Maui Nō Ka ʻOi Magazine_2026_Issue 1

We recognize 16 things that make Maui nō ka ʻoi

Whale Trust

Inside the long record of humpback whale song and behavior

Aurum Maui

Chef Taylor Ponte’s Wailea restaurant takes shape through local connection +

18 THE WHALE RECORD

Over 25 years, Whale Trust researchers have documented humpback whale song and behavior through fieldwork in Maui waters and beyond.

36 TREECOVERY HAWAIʻI

Through a network of grow hubs, air layering propagation and coordinated replanting efforts, Treecovery Hawaiʻi works to restore Maui’s canopy. 2026

SLICE OF PARADISE

Notable landscapes, stewardship efforts and historic local businesses –we recognize 16 highlights that make Maui nō ka ʻoi in our annual Shaka List.

A roundup of Maui pizza connects the island's ingredients and pizza makers to distinct flavor, spanning traditional techniques and experimentation.

contents departments

POSTMASTER:

ON THE COVER

Warm sunset light stretches across Big Beach in Mākena as waves break along the shoreline, with Puʻu Ōlaʻi rising at the north end. Story begins on page 26.

Photo by Travis Morrin

12 EDITOR’S LETTER

Stories and lessons from life on Maui by Publisher and Editor Chris Amundson.

14 TALK STORY

Pacific Whale Foundation heads Maui’s Marine Debris Rapid Response program; the hala tree offers fiber, fruit and a lesson in appreciation; Seabury Hall Craft Fair brings community together in support of student financial aid.

ISLAND KITCHEN

At Aurum Maui in Wailea, Chef Taylor Ponte builds a kitchen shaped by place, connection and precision.

52 DINING GUIDE

Restaurants across Maui, from neighborhood favorites to destination dining.

62 IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Kanani Franco, kahu at ʻEkalesia o Kupaianaha and Kamehameha Schools Maui, on carrying forward faith and Hawaiian culture.

VOL. 30, NO. 1 | 2026

Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi is an internationally-distributed magazine dedicated to exploring the life and culture of Maui Nui. There’s a saying known in the islands: Maui nō ka oi, Hawaiian for “Maui is the best.” We hope you think so, too.

PUBLISHER & EDITOR

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT DESIGN

PHOTO COORDINATOR STAFF WRITER

CULTURAL ADVISOR

ADVERTISING SALES

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES

CONTRIBUTORS

Chris Amundson

Angela Amundson

Savannah Dagupion

Mark Del Rosario

Erik Makić

Ariella Nardizzi

Pōmaika‘i Krueger

Azelan Amundson

Shiela Camay

Todd A. Vines

Lisa Schell

Flip Nicklin

Amber Caires

Travis Morrin

Selket Kaufman

SUBSCRIBE

Daniel Sullivan

Ryan Siphers

Emma Wheatley

Jim Grannan

Spencer Starnes

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The Long View

SOME OF THE most important work in Maui Nui only makes sense over time.

A whale song recorded in the ʻAuʻau Channel means more when it can be compared to songs from years before. A tree propagated after the fires takes years to become shade. A school fair reaches 50 years not because one year was especially memorable, but because people kept showing up, setting up tents, carrying donations, stringing lei and making it matter to the community again. The same is true of language, faith, stewardship and trust.

The things that last here on Maui are usually built slowly.

Whale Trust has spent 25 years listening to humpbacks in Maui waters and beyond, adding season after season to a body of knowledge that has changed how researchers understand whale song and behavior. That kind of research requires patience. A single winter can be beautiful. Twentyfive winters become a record.

On land, Treecovery Hawaiʻi is working on another timeline entirely. In Lāhainā and Kula, recovery doesn’t begin when a tree goes into the ground. It begins earlier, in pots and grow hubs, in air layers and root systems, in the careful matching of future canopy to the people and places that will need it.Anyone who has planted a tree knows the bargain: the real reward belongs to the children.

Elsewhere in these pages, the same patience appears in large and local ways. Seabury Hall’s Craft Fair marks 50 years of supporting student

financial aid through one of Upcountry’s most established gatherings. Our annual Shaka List honors people, places and efforts that have proved their value over time – through paddling, business, stewardship or daily use.

The same is true of the island’s restaurants and stores, from kitchens building trust table by table to pizza joints earning their place one pie and one repeat order at a time.

Kanani Franco brings that truth even closer. As a child, Franco spent Saturdays at ʻEkalesia o Kupaianaha in Wailuku, where the current hale pule slowly took shape around her through varnished ceiling planks, poured concrete, paint and plumbing. In her own words, faith and Hawaiian language are practiced together. That kind of connection doesn’t happen accidentally. Someone keeps speaking. Someone keeps teaching. Someone keeps building.

This year, Maui Nō Ka ʻOi celebrates its 30th year. That milestone does not need much embellishment. Thirty years is simply long enough to know that the island’s most meaningful stories are rarely the quickest ones. They reveal themselves slowly, in the ways people build, teach, restore and gather here.

Maui Nui has always had its share of bold beauty. That part comes easily. The deeper story is in what people choose to tend – a shoreline, a song, a school, a tree, a language, a gathering place. The long view does not ask for spectacle. It asks for steadiness.

That work is still underway.

With Aloha,

Chris Amundson Publisher & Editor chris@mauimagazine.net

Turning

the Tides

Pacific Whale Foundation leads Maui’s rapid response to marine debris

by Savannah Dagupion

Volunteers with Pacific Whale Foundation pull a heavy fishing net from a shoreline, part of Maui’s Marine Debris Rapid Response effort to remove large debris, document what washes ashore and build a record that supports long-term solutions.

ON MAUI’S WINDWARD shores, where the trades press against the coastline and winter swells comb the sand, debris arrives with the tide. Thick ropes tangle in naupaka. Plastic buoys wedge into lava rocks. Nets, hardened by salt and sun, lie half-buried above the high-water line after drifting thousands of miles across the Pacific.

That’s when Brianna Simon steps in.

As conservation and outreach manager at Pacific Whale Foundation, Simon leads Maui’s Marine Debris Rapid Response Group. When reports come in, she assembles volunteers and tools to remove heavy nets, buoys and industrial fishing gear as quickly as possible.

Last year, what was reported as a single net at Waiehu Beach Park turned out to be a buried conglomerate – layers of tangled nets fused together under the sand. Over

a week, teams of 10 volunteers dug it out. Machinery was eventually brought in to lift the mass, which weighed 2,500 pounds.

In its third year as Maui’s official response organization, Pacific Whale Foundation mobilizes between 50 and 100 volunteers each month. Some work the shoreline. Others join scuba dive teams at Keoneʻōʻio, where recreational fishing line and lead weights are cut away from reefs.

The lead is saved and sorted. Community members melt it down, repurposing it into dive weights or art. Nets and plastics are packed into a shipping container and sent to the Center for Marine Debris Research at Hawaiʻi Pacific University on Oʻahu. There, materials are cataloged and shredded for reuse in products such as plastic lumber.

Each haul adds to a growing record. Researchers tracking the debris have identi-

fied Asian countries and U.S. fisheries as sources. The waste is carried by currents that concentrate in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch before fragments drift toward Hawaiʻi. Trade winds then push much of it onto windward shores, where access can be difficult and removal labor intensive.

For now, Simon said the work focuses on building that record – tracking what washes ashore, where it lands and what it’s made of. “Hopefully we can build up enough data for policy change or let people know internationally this is an issue and we have the information to back it up.”

Anyone who spots large debris can submit a report through the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources marine debris reporting form online or call 833-4DA-NETS, helping keep Maui’s shores cleaner.

The Giving Tree

Hala serves as a reminder of appreciation and transition

by Savannah Dagupion

ALONG MAUI’S COASTS and dry, windy flats, hala trees rise on stilted frames of roots from salty, sandy soil. Their long, blade-like leaves reach upward, then arc down, fanning from each branch into a broad canopy that can resemble a shaggy haircut. Beneath the canopy hang the fruit – large, segmented globes composed of wedge-shaped keys that appear light green, bright yellow or deep orange.

Known botanically as Pandanus tectorius, hala is indigenous to Hawaiʻi and figured prominently in the lives of ancient Hawaiians. Its leaves, called lauhala, were stripped, dried, softened and woven into mats, baskets, hats, fans and other crafts – a practice that continues today. The leaves also thatched roofs and formed canoe sails.

The wood of male trees is denser and was used for building houses, canoes or bowls. The softer wood of female trees served as irrigation piping in loʻi kalo (wetland taro farms). Aerial roots were twisted into cordage. The fruit, though fibrous, was eaten in times of famine.

When ripe fruit is taken apart, keys can be strung into lei, their scent sweet but subtle. Lei hala mark transitions and are often given at graduations, retirements and funerals – a gesture acknowledging movement from one stage of life to another.

An ʻōlelo noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb) tied to hala says, “Puhalu ka ihu, nānā i ke kāʻao” – one doesn’t notice the pandanus until the fruit has fallen and scattered its scent. In other words, people often notice the many good things a person does only when it is too late to show appreciation.

As with the fallen fruit, the tree’s worth can be overlooked. Yet the hala endures – sheltering shores, yielding fiber and fragrance, giving steadily whether we pause to notice or not.

The hala tree’s arching leaves and stilted roots give rise to a plant long valued for weaving and daily use, while its segmented fruit, once taken apart, becomes lei that mark life’s transitions and carry a reminder to show appreciation before it’s too late.

Fifty Years on the Hill

Seabury Hall’s craft fair brings artisans and families to Olinda, raising funds for student financial aid

by Todd A. Vines

BLOSSOMING JACARANDAS

signal spring in Upcountry. For half a century, that purple haze has also signaled the approach of the Seabury Hall Craft Fair, which returns this year for its 50th edition.

More than 100 vendors line crafters’ row with handmade jewelry, island woodwork, original art and clothing. Savvy fair-goers make a beeline for the lei stand to select fresh lei po‘o, and in recent years a student marketplace has given young makers a place alongside established island artisans – a first showcase for the next generation on Maui.

Beyond the lively crafters’ row, live music carries across campus as food vendors serve plate lunches, snacks and sweets. Adults bid on silent auction items and hunt for one-of-a-kind Mother’s Day gifts, while keiki ride ponies and hurl themselves down the school’s notoriously giant slip and slide. Young Spartans greet visitors and help run the event from one end of campus to the

Vendors line campus as visitors buy goods and select fresh lei poʻo at the Seabury Hall Craft Fair, which supports student financial aid.

other at Maunalei, the name given to the school’s 63-acre Olinda campus beneath Haleakalā.

For visitors, the craft fair is a day to browse artisan booths, shop for gifts and spend the afternoon on the campus. Founded in 1964 as a small all-girls school with two dozen students, Seabury Hall is now a private college-preparatory school serving grades 5-12. The craft fair remains the school’s primary fundraiser for student financial aid. About one-third of the school’s roughly 500 students receive aid, helping families from across Maui attend Seabury Hall.

The 50th Seabury Hall Craft Fair is Saturday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Seabury Hall, 480 Olinda Rd. in Makawao. Admission is $10 for adults, and children under 12 are free. Parking is free at the adjacent Oskie Rice Event Center, with oncampus VIP parking available for $20. All proceeds benefit Seabury Hall’s student financial-aid program.

Over 25 years, Dr. Jim Darling and Whale Trust researchers have listened through hydrophones, tracked behavior and built a long record of whale song and behavior in

From the ʻAuʻau Channel to the wider Pacific, Whale Trust researchers have spent 25 years documenting Maui’s humpback whale song and behavior.

story

by CHRIS AMUNDSON archival photographs by FLIP NICKLIN

BEFORE THE WHALE surfaces in the ʻAuʻau Channel, Jim Darling already has it in his headphones. There, a singer’s moans, cries and repeated phrases carry through the water long before anyone sees a blow. Meagan Jones writes down time, position and every surface event.

Flip Nicklin holds his camera on the flukeprint where the whale last sounded. Then the whale surfaces once off the bow and is gone again.

For 25 years, Whale Trust has returned to the shallow waters between Maui, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe to listen, track, record and study. Founded in 2001 by Darling, Nicklin and Jones, the organization grew out of winter seasons in Maui waters – following singers, tracking females and testing accepted ideas against years of observation.

Over time, their research helped change how scientists and the public understand humpback whale song, breeding-ground behavior and the enigmatic humpback whale itself.

