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MAUI’S BEST FINE DINING PLACES

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Maui's-Best-Fine-Dining-Places-Mama's-Fish-House

When a client asked me which were the best dining places on Maui, we set out to investigate this question while on a recent visit to the island. Our mission turned out to be harder than we anticipated, because there are many really outstanding fine dining restaurants to sample. Just within an hour’s drive of Ka’anapali, we were overwhelmed with excellent choices.

By focusing on one main meal a day at either lunch or dinner, we were able to personally sample the following five upscale restaurants and rate their cuisine. In reverse order, this is how they stacked up in our opinion, keeping in mind that we based our ratings on just one meal each with the exception of our top choice, which we liked so much that we made a second pilgrimage there.

Maui's-Best-Fine-Dining-Places-The-Pineapple-Grill-Dinner5. Roy’s – Ka’anapali overlooking Royal Golf Course

A major disappointment in many ways. It was very loud with an atmosphere like a large sports bar. The food did not live up to its reputation, which is huge. If you are eating after sunset (6:40 pm), there is nothing to see but your own reflection in the large glass panes. Would not recommend. Maybe we were just in there on an off night. This was the only disappointing meal we had all week.

4. Honu – Lahaina directly behind the Safeway supermarket in the Cannery Grill Mall.

You can park at Safeway and walk to the restaurant behind. It is very casual and right on the beach. They have a very unique specialty called ahi bruscetta, which is a small serving but delicious. In the evening, the sunsets are beautiful with nice views of the boats and a touch of romance. This is a very popular place and was recommended to me by several people.

3. Haliimaile General Store Restaurant – In Makawao about an hour from Ka’anapali

Maui's-Best-Fine-Dining-Places-Hula-Grill-Barefoot-Beach-SideOne of well-known chef, Bev Gannon’s restaurants, which is found in a small Upcountry town. Their Pacific region American cuisine includes delicious mahi mahi and award winning hot pineapple upside-down cake paired with coconut ice cream. Everything we tried was tasty, although it is a drive from both Ka’anapali and Wailea. If you want to appreciate the scenery both ways, go for lunch and enjoy the beautiful coastal views along the route.

2. The Pineapple Grill – Kapalua overlooking the Bay Golf Course

Fantastic food in a golf club setting. The dining room was nice and had some evening atmosphere, the service was good, and the food was amazing. They served very fresh local Hawaiian fish which must not travel well, because the names were unfamiliar to us.

Their specialty dessert is pineapple upside-down cake with home made macadamia nut ice cream. Even if this is not your favorite dessert, their version is large enough for 2 people and will make you want to lick the plate.

1. Mama’s Fish House – Outside Paia about an hour from Ka’anapali

Maui's-Best-Dining-Places-Mama's-Fish-House-Chocolate-Caramel-PieMaybe the best restaurant we have ever eaten at any place in the world. That is quite an endorsement, and we went back a second time to see if it was as good as we had imagined the first time. The fish was fresh and luscious, the drinks were wonderful, and the desserts were tempting and delicious enough to forget about watching calories while there. It was worth the drive and will always pull us back to dine there whenever we visit Maui.

Although these restaurants were outstanding and exceeded our expectations, there were a number of others near Ka’anapali that also looked excellent and which we would have tried if we had had more time. All of them were in beautiful surroundings and had lots of atmosphere. We did not include other recommended choices in the Wailea area due to time and distance constraints.

On our list to try during our next trip to Maui are Mala on the beach next door to Honu in Lahaina, Hula Grill and Leilani’s On The Beach both beachside in Whaler’s Village Mall, Pacific ‘O on the beach in Lahaina and Gerard’s also in Lahaina.

What is your favorite fine dining restaurant on Maui and why do you like it?

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