10 Must-Eat Places in Maui, Hawaii

One of the greatest opportunities that traveling gives you is the ability (and the excuse) to eat. Well, not just to eat but, to also experience local delicacies and expand your taste horizon!

Some of you may have already known that my family had recently taken a long-awaited trip to Maui, Hawaii. Being the foodie that I am, I did some research before our trip and compiled a long list of "must-try" foods and places in the “Valley Isle”. But to save you time, in no order whatsoever, I’ve narrowed the list down to my top 10 favorite places to eat each paired with my most-liked dishes from Maui, Hawaii.

1) Farmers Market Maui - Acai Bowls

I love farmers markets because of the wide assortment of food and products available are always so fresh, and "fresh" appeared to be a common theme among all Hawaiian restaurants. Luckily for me, I had a fantastic friend tell me about one of the markets in Maui and she insisted that I tried their acai bowls. So, of course, I did! My only regret was that I only had one during our entire trip. Regardless, each bowl was jam-packed with blended acai, homemade granola and an abundance of fresh fruit to top it off. Enough to share but so good, you’d want to keep it to yourself (probably the best acai bowl I’ve ever had)! This market also had locally grown and made products, with plenty of flavorful samples to taste!

2) Joey’s Kitchen - Crispy Pata

My family and I are from the Philippines, so we will take any chance we get to eat at a Filipino restaurant! Joey’s Kitchen wasn’t marketed as a Filipino restaurant but by their Adobo Fried Rice, Lumpia, Pancit and Crispy Pata, we knew there was some Filipino influence there. I know these foods weren't entirely new to my family, but was too good not to include in my list. My favorites were the Crispy Pata--a HUGE pork leg that is boiled then deep-fried--along with the adobo fried rice. We had clean plates and stuffed tummies by the end of it! Joey’s Kitchen had recently updated their menu to include a variety of other Hawaiian delicacies as well.

3) MonkeyPod - Mai Tais and Banana Cream Pie

I had another great friend from college recommend MonkeyPod for their must-try Mai Tais! Little did I know that this restaurant would also have a great backstory about how it's owner made something-out-of-almost-nothing while using and supporting local resources to grow what would become MonkeyPod. If you visit, I would ask your waiter for the full story, there is so much more to it! While the food was more expensive than most places--Hawaii tends to be pricier than the mainland in general--the food is sure to fill you happy. I tried the Organic Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi (my mouth is watering just thinking about it) and of course, their assortment of pies. If you don’t want to try all of them, I would highly suggest going for the Banana Cream Pie--it seemed to be a flavor in almost every dessert menu we saw!

4) Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice - "Sunset Beach" Flavor Combo

This place had locations everywhere and almost every business review website had Ululani at the top of their “Shave Ice” lists, so we were bound to stop by. Two things: 1) It was cool watching the technique and the precision needed to form that dome shape on top of the cone and get the perfect amount of syrup travel through the entire mound of ice, 2) There were so many flavors it was hard to choose! We chose "Sunset Beach" because it had the fruit flavors we liked, and it ended up being so refreshing!

5) Paia Fish Market - Seafood Pasta

Seafood Pasta. That’s it. Just do that. Maybe fish tacos is a "must-try" too--out of all the places I’ve tried fish tacos they had the best ones. But all I can think about when someone mentions Paia Fish Market is the Seafood Pasta we had. I could (but should not) eat the hefty plate of linguini pasta overflowing with an abundance of shrimps, scallops, fish and more by myself--they truly do not hold back with the seafood here--so we shared it and there was plenty to go around! The place has a casual and nautical atmosphere with friendly servers, making it a great place to hang out.

6) Honolulu Cookie Company - Passion Fruit Shortbread Cookie

I’ll be honest with you, I was drawn into this place because I noticed you could sample bits of each flavored, pineapple shaped, shortbread cookie. I tasted all of them (because why not?) and then saw that you could make your own boxed assortment. It vaguely reminded me of Ladurée macarons and it made for the perfect treats for the flight back. So, I happily hand-picked one of every flavor plus a few extra fruit flavored ones (the passion fruit shortbread cookie is so good with tea)!

7) Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonades - Strawberry Frozen Lemonade

After we found this on Google, we didn’t really put this on the top of our list because why would we go to Hawaii for Lemonades when they have Shave Ice? But, it is hot in Hawaii! The heat and being in the water made us crave for frozen lemonade, and Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonades was nicely placed in the back of our minds. We tried the Strawberry Frozen Lemonade and the Mango Frozen Lemonade. I did like the frozen lemonade with strawberry better, the mango made it much too sour. However, one thing I’d like to point out was how much I admire the company and their efforts to promote environmental sustainability. All their straws are either reusable or made of paper, and they give you the option to get your drink in the cutest reusable mason jar. Plus, you can bring the jar back for a discount on a refill!

8) Piko Cafe - Chicken Matsu

This felt like one of those minimalist hipster places you go to for the perfect Instagram shot, which is not the reason we went... but, I still took advantage of it. Actually, we visited Piko Cafe because it had great reviews online, and found it was a quick bite to eat. It was a nice and affordable place to try Chicken Matsu, Saimen, and Mochiko Chicken (these were dishes on almost every menu in Maui). Everything tasted freshly made and was the “right-size” portion, might be too small for someone with a big appetite! Gotta try their Mango Chia Seed pudding if you are craving something sweet and something fresh.

9) Hana Halfway Point - Banana Bread

When we got to this stop, we were immediately told that this place was known for their home-made Banana Bread. It can be bought as mini loaves of bread that are made in small batches so you can pick one off of the counter and have it still warm. This stop also has burgers, hot dogs and a bunch of other snacks to satisfy your appetite and prep you for the rest of the trip!

10) Grand Wailea Luau - Buffet

We had attended Grand Wailea’s Luau, which by the way was set on a beautiful open area facing the sunset and bordered by flowers and trees. The food was plentiful; but, while it was not my favorite meal on the Island, it was still a good opportunity to try Kahlua Pork and a variety of other Hawaiian dishes. Despite this, there was an open bar, a coffee and dessert bar (wow), and an inspiring and exciting storyline to the performance. I would still definitely recommend trying out the Luau here!

Have you been to any of these places? Is there a place whose food was to die for? Let me know in the comments below! Mahalo for reading :)