At the nucleus of Whale Trust research is Jim Darling, who had been studying humpback whales long before its founding. For decades, he recorded singers in Hawaiian waters, tracing how songs were built and how they changed from season to season.

“You can describe structure. You can describe change,” he said. “Meaning is another matter.”

The way to test meaning was to observe.

Maui made that possible. In the clear, calm water of the ʻAuʻau Channel, the team could do more than record singers. They could follow individual whales, see who joined them and watch those interactions unfold over time.

Through science, photography and videography, Whale Trust helped build a new picture of how singers interacted with other whales – one that would have been harder to capture in rougher water or places with fewer whales. For many years, Darling and Jones led the science, while Nicklin documented it through photography.

In the winter of 1996, Darling and Nicklin returned to the waters off Olowalu to begin a field study of who actually joined a singing whale. Over repeated follows, they tracked singers, recorded their songs and logged which whales joined, which left and which did not approach. DNA analysis later helped confirm the sex of the whales that joined the singers.

For years, humpback song was widely believed to be a display used by males to attract females. What Darling and Nicklin observed

off Olowalu challenged that idea. The joiners were always males. Their observations helped shift scientific thinking about humpback song. Rather than a courtship display, song appeared to organize male interactions on the breeding grounds, where behavior ranged from competitive to non-agonistic –close-range encounters without obvious aggression – and at times cooperative.

After years of observational work and additional research, the team turned to playback experiments. Off Olowalu again, Darling, Jones and Nicklin worked from two boats set 1 kilometer apart in the channel. One stayed with the singer, recording and identifying the whale before the playback began. The second lowered an underwater speaker and broadcast a recorded song through the water.

“Within about seven seconds,” Darling said, the whale stopped singing and disappeared.

The team saw nothing for several minutes. Then Nicklin, on the playback boat, looked down and saw the whale with its nose at the speaker.

Humpback whale song is a layered sequence of sounds that can last from five to 20 minutes. Individual units combine into phrases, phrases repeat as themes, and the song shifts through a series of themes before beginning again.

By the next season, parts of the song have shifted. In different parts of the Pacific, some of the same phrases can turn up thousands of miles apart. Season by season in Maui waters, Whale Trust built one of the largest collections of humpback whale songs in the world – a long record that later widened into North Pacific comparisons.

THOSE YEARS OF fieldwork culminated in a 2006 paper by Darling, Jones and Nicklin that proposed a new hypothesis: humpback whale song may organize males on the breeding grounds rather than mainly attract females.

That line of inquiry widened beyond Maui. Later studies compared songs recorded in Hawaii, Mexico, Japan and the Philippines, showing both shared phrases across

the North Pacific and year-to-year shifts in how closely those populations aligned. What began here as a question about singers and the whales around them became part of a larger picture of how humpback song changes across time and space.

Whale Trust researchers are now exploring whether machine learning can help them better understand what whale songs mean within whale societies and how those songs move across the Pacific.

“It’s jet-engine loud. As you get down by the tail, the sounds are punching your air spaces.”

– Flip Nicklin

But the singer study also led to another question: if song was organizing relations among males, what role did females play?

Jones came to whale research through the study of behavior, working first in child development before a graduate opportunity in dolphin communication drew her into marine mammal research and to Hawaiʻi. Her focus turned to females, whose behavior could not be tracked through song.

On the breeding grounds, females move with calves, with escorts or alone. Jones studied their reactions by playing recorded whale sounds underwater and watching what changed. Some sounds drew little reaction. Others changed their movement at once.

When the team played social sounds to females with calves, Jones said, the mothers would sometimes move off fast – as fast as 12 kilometers per hour.

In those cases, “As soon as the playback stopped, she would stop,” Jones said.

Females without calves reacted differ-

ently. Some barely moved, holding their position even as the water around them changed. The males nearby did not. They surged, turned and circled, reacting to something they seemed to hear but could not locate.

“The males would go crazy,” Jones said. They were responding to a signal, but not one they could resolve. Without a visible rival, their movement became scattered, searching.

For Jones, moments like that are where behavior resists easy interpretation. What looks like one behavior can mean something entirely different depending on the female’s reproductive state.

“Until you understand that, you don’t really know what you’re seeing,” she said. “We’re interpreting it the best we can.”

To build that understanding, Jones connects what is visible at the surface with what is happening biologically. Small blubber samples are analyzed for hormones, allowing the team to compare what a female is doing with whether she is late pregnant or not pregnant at all.

Some encounters yield that kind of data. Others are documented through photography and video, one sequence at a time. Together, those observations have helped show how female behavior can shift with reproductive state on the breeding grounds.

In a 2022 Aquatic Mammals paper, Jones, Nicklin and Darling described one such sequence Nicklin captured while diving with whales off Maui: a female humpback positioning her genital-mammary area to intercept bubbles emitted by males below her.

The paper suggested two possible contexts: mating, in which the bubbles may serve as pre-copulatory stimulation, and late-stage pregnancy, when the bubbles could stimulate oxytocin to help induce birth. While the behavior can be documented and described, its meaning and purpose remain unresolved.

Capturing such moments underwater has long been part of Whale Trust’s research. At times, Nicklin is in the water with the whales, working under special research permits and filming at close range. He describes himself as shooting “over the

shoulder of the science,” using the camera to document behavior clearly enough for researchers to study later.

That role began early. Growing up in San Diego, Nicklin watched his father’s career turn toward underwater whale photography after a 1963 encounter with a whale drew national attention and led to work with National Geographic.

In 1979, Nicklin came to Maui to shoot production stills of humpbacks for the IMAX film Nomads of the Deep. Darling served as the film’s scientific liaison and asked him to free-dive beneath a singing whale and photograph the genital area to confirm the whale’s sex. Nicklin remembers the sound first.

“It’s jet-engine loud,” he said. “As you get down by the tail, the sounds are punching your air spaces.”

Then the whale moved and the tail lifted over him.

“I think it’s just going to pound me into the sand,” he said.

Instead, the whale turned and looked back at him. The shift, Nicklin said later, was from thinking it might hurt him to realizing it just wanted to know what was going on. That experience was Nicklin’s first foray into scientific photography.

For decades, Nicklin’s photographs and underwater footage have become part of the research record itself, preserving behavior that field notes alone could not. Over time, that visual record extended beyond Nicklin. Underwater videographer Jason Sturgis and underwater photographer Ralph Pace became part of Whale Trust’s research as well.

Education was built into Whale Trust from the start. Research fed student programs, naturalist training, books, films and public outreach. Haley Spears came to Whale Trust as a Lahainaluna High School senior through a research mentorship program and is now pursuing a Ph.D. on the hormone research line Jones helped initiate. Her work has taken her into research in both Maui and Alaska.

Whale Tales began in 2006 at The RitzCarlton Maui, Kapalua, originally under the name Whale Quest. Held each year

during whale season, it brings together scientists, photographers, naturalists and the public from around the world. It is Whale Trust’s largest single fundraising and outreach event.

Whale Trust has operated differently from many research organizations. As an independent nonprofit, it has been less beholden than grant-driven programs to outside agendas, government priorities and funding cycles. That independence has let Darling, Jones and Nicklin follow whales where observations lead and return to the same questions over years, sometimes decades. Nicklin puts it simply: do science, follow what whales are doing and share it without agenda.

THE

LĀHAINĀ FIRE in 2023 destroyed Whale Trust’s two research boats. It underscored how much the science depends on local support – slips, maintenance, fuel and the people who keep boats in the water.

A donor contributed a replacement boat, helping Whale Trust return to the field. Even with fewer boats, the routine remained: launch, listen, track, record and compare. Research also continued off the water. Whale Trust scientists kept publishing peer-reviewed papers, including a study documenting humpback whale detections in deep tropical ocean between Hawaiʻi and Mexico during the breeding season.

Beyond Maui Nui, Whale Trust researchers follow the local whales to northern feeding grounds, including Alaska, linking Maui observations with a wider Pacific record.

But the center of the record remains here, in the channel where winter field research returns year after year.

Back in the ʻAuʻau Channel, the season begins to thin. By late spring, the team records fewer encounters on the water as the whales head north. Back on land, Darling listens through the recordings in his headphones, Jones checks her notes and biopsy results, and Nicklin reviews photographs and video. One more winter in Maui waters enters the record.

Learn more about Whale Trust’s research, public programs and Whale Tales at whaletrust.org.

Research in Maui waters helped show that male humpbacks on the breeding grounds were not simply competing for females, but shifting between competitive, non-agonistic and sometimes cooperative interactions.

Underwater photography became part of Whale Trust’s long record, preserving behavior that researchers could return to and study over time.

N.M.F.S. permit 753

16 of the Many Reasons to Love Maui

by Savannah Dagupion

Each year, we pause to recognize the people, places and moments that make life on Maui special. Some are longtime institutions, others are quiet corners of the island or the dedicated folks working behind the scenes to care for land, culture and community. In no particular order, here are 16 things that remind us why Maui will always be nō ka ʻoi.

Puʻu Ōlaʻi

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Rising above the sands of Mākena, Puʻu Ōlaʻi is a volcanic cinder cone that hints at the fiery origins of Haleakalā and anchors one of South Maui’s most iconic stretches of coastline. The hill sits between three very different beaches, each with its own personality.

Oneloa, better known as Big Beach, draws bodysurfers and skimboarders to its sweeping shoreline and powerful shore break. Just over the hill, the small cove of Puʻu Ōlaʻi, or Little Beach, attracts free spirits with its secluded, clothing-optional atmosphere. To the north, Oneuli’s dark volcanic sand and rugged shoreline offer a quieter place to snorkel when conditions are calm.

Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project

Up the winding Haleakalā Highway and into the misty forests of Haleakalā National Park’s Summit District, Hawaiʻi’s rarest birds still cling to survival. Species like the kiwikiu, ʻākohekohe, Maui ʻalauahio and ʻiʻiwi live only in these high-elevation forests. Celebrated in Hawaiian mele (song) and moʻolelo (story) for their beauty and song, these birds have long held cultural significance. But habitat loss, invasive predators and mosquito-borne disease have pushed many of their populations dangerously close to extinction.

The Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project works to protect these species through habitat restoration, predator control and

ornithological research. By studying the birds and caring for the forests they depend on, the nonprofit also helps the public understand why these native species matter – both ecologically and culturally. Shaka to keeping the song of the forest alive.

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Pīpīwai Trail

East Maui’s rainforest unfolds along the Pīpīwai Trail in the Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park. The path climbs gradually for two miles past streams and groves of native plants before leading hikers onto a long boardwalk that snakes through a towering bamboo forest where stalks sway and clatter in the wind.

The trail’s final reward awaits at the top: Waimoku Falls, a dramatic 400-foot water-

fall that spills down a lava rock wall into the forest below. The out-and-back hike begins near the Kīpahulu Visitor Center and typically takes two to four hours depending on pace and conditions. Shaka to this remote corner of the national park that rewards those willing to make the journey.

Beach Volleyball

at Kalama Park

easy. Teams shuffle, strangers become partners and a clean block or well-placed spike earns cheers from both sides of the court. Whether it’s an ace or a long rally that keeps everyone scrambling, the games stay competitive without taking themselves too seriously. Shaka to the crews keeping Kalama Park’s courts in constant play.

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Bump, set, spike – the rhythm stirs the sand at the beach volleyball courts at Kalama Park in Kīhei until the ball becomes just out of reach, ending the rally. Along South Kīhei Road, the nets rarely stay empty as players drift in for pickup games.

Soft sand and steady sun turn every game into a workout, but the mood stays

Roselani Scoop Shop

The Roselani Ice Cream brand alone deserves a shaka for serving Maui since 1932, filling dessert counters and grocery stores across the island with local flavor. But its scoop shop on Hāna Highway in Pāʻia has again cemented the company’s place in the Maui community, earning a spot on our Shaka List – a reminder that

Puʻu Ōlaʻi anchors three famous South Maui beaches (previous page). An ʻiʻiwi flashes scarlet through the misty forests of Haleakalā, a native honeycreeper protected by Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project (left). Towering bamboo sways and clatters along the Pīpīwai Trail in Kīpahulu (right).

carrying the spirit of teamwork and tradition that defines Maui’s

ongoing effort to restore the landscape after the fires

gathering (bottom).

even as Roselani has grown to fill freezers islandwide, its roots remain firmly planted right here at home.

