Everything on Maui is delicious. Don’t believe me? Try to find a spot on Yelp rated under 4.0… most are above 4.5. And while I don’t really trust the opinions of angry strangers on the internet, it is just mathematically hard to keep reviews up that high. Anyway…

I didn’t do much to photograph our food on this trip, largely because most of what we ate was takeout and the view didn’t match the flavor. I will list those places at the end, as a reference for others who might read this. But for now, let’s get into the photogenic food, starting with…

Ululani’s

On the way back from the airport we stopped to get shave ice (that’s not a typo, there’s no D on shave) from the same place that provided it for our wedding, Ululani’s, almost 11 years prior. Sarah suggested I was mistaken for getting the rootbeer float variety with all the tropical options available… she was correct, but it was still quite good.

Monkeypod Kitchen

This place has two locations on Maui. The prices aren’t terrible, at least not relative to the rest of Maui which is generally expensive. They have a decent happy hour deal, but if you decide to go for that – make a reservation.

Monkeypod is known for the Mai Tais which are incredible. They’re strong too, so be careful if you’re driving. They also have a couple amazing pies, which I’ll gladly endorse. They also make their own ketchup, which I do not… not because it’s bad but because, well… why? We shared two pizzas and they were both delicious.

It would seem I had too much to drink waiting for the pizzas, because photos of them are nowhere to be found. I guess you’ll have to try them for yourself. We were at the Wailea location but I’m sure they’re both good.

Gather at Wailea

Gather is the restaurant at the Wailea golf course and I’m pretty sure it overlooks the course that I played when we were here in 2021 (they have 3 courses). It’s a hell of a view and the food measures up. The only thing missing from this set of photos is the salad we shared, which was quite good. I would never make it on the Instagram circuit.

I’m not generally one to gush about bread but please allow me to spring a leak. Their focaccia, made fresh of course, was otherworldly. They don’t bring it to the table for free. It’s an actual appetizer but let me tell you; I’ve never been so happy to pay for bread. The tall drink is a mai tai (I think) with a coconut cream foam and the other is an old fashioned, which seemed appropriate after looking at myself in that photo. Sarah got a chicken dish, I got the sea bass, and the cake was made of more chocolate than you can comprehend from the photo alone. Not a cheap meal, but worthy of the price tag.

Cinnamon Roll Place

Yep, that’s the name. Cinnamon Roll Place has coffee and breakfast sandwiches, but really you come for the rolls and stay… for the rolls. The photo, which is pre-icing, doesn’t do it justice although even looking at it now I feel like my fingers would come away tacky if I touched my computer monitor. They’re incredible and they’re right across the street from where we stayed. Go at 6am when they open because a line forms later in the day that you don’t want to be caught in. We also got a piece of mango bread that was delicious but neither of us tasted any mango 🤷‍♂️

We only got this one day, which was a mistake I’ll have to learn to live with.

Ocean Distillery

On our way back from the animal sanctuary, we stopped at Ocean Distillery for lunch and cocktails. They do tastings and tours but we were nearing the end of our trip and just wanted to sit and enjoy the view. We split a mushroom pizza and had a couple of their “Green Harvest” specialty cocktails which was mostly vodka, pineapple juice, and jalapeno syrup. Truly magnificent.

Other Places in Kihei

We got takeout a few times from other nearby restaurants and they were all good but the two best, by far, were:

Da Kitchen – A very unassuming place in a strip mall that you’d walk right past unless otherwise instructed to stop. We split the kalua pork and an order or garlic noodles, which game with some asian BBQ chicken thighs on top. I’m quite literally getting hungry just typing this. It almost pains me to say it, but I think this was the best thing we at all week.

Miso Phat Sushi – I’ve had a lot of incredible sushi in my lifetime. LA sorta does that to you. This might be the best sushi I’ve ever had and if it’s not, it’s way up there.

Cafe O’Lei Restaurant – While we didn’t go there this time, we’ve been there twice before. It’s a bit pricey, but the food is very good and the atmosphere is very chill. It’s an open plan, but the tables are separated by sheer curtains. It’s kinda neat. This is also right across from where we stayed.

Kihei has all sorts of places you can eat, rent snorkel, drink coffee, buy overpriced sunblock, and get dessert. I can’t list them all. Most are above average, many are incredibly good. If you go, I urge you to just follow your nose.