Restaurants in maui

Buy a "Maui Revealed" guide book as it has lots of good suggestions. You might also want to post your question on a Hawaii web site as that would get you much more response. aloha charlie

Went to Maui and just happened to buy the book Maui Revealed. The best guide book I ever read!!! Great information on everything in Maui written by locals.

We visited in May. Resturants in Maui are casual but shirts are usually required.

Da Kitchen
425 Koloa St, Kahului, HI 96732
Hawaiian plate lunches. Worth the wait. Big (and tasty) portions. Near the airport.
https://dakitchen.com/

Star Noodle
286 Kupuohi St, Lahaina, HI 96761
Asian fusion cusine. Worth the wait. Not located in tourst Lahina.
https://www.starnoodle.com/

We stopped for lunch at Coconut’s Fish Tacos at Kihei, and I had the fish tacos on the menu that come with white corn tortillas, 17 ingredients including mango salsa on top. They were so great that I insisted that we stop again on the way back to Kaanapali, so I could have them for dinner, too!

Another vote for the Hawaii Revealed series of books. They are the best guidebooks for each of the major Hawaiian islands.

A second vote for Star Noodle. Fabulous food, it was busy when we went, so you might want reservations. We also enjoyed the Hula Grill in Kaanapali Whalers village. If you ask to sit at the bar, you can choose from either the fine dining menu, or the bar menu. And they also had a little tasting menu you could get at the bar.

hey hey yvette.w
read up on prideofmaui.com/blog places to eat, try some local food.
gohawaii.com and hulalandblog.com.
hopefully you'll have a car to travel to different areas of islands
(sam sato's noodles and plate lunches in wailuku)
komoda's bakery upcountry in makawao. get there early for there creme horns, donuts and malasadas
ono kau kau mixed plate in lahaina
leoda's kitchen & pies near olowalu. comfort food
aloha mixed plate in historic lahaina
cj's deli lahaina
tahe a day trip to upcountry maui. ranches, gardens, farms, lush green country, haleakalau volcano, old sugarcane plantation villages. "ho'okipa beach" (famous for windsurfing). "paia" (artsy fartsy town), "makawao", cowboy town, shops and restaurants, "kula" surfing goat farm, ocean vodka distillery, kula botanical gardens, orchids and proteas, ali'i kula lavendar, maui chocolate/coffee tours, ulupalakua ranch (tedeschi winery) local fruit to make wine, gorgeous views (i lived there when a little girl 60 years ago, mom a cowgirl and dad a ranch hand), drive along oma' opio country two lane road and see family farms and flowers, may be selling fruit on side of road.
reading some other posts, you have kids. let them run free thru the open air up here, have a picnic in a park somewhere. walk thru some towns, stop for something to eat or drink.
town of wailuku is an old town with lots of mom and pop's business, small local family cafes, first fridays of month showcase music, food, art & culture probably 5pm - 9pm
second fridays in lahaina same thing. if you happen to be check it out, family friendly and have fun
aloha
went of course a bit but just other things to do

Thank you so much! This is helpful!

In addition to previous suggestions, our favorite lunch or dinner restaurant is Kula Bistro in Upcountry. You can BYOB without a corkage fee. Well worth the drive from the west side. Our favorite Asian Cuisine is Sansei. We stay in South Maui and eat here Sunday or Monday on their half off night. There other restaurant is at Kapalua. We also like Kimo's in Lahaina. The fresh fish is wonderful as well as a stunning view at Sunset.

When in Hawaii, eat local. Skip the steakhouses.

Hawaiian dishes:
Lau Lau: The traditional preparation consisted of pork wrapped in taro or luau leaf. In old Hawaii laulau was assembled by taking a few luau leaves and placing a few pieces of fish and pork in the center. In modern times, the dish uses taro leaves, salted butterfish, and either pork, beef, or chicken and is usually steamed on the stove. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laulau

Kalua Pig: Kālua is a traditional Hawaiian cooking method that utilizes an imu, a type of underground oven. The word kālua, which literally means "to cook in an underground oven", may also be used to describe the food cooked in this manner, such as kālua pig... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalua

Hawaiian Plate Lunches (best from a food truck at the beach): The plate lunch is a quintessentially Hawaiian meal, roughly analogous to Southern U.S. meat-and-threes. However, the pan-Asian influence on Hawaiian cuisine, and its roots in the Japanese bento, make the plate lunch unique to Hawaii. Standard plate lunches consist of two scoops of white rice, macaroni salad, and an entrée.[ A plate lunch with more than one entrée is often called a mixed plate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_lunch

Local favorites: Loco mocos, spam musubis, shave ice, poke bowls etc.