After a morning at Hoʻokipa, a walk through town or a long drive from Hāna, beachgoers and families drift in for cones, even when the trade winds send a brisk chill through town. Behind the counter, scoops of Banana Mac Crunch, Coconut Pineapple, Haupia, Kona Mud Pie, Lilikoʻi Sherbet and Paʻuwela Sunrise stack high in cones. Roselani Ice Cream shows up everywhere across Maui, but in Pāʻia, just steps from the ocean, it feels right where it belongs.

Maui Canoe Clubs

The sport demands strength, endurance and discipline, but canoe clubs offer more than competition. They bring generations together to perpetuate Hawaiian culture through the traditions of the waʻa (canoe). Long practices, early mornings and race days build camaraderie that stretches far beyond the water.

Lāhainā Harbor

tors returning and more expected as rebuilding continues. Each departing boat marks another step forward for the town and the ocean community that has long called these docks home. A heartfelt shaka to Lāhainā Harbor and its steady return to the water.

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At daybreak, outrigger canoes glide across the ocean as a crew of six dig their paddles into the water and pull themselves forward in synchronized motion. Maui’s canoe clubs – Laeʻula o Kai, Hawaiian, Nā Kai ʻEwalu, Wailea, Kīhei, Lahaina, Napili, Kahana and Hāna – are built on dedication, teamwork and shared purpose.

An anchor of West Maui’s ocean adventures, Lāhainā Harbor has long been the launching point for fishing charters, sunset sails, snorkel trips and whalewatching excursions across the ʻAuʻau Channel. For decades, the docks bustled with captains prepping their boats, crews loading gear and early risers gathering along the waterfront, waiting for the call to board before heading out to sea.

After more than two years of recovery from the fire, Lāhainā Harbor has begun welcoming vessels back in a phased reopening, with a small number of opera-

Maui County Fair

In 2020, the Maui County Fair went quiet. In 2024, many believed the almost century-old tradition might never return. But in 2025, the War Memorial Complex lit up again – and Maui showed up in full force. Classic rides spun above the fairgrounds while keiki lined up for games and prizes. Livestock shows, local food booths and the familiar glow of carnival lights brought generations of families back together for a weekend that felt both new and deeply familiar. After years of uncertainty, the fair’s return reminded everyone why it has long been one of Maui’s biggest gatherings. A shaka to the simple nostalgia of the Maui County Fair.

consectetur adipiscing elit.

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Moses Goods

Few artists have carried Hawaiian storytelling to as many stages as Moses Goods. Born and raised on Maui, the actor and playwright has become a leading voice for Hawaiian culture in theater, film and television.

Goods has performed across the islands and beyond, including portraying Keʻeaumoku in the historical Apple TV drama Chief of War. Whether on stage or on screen, his work reflects a deep commitment to creativity and cultural expression. Proud of his Maui roots, Goods continues to represent the island with imagination and heart. Shaka to Moses Goods for sharing Hawaiʻi’s stories and keeping its cultural arts vibrant.

Wailuku First Friday

Since launching in 2008, Wailuku First Friday has grown into one of Central Maui’s most beloved town traditions, meeting its goal of revitalizing the area. Following a hiatus brought on by COVID-19 and the Maui fires, the event returned with the same consistency and energy, always finding new ways to keep the crowd entertained. Why not throw a shaka to the party that doesn’t stop?

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At sundown, Wailuku’s Market Street lights up. Held on the first Friday of every month, the event draws the community out to party – singers and dancers take the stage as spectators gather around, vendors sell their latest creations and local cooks dish up inventive fare.

Mele Ukulele

The ʻukulele is undoubtedly a staple of modern Hawaiian music, its bright sound woven through generations of mele and performance. Just as the instrument carries cultural pride, the craftsman behind it carries pride in the craft itself. On Maui, that dedication lives in the instruments built by Mele ʻUkulele.

Handcrafted by luthier Michael Rock, Mele ʻUkulele instruments are carefully shaped, assembled and finished on the island using tonewoods like koa and mango. Known for their warm sound and fine craftsmanship,

the instruments are played by beginners, collectors and touring musicians. Each one carries a bit of Maui’s musical spirit wherever its music travels. Shaka to Mele ʻUkulele for keeping the island’s signature sound alive through true Maui-made craftsmanship.

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Chelsea Davis

Across Maui, when news breaks, Chelsea Davis is there. Whether standing along the roadside in the midday sun or reporting through wind and rain, the Hawaiʻi News Now journalist has become a familiar presence for viewers looking to understand what’s happening in the community.

From breaking news to stories that highlight local voices, Davis travels across the island with camera gear in tow to keep residents informed. Her reporting brings viewers to the scene, delivering updates with clarity, care and passion for the people she serves. In a place where community matters, trusted storytelling does too. Shakas to Chelsea Davis from the car window as we pass her on the roadside.

Olowalu General Store’s Hot Dogs

Along the sunbaked stretch of Honoapiʻilani Highway in Olowalu, beneath the broad canopy of monkeypod trees, a tiny familyrun store has been serving locals and roadtrippers since 1932. For many drivers headed to and from West Maui, it’s a ritual – regulars know exactly what they’re there for before they reach the counter. Olowalu General Store is best known for its bright-red hot dog – jokingly described as so red it looks sunburnt – tucked into a soft bun and piled high with toppings like mayo, mustard, ketchup, relish, jalapeño, onion and pickle.

The humble shop also dishes out poke bowls, chili bowls, musubi and its famously addictive boiled peanuts. Lately, Aunty Mary Ann’s lively Facebook and Instagram videos have been spreading the word far beyond West Maui, bringing curious visitors from around the world to try what many locals proudly call the best hot dog on the island. A big shaka to this small store with a big following.

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Pukalani Superette’s Bentos

The Upcountry community is fueled by Pukalani Superette’s bentos, with customers stopping by in the early mornings and at lunchtime day in and day out like clockwork. At the “easy-does-it” store, the hot bar turns out steady portions of chili chicken and rice, roast pork and mashed potatoes, hamburger steak and corn, chow fun, baked macaroni and fried rice – the kind of food that keeps construction crews, ranch hands, teachers and families moving through the day.

The grab-and-go style keeps everything moving so quickly that many locals shorten the name to Puk Sup. Plates are filled, stories exchanged and customers are back on the road within minutes. Celebrating 100 years this year, the Upcountry landmark proves that good food, fast and familiar, quietly holds a community together.

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ʻĀina Momona

A Native Hawaiian-led nonprofit advancing social justice and mālama ʻāina across Hawaiʻi, ʻĀina Momona pairs advocacy with action. Founded by Molokaʻi activist Walter Ritte, the organization works to restore the Kaʻamola ahupuaʻa, rebuilding traditional food systems and caring for a historic fishpond on Molokaʻi’s south shore.

Beyond its work on Molokaʻi, ʻĀina Momona helps communities across the islands better understand the policies shaping Hawaiʻi’s future. Through education, public testimony and organizing, the group explains complex issues in clear, accessible ways while continuing the legacy of the Hawaiian Renaissance. Rooted in Molokaʻi but working for the entire lāhui, ʻĀina Momona proves that caring for the land and advocating for justice go hand in hand. Shaka to ʻĀina Momona for putting mālama ʻāina into action.

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Keālia Coastal Boardwalk

Stretch your legs on a stroll along Keālia Coastal Boardwalk, where a wooden path winds across the wetlands between Māʻalaea and Kīhei. The mile-long boardwalk offers views from mauka to makai and its flat, wide path makes it accessible for families, runners and sunset wanderers.

Along the way, interpretive signs point out native plants and the birds that call Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge home. Aeʻo (Hawaiian stilts), ʻalae keʻokeʻo (Hawaiian coots) and other waterbirds can often be spotted wading in the shallow water or gliding overhead. Occasionally, the refuge even surprises visitors – like the time the pond turned pink from naturally occurring microorganisms. Shaka to the thriving ecosystem and educational outdoor activity.

path stretches

Treecovery Hawaiʻi plants and tends trees to restore

Shade Planting back the

Treecovery Hawaiʻi is rebuilding the canopy of Lāhainā and Kula, then looking beyond the burn zone

by Chris Amundson

NDER THE porte cochere at Andaz Maui at Wailea, a banyan air layer comes through the morning light in a black nursery pot.

Two people grip the rim while others follow through the filtered light, past stone, timber and the open lobby, toward the spot where the tree will rest for now. The leaves catch the light. Fine roots show at the base of the pot. Around them, hotel staff and Treecovery Hawaiʻi volunteers wait for the placement, the blessing and the planting that follows.

This banyan came from Lāhainā, from the damaged edges of the town’s most famous tree after the August 8, 2023, fires burned away not only homes and businesses, but shade, fruit and the canopy that had long shaped daily life. Treecovery Hawaiʻi was founded in that aftermath to provide free trees to people in Lāhainā and Kula who lost them, but it quickly expanded into something larger – a distributed effort to rebuild canopy across Maui, one grow hub, one yard and one planting at a time.

The banyan is only part of the morning. After the placement comes a brief blessing. Then volunteers move to the

“We’re a group of healers. As we restore the ʻāina, it restores us.” – Duane Sparkman

soil pile and stacks of empty pots, where they begin transplanting young trees that will eventually leave Wailea for Lāhainā or Kula. Shovels bite into soil. Root balls thump into place. Pot tags are pressed in. Water darkens the dirt. Kimo Simpliciano, Treecovery’s operations manager, tells the group how it works. When a family or public site calls and says it is ready, he says, Treecovery goes into its data bank, looks up the trees set aside for that address and sends them out. “Yes, we have your trees,” he tells them.

The hard part is time.

Houses can be designed, permitted and

built on a construction schedule. Trees move slower. A mango takes years. Shade takes years. A yard takes time to come back. Treecovery lives in that gap, growing trees while homes, public spaces and neighborhoods wait for the right moment to receive them.

For Matthew Murasko, one of Treecovery’s founders, the banyan rescue became the first proof of concept. After the fire, he and Duane Sparkman, an arborist and chief engineer at the Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows, were pulled into the urgent effort around the Lāhainā banyan. They did not know if it would survive.

So they air-layered branches from the mother tree, wrapping exposed sections so roots would form while the branches were still attached. When they returned, the roots were already pushing through. Fourteen air layers were removed and sent to resorts around the island, including the Fairmont Kea Lani, where they continue to grow under Treecovery Hawaiʻi’s stewardship while Maui County determines their long-term placement. “Let’s bring the banyan tree to the resort,” Murasko said.

FOR MONTHS after the fire, people wanted to see the banyan and could not get into the burn zone. The resort air layers became an early answer: living pieces of the tree set where people could see them while the original fought its way back.

Murasko still talks about them as insurance, branches grown out in case the mother tree was lost. Treecovery Hawaiʻi and its resort partners are now stewarding those air layers while Maui County determines their long-term placement.

But Treecovery did not stop with the banyan.

What followed was a network of grow hubs across the island. Treecovery’s first resort grow hub opened with fruit tree saplings at Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, and the network has since spread to West Maui, Wailea, Kahului Airport and private properties in other parts of the island. At each site, trees are watered, weeded, repotted and held until a family, park, harbor or street project is ready to receive them. Some hubs are resort courtyards. Others

are parking lots lined with black nursery pots. Others are back fields turned into temporary nurseries.

At some grow hubs, rows of black pots sit on ground cloth under a hard blue sky, edged by dry grass and wind-bent palms. At others, the trees line up beside orange traffic cones and chain-link fence. Treecovery has spread its grow hubs into courtyards, parking lots and back fields. This is not resort landscaping. It’s nursery labor.

Before they reach Lāhainā, the trees have to survive somewhere else.

Over an hour from Lāhainā, at a private Upcountry property, David Clements has turned part of his farm into an acclimation ground for trees from rainy East Maui. At one point, he was tending as many as 1,600 potted trees there, adjusting them to sunnier, drier conditions before the final move west. Among them were sections of the Lāhainā banyan, along with wiliwili and other species transitioning to a drier climate. Without that step, many would struggle in the hotter, drier conditions in West Maui.

The focus also shifts to what returns to Lāhainā – and what kind of landscape returns with it.

Sparkman sees the project as more than replacement. He speaks not just about putting trees back, but about changing what is planted and why – more native species, more flowering trees, more fruit trees, more landscape that reflects Lāhainā’s older relationship to food, lei and shade. “We’re a group of healers,” he says at one point. “As we restore the ʻāina, it restores us.”

