Every time we go to Hawaii, we always try to eat in different restaurants and we love to try places where the locals eat— not just the touristy ones.

Our last vacation to Maui in late November/early December 2017, we did just that.   Before we left, I asked my friends and contacts in Maui to suggest some local style places where they eat.  I asked for moderately priced restaurants and received a good number to try.   We always try to eat at one of the hotel restaurants, as well so that we can really give our clients sound advice on what they can expect to pay for meals while in Hawaii.

Here are some of the moderately priced restaurants we enjoyed in Maui

  • Pita Paradise in the Wailea Gateway Plaza (same one as Monkeypod).  Mediterranean/Greek cuisine. We had chicken kabobs and moussaka (both around $20 for the entree).  Nice sized meals but not enormous portions.
  • Da Kitchen- in Kahului (not far from the airport).  Local Hawaiian cuisine.  ENORMOUS portions.  I had a quinoa salad bowl and Mr. My Vacation Lady had an ahi tuna panini.  The average entree was about $15-25.  This is the kind of place where you can expect to take food home.
  • Pai’a Fish Market Southside in Keihei.   Similar to their other location in Pai’a, you place your order at the counter and it’s brought to your table.  Really well known for their ono burgers and fries.  I had gluten free shrimp fajitas.  Mr. My Vacation Lady had seafood fettucine.  Both large portions.  With soft drinks- about $50.

Budget dining in Maui 

It does sound like an oximoron but we needed some fast lunches (in between checking out hotels) and decided to grab some ready made salads and sandwiches at the Island Gourmet Markets in the Shops at Wailea.  For those familiar with the ABC stores, this is an upscale version of them.  In addition to gift items, they have a nice selection of gourmet items, a fresh deli department (with fresh salads, sandwiches and more), wines and coffee.  They have a few tables inside the market, as well as outside.  If you want something fast or are looking for a picnic lunch to take with you on your activities, this is a great place to stop.

 

Resort dining in Maui

  • Japengo’s at the Hyatt Regency Maui.  When we are staying at the Hyatt, Japengo’s is one restaurant that we’ll usually dine at during our stay.  Even though, we’ve been here before, it’s a nice easy place to eat after a long day of activities or a day you just don’t want to leave the resort.  I’m not sure if you would consider this moderately priced but it was the way we ate.  We shared 3 different appetizers and one plate of sushi.  Without alcohol, it ran about $70.
  • Bumbye Beach Bar at the Andaz Maui at Wailea.  For our couple of days of relaxation in Wailea, we just ordered food at the pool at the Andaz.  The food came in fun boxes with wooden utensils.  Mr. My Vacation Lady had a huge burger (both days) with waffle fries and I ordered spring rolls and a salad.  Each was between $18 and 25.
  • Ka’ana Kitchen at the Andaz Maui at Wailea.  We had breakfast and dinner here the last time we stayed at the Andaz but this time, we only had breakfast there on our last morning.  The breakfast buffet is $47 per person but we decided to order from the a la carte menu.  I ordered the Kale Tofu Scramble (which sounds gross but was so delicious that I asked if the chef would send me the recipe) and hubby had the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes.  Portions were very large.  With coffee, the bill came to about $61.
  • KO at the Fairmont Kea Lani.  Oh my god- this was our WOW meal on our last night in Maui.  KO’s menu includes family recipes handed down from generations including Hawaiian, Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese, Korean and Japanese flavors.  Food and service were to die for.  I have to be honest, we were treated to dinner by my sales manager at the Fairmont Kea Lani, so I’m not sure what the actual bill came to.  I will estimate $250 with 1 drink each, a shared salad and appetizer,  1 entree each, coffee and a dessert each.  We started with Kobe Beef Poke as an appetizer and we shared a salad.  My entree was a modified Zarzuela (kettle of lobster, shrimp and scallops).  Mr. My Vacation Lady had the catch of the day.  We each had a dessert (again fabulous) with coffee and one drink each.  The staff was fabulous in modifying my meal to my personal taste and all dietary needs (gluten free, vegetarian, etc) were clearly marked on the menu.  If you are looking for a special evening, KO is definitely a restaurant to try.  Highly Recommended!!!

My Vacation Lady is a Hawaii Destination Specialist.  When we customize a honeymoon or vacation itinerary for our clients, we also offer them a lot of recommendations, such as great restaurants, beaches, self drives, activities and more.  This is just part of the service we provide for our clients.  We’ve been there.  We’ve done it and we’ve experienced it.  Hawaii is our Happy Place and we love to send our clients there.