Mahalo: Our 10 Favourite Food Spots in Maui, Hawaii
South Maui Fish Company
Maui hits you the second you land. The air feels thicker, but also sweeter. Ocean in front, jungle behind, mountains cutting the skyline. Locals smile, but it’s not fake…they’ve seen enough of us tourists to know who’s paying attention. This island isn’t just palm trees, snorkelling, and resorts. It’s a community that fights to hold on to what’s theirs. The food here tells you that story. Yes, there’s Spam musubi, and yes, we’ll eat a ton of it. But it’s also perfected poke, pies that taste like grandma made them, specialty coffee served from trucks, and food plates filled with pork, coleslaw, macaroni salad, and more. Respect matters here, and eating well is the easiest way you can make it matter to you.
Below are our 10 favourite spots when visiting Maui.
South Maui Fish Company
Kihei, Maui – Food Truck Courtyard
This one’s a courtyard food truck with picnic tables, string lights, and a line that tells you everything you need to know. The fish is as fresh as it gets—grilled, blackened, or raw in poke bowls. But here’s the secret: order the cookies. Soft, chewy, maybe the best we’ve ever had. Grab a poke bowl with avocado and slaw, chase it with a cookie, and maybe even grab a Kava drink from next door. A courtyard vibe that feels alive, salty, and perfect.
Wing Kings Maui
Kihei, Maui – Food Truck
A food truck with sauce dripping off the menu board and chickens pecking at your feet. Watch out for them—they want your fries. The wings are the whole point: garlic parmesan, mango habanero, and classic buffalo that stains your hands orange. Grab a platter, grab napkins, and forget about looking clean. It’s messy, loud, and absolutely worth it.
Nalu’s South Shore Grill
Kihei, Maui – South Shore Plaza
Walk in and you hear music, laughter, and the clatter of plates. The menu swings from banana mac nut pancakes to loco moco stacked with gravy to fish tacos that hit harder than they look. Strong coffee for breakfast, cocktails for dinner, and service that feels like friends. We came hungry and left stuffed, just like everyone else in the room enjoying the live music.
Maui Ono Donuts
Kihei, Maui – Food Truck
Ah, the smell of fried sugar hanging in the air. Each donut at this truck is made fresh, glazed to order, and handed to you hot enough to burn your fingers. Vanilla, chocolate, maple, are our faves…basic, but perfect. People hover in the lot, laughing with donuts in both hands, kids buzzing on sugar. It’s chaos in the best way.
Early Bird Coffee
Kihei, Maui – Food Truck
This is our favourite coffee spot on the island. Ube lattes, Vietnamese iced coffee with cold foam, and paninis for the beach (if they make it that far). You sit at a picnic table, the sun climbing higher, and realize this is how mornings should be. We love it. And for the record, Akamai nearby is a very close second.
Peace Love Shave Ice
Kihei, Maui – Azeka Shopping Center
Bright colours, natural syrups, ice shaved so fine it disappears on your tongue. This isn’t a carnival treat—it’s an art form. We went for the caramel apple, our favourite, dripping sweet and tart with every bite. People sit on benches outside, syrup running down their hands, kids wide-eyed at the rainbow flavours. Pure joy in a cup.
Island Gourmet Markets
Wailea, Maui – The Shops at Wailea
Part deli, part grocery, part bar. Sounds odd, but it works. The poke bar is loaded with toppings, sauces, and options—more than anywhere else. Sushi, salads, plate lunches, Kona coffee, even a wine bar tucked into the corner. Tourists, locals, families—all crammed together. If you want high-quality food with endless mix-and-match choices, this is the spot.
Mama’s Fish House
Paia, Maui – North Shore
The big one. The legend. Mama’s feels like old Hawaii—Polynesian décor, ocean views, and service that feels choreographed but warm. The menu lists the name of the fisherman and the boat that caught your dinner. We ate stuffed mahi mahi with crab, ono seared in coconut, and cocktails that could’ve doubled as postcards. Pricey? Yes. Worth it? Every cent.
Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop
Olowalu, Maui – West Side
Everyone talks about the pies, and they’re right. Banana cream, chocolate mac nut, and coconut cream are all flaky crust that crumbles in your lap. But don’t sleep on the homemade salads and sandwiches. Fresh, hearty, exactly what you want before you justify pie for lunch. We sat by the window, ate too much, and still went back for more.
Aloha Mixed Plate
Lahaina, Maui – Downtown
Feels like a backyard cookout. Hawaiian plate lunches stacked high with kalua pork, garlic shrimp, fried rice, and mac salad. No frills, just food that fills you up and makes you happy. Enjoy it outside, sit in the Lahaina sun, and enjoy a Mai Tai or a local beer while you do it. This is Maui comfort food, no question, with ocean views to go with it.
Maui stays with you. The salt, the heat, the people. The food isn’t just fuel—it’s the island telling you who it is. Families passing down recipes, food trucks hustling, and restaurants holding the line for decades. We ate donuts in parking lots, pies by the highway, and fish pulled from the ocean that morning. Every bite felt like a story we weren’t supposed to miss. The lesson? Support the people doing the cooking. Respect the place. Because paradise is the beaches, but it’s also waiting for you on the plate.
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