Treecovery is also using the rebuild to change what Lāhainā looks like. Sparkman has described the chance to replace decades of imported ornamentals with species that belong more fully to Hawaiʻi. In public spaces, that means fewer generic tropical display trees and more native Hawaiian plantings.

One example is the loulu, the native Hawaiian fan palm. At Lāhainā Harbor, Treecovery has helped install loulu palms grown for years in Kula from seed originally collected on Molokaʻi.

Rows of young trees like kamani, naio, koaiʻa and plumeria line a grow hub in Ukumehame (left). Evan and Val Cox host a grow hub in Launiupoko (right). At Andaz Maui, a banyan air layer is carefully set into a pot, beginning its next stage of growth (bottom).

For Sparkman, the point is simple: the next canopy should come closer to Maui Nui itself.

Treecovery’s palette runs from banyan to mango, citrus, banana and papaya, with native and culturally important species also part of the mix – wiliwili, breadfruit and trees used in lei making or habitat restoration. Some are chosen for shade, some for food and some because they belong more fully to Maui than the imported ornamentals that filled many spaces before the fire.

Sparkman has described a future Lāhainā that looks less like a string of decorative plantings and more like a layered island town with fruit, flowers and usable shade built back into daily life.

Murasko sees Lāhainā and Kula as only the first phase.

Murasko doesn’t talk about the current phase as an endpoint. Replacing trees in Lāhainā and Kula is phase one. After that, he wants the project to move outward. He talks about land in Central Maui that could

hold both a food forest and a tree donation farm, where Treecovery could make its own soil, grow its own stock and keep planting beyond the fire footprint. He points to the brown stretches below the wetter uplands, where tree cover faded over time and, in his view, could return.

He talks about planting trees for children on Maui who haven’t yet been born.

As the conversation turns toward what comes after Lāhainā is replanted, Murasko broadens the mission to Maui Nui – not just Maui, but Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe as well. In his telling, canopy loss didn’t begin with August 8 and won’t end with replacing what burned.

Then the numbers start to add up. The organization’s own counts have shifted as the project has grown: many thousands of trees lost, thousands already potted and a long horizon ahead. Murasko has cited an Army Corps count of roughly 21,000 trees burned in Lāhainā’s 300-acre burn zone. Those trees provided backyard fruit, street shade, lei ma-

terial and habitat – things that don’t come back with gravel and new drywall.

At the Andaz, after the banyan air layer is carried into place, Kimo Simpliciano tells the volunteers that guests may someday come back and visit the trees they helped pot up. That opens up the map. Hotels in Wailea are growing trees for Lāhainā. Airport courtyards are becoming nurseries. Private farms are hardening off young plants for hotter, drier ground. When a public site is ready, a tree in the system is ready for it.

Here, recovery means planting before the rebuilding is over.

By the end of the Andaz event, the volunteers are back in the soil, the stack of empty pots is lower and the banyan is in place under the resort’s heavy beams. It is still young enough to look vulnerable and old enough to show where it came from. It is not home. Not yet.

But it is alive, putting on leaves in Wailea while it continues to grow under Treecovery Hawaiʻi’s stewardship.

Ashes to Art to Trees

IN THE MONTHS after the August 8 fires, burned logs from Lāhainā and Kula began to collect in staging areas – blackened, split and often hollowed out. For Treecovery Hawaiʻi, they became part of the same recovery effort as the trees now growing in pots across the island.

The organization has partnered with a small group of artists and makers to transform that material into sculpture, functional pieces and musical instruments. The wood comes directly from the burn zone, and the marks of the fire remain visible in the finished work.

Among the first to engage was sculptor Dale Zarrella, who began carving forms from salvaged logs, letting the grain and damage shape each piece. Other Mauibased artists have followed, including Upcountry luthier Steve Grimes, who builds high-end acoustic guitars and ʻukulele.

Working from his shop on Maui, Grimes has incorporated recovered wood into instruments that are sold to collectors and players, with proceeds supporting Treecovery’s work.

Other pieces are placed where people will encounter them – resort properties, public spaces and Kahului Airport. At the airport, a large-format installation includes an augmented reality layer that opens to short video messages from Treecovery’s team and provides a direct path to learn more or contribute.

Sales and donations tied to the artwork support Treecovery’s primary work: growing and delivering free trees to families in Lāhainā and Kula as they rebuild.

Using salvaged wood from burn zones, artists Dale Zarrella and Steve Grimes create sculptures and instruments, with proceeds supporting Treecovery Hawaiʻi

Leadership includes founder and president Duane Sparkman, co-founder and board secretary Matthew Murasko, board members Ekolu Lindsey and Rodger May, operations manager Kimo Simpliciano, cultural advisor Archie Kalepa and legal advisor Tom Pierce.

treecoveryhawaii.org

One Percent Better

Guided by kaizen, Chef Taylor Ponte shapes Aurum Maui’s first year

story by Savannah Dagupion | photographs by Amber Caires

INSIDE AURUM MAUI, the bustle of the Shops at Wailea gives way to a quieter room. Seating and lighting curve through the space – no sharp edges interrupt the flow of servers moving between tables as diners linger over meals. Behind the bar, neatly lined bottles glow as bartenders work the counter. Foliage breaks up the dark grays and light tans of the open-air room.

The restaurant feels settled despite its recent arrival on Maui. Aurum Maui opened in July 2025 as the latest outpost of a Colorado-based brand founded in 2014. Run by Destination Hospitality Group, Aurum built its reputation as an American bistro in resort markets.

When CEO and founder Phillips Armstrong first visited Maui in 2022, he noticed restaurants packed with diners and staff who stayed for years. While eating at

Lahaina Grill, he heard a server mention they had “only” been working there for 10 years.

“At that time, in our seasonal resort markets in Colorado, we were lucky to hold on to a server for six months,” Armstrong said. Armstrong began exploring locations on Maui. The initial plan was to bring his model west – mainland staff, familiar systems and an established menu framework. Then he met Chef Taylor Ponte and his wife Natasha, and the plan shifted. Ponte, a two-time Maui Nō Ka ʻOi ʻAipono Awards Chef of the Year (2020 and 2022), brought deep ties to Maui’s culinary community.

“They felt so much more authentic than the original plan,” Armstrong said.

The Pontes were clear about what opening on Maui would require. The restaurant needed to be Maui-driven, grounded in the

local culinary community and staffed by people who understood the island’s values.

For Armstrong, that meant approaching the project differently from how business often operates on the mainland. “I’ve learned the importance of how you come into a space – being mindful of your energy, being grateful, being humble,” he said.

In the kitchen, Ponte starts with culture. Each day begins with a “shake-in,” when he checks in with cooks as they arrive. At the end of service comes the “shake-out,” when cooks ask for advice or talk through challenges. Camaraderie and trust come first.

Ponte shaped his approach through mentors at University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, early career hustle and his time as executive chef at The Mill House.

“When I started cooking, chef culture wasn’t the greatest,” he said. “From it, I

took the good, put it into my repertoire, built myself up and pushed out the bad.”

Years of long hours sharpened his standards in the kitchen. Now he encourages cooks to seek balance where he did not –to travel, to step away when needed and to return sharper. His goal is to train cooks to surpass him, giving them opportunities he did not have and room to make mistakes.

A guiding principle in his kitchen is kaizen, the Japanese concept of becoming one percent better each day.

“Not only does it make you better, but it makes the team better,” Ponte said.

For Ponte, the pursuit is constant.

“The fact that cooking can never be perfect, but you’re always trying to make it perfect is really good for me because my brain runs at a million miles an hour, so it keeps me in the game.”

That philosophy extends beyond the kitchen. Students from the UH Maui Culinary Arts program and Job Corps visit Aurum Maui to experience service. Ponte hired one cook from Job Corps who is now enrolled in the culinary arts program.

He also returns to his alma mater, King Kekaulike High School, to talk about his path. For a student who once had no clear plan or money for college, returning to his old campus to talk with students about cooking and career closes the loop.

More than feeding the community, Ponte ensures he and Aurum are embedded in it, and his menu reflects that intention. Ponte’s cooking maintains the brand’s modern American foundation while drawing on childhood memories, his Japanese and Portuguese heritage and techniques learned from mentors.

Local farms and fishermen help drive the menu, including Lapaʻau Farm and Kona Kampachi. Produce arrives daily, and the kitchen adjusts constantly to what is available.

Several dishes show that philosophy on the plate. The Smoked Hawaiian Fish Dip draws on Ponte’s childhood and is designed for sharing. Crispy Kampachi Collars highlight a cut once treated as excess, served with a truffle ponzu he refuses to kick from his repertoire. Apple Banana Cake turns a familiar local fruit into a light dessert.

“Looking at the little things within the plate keeps me motivated because it’s the small things that add up to the path of excellence,” Ponte said.

Aurum Maui sits inside a high-traffic resort center of South Maui, but Ponte sees opportunity in the setting. Hotel employees stop in after work. During the holidays, he walks around the center with his family. In the offseason, locals fill the dining room.

The menu stays approachable, with something for everyone.

“Although we’re located in this touristy mall where it doesn’t feel like it has a lot of grounding to the island or to anything authentic to Maui, a lot of the island provides for us,” Armstrong said.

Opening the restaurant required more than planning alone. Ponte worked three months straight without a day off, determined to build the right structure from the beginning.

“It was hard, but if I had to do it again, I would probably do it in the same exact manner,” he said.

Fire recovery and shifting economic realities added pressure. Yet both Armstrong and Ponte point to the team as a measure of success. During the first round of employee evaluations, Ponte heard staff describe feeling supported and proud of their work.

Armstrong had a similar moment. One evening, a friend overheard an Aurum Maui employee at another restaurant talking about their job. Later, that friend told Armstrong the staff member was gushing about Aurum Maui, its leadership and the brand.

For Armstrong, it confirmed the culture they were building at the restaurant.

Aurum Maui feels established not because it arrived fully formed, but because it took shape on Maui.

Crispy Fish Collars

Fish collars are prized for their crisp skin and juicy meat, often considered the best bite on the fish. Fried until golden and served with sauce and lime, they’re perfect for sharing around the table. Chef Ponte serves them simply fried and paired with a bright ponzu,

Fish collars (any fresh collars)

For the ponzu, combine all ingredients in a bowl and let sit at room temperature while

Pat the fish collars completely dry with paper towels, season generously with salt, then lightly dredge in rice flour, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil to 360° and fry the collars for 4-6 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain well and season immediately

Serve over fresh greens with a drizzle of ponzu, lime wedges for squeezing and Kewpie mayo or spicy mayo on the side.

Smoked Fish Dip

Chef Ponte grew up in a household where smoked fish dip was a staple – eaten on its own, tucked into grilled cheese sandwiches or stuffed into meats and grilled.

2½ cups smoked fish (tuna preferred; smoked salmon also works), chopped

1¾ cups cream cheese, softened

¾ cup mayonnaise

¾ cup sour cream

1 Tbsp lemon juice

¼ cup parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp roasted garlic, minced

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust lemon juice or salt if needed.

Serve in a bowl and finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, fresh chopped herbs and chopped pickles or pickled onions for crunch and tang. Offer crackers, crostini, taro chips or toasted bread alongside.

Serves 6-8

Apple Banana Cake

Apple bananas are a staple in many Maui kitchens, and this cake reflects the island’s tradition of baking with very ripe fruit. Butter and brown sugar give the crumb richness while the bananas keep it moist, creating a comforting dessert that isn’t overly sweet.

2 cups cake flour, sifted

¾ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1¼ tsp fine salt

12 Tbsp butter, softened

1 packed cup brown sugar

2 medium eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp sour cream

1¾ cups mashed apple banana (ripe)

Whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter on low speed

until smooth and creamy, then add the brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated, then stir in the vanilla. Add half of the dry ingredients on low speed until incorporated, then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Fold in the sour cream and mashed apple banana gently, taking care not to overmix, then pour the batter into a lightly oiled baking dish, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Place the cake in the oven, immediately reduce the temperature to 325° and bake until the center reaches 190°, about 35-38 minutes depending on pan size. Cool completely before slicing, then serve warm with vanilla ice cream, caramel and crushed cookies if desired.

Serves 10

Slice

OF PARADISE

From neighborhood pizzerias to wood-fired trucks and farm-fresh flatbreads, Maui’s pizza scene is as varied as the island itself.

by Lisa Schell & Maui Nō Ka ʻOi Staff

PIZZA SHOWS UP everywhere on Maui – from neighborhood pizzerias in Kīhei and Lāhainā to wood-fired ovens in Makawao and farm kitchens Upcountry. Here are 11 spots across the island serving everything from classic pies to inventive flatbreads, plus 14 more local favorites worth seeking out.

