Best Maui Restaurants - Editor's Picks

This reporter was hosted by some of the restaurants on this list for the purposes of this review. Accepting complimentary meals does not guarantee a positive review or coverage from Hawaii.com.

I'm always surprised when Maui residents tell me they wish they had as many good places to eat as Oʻahu, because they do. From food trucks and strip-mall eateries to a farm-to-table dining scene that often rivals Oʻahu's, there are exceptional meals to be had at every price point. Each year, I pop over at least once to sample from a dozen or so new and established places, following some of Hawaiʻi's most talented chefs. My criteria for best Maui restaurants: They had to be full-service, community-minded and use local ingredients as much as possible. Ranking high for creativity, technique, service, ambiance and, of course, deliciousness, I narrowed my list down to these 10 — each a place I would return to again and again.

Part Italian grocer, part restaurant, part neighborhood gourmet take-out hub, Spoon & Key Market is a utopia for the ultimate breakfast, lunch and dinner. Chef and co-owner Chris Kulis' time at Bouchon Bistro in Napa Valley proves to be a perfect compliment to Maui's local bounty. For the myriad of goodness coming out of the kitchen, seafood dishes like orange marlin grilled over binchotan and dry-aged kanpachi paired with condiments and garnishes like green chili crisp, spicy green mango puree. star fruit miso, pickled pohole (native fiddlehead ferns) and razor thin slices of jalapeno and radish, excite the palate, sparkling especially bright. After moving to Maui in 2006, Kulis rose to star chef status and met his wife Tarah Principato. The duo worked together at Hotel Wailea, earning its prestigious Relais & Châteaux status, before opening The Market Maui, now Spoon & Key Market, building the seemingly impossible: a local haven in the center of a high-end resort shopping center.

New American / Italian / Tasting Menu / Take-out

$$-$$$$

108 Wailea Ike Drive, ste 1201, Wailea

Reservations on OpenTable

Open for breakfast and lunch Sunday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., dinner Wednesday through Sunday 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Recommended nearby stay: Hotel Wailea, Relais & Châteaux

When renowned San Francisco chef Chris Cosentino puts his name behind a restaurant, you know its going to be good. On Maui, he leaves his most daring nose-to-tail dishes he's become known behind, in place of a lighter, coastal cuisine that still follows his zero-waste sensibilities — the first thing you'll likely see as you pass the bar to the dining room is an entire ʻahi hanging in a DRY AGER fridge. The kitchen cooks at the whim of Maui's most recent harvest, bringing a fresh perspective on local ingredients and doing what any good chef would do to support their farmers, ranchers and fishers: they use what's abundant.

New American

$$$

116 Wailea Ike Drive, Wailea

Reservations on Toast

Open daily 3 to 8:30 p.m.

Recommended nearby stay: Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

After losing its first location to the 2023 wildfires, Sale Pepe made a triumphant return to Lāhainā in 2025 with a brand new space and a year and a half of perfecting what was already a solid menu of Italian classics: Pizza Napoletana, hand-made pastas and a lasagna that would make your Italian grandmother cry. Chef and co-owner Michele Di Bari landed a James Beard Award nomination this year for Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific, and mopping up fresh-pressed olive oil with warm, blistered focaccia sprinkled with parsley and crunchy sea salt, it's easy to see why. Di Bari's menu is hard to choose from because it's got everything you want from a pizzeria. Trust your server and follow their recommendations, you're in good hands.

Italian / Pizzeria

$$$

157 Kupuohi Street, Suite J1, Lāhainā

Reservations on Resy

Open daily 5 to 8:30 p.m.

Recommended nearby stay: Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa

At this Upcountry pizzeria, ingredients from organic flour to grass-fed butter and Maui-grown produce are everything to chef and co-owner Jeff Scheer. Starting as a pandemic obsession, Scheer's love for naturally leavened dough earned him a James Beard Award nomination in 2024 for Best Chef in the Pacific / North West. If you arrive early enough in the morning you can indulge in his sourdough croissants and cinnamon rolls too.

