On the Road: Top 5 favorite places to eat on Maui

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I've been meaning to write this post on our favorite places to eat in Maui for weeks now, and while we returned from Maui at the start of November, it's suddenly January! How did that happen?

So without further ado, some recommendations for great places to eat on Maui, in no particular order. Many of these were also recommended by our favorite guidebook - Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook.


1. Sarento's on the Beach, Kihei, south Maui - One of the best parts of Sarento's was the view from the patio. Really from most of the restaurant, as it had no walls - just a roof. A nice benefit of being located in one of the most temperate climates on the planet. We had breakfast here the first morning.

My husband ordered the loco moco here, a native island dish consisting of white rice, a hamburger patty, a fried egg and brown gravy. Any man's dream, really. I think his order actually was made with fried rice, which we saw in some places. I had a more mild omelet, which was delicious.

2. Banana Bread Stands on the Road to Hana - My favorite of the two we tried on the road, which tracks the northeast part of the island and is a favorite for tourists, was Aunty Sandy's at Keanae Landing. We pulled up off the road and ordered our banana bread. She (maybe Aunty Sandy, maybe not) handed us a fresh, still-warm loaf. That's right, an entire loaf and it was still warm. We took our plastic knife, cut in and, yum, it was delicious.

We tried another stand at the Halfway to Hana point on our way back from Hana (you go there and back in one day). The bread there was not as good, but it was still a great treat.

3. Kihei Caffe, Kihei - Thanks to a recommendation on Facebook by a friend who had recently been to Maui, we tried out Kihei Caffe for breakfast one morning before heading to the west side of the island.

When you arrive at the restaurant, you line up at the register and order your food there - I remember the cashier being somewhat boisterous, but in a good way - pour your own coffee on your way back outside to claim a table and wait for your food. It's not a large place, and I can imagine it filling up fast in the in-season, but it wasn't bad the day we went. I ordered a scramble, shown in the picture on the right. My husband was more adventurous and ordered the pork fried rice and scrambled eggs. I remember being more pleased with my choice than he was, but the "side order" of a cinnamon roll made everything better. Price point was roughly $10 a person, depending on what you ordered. A good value on an island where everything is expensive.

4. Five Palms Beach Grill, Kihei - I'm on a roll. Nearly every one of these places were in South Maui. I'm sure there are great places to eat elsewhere, but our favorites trended toward the south. Five Palms Beach Grill was close to the top of our list, if not at the top. We arrived in Maui a day after we were originally scheduled.

We checked into the Days Inn, the only budget option in South Maui. We were starving. We looked outside, and there was a restaurant on the first floor of the condo building next door. Turned out to be the best food we had the entire time we were there with a great view to boot. Only downside was that it was expensive. But you know how you go somewhere, have a great meal and get the ticket - and even if it's high, you think, that was well worth it? This was one of those places. Well worth the splurge. Especially if you're lucky enough to get the table we got. The sun was going down, but you get the idea ...

And we closed out our dinner with coffee. The kicker: They served chocolate chips with the coffee! How cool is that?

5. Paia Fish Market, Paia - Another restaurant where you order at the counter. Here you also share long tables with other customers. I enjoyed my choice - Fish Tacos. My husband enjoyed his meal, fish and chips, less, but I would still recommend stopping here on the way back from Hana or eat lunch here while enjoying the eclectic shops in Paia, which is on the north shore of Maui.

Honorable Mention:
Cool Cat Cafe, Lahaina - A random 50s-style joint in west Maui, but ignore the decor and enjoy the best burgers ever. The website does not lie. I had the Don Ho, bacon and jack cheese, pineapple and teriyaki sauce. This burger met my high standards, which is saying a lot coming from a girl who's from the Midwest. Another plus to the Cool Cat Cafe: great live music and a tasty lava flow, a Hawaiian cocktail staple.