Pizza Paradiso

Late-night hunger meets big, thin-crust slices at Pizza Paradiso, a lively West Side spot just north of Kāʻanapali next to Times Supermarket. Open until 1:30 a.m., it’s one of the few reliable places to grab a hot slice after dark. If a whole pie is too much, several topping combinations are available by the slice. Beyond pizza, the Mediterranean-leaning menu turns out gyros, chicken shawarma pita sandwiches and kebabs. The pies fea-

ture a thin, crispy crust that comes close to a New York-style slice. Diners can catch a game on TV or jump into nightly karaoke. 3350 Lower Honoapiʻilani Hwy #208, Honokōwai, (808) 667-2929

Sale Pepe Pizzeria e Cucina

The scent of blistering dough and bubbling cheese fills the air at Sale Pepe Pizzeria e Cucina in Lāhainā, where Maui’s only certified pizzaiolo Michele Di Bari crafts traditional Italian pies built on carefully sourced ingredients and a multi-day dough process. Di Bari studied and received his pizzaiolo certification at the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli in Italy, and the dough here ferments for three to four days, producing a crust that’s light, airy and easy to digest. Many ingredients arrive directly from Italy, including cheeses and cured meats flown in weekly.

After the 2023 Lahaina wildfire destroyed their original restaurant, Di Bari and his

wife, Qiana, rebuilt in the same community. Popular pies include the spicy soppressata Calabrese and a mortadella pizza topped with pistachio and burrata. 157 Kupuohi St, Lāhainā, (808) 667-7667

Point Break Pizza & Panini

Just steps from Māʻalaea Harbor, Point Break Pizza & Panini serves hot pies and hearty sandwiches with a front-row view of boats coming and going. The menu leans into pizza shop favorites – thin-crust pies, stacked panini and fresh salads – all served in a laid-back harbor setting. Generously topped pizzas make easy sharing after a morning on the water.

In 2025, Point Break earned the Maui Nō Ka ʻOi ʻAipono Award Gold for Best Pizza. Outdoor seating catches the harbor breeze while diners watch snorkel boats and fishing charters head out to sea. 300 Māʻalaea Rd #1H-J, Māʻalaea, (808) 868-0014

Da Grateful Dough

Parked along Haleakalā Highway, the Da Grateful Dough food truck turns out woodfired pies with bold toppings and smoky flavor. Owner and chef Benoit Sternberg has built a steady crowd with hand-tossed pies baked in a hot oven that produces a crisp crust with just the right char.

Ocean Organic Farm & Distillery (left) serves farmdriven flatbreads topped with inventive ingredients.

Da Grateful Dough (right) turns out wood-fired pies with crisp, lightly charred crusts. Pizza Madness (bottom) is known for thick pies loaded with toppings.

The menu ventures beyond the expected with creations like venison-topped pizza that nod to Maui’s hunting culture and pies such as the Upcountry Veggie, layered with San Marzano tomatoes, Parmesan Reggiano, Lupara’s buffalo mozzarella and local vegetables. In addition to pizza, the food truck also serves barbecue and smoked meats. 553 Haleakalā Hwy, Kahului, (808) 772-2697

Pizza Madness

A South Maui staple, this beach-town hangout has been serving up pizza for over 21 years – earning a loyal following of locals and visitors. Known for its thick, doughy crust

and generously loaded pies, it’s the kind of place where everyone finds their go-to order and keeps coming back for it.

A 2025 ʻAipono Award Silver (tie) winner for Best Pizza, the menu goes beyond classic slices with build-your-own creations alongside wings, sandwiches and salads. With sports on TV, daily happy hour, draft beers and a full bar, plus a friendly comeas-you-are environment, it’s the perfect spot to kick back after the beach. 1455 S Kīhei Rd #103, Kīhei (808) 270-9888

Outrigger Pizza Company

Since 2012, this South Maui food truck has been turning out wood-fired pizzas just off South Kīhei Road. Often described as one of Hawaiʻi’s first mobile wood-fired pizzerias, Outrigger Pizza Company draws a steady crowd with thin crust pies that cook quickly in its hot oven.

Toppings lean local, with combinations like lilikoʻi pork and Maui onion layered over house sauces and melted cheese.

Personal-sized pizzas are hearty enough for one person and often leave a slice or two for later – an easy lunch or casual dinner after a day at the beach. 1819 S Kīhei Rd, Kīhei, (808) 793-5565

Manoli’s Pizza Company

At Manoli’s Pizza Company, pizzas slide from the oven as the Wailea crowd settles in for a relaxed night of food and drinks. Named for owner Aaron Placourakis’s father, the restaurant carries his family’s Greek heritage.

The menu centers on hand-tossed pizzas made with house dough and fresh ingredients, with options ranging from classic pepperoni to creative combinations like the Hawaiian Honey, topped with smoked kalua pork, caramelized pineapple and Maui onion. Other favorites include the Raging Bull, piled with Italian sausage, pepperoni and bacon. With a lively bar, daily happy hour and a late-night menu, Manoli’s has become a casual gathering spot for visitors and Wailea residents alike. 100 Wailea Ike Dr, Wailea, (808) 874-7499

Ocean Organic Farm & Distillery

Perched on the slopes of Haleakalā in Kula, Ocean Organic Farm & Distillery pairs sweeping island views with open-air dining surrounded by the fields that supply ingredients for its organic spirits. The kitchen’s menu includes several “farmbreads” – 10-inch flatbread pizzas topped with inventive combinations such as barbecue pork burnt ends, macadamia pesto and kimchi.

A standout is the Wild Mushroom Farmbread, layered with caramelized Kula onions, roasted garlic, creamy white sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan finished with truffle oil. Gluten-free cauliflower crusts and vegan cheeses are available, and sunset reservations are especially popular. 4051 ‘Ōmaʻopio Rd, Kula, (808) 877-0009

Marlow

At Marlow, naturally fermented sourdough pizzas anchor the menu in a stylish Upcountry dining room in the Kulamalu Town Center. Chef-owners Jeff and Kaili Scheer built the restaurant from a pandemic-era ritual of baking sourdough pies at home, and that hands-on approach still defines the kitchen today.

The crust develops a gentle tang from its long fermentation and arrives thin, chewy and lightly blistered. Pizzas are lightly sauced and topped with seasonal ingredients that highlight Upcountry farms. White pies are a specialty, including the Funghi, topped with local mushrooms, mozzarella, garlic confit and Parmigiano. 30 Kūpaoa St, Makawao, restaurantmarlow.com

Maui Pizza Truck

Blistered sourdough crusts emerge from a wood-fired oven at this Upcountry food truck, earning a steady crowd among pizza lovers across the island. Owners Ty and Claire Lamar pair a baker’s background with fresh island ingredients to craft thin, flavorful pies topped with everything from classic pepperoni to inventive local combinations.

Each order comes as an 11-inch pie that reheats well the next day, and shaded seating in the food truck courtyard makes it easy to linger over lunch. 24 Kiopaʻa St, Makawao, (808) 276-6529

Flatbread Pizza Company

Flatbread Pizza Company has been a Pāʻia staple since 2006, drawing surfers, travelers and locals after a day along the North Shore or the Road to Hāna. Inside the restaurant’s clay hearth oven, pizzas bake over a live fire on dough made from organic wheat and topped with ingredients sourced from Maui farms. The restaurant was a 2025 ʻAipono Award Silver (tie) for Best Pizza.

The menu features inventive flatbreads such as the Pāʻia Bay ʻOhana, layered with caramelized organic onions, mushrooms and premium mozzarella, alongside vegetarian options and gluten-free crusts that highlight the island’s seasonal produce. 89 Hāna Hwy, Pāʻia, (808) 579-8989

Clockwise: At Pizza Madness, dough flies in the kitchen while hearty pies fill the dining room. At Sale Pepe, traditional Italian pizzas reflect a multi-day process. At Ocean Organic Farm & Distillery, flatbreads fire in an Upcountry kitchen.

Other Maui Pizza Spots

Black Rock Pizza – Kīhei

Blue Door Bread Company – Kīhei

Casanova – Makawao

Dollie’s Pub & Cafe – Kahana

Fabiani’s – Kīhei

Hana Farms – Hāna

Honu Oceanside – Lāhainā

Monkeypod Kitchen – Wailea / Kāʻanapali

Papi’s ʻOhana – Lāhainā

Pizza Fresh – Makawao

Round Table Pizza – Kīhei / Kāʻanapali

Serpico’s – Pukalani

South Shore Tiki Lounge – Kīhei

The Local Bread – Wailuku

Spencer Starnes

In Memory of Lisa Schell

This story is published in memory of Lisa Schell, a valued contributor to Maui Nō Ka ʻOi . Lisa, who passed away in October 2025, wrote with clarity, curiosity and deep respect for the people and places of Maui. She had a special feel for outdoor adventure – and, fittingly, a real love of pizza. We’re proud to share this story in her memory.

B = Breakfast BR = Brunch L = Lunch H = Happy Hour D = Dinner N = Dinner past 9 p.m.

R = Reservation recommended $ = Average entrée under $15 $$ = Under $25 $$$ = Under $40 $$$$ = $40+ = 2025 ‘Aipono Award winner = Live music! Check venue website for information. Phone numbers are area code 808.

WEST SIDE

A‘A ROOTS Nāpili Plaza, 5095 Napilihau St., Ste. 103, Nāpili, 298-2499 Vegan cuisine made with the freshest Maui produce. Try the açai bowl, soba bowl with peanut sauce or bagel sandwich with hummus, avo and veggies. Vegan. B, L, $

ALALOA LOUNGE  The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, 1 Ritz Carlton Dr., Kapalua, 669-6200 Farm-to-table cocktails, mocktails and savory bites like Spanish octopus, wagyu smash burger and tuna carpaccio, with butter mochi for dessert. International/Lounge. D, $$$

ALOHA MIXED PLATE 1285 Front St., Lāhainā, 6613322 This casual oceanfront restaurant serves innovative plate lunches and a variety of island favorites in a lively setting. The signature aloha mixed plate comes with shoyu chicken, thinly sliced teriyaki rib eye and fresh fish, offering a true taste of Hawai‘i. Mixed Plate. L, $$

AUNTIE’S KITCHEN The Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas, 6 Kai Ala Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-3259 Saimin, burgers and fresh-fish plate lunches mingle with poke. Mixed Plate. B, L, D, $$-$$$

BAD ASS COFFEE 3636 L. Honoapi‘ilani Hwy., Lāhainā, 738-8223 Hawaiian coffee blends, breakfast sandwiches and stuffed muffins are located just across the way from Honokowai Beach Park. Coffee Shop. B, L, $

BANYAN TREE KAPALUA The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, 1 Ritz-Carlton Dr., 665-7089 Start with a seafood tower for two. Then try the banyan tree seafood curry or wild caught New Zealand King salmon. End with a warm island-inspired malasada trio. Great cocktails, too! Italian/Hawai‘i Regional. D, $$$$

BIG WAVE SHAVE ICE The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, 45 Kai Malina Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 225-6770 Nāpili’s only shave ice stand, just steps from the bay. Choose from natural flavors like banana, tiger’s blood, passion fruit, root beer and more, sno cap and ice cream, as well as Valley Isle kombucha on tap. Treats. $

BURGER SHACK The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, 1 Ritz-Carlton Dr., Kapalua, 669-6200 Al fresco beachside joint serving burgers, milkshakes, cocktails and beer. Try the Molokai Runner burger with fresh fish, citrus caper tartar sauce and Hua Momona farm greens. American. L, $$-$$$

CAFE JAI Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., H-13, Kā‘anapali, 281-0901 Local spot serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, including Maui Wowie fried chicken, grilled teriyaki salmon and huli huli chicken on a seasonal, rotating menu. Hawai‘i Regional. B, BR, L, D, $$

CANE & CANOE  Montage Kapalua Bay, 1 Bay Dr., Kapalua, 662-6681 Try the avocado toast and mimosas for breakfast and herb compressed lamb and ragout for dinner. Lunch at the Hana Hou Bar serves chicken katsu sandwiches, or enjoy a three-course tasting menu from Chef Purpura. Pacific Rim. B, D, $$$-$$$$

