Aloha, friends. Braddah Brand here.
Maui might be the easiest island in Hawaiʻi to eat badly on. There are a lot of resort buffets and a lot of overpriced fish tacos. But Maui also has some of the best food in the state, if you know where to look. Some of it is in a business park in Wailuku. Some of it is in a strip mall two minutes from the airport. And one of them is the hardest dinner reservation in the islands.
Here are my six. A couple of plate lunch legends, a breakfast spot, a pie shop worth pulling off the highway for, a North Shore fish counter, and one big splurge. Every one of them is open, local and worth your rental car mileage.
1. Tin Roof (Kahului)
Come for: mochiko chicken from a Top Chef fan favorite. Come hungry.
Chef Sheldon Simeon grew up in Hilo, made it to the finals on Top Chef, won fan favorite, and then came home and opened a tiny takeout counter in Kahului with his wife, Janice, in 2016. Ten years later, Tin Roof is still the plate lunch spot locals send visitors to first, and the line still runs out the door.
The No. 1 order is the mochiko chicken bowl: chicken thighs marinated in ginger, sake and shoyu, fried twice, and finished with miso sauce and a crunchy “dime bag” topping. Also good: the pork belly, the garlic shrimp and a poke bowl when the fish is right.
Braddah’s tip: Tin Roof is a couple minutes from Kahului Airport. Land, pick up the rental, eat. Order online ahead if the line looks crazy.
Where: 360 Papa Pl, Suite 116, Kahului
When: Opens at 10 a.m.; check tinroofmaui.com for current lunch and dinner hours.
Phone: (808) 868-0753
2. Sam Sato’s (Wailuku)
Come for: dry mein, the noodle dish Maui calls its own.
Sam Sato’s has been feeding Maui since 1933, and these days it’s tucked into a business park on Wili Pa Loop in Wailuku. You’d never find it by accident. That’s half the fun.
The thing to get is dry mein: saimin-style noodles tossed in a secret seasoning, topped with char siu and green onions, with a cup of broth on the side to dip or sip. Dry mein is a Maui thing, and plenty of locals will tell you Sam Sato’s makes the best one. Add a barbecue stick, and don’t leave without a few manju, flaky baked pastries filled with sweet lima bean or azuki bean. If you come before 11, the banana hotcakes are a sleeper hit.
Braddah’s tip: Buy a box of manju for the plane. Your coworkers back home will think you’re a hero.
Where: 1750 Wili Pa Loop, Wailuku
When: Early morning until about 2 p.m. Closed Sunday, and some listings show Monday closed too. Call ahead.
Phone: (808) 244-7124
Payment: Bring cash just in case.
3. Kihei Caffe (Kīhei)
Come for: a big, cheap, early breakfast across from the beach.
Ask anybody in South Maui where to get breakfast and there’s a good chance they’ll say Kihei Caffe. It’s been around since 1998, it opens before the sun comes up, and it sits right across South Kīhei Road from Kalama Park.
Order at the counter. The loco moco is the local move, the chicken fried steak is the hungry move, and the French toast or banana mac nut pancakes are the sweet-tooth move. Portions are huge.
Braddah’s tip: Jet lag got you up at 5 a.m.? Perfect. Beat the line, then walk your breakfast off at Kalama Park.
Where: 1945 S Kīhei Rd, Kīhei (Kihei Kalama Village). A second, roomier location is at the Maui Coast Hotel, 2259 S Kīhei Rd.
When: Original location opens around 5 a.m. and closes around 2 p.m. Check current hours.
Phone: (808) 879-2230
Payment: Bring cash just in case.
4. Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop (Olowalu)
Come for: pie. Stay for: more pie.
Leoda’s opened in 2011 on a quiet stretch of the Honoapiʻilani Highway in Olowalu, one of the few places to eat between Māʻalaea and Lahaina. The 2023 wildfire forced it to close for a while, and it reopened that December at its original spot. Good news for everybody with a sweet tooth.
The sweet pies are the stars. Get a slice of banana cream, the tart Olowalu lime, or a haupia pie. The savory side of the menu, think pot pies, sandwiches and comfort food plates, is solid too.
Braddah’s tip: Lahaina is still rebuilding. When you head to the west side, spend your money at the local businesses that are open and working hard to come back. Leoda’s is a great place to start.
Where: 820 Olowalu Village Rd, Olowalu
When: Open daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check leodas.com before you go.
Phone: (808) 662-3600
5. Pāʻia Fish Market (Pāʻia)
Come for: a fish burger after the Road to Hāna.
Pāʻia Fish Market opened in 1989, back when Pāʻia was a sleepy surf town on the North Shore. It’s still a no-fuss counter on the corner of Hāna Highway and Baldwin Avenue, with picnic tables, surf photos and gyotaku fish prints on the walls.
Order the mahi or ono burger. That’s the one. The fish tacos and Cajun fish plate are good backups.
Braddah’s tip: If you’re coming back from Hāna, you’ll be starving and so will everyone else. The line moves fast. Staying in South Maui? There’s a second location in Kīhei.
Where: 100 Hāna Hwy, Pāʻia. Also at 1913 S Kīhei Rd, Kīhei.
When: Lunch and dinner daily. Check paiafishmarket.com for current hours.
Phone: (808) 579-8030 (Pāʻia)
6. Mama’s Fish House (Kuʻau, near Pāʻia)
Come for: the once-in-a-trip dinner.
Okay, this one is not a hidden gem. Everybody knows Mama’s. But there’s a reason. Floyd and Doris Christenson opened it in 1973 in a beach house in a coconut grove on Kuʻau Cove, a couple miles past Pāʻia town, and it’s been Maui’s special-occasion restaurant ever since. The menu famously names the fisherman who caught your fish.
Go for whatever fresh catch is on the menu that day, and save room for dessert. Yes, it’s expensive. For an anniversary, a honeymoon or a big birthday, it’s worth it.
Braddah’s tip: Book months ahead, and book only through Mama’s own website or by phone. Reservations sold on third-party sites won’t be honored. Aim for a table around sunset.
Where: 799 Poho Pl, Pāʻia
When: Lunch and dinner by reservation. See mamasfishhouse.com.
Phone: (808) 579-8488
Plan your Maui eating day
Maui is bigger than it looks, so group your stops by side of the island:
- Central Maui (arrival day): Sam Sato’s for breakfast or an early lunch, Tin Roof for lunch. Both are close to the airport.
- South Maui: Kihei Caffe for breakfast, Pāʻia Fish Market’s Kīhei location for dinner.
- Heading west: Stop at Leoda’s in Olowalu on the way. Pie first. Nobody has to know.
- North Shore: Pāʻia Fish Market for a casual lunch, or go all out at Mama’s for dinner.
Hours change, so double-check each spot before you go. And remember, you’re on island time. Nobody’s rushing you but you.
Hungry for more? Read more Best Of picks and stories from around the islands. Run a local spot that belongs on a list like this? Tell us about it.
Written by Braddah Brand
Braddah Brand writes Aloha Spotlight’s Best Of guides: the local spots worth your time, your appetite and your rental car mileage.
Details in this guide draw on each business’s own website and on reporting from Hawaii Magazine, Honolulu Magazine, Maui Now and The Maui News, plus public listings. Hours and payment options change, so confirm before you go. Photos are illustrative and were not taken at these businesses. Top photo: Kuʻau Cove, near Mama’s Fish House, by ImagePerson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.