I'd say try the poi but many Mainlanders don't like it and it would be a waste of taro to not eat the whole bowl.

Kula Bistro
Honu Seafood and Pizza
try O'O farms for their lunch tour - so worth it!
Monkeypod

for what it's worth on TA the Hawaii revealed series is reviled....

Kimos in Lahaina!!

Great food, amazing sunsets, and “Hula Pie!” Gotta try it!

Another shout out for Hula Pie at Kimo's. It will easily serve 4 people, but who's counting? The best thing is-- if you keep your dinner receipt, the next Hula Pie is complimentary. Kimo's is on our radar for next Spring!

I had not heard about "hula pies". It didn't sound traditional so I looked it up.
https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/hawaii_today/2009/9/25/Dukes_Hula_Pie_Hawaii_dessert_recipe

Perhaps no one wants you to know just how simple a concoction Hula Pie
is. There's no baking, and you can find most of the ingredients ready
made: chocolate cookie pie crust, macadamia nut ice cream, hot fudge,
whipped cream, chopped mac nuts.

BTW While Mac nuts are popular in Hawaii, the Macadamia is indigenous to Australia, The history of the Mac nut in Hawaii as told by Wikipedia:

1882 - William H. Purvis introduced macadamia nuts to Hawaii as a
windbreak for sugar cane.

1910 - The Hawaiian Agricultural Experiment Station encouraged
planting of macadamias on Hawaii's Kona District, as a crop to
supplement coffee production in the region.

1922 - Ernest Van Tassel formed the Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Co in
Hawaii

1925 - Tassel leased 75 acres (30 ha) on Round Top in Honolulu and
began Nutridge, Hawaii's first macadamia seed farm.

1931 - Tassel established a macadamia-processing factory on Puhukaina
Street in Kakaako, Hawaii, selling the nuts as Van's Macadamia Nuts.

1937 - Winston Jones and J. H. Beaumont of the University of Hawaii's
Agricultural Experiment Station reported the first successful grafting
of macadamias, paving the way for mass production.

1946 - A large plantation was established in Hawaii.

1953 - Castle & Cooke added a new brand of macadamia nuts called
"Royal Hawaiian", which was credited with popularizing the nuts in the
U.S

Then in 1997 Australia surpassed the United States as the major producer of macadamias and then South Africa surpassed Australia as the largest producer of macadamias.

FWIW Kimo's is my least favorite for dinner. MAYBE lunch or happy hour for the view

...for what it's worth on TA the Hawaii revealed series is reviled....

Do a Google search for "hawaii revealed controversy" or "maui revealed controversy" re the Doughty guide books. Interesting issues include safety and encouraging private property trespass.

Hi. I would highly recommend Mama's Fish House in Maui. I believe the area it is in is called Paia. The seafood is fresh and when I was there, they tell you the name of the boat the fish was caught on that day. Very fresh. Also, it is right on the water and is very pretty. My suggestion would be to go about an hour or so before sunset and enjoy dinner and then catch the sunset just outside the restaurant by the water. I've been twice and had a great experience.

hey hey
i totally agree with edgar, he's been there or has some local blood in him
never heard of hula pies either, until a friend from here went to maui.
eat local, you can always go to mainland restaurants but while in hawaii try the local food. you will find other tourists at these restaurants and locals will be at mom and pops places. all you have to do is just ask them what they recommend.
you can try corn beef hash, mochiko chicken, portuguese sausage, fried rice, lau lau, fried noodles, chicken/beef stick, chow fun noodle, kim chee, chop or hamburger steak, plate lunch, i could go on and on and on. just do it!!
aloha and and us locals say
mele kalikimaka & hau'oli makahiki hou