CAPTAIN JACK'S ISLAND GRILL Sands of Kahana Resort, 4299 L. Honoapi‘ilani Rd., Kahana, 667-0988

Revived at Sands of Kahana after losing its Lāhainā home in 2023, this family-run grill serves favorites like a vegan taro burger, mac-nut-crusted fish and blackened ahi. Jack’s Mai Tai anchors daily happy hour specials in a breezy, communityminded setting. American. B, L, H, D, $$-$$$

CHOICE HEALTH BAR Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali All juices, smoothies, salads, soups and açai bowls are made with fresh ingredients from dozens of local farms on Maui. Daily specials. American. B, L, $

CLIFF DIVE GRILL Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, 2605 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 661-0031 Order Hawaiianstyle edamame, a juicy burger or fish tacos to accompany your poolside mai tai or lager. Hawai‘i Regional. L, D, $$

COCO DECK 1312 Front St., Lāhainā 451-2778 Savor creative dishes by Chef Alvin Savella while taking in the ambience of Front Street. Try the crispy poke donut! Mexican, Seafood. H, D, $$

CRUIZIN' CAFE 3481 L. Honoapi‘ilani Rd., Honokōwai, 446-3663 Cruise on in for refreshing drinks, tasty sandwiches, pastries and shave ice. Talk story around the surfboard table and enjoy the local vibe. Coffee Shop. B, L, $-$$

DOLLIE’S PUB & CAFE 4310 L. Honoapi‘ilani Rd., Kahana, 669-0266 Dollie’s has been the local hangout since 1983. Their pizzas are hand-pressed and stone-cooked. Try the Maui Wowee with ham, pineapple and fresh macadamia nuts. American/Bar. L, D, $$-$$$

DRUMS OF THE PACIFIC LŪ‘AU Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-4727 Enjoy a traditional imu ceremony and Hawaiian cuisine, plus the dances and music of Polynesia. Kid-friendly. Lū‘au. D, R, $$$$

DUKE’S BEACH HOUSEHonua Kai Resort & Spa, 130 Kai Malina Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 662-2900 Imagine old Hawai‘i while dining on crab-and-macadamia-nut wontons or filet mignon at this open-air beach house. American/Pacific Rim. B, L, D, $$-$$$

THE GAZEBO Nāpili Shores, 5315 L. Honoapi‘ilani Hwy., Nāpili, 669-5621 Have breakfast for lunch, or lunch for breakfast! Fluffy pancakes, omelets, plate lunches with Cajunspiced chicken or kālua pork, salads and seven burgers to choose from. Ocean views are free! International. B, BR, L, $

HONOLUA STORE 502 Office Rd., Kapalua, 6659105 Market in the Kapalua Resort with extensive selection of grab-and-go items like salads, sandwiches and sushi. Made-to-order pizzas, burgers, hot sandwiches and breakfast items are also available. Deli. B, L, $-$$

HONU OCEANSIDE 1295 Front St., Lāhainā, 6679390 Treat yourself to masterful culinary creations and stunning views as you dine on fresh fish oceanside. Try specialty cocktails like Charanda Daiquiri or Shark's Tooth. Pacific Rim. B, L, $-$$

HULA GRILL Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 667-6636 Dip your toes in the sand at the Barefoot Bar, and enjoy poke tacos, mai tais, original hula pie and live music. Don't miss the nightly hula show after dinner. Kid-friendly. Hawai‘i Regional. BR, L, D, $$-$$$

INU POOL BAR The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, 45 Kai Malina Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 662-6370 Inu means “drink” in Hawaiian, and this poolside bar serves island-inspired cocktails, local beer and wine. Sip and snack on pūpū, burgers, wraps and salads. Hawai‘i Regional/Bar. L, H, D, $-$$

ISLAND CREAM COMPANY Lāhainā Gateway, 305 Keawe St., Lāhainā, 298-0916 Make your own Glacier Ice snow cone, or choose from 36 delicious flavors of ice cream. Can’t decide? Take home a few pints. Treats. $

ISLAND VINTAGE COFFEE Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., L5, Kā‘anapali, 868-4081 Serving up killer gourmet Kona coffee and acai bowls piled high with tropical goodness. Get your island vibes and caffeine fix at this popular spot. Cafe/Local. B, BR, L, $$

JAPENGO Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-4909 Asian fusion cuisine and sushi, featuring fresh seafood, local ingredients and Pacific Rim flavors, all with stunning oceanfront views. Pacific Rim. D, $$$-$$$$

JOEY’S KITCHEN Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 868-4474 Second West Maui location: Napili Plaza, 5095 Napilihau St., Nāpili, 214-5590 Start your day with delicious ube french toast or a kālua-pork omelet at Whalers Village, and end with dinner at the Nāpili venue. Pacific Rim. B, L, D, $-$$

KIHEI CAFFE Lāhainā Gateway Plaza, 305 Keawe St., Lāhainā, 879-2230 See South Shore listing.

KITCHEN 5315 RESTAURANT & TIKI BAR Nāpili Shores Maui by Outrigger, 5315 L. Honoapi‘ilani Rd., #153, Nāpili, 579-8877 Immerse yourself in a tropical paradise with fun tiki cocktails, vibrant island-inspired décor and a menu brimming with delicious local-style dishes, perfect for a laid-back island experience. Hawai‘i Regional. B, L, H, D, $$

LAHAINA NOON Royal Lāhainā Resort & Bungalows, 2780 Keka‘a Dr., Kā‘anapali, 661-9119 Breakfast offerings include loco moco or coconut french toast, or go for the buffet to try a bite of each. For dinner, feast on a 32 oz filet mignon or seared ahi tuna with wasabi mash, bok choy and a misoginger sauce. Pacific Rim. B, L, D, $$-$$$$

LEILANI’S ON THE BEACHWhalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 661-4495 Leilani's rocks island flavors with mac nut hummus, and ‘ahi poke with taro chips. Entrees include filet mignon with green onion gremolata or Parmesan-crusted fresh catch. Don’t forget the Hula Pie! Kid-friendly. Hawai‘i Regional. L, H, D, $$-$$$$

LEODA’S KITCHEN & PIE SHOP 820 Olowalu Village Rd., Olowalu, 662-3600 Try the house-made sandwiches on Maui Bread Company bread with pineapple coleslaw. The mac-nut chocolate cream pie and fresh-squeezed lemonade will make you want to dance! American. B, L, D, $

LONGHI’S Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, 100 Nohea Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-2288 Try a crisp pinot grigio and a romaine salad tossed with lemon-feta vinaigrette and anchovies. Italian. BR (Fri-Sun), D, $$

MĀLA OCEAN TAVERN 1307 Front St., Lāhainā, 667-9394 Māla serves island-inspired plates and cocktails with oceanfront seating. Start with an oyster shooter or ‘ahi bruschetta, then try seared scallops with truffle pesto, huli huli chicken or the daily catch with kabocha purée. Mediterranean. BR, H, D, N, $-$$$

MAUI NUI LŪ‘AU AT BLACK ROCKSheraton Maui Resort & Spa, 2605 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 6610031 Experience Polynesian history and culture through song and dance. Lei greeting, all-you-can-eat Hawaiian buffet and open bar included. Kid-friendly. Lū‘au. D, R, $$$$

MAUKA MAKAI  The Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Villas, 45 Kai Malina Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 662-6400 Land meets sea at this resort fine dining experience. Savor ancient Hawaiian flavors with a modern flair, such as the seared ahi, pōlehu ribeye and shrimp pasta. Hawai‘i Regional. B, L, D, $$$-$$$$

MERRIMAN’S KAPALUA 1 Bay Club Pl., Kapalua, 669-6400 Peter Merriman casts his spell on locally-sourced seafood, beef and produce to create delectable fare. Pacific Rim. BR (Sun), L, D, R, $$-$$$$

MISO PHAT SUSHI Kahana Manor, 4310 L. Honoapi‘ilani Rd., #111, Kahana, 669-9010 See South Shore listing.

MONKEYPOD KITCHEN Whalers Village, 2435 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 878-6763 See South Shore listing.

MYTHS OF MAUI LŪ‘AU Royal Lāhainā Resort & Bungalows, 2780 Keka'a Dr., Lāhainā, 877-273-7394 Enjoy all-you-can-eat Hawaiian fares like kālua pork, Moloka‘i sweet potato and fresh fish. Menu also includes keiki friendly choices like chicken nuggets and baked mac and cheese. Kid-friendly. Lū‘au. D, $$$$

NAPILI COFFEE STORE 5095 Napilihau St. 108B, Nāpili, 669-4170 Start your day with a fruit smoothie and a savory sandwich, or pop-in for a coffee and baked treat. Try the Brown Cow with cold brew and chocolate milk and take home fresh-baked goods, yogurt-granola parfaits, chia pudding and to-go items. Coffee Shop. $

OLD LĀHAINĀ LŪ‘AU 1251 Front St., Lāhainā, 6670700 This oceanfront venue has won the Gold ‘Aipono Award for Best Lū‘au on Maui 21 times – come see why! Begin with kalo (taro) hummus, then enjoy traditional Hawaiian dishes like lomilomi salmon or imu-roasted pork. Save room for the mangococonut chocolate bombe! Open bar. Kid-friendly. Lū‘au. D, R, $$$$

PAILOLO BAR AND GRILLThe Westin Kā‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas, 6 Kai Ala Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-3200 Kick back with ocean views and cold drinks like the Lava Flow, rum complemented with strawberry, coconut and pineapple. Dig into coconut shrimp and food truck nachos while catching a game. American. L, H, D, $$

PIZZA PARADISO MEDITERRANEAN GRILL

3350 L. Honoapi‘ilani Hwy., Kā‘anapali, 667-2929 Juicy gyros, flavorful falafel in warm pita with a side of tabbouleh, kabob platters and pizza. Dine in or take out. Pizza/ Mediterranean. L, D, $-$$

POUR HOUSE ITALIAN KITCHEN AND WINE BAR

700 Office Rd., Kapalua, 214-5296 Local ingredients elevate classic southern Italian dishes. Choose from a la carte options or indulgent tasting menus paired with global wines in an upscale setting. Italian. D, R, $$$-$$$$

ROY’S KAANAPALI 2290 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 669-6999 Line up for the half-pound Maui Cattle Co. burger on a brioche bun for lunch. For dinner, try the blackened ‘ahi or the honey-mustard-glazed beef short ribs. Pacific Rim. B, L, H, D, $$$$

SALE PEPE PIZZERIA E CUCINA 157 Kupuohi St., Ste. J1, Lāhainā, 667-7667 Benvenuto to Sale Pepe, serving homemade pastas and artisanal pizzas crafted by Maui’s only certified pizzaiolo. Check out Via! by Sale Pepe at Whalers Village, bringing the same wood-fired approach to a more casual, walk-up setting. Pizza/Italian. D, R, $$-$$$

SERGIO’S CANTINA 3350 L. Honoapi‘ilani Rd., #502 and #503, Lāhainā, 727-2222 Come hungry – authentic Mexican is served in large portions, like jumbo garlic shrimp or Sergio’s famous chile relleno. 2025 ‘Aipono Silver winner for Best Mexican Cuisine. Mexican. L, H, D, N, $$

TALES OF KAPA MOE LŪ‘AU The Ritz Carlton Maui Kapalua, 1 Ritz Carlton Drive, Lāhainā, 665-7089 This delight for all senses immerses more than the taste buds with a dinner show, beautiful lūʻau and fire knife dance at the Aloha Garden Pavilion. Lū‘au. D, R, $$$$

THE SANDBAR Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, 2605 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 661-0031 Sample craft cocktails and island bites while enjoying an ocean view on the lanai at Kā‘anapali's only lobby bar. Hawaiian/Bar. B, D, $$

SANSEI SEAFOOD RESTAURANT & SUSHI BAR

600 S. Office Rd., Kapalua, 669-6286 Small and actionpacked, D.K. Kodama’s classy sushi bar draws lines late into the night. Try a Kenny G roll with a sip of sake. Pacific Rim/Sushi. D, R, $$$

THE SEA HOUSE RESTAURANT Nāpili Kai Beach Resort, 5900 L. Honoapi‘ilani Rd., Nāpili, 6691500 Start the day with oven-baked pancakes laden with fruit. Enjoy coconut-crusted shrimp as the sun sinks into Nāpili Bay. On Wednesdays, stay for Grammy Award-winner George Kahumoku Jr.’s Slack-Key Show. Pacific Rim. B, L, H, D, $$$

