21 Best Restaurants in Maui, Hawaii

This signature restaurant at Maui's most stylish luxury resort, Andaz Maui at Wailea, has it all: ingredients sourced within the Islands, marvelous wine list, stellar service, and spectacular views from every table. The whole space has been masterfully designed with the gorgeous exhibition kitchen as the focal point of the restaurant and both indoor and outdoor seating wrapping around the space. The breakfast buffet includes endless, tasty options and dinner presents the perfect opportunity to linger over unique fish, seafood, and steak preparations.

This unassuming popular spot across the street from Kalama Beach Park has a breakfast menu that runs the gamut from healthy yogurt-filled papaya to the local classic loco moco—two eggs, ground beef patty, rice, and brown gravy—and everything in between. Unique menu items include corned beef hash and catfish at breakfast and a calamari sandwich at lunch. A second location recently opened in Lahaina.

You don’t need to be a beer lover to appreciate a visit to Maui Brewing Company’s flagship location. Spanning more than five acres, the Kīhei compound includes a restaurant, brewery, and tasting room. Craft pizzas, burgers, salads, and more highlight a lively menu, as do craft cocktails. Step behind the scenes with a one-hour guided brewery tour on the weekend.

"Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto's eponymous restaurant, located at the Andaz Maui resort, has some of Maui's most creative presentations and, arguably, some of its best food. Poolside outdoor tables that sit directly under the stars, a bustling dining room, and a sushi bar all make it a lively choice, but the food is ultimately the reason to go. Feast on slices of tuna pizza, indulge in premium Wagyu beef (carpaccio or filet), and splurge on some of the best sushi in Maui.

Find some of the best seafood on the Island at this elegant eatery inside the Fairmont Kea Lani. This dinner-only restaurant sources the freshest fish possible, and often has beautifully prepared offerings, like opakapaka (pink snapper), that other fish restaurants don’t. The wine list is large and diverse and the evening views of the hotel pool underneath tiki torch-lit palm trees add to the ambiance.

Don't be fooled by its playful name; this place serves high-quality food that befits its chic surroundings. This restaurant's owner is a fisherman himself, so you know the fish here is the freshest available. Lunch features affordable and delicious sandwiches and burgers, but in the evening the space is transformed into an Italian-Greek bistro with entrées like chicken fettuccine and mousaka.

It's more "Island-style" than Hawaii-style—and yes, it's a chain—but the food is consistently great, the service is filled with aloha, and the ambience is Island refined. The cocktails are among the best and most creative on the Island and include well-priced non-alcoholic options. Guests can enjoy live music Wednesday through Saturday evenings.

Its proximity to Maalaea Harbor means this joint is always jumping, and the look is funky, beachy, and kitschy. The draw here is definitely the barbecue—ribs, chicken, and prime rib, all smoked on-site—but so is the Tuesday night lobster fest and the Wednesday night ribs fest. In West Maui, there's another location in the Napili Plaza shopping center.

Overlooking the ocean from a bluff above Wailea Beach, this outdoor Italian restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Maui is Wailea's only oceanfront restaurant. For lunch, indulge in the catch of the day, artisanal sandwiches, or one of a variety of stone-baked pizzas. At dinner, try the Italian-inspired salads and house-made pasta.

This Polynesian-style thatch-roof, open-air restaurant "floats" atop a saltwater lagoon, which gives it an exotic romantic feel that's suited for special occasions. Daily breakfast features hearty, yet elegant options. The restaurant is named for Hawaii's state fish, so it's wise to try at least one seafood dish at dinner. There are also flavorful options like prime beef and lobster, unique combinations like ahi (yellowfin tuna) and foie gras, and a not-to-be-missed dessert menu.

The menu at Ko—which means "sugarcane" in Hawaiian—features dishes from the many cultures of the plantation era, some of which are local family recipes. Executive Chef Emeritus Tylun Pang created a menu featuring modern, innovative twists to Hawaiian, Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese, Korean, and Japanese dishes. Their new Sunday brunch is somehow both inventive and authentic, featuring Asian-inspired and local-style dishes, live music, and a massive "Big Kahuna" Bloody Mary for four. Private dining experiences are available in Ko Garden.

The wooden surfboards hanging above the bar and surf videos playing in the background set a decidedly chill vibe at this buzzing restaurant, the creation of local celebrity-chef Peter Merriman. He offers a menu that highlights local bounty, with such standout dishes as poke tacos, coconut corn chowder, and wood-fired pizzas.

This authentic Indian restaurant offers stunning ocean views and appetizers like papadum chips and samosas served with homemade chutneys. There are 10+ breads—naan and more, including a gluten-free option—that come hot from the tandoori oven, along with mix-and-match curries, lots of vegetarian selections, kebabs, and biryanis.

This family-run restaurant serves authentic flavors from Mexico City and just about everything—from the furniture to the artisanal plates on the wall—has been brought directly from Mexico. All menu items are made in-house; try Grandma’s classic chicken mole recipe, which packs in more than 25 ingredients.

This upscale Italian restaurant's setting right on spectacular Keawakapu Beach, with views of Molokini and Kahoolawe, is irresistible. The brunch menu lasts until 2 pm, and dinner has a decidedly Italian bent, with dishes like seared ahi over lemon-butter pasta and veal osso buco. In whale season, they even set binoculars on the table so you can watch for whales from your table.

Maui Ocean Center's signature restaurant is a great choice for seafood (aquarium admission is not required to dine here) and offers harbor and ocean views from its open-air perch. The restaurant promotes heart-healthy cuisine, using sustainable seafood and trans fat–free items, but still allows for indulgence in their well-priced cocktail menu.

This tiki bar—tucked into Kihei Kalama Village—serves burgers, sandwiches, and delicious specialty pizzas that are crafted from scratch with sauces made from fresh Roma tomatoes and Maui herbs.

It's a marriage made in Hawaii heaven: the California cuisine of celebrity-chef Wolfgang Puck combined with Maui flavors and served lobby-level and oceanfront at the luxurious Four Seasons Resort Maui. Try the spicy ahi (yellowfin tuna) poke in sesame-miso cones to start and then see what the chef can do with some of Maui's fantastic local fish. It will cost you, but the service is spot-on, and the contemporary interior allows the food to claim the spotlight.

Sure it's in a shopping mall, but the care and expense that has gone into the interior—glittering Buddhist shrines, elaborate hardwood facades, fancy napkin folds, and matching blue china—also applies to the cuisine. Start with the coconut-ginger chicken soup, then continue with flavorful pad Thai and curries before finishing off this authentic meal with fried bananas and ice cream. There's a second location in Kahului's Maui Mall, a perfect choice before or after a movie at the megaplex.

For a little break from the Maui sun and fruity cocktails, spend an afternoon digging into elegant pub fare backed by an excellent, expert cocktail program with a focus on whiskey. It’s the perfect spot to recover from a sunburn or catch a game while still being social and enjoying what Maui has to offer. This is the type of place where you want to sit at the bar and bend the bartender’s ear (if they’re not busy).

The name of the restaurant comes from the three young chefs who each have a distinctive culinary style (Hawaiian, Southwestern, and Pacific Rim), but somehow it all works. The space is as big as the menu—there are salads, burgers, steaks, and fresh fish, as well as a raw bar with sushi and hand rolls—with three separate dining areas, plus an outdoor patio.