Italian / Pizzeria

$$$

30 Kupaoa Street, Pukalani (Upcountry)

Reservations on OpenTable

Open daily for breakfast 7 to 10:30 a.m. (8 a.m. on Sundays), lunch 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and dinner 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Recommended nearby stay: Paia Inn

Chef Sheldon Simeon rarely needs an introduction. The Maui chef introduced Hawai'i local food to the rest of the country as a finalist on Bravo's "Top Chef." He's been like a freight train ever since, opening restaurants, publishing cookbooks and creating grab-and-go meals for South Korean convenience store chain CU's Hawaiʻi locations. Simeon and his wife Janice prevented Tiffany’s from closing in 2022 when its former owners retired. It's remained a beloved local watering hole and restaurant, serving classic local-style fare like garlic chicken, pulehu style steak and saimin.

Hawai'i Local / Elevated bar food

$$$

1424 Lower Main St, Wailuku

Limited reservations on OpenTable, walk-in preferred

Open Monday through Thursday 4 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Recommended nearby stay: The Historic Wailuku Inn Maui

Drawing from the cuisines of immigrant groups who came to Hawaiʻi to work the sugar cane fields beginning in the 19th century, Kō, Hawaiian for sugar cane, presents a menu steeped in the islands's plantation past. Riffs on Korean kalbi ssam and Japanese katsu share a table with Hawaiian lau lau and Filipino lumpia. The restaurant's most popular appetizer, Lavender Honey Crispy Shrimp, is a Chinese-American dish localized with Maui lavender honey and mac nuts in place of walnuts. Save room for dessert. The kululo malasadas heavily dusted with cinnamon sugar and stuffed with haupia cream are out of this world.

Upscale Hawai'i Local

$$$$

4100 Wailea Alanui Drive, Wailea-Makena (inside Fairmont Kea Lani)

Reservations on OpenTable

Open daily for dinner 5 to 9 p.m. and Sunday brunch 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Recommended nearby stay: Fairmont Kea Lani

For a restaurant that exudes opulence, chef and co-owner Taylor Ponte isn't afraid to put saucy Korean fried chicken and crispy fish collars on the menu, proving Aurum Maui isn't too precious to serve messy finger food. Service is polished and quick-witted, while retaining Maui's humble charm. In an area of the island packed with exceptional restaurants Aurum does its best to stand out. It's craft cocktail program, which works closely with the kitchen to make everything from scratch is perhaps the most underrated on the island. The Aurum Old Fashioned alone is worth its gold namesake.

New American

$$$

3750 Wailea Alanui Dr, Wailea

Reservations on OpenTable

Open daily noon to close

Recommended nearby stay: Andaz Maui at Wailea

What happens when all your friends and family come over to watch the game? Perhaps something akin to Coco Deck: a playful neighborhood meet-up serving cold booze and outrageous comfort food with sports on TV. Chef Alvin Savella's take on bar food exceeds expectations. It's the only place I've seen poke spooned over a glazed donut or crispy queso tacos hanging out of a bowl of ramen. Try and score the couch by the big screen if you can, so the kids can play in the restaurant's "keiki zone" while you nibble on ranch-flavored chicken wings and sip on a cocktail called "You wanna smash?" in front of the boob tube.

Hawai'i Local / Elevated bar food

$$

1312 Front St, Lāhainā

Reservations on OpenTable

Open daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Recommended nearby stay: Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows

The Parlay is to Wailuku what Coco Deck is to Lāhainā: a casual, local gathering place where visitors like to eat too. Named after the gambling wager that combines two or more individual bets, The Parlay combines whimsical food and cocktails in a former gas station that now looks like a 1950s suburban home with a well-kept front lawn and weekend garage parties. Save up for a cheat day. When you're here, it's mac and cheese, smash burgers and jalapeno popper dip all the way.

New American / Elevated bar food

$$

2086 Main St, Wailuku

No reservations necessary

Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Recommended nearby stay: Maui Beach Hotel

Finally, a brewery with food as good as the beer. Soft pretzels are glazed with beer caramel and topped with whipped ranch flavored cream cheese and shaved aku. Smash burgers ooze with jalapeno jam, American cheese and onions caramelized with Lahaina Brewing Co.'s award-winning Lokahi Pilsner. Lahaina Brewing Co.'s second location in Upcountry will soon serve food too, including a buttermilk brined fried chicken sandwich with gochujang glaze, pickles and fresh shredded mint, cilantro and cabbage on a brioche bun. Pull up a bar stool. Order a cold brewski. Eat.

Hawai'i Local / Elevated bar food

$$

112 Wailea Ike Dr, Wailea

Reservations not necessary

Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (food until 9 p.m.)

Recommended nearby stay: Wailea Beach Resort