SON’Z STEAKHOUSE Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-4506 Moroccan-spiced blackened ‘ahi with soy-mustard sauce will rock your evening. Sink your teeth into filet mignon carpaccio, rib-eye steak or mahimahi in lemon-caper butter. Pair with a craft cocktail or one of many choices of specialty wines. Pacific Rim/Steak. H, D, N, $$-$$$$

STAR NOODLE 1287 Front St., Lāhainā, 667-5400 Big-city style and local flavors unite. Enjoy a Golden Star sparkling jasmine tea as you drink in the view of Lāna‘i across the channel. The ramen broth is extra smoky, the Singapore noodles bright and flavorful. Asian. L, D, $$

SUNSET LŪ‘AU AT KAPALUA BAYMontage at Kapalua Bay 1 Bay Dr., Kapalua, 662-6627 This twiceweekly lū‘au caps at just 40 guests for an intimate experience. Dig into plates of ʻulu mac salad, grilled ribeye with aliʻi mushrooms and kanpanchi poke. Kid-friendly. Lū‘au, D, R, $$$$

TAVERNA 2000 Village Rd., Kapalua, 667-2426 At the Kapalua Golf Course, Taverna pairs open-air dining with fresh fish and prime-grade meats. A lively bar rounds out the experience. Hawai‘i Regional. L, H, D, $$-$$$

TEDDY’S BIGGER BURGERS 335 Keawe St., Lāhainā, 661-9111 The staff hand-pat the burgers and charbroil them to order. Crowd favorite is the Kaneohe Burger with garlic, avocado, cheddar cheese and crispy bacon. Don’t miss the Kona Coffee hand scooped shake for dessert. American. L, D, $

ULU KITCHEN The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, 2365 Kā‘anapali Pkwy., Kā‘anapali, 868-0081 A chef-driven restaurant led by award winning Chef Peter Merriman, serving up local dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hawaiian. B, L, D, $$-$$$$

‘ŪMALUHyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, 200 Nohea Kai Dr., Kā‘anapali, 667-4902 Head poolside for Kobe beef sliders or ‘ahi poke nachos. Knock back a “Mutiny on the Carthaginian” cocktail inspired by Lāhainā’s rowdy whaling past. American/Pacific Rim. L, H, D, $$$

WAILELE POLYNESIAN LŪ‘AU  Westin Maui Resort & Spa, 2365 Kā‘anapali Parkway, Lāhainā, 661-2992 Sunset lū‘au featuring Polynesian entertainment and fire dancers. Menu runs the gamut of traditional Hawaiian and contemporary island fares. Lū‘au, D, $$$$

SOUTH SHORE

1054 TOGOSHI South Maui Center, 95 E. Lipoa St., Ste. A-104, Kīhei, 868-0307 Husband-and-wife gem offers fresh, traditional seafood and sushi served with omotenashi spirit from Chef Manabu. Japanese. D, R, $$-$$$

AKAMAI COFFEE CO. 1325 S. Kīhei Rd., #100, Kīhei, 868-3251 and 116 Wailea Ike Dr., Wailea, 868-0003 Offering 100 percent Maui-grown coffee roasted locally for the highest-quality flavor. Espresso, French press and nitro brews available. Coffee Shop. $

ALOHA PRIME EATERY South Maui Gardens, 30 Alahele Pl., Kīhei, 856-6121 The azure-blue food truck serves up fine dining with local flair. Must-order items include the potato crusted mahi, Hawaiian poke and Hoisin BBQ chicken. Food Truck/American/Local. L, D, $$

AURUM MAUI The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr. Wailea, 793-0054 Chef Taylor Ponte uses fresh produce and sustainable seafood to lead the menu. Pair an island okonomiyaki with pan seared kampachi. For a sweet finish, the coconut milk panna cotta. Hawai‘i Regional. L, D, R, $$-$$$

AMA BAR & GRILL Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-4100 Swim-up bar located at the Fairmont Kea Lani resort offering refreshments, lunch and ocean views. Hawaiian/Bar. B, L, D, $$

AMIGO’S 1215 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 661-0210 Real Mexican fajitas, tostadas, flautas and their famous wet burritos. Kid-friendly. Mexican. B, L, D $

THE BIRDCAGE Hotel Wailea, 555 Kaukahi St., Wailea, 874-8581 Elegant, high-ceilinged bar in Hotel Wailea. Japanese-inspired tapas, small plates, wine and an extensive list of craft cocktails. Japanese/Lounge. D, N, $$$

BLACK ROCK PIZZA 1770 S. Kīhei Rd., #1, Kīhei, 7930076 Black Rock takes “Hawaiian pizza” to the next level with wild flavor combos like the Moa Polu pizza topped with spinach, apple, chicken, bacon, blue cheese and balsamic drizzle. Pizza/Italian. L, D, $$

BLING BING South Maui Gardens, 30 Alahele Pl., Kīhei, 419-1256 Maui's only Chinese shave ice with condensed milk topped with fresh fruit, boba and jellies. Treats. $

BOTERO LOUNGE Grand Wailea Resort, 3850 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-1234 Named for the surrounding Fernando Botero sculptures, this lounge offers nightly entertainment. On Thirsty Thursdays, a three-cocktail tasting is just $20. Lounge. L, D, H, N, $

CAFE O’LEI 2439 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 891-1368 Choose from macadamia nut-crusted chicken, seared ‘ahi tuna, tiger shrimp linguine and other favorites. See Central listing. American/Pacific Rim. B, L, D, $$

COCONUT’S FISH CAFE  Azeka Shopping Center Mauka, 1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 875-9979 and 2463 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 875-4949 Dive into fresh fish tacos or grilled fish burger. The cabbage slaw with coconut dressing and mango salsa sets this eatery apart. American. L, D, $$

COOL CAT CAFE 1819 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 667-0908 Burgers, chicken, fresh fish, tacos and more in a ’50s diner atmosphere. Kid-friendly. American. L, D, $

DA KITCHEN 1215 S. Kīhei Rd., Ste. E, Kīhei, 446-3486 Local food and good vibes meet! Spam musubi, chicken katsu, kalbi ribs, locomoco and da Hawaiian plate. Hawai‘i Regional. L, D, $-$$

DIAMONDS BAR & GRILL 1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei 8749299 Casual watering hole with live music, billiards, TVs and darts. Daily food and drink specials, outdoor seating and latenight offerings. American/Bar. B, L, D, $$

DUO STEAK AND SEAFOOD Four Seasons Resort, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-8000 Breakfast buffet or à la carte? Did someone mention chateaubriand? Four Seasons never disappoints. Pacific Rim/ Steak. B, D, $-$$$

EARTH ALOHA EATS 1881 S Kīhei Rd. 111, Kīhei, 867-1171 Plant-based family favorites like tacos, burgers, wraps, plates and bowls. Vegan. L, D, $

FABIANI’S PIZZERIA & BAKERY South Maui Center, 95 E. Līpoa St., Kīhei, 874-0888 Bagels and lox, fresh croissants, caprese salad with local tomatoes, thincrust and gluten-free pizza and spaghetti with pork sausage meatballs. Italian/Bakery. H, D, $-$$

FEAST AT MŌKAPU LŪ‘AU  Andaz Maui Resort, 3550 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 573-1234 Upscale beachside lū‘au with an emphasis on Polynesian voyaging history. Known for its cocktails and artful, traditional Hawaiian plates served family-style. Lū‘au. D, $$$$

FERRARO’S RESTAURANT & BAR Four Seasons Resort, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-8000 Enjoy a veggie quesadilla or grilled tenderloin sandwich served poolside. For dinner, ahi rigatoni. Italian. L, H, D, $$$$

FORK & SALAD 1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 879-3675 Chef/ owners Cody, Travis and Jaron serve up green superfoods topped with pastrami-style seared ‘ahi, baked quinoa falafel or ginger tofu. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free options. International. L, D, $

FRED'S MEXICAN CAFE 2511 S. Kīhei Rd., #201, Wailea, 891-8600 Fresh, flavorful Mexican favorites with a California twist at Maui’s favorite local chain. Killer margaritas and all-day drinks in a vibrant, festive atmosphere. Mexican. B, L, H, D, $$

GATHER ON MAUI 100 Wailea Golf Club Dr., Wailea, 698-0555 Try a mana bowl with citrus vinaigrette or the scallop and crab orzo with mac nut pesto. Pacific Rim. H, L, D, $$$

THE LŪ‘AU AT GRAND WAILEA 3850 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-1234 Feast on the sights, sounds and flavors of an authentic lūʻau. Pair ‘ulu mac salad with kālua pig and finish with haupia, traditional coconut Hawaiian pudding. Lū‘au. D, R, $$$$

HAVENS HARBORSIDE Maui Harbor Shops, 300 Mā'alaea Rd. 2M, Mā'alaea, 868-0555 Known for smashburgers, garlic noodles, poke tacos and lobster ramen, Havens Harborside pairs bold flavors with islandinspired cocktails. In 2025, it won ʻAipono Awards for Best New Restaurant and Best Burger, while chef Zach Sato was named Chef of the Year. L, D, $-$$

HOME MAID CAFE 1280 S. Kīhei, Rd., Kīhei 874-6035 Family-owned hole-in-the-wall known for its made-to-order malasadas. Classic breakfast plates, saimin and sandwiches. American/Local. B, L, $

HUMBLE MARKET KITCHIN Wailea Beach Resort, 3700 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 879-4655 Chef Roy Yamaguchi amazes with Hawaiian sweetbread French toast for breakfast, calamari and a Magnum P.I. cocktail at happy hour, and Roy’s classic blackened island ‘ahi for dinner. Hawai‘i Regional. B, H, D, $-$$$

HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUĀPUA‘A Grand Wailea Resort, 3850 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-1234 Idyllic restaurant constructed from Big Island 'ōhi'a wood overlooking Wailea Beach. Menu features a balance of land and ocean sourced Hawaiian fares like Huli Huli chicken and miso butterfish. Hawai‘i Regional. D, $$$$

ISANA 515 S Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 874-5700 Dine on bold sushi made from fresh-caught local fish while enjoying friendly service and an ocean view. Japanese. D, N, $$

ISLAND GOURMET MARKETS The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-5055 Sushi to go, deli sandwiches, plate lunches and more. Pacific Rim. B, L, D, $

IZAKAYA GENBE Azeka Shopping Center Makai, 1280 S. Kīhei Rd. #120, Kīhei, 214-5457 A cozy ambiance marries traditional Japanese cooking in a comfortable, tavern-style setting. Japanese. L, H, D, $$

KA‘ANA KITCHEN Andaz Maui Resort, 3550 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 573-1234 A Wagyu hangar steak on a green papaya salad, charred octopus with local goat cheese, Kona abalone risotto and a modern take on chicken and waffles. Curated wine list and mixology at its finest. Asian Fusion. B, D, $$$$

KAI BAR AC Hotel by Marriott Maui Wailea, 88 Wailea Ike Pl., Wailea, 856-0341 Unwind by the lava stone firepit with a kiwi yuzu gin and tonic. Pair it with a diverse palate of noodle stir fry, shoyu poke bowl or passion mango cheesecake. Hawai‘i Regional/Bar. L, H, D, $$

KŌ Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-2210 Plantation Era cuisine takes the spotlight. Try the Kobe beef poke appetizer and “On the Rock” – three mouthwatering morsels of ‘ahi served with a 300-degree lava rock to sear them to perfection. Pacific Rim. L, H, D, R, $$$

LĀHAINĀ BREWING COMPANY 112 Wailea Ike Dr, Wailea, 868-0010 Talk story while enjoying a signature IPA and local-style bar food. Brewery. L, D, N, $$

KOISO SUSHI BAR 2395 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 875-8258 This hidden gem has limited seating, but Chef Hiro-san’s craft is apparent in every fresh dish like the spicy tuna, rainbow roll and salmon avocado roll. Japanese/Sushi. D, $$$

KOMO Four Seasons Resort, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-8000 This upscale establishment is best known for high-quality sushi and mystery box, a surprise selection of rare seafood from Tokyo’s renowned Uogashi Market. Sushi/ Japanese. D, $$$$

KIHEI CAFFE Kīhei Kalama Village, 1945 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 879-2230 Hungry at 5 a.m.? Head to this local hangout for banana-mac-nut pancakes and a cuppa joe. Cafe. B, L, $-$$

KRAKEN COFFEE MAUI 1975 S Market Pl., Kīhei and 1 Piikea Ave., Kīhei 495-1885, 879-2230 See Central listing

