have fish & chips and fish burgers.
In 2013, Coconuts was named by CNN as one of the top ten places in the country to “eat like a local.”
Coconut’s Fish Café – Azeka Plaza
1279 S Kihei Rd Kihei, HI 96753
Coconut’s Fish Café – Kamaole Plaza
2463 S Kihei Rd, Kihei, HI 96753
Maui Thai Bistro
Touted by TripAdvisor as Maui’s best Thai and Asian Fusion restaurant, you’ll find a blend of authentic traditional and modern Thai food in a classy, contemporary bistro setting at Maui Thai Bistro.
Start with the Thai-style chicken wings or the shrimp flutes with Sriracha. And if the menu leaves you stumped, you can’t go wrong with one of their specials. Tawdmun Goong (shrimp cake) with sweet chili dipping sauce, Thai-style crab fried rice with jasmine, and E-San steak with sticky rice and chili tamarind sauce are just some of the tantalizing eats.
Plan for dessert here, particularly their Coconut MacNut and Lilikoi ice cream flavors.
Maui Thai Bistro
2439 S Kihei Rd #103B, Kihei, HI 96753
Nutcharee’s Authentic Thai Food
If you’re craving the best version of the Thai food you know and love, check out Nutcharee’s Authentic Thai Food for Traditional Thai Cuisine with a Modern Maui Twist.
Nutcharee’s serves Thai curries, noodle dishes and stir-fries served in a warm, casual shopping-center storefront.
Top recommendations include the E-San pork sausage or the Ayuth Taya Sampler (coconut shrimp, E-San sausage, and either fried spring rolls or fresh summer rolls) – their house specialty appetizers.
To accompany, enjoy classic Tom Yum soup, Maui pineapple fried rice, and choose from a long selection of curries and stir-fry dishes to round out the meal. Don’t forget to add a Thai-style omelet, one of the house specialties, to your order.
Nutcharee’s Authentic Thai Food
1280 S Kihei Rd Ste 124, Kihei, HI 96753
Star Noodle
One of Maui’s most popular restaurants, Star Noodle, offers fresh noodles, sake cocktails, and Asian-inspired plates.
Start with the Pohole salad with fiddle-head fern, share a Vietnamese crepe with your group, and then dig into one of their delicious noodle dishes.
They make their ramen, saimin, and udon noodles in-house every day, so you know you’re getting the freshest flavors possible.
And you don’t want to miss their signature cocktails. They’ll take your meal to the next level. With options like the Celebration (passion-orange-mango vodka, sparkling sake, and yuzu juice), and Asian Pear (fresh Asian pear, pear vodka, sake, and fresh lime juice), you can’t go wrong.
Star Noodle
1285 Front St Lahaina, Maui 96761
Maui Best Restaurants 2021 for Lunch
Tin Roof Maui
A fantastic lunch recommendation for this Maui Best Restaurants 2021 list is Tin Roof Maui is a mom and pop shop, run by acclaimed Chef Sheldon Simeon and his wife, Janice.
Here you will find all the warmth you’d expect from a family-run joint, with all the elegant, upscale flavors you expect from a bistro.
Their menu focuses on Kau Kau Tins (a traditional old Hawaiian lunch box) with your choice of protein – chicken thighs marinated in ginger sake shoyu sauce; garlic shrimp; deep-fried pork belly; wok-fried steak with ginger scallion pesto; or the fish of the day. It is recommended to add a 6-minute egg to whichever you pick.
They label gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian items on their menu, so you can rest easy if you’re bringing your order home to someone with a dietary restriction
Tin Roof Maui
360 Papa Place Ste 115 Kahului, HI 96732
Do you have any recommendations for this Best of Maui Restaurants 2021 list? Leave a comment below.