LE BAZAAR MAUI Azeka Shopping Center Makai, 1280 S Kīhei Rd. #107, Kīhei, 268-0545 Start your dining experience by cleansing your hands with orange blossom water, then immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and flavors of the Middle East through a six-course dinner, ending the night with Moroccan mint tea. Moroccan. D, $$$$

LEHUA LOUNGE Andaz Maui Resort, 3550 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 573-1234 Cocktails created with local seasonal ingredients, such as lychee, liliko‘i (passion fruit) and Hawaiian navel oranges, pair perfectly with Ka‘ana Kitchen’s award-winning menu. Asian Fusion/Lounge. H, $

LINEAGE The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 879-8800 If Cantonese lobster noodles and leeks, ginger and XO butter, crispy Korean chicken with pickles made in house and Wagyu Kalbi short ribs with garlic rice get your juices flowing, head to Wailea. Eat. Drink. Talk story. Pacific Rim. D, $-$$

LOBBY LOUNGE Four Seasons Resort, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-8000 Impeccable service, a locally sourced menu and swanky cocktails. Stay refreshed with the island watermelon salad to pair with Kona lobster or 17 pieces of the chef’s special selection of maki rolls, sashimi and nigiri. Pacific Rim/Lounge. H, D, N, $$$$

MANOLI’S PIZZA COMPANY 100 Wailea Ike Dr., Wailea, 874-7499 Manoli’s believes in fresh, organic and sustainable ingredients. Order a pizza with organic wheat or gluten-free crust, or dig into authentic chicken scaloppine with a specialty cocktail or beer. Open Late. Italian/Pizza. L, H, D, N, $$

MATTEO’S OSTERIA Wailea Town Center, 161 Wailea Ike Pl., Wailea, 879-8466 Matteo’s meatball sandwich with Maui Cattle Co. beef and Italian sausage, or try ‘ahi crusted with Calabrese olive tapenade. Italian. L, H, D, $$-$$$

MAUI BREAD CO. Dolphin Plaza, 2395 S. Kīhei Rd., #117, Kīhei, 757-8740 Artisanal fusion of Hawaiian and German flavors, such as handmade ube loaves, P.O.G. bread, German spelt bread and pretzel croissants. A must-visit bakery in Kīhei! Hawai‘i Regional/Bakery. B, BR, $

MAUI BREWING CO. 605 Līpoa Pkwy., Kīhei, 201-2337 Hawaiʻi's largest brewery offering craft and specialty beers, as well as burgers, pizzas, fish tacos and salads. The open-air taproom and outdoor games make it an enjoyable stop. Brewery/Pacific Rim/American. L, H, D, N, $-$$

MAUI LOBSTER KING 1280 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 573-8818

This casual eatery offers bold Cajun seafood boils and crispy salt and pepper lobster, along with classic plate lunch options. Seafood. L, D, $$-$$$

MAUI PIE Azeka Shopping Center, 1280 S. Kīhei Rd., #101, Kīhei, 298-0473 A slice of heaven awaits. Try the tropical liliko‘i or chocolate haupia pudding cream pies. For savory cravings, the chicken pot pie is a must. Bakery. B, L, D, $

MAUI THAI BISTRO Rainbow Mall, 2439 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 874-5605 Thai food cooked by Thai chefs. Kaffirscented tom yum fried rice, green mango salad with crispy fried-fish filets and house curries. Thai. L, D, $-$$

MISO PHAT SUSHI Azeka Shopping Center Mauka, 1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 891-6476 Sushi served on-site, togo or delivered. Sashimi platters, sushi rolls, nigiri and specialty rolls. Omakase heaven! See also West Side listing. Japanese. L, H, D, $$

MONKEYPOD KITCHEN Wailea Gateway Center, 10 Wailea Gateway Pl., Wailea, 891-2322 Lunch at this Peter Merriman chain includes pizza, burgers, tacos and ramen. For dinner, Big Island rib-eye with chimichurri sauce and banana cream pie. See also West Side listing. Hawai‘i Regional/American. L, H, D, N, $$

MOOSE MCGILLYCUDDY'S 2511 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 891-8600 Serving up pub classics, happy hour specials and oceanfront views from the lanai. Family-friendly with free trivia on Wednesdays and bingo every Monday night. American. B, L, H, D, $$

MORIMOTO MAUI Andaz Maui Resort, 3550 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 243-4766 Headed by celebrity chef Masaharu Morimoto, this sleek restaurant fuses Japanese and Western fares. Enjoy wagyu steaks, sushi and sashimi paired with premium, aged or nigori sake. Japanese/American. L, D, $$-$$$

MULLIGANS ON THE BLUE100 Kaukahi St., Wailea, 874-1131 Guinness poured properly at Maui’s only Irishowned pub. Enjoy fish and chips, bangers and mash, and shepherd’s pie. Great music and sports-bar action, too. Sláinte! Irish/Bar. L, H, D, $-$$$

NALU’S SOUTH SHORE GRILL Azeka Shopping Center Makai, 1280 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 891-8650 Generous portions made with local ingredients served with aloha. Try the ahi club fresh yellowfin tuna, with applewood smoked bacon and caramelized Maui onions on sourdough. American/Pacific Rim. B, L, H, D, $-$$

NICK’S FISHMARKET Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 879-7224 Enjoy classic seafood dishes beneath the stars. Woo your date with plump strawberries drenched in Grand Marnier and set aflame. Pacific Rim/Seafood. H, D, R, $$$$

NOBU Grand Wailea Resort, 3850 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-1234 The first Nobu, an esteemed restaurant known for Japanese and Peruvian fusion, has arrived at the Grand Wailea. Signature dishes include black cod, yellowtail jalapeño and rock shrimp tempura. Japanese. D, R, $$$$

NUTCHAREE’S AUTHENTIC THAI FOOD Azeka Shopping Center Makai, 1280 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 633-4840 Start with the ‘ahi laab tartare salad or crispy fish and mango salad, then dig into tender braised short ribs smothered in massaman curry. Don’t forget the spring rolls! Thai. L, D, $-$$

OAO – SUSHI BAR & GRILL Wailea Gateway Center, 34 Wailea Gateway Pl., Kīhei, 666-8139 Sushi bar and grill offering fresh sushi, steak and cocktails. Try the Firecracker roll with lobster, avocado, kimchi ahi poke, cucumber, jalapeño, onions and unagi sauce. Pacific Rim. L, D, N, $$$

OLIVINE Grand Wailea Resort, 3850 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-1234 Oceanfront dining specializing in coastal Italian cuisine, featuring handmade pastas and seasonal dishes that blend local Hawaiian ingredients with authentic Italian flavors. Italian. L, D, $$$

PAIA FISH MARKET RESTAURANT 1913 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 874-8888 See North Shore listing.

PANIOLO'S STEAK & SEAFOOD BAR & GRILL1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Ste. #201, Kīhei, 868-0086 Once the Lāhainā Smokehouse, Paniolos brings its hearty menu to South Maui with slow-roasted prime rib, bone-in ribeye, buttered steak, grilled chicken and ribs. Wine dinners and live music complete the experience. Steakhouse/Seafood. L, H, D, R, $$$

PEGGY SUE’S 1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 214-6786 Bright 1950s style diner with jukebox serving burgers, creative hot dogs and old-fashioned milkshakes with over 20 different flavors. American. L, D, $$

PILINA Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-4100 Sip on oceanfront views and inventive libations like the ‘Āina, a rum cocktail infused with vanilla and Kona coffee. Includes sushi, raw dishes and a hot rock experience. Hawai‘i Regional/Bar. L, D, $$-$$$

THE PINT & CORK The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 727-2038 Order mac ‘n’ cheese with black truffles, shrimp and grits with chorizo, poke bowls and burgers. Score breakfast during football season, too! American/Bar. L, H, D, N, $-$$

PITA PARADISE Wailea Gateway Center, 34 Wailea Ike Dr., Wailea, 879-7177 Start with spinach tiropitas with caramelized onions, feta, mozzarella and tzatziki wrapped in phyllo dough. Finish with baklava ice-cream cake. Mediterranean. L, H, D, $-$$$

PIZZA MADNESS 1455 S Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 2709888 Classic Kīhei pizza joint known for thick-crust pies, salads and wings, and winner of the 2025 ʻAipono Silver for Best Pizza. Open for dine-in, takeaway and daily happy hour. Pizza. L, D, $$

POINT BREAK PIZZA & PANINI Maui Harbor Shops, 300 Mā'alaea Rd., Mā'alaea, 868-0014 Homemade pizza dough and fresh-baked focaccia bread pack each artisan pizza and panini full of flavor. Winner of the 2025 ʻAipono Gold for Best Pizza. Pizza. L, D, $$

THE RESTAURANT AT HOTEL WAILEA Hotel Wailea, 555 Kaukahi St., Wailea, 879-2224 Produce from the hotel’s gardens, fish plucked from the sea and a gorgeous outdoor setting. European-inspired. B, D, R, $$-$$$$

ROASTED CHILES Azeka Shopping Center Mauka, 1279 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 868-4357 Ofir and Suki Benitez share family recipes like chicken mole, pozole verde and langostino enchiladas with tomatillo cream sauce. Giant margaritas! Mexican. L, H, D, $-$$

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE

The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-8880 Known for sizzling steaks served on 500-degree plates, this chain offers filet, ribeye, New York strip, seafood, salads and shareable sides.. American/Steak. H, D, N, R, $$$$

SEASCAPE RESTAURANT Maui Ocean Center, 192 S. Mā‘alaea Rd., Mā‘alaea, 270-7068 Adjacent to an award-winning aquarium, Seascape serves mahimahi sandwiches, fresh cabbage slaw and half-pound burgers. American/Pacific Rim. L, H, D (Sat & Sun), $$-$$$

SOUTH MAUI FISH COMPANY 1794 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 419-8980 Signature dishes feature locally sourced fish, from tacos with unagi sauce to a 1/2-pound poke bowl with rice and slaw. Food Truck/Seafood. L, D, $$

SOUTH SHORE TIKI LOUNGE Kīhei Kalama Village, 1913 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 874-6444 Gourmet pizza, burgers, salads and vegetarian items round out the menu at this hip bar. American. L, D, N, $

SPAGO Four Seasons Resort, 3900 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 874-8000 Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck's Hawaiian outpost is a celebration of fresh local ingredients. Start with fresh poke nestled in crunchy sesame-miso cones then explore their ever-evolving menu. Pacific Rim. D, N, R, $$-$$$$

SUGAR BEACH BAKE SHOP 61 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 757-8285 An ever-changing selection of sweet desserts and breakfast are baked fresh daily with sweet cream butter, lilikoʻi, Dole bananas and pineapples, and Maui Meyer lemon zest. Treats. B, L, $$

SUNS OUT BUNS OUT 1 Piikea Ave., Kīhei, 865-2867 Fresh, handcrafted bao buns of all different flavors with an island flair. Don't miss the specialty ube bao. Food Truck/ Fusion. L, D, $

TE AU MOANA LŪ‘AU Wailea Beach Resort, 3700 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 877-827-2740 Enjoy a threecourse meal of pork roasted underground in an imu paired with traditional poi, made from cooked corms of kalo (taro). End with guava chiffon cake. Lū‘au. D, R, $$$$

THREE’S BAR & GRILL 1945-G S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 879-3133 Eggs Benedict six ways, including seared ahi, smoked salmon and prime rib. For lunch, Peruvian pork tacos or signature ramen. For dinner, truffle-yaki marinated flatiron steak. Pacific Rim/Southwestern. B, L, H, D, $$-$$$

TIKEHAU LOUNGE Wailea Village, 116 Wailea Ike Dr. #2104, Kīhei, 214-6500 Innovative cocktails and pūpū inspired by Polynesian places and flavors. Pacific Rim. H, D, N, $$

TOMMY BAHAMA RESTAURANT & BAR The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 875-9983 Who’d guess a clothing company could deliver such delish pork sandwiches and Caribbean-inspired libations? Caribbean/Pacific Rim. L, H, D, N, $-$$

THE TREEHOUSE AT HOTEL WAILEA, 555 Kaukahi, St., Wailea, 874-0500 A unique dining experience tucked in the branches of mango and avocado trees. Seven course private chef dinner with wine pairings for up to six people (seated). Private Dining, D, R, $$$$

ULULANI’S HAWAIIAN SHAVE ICE 61 S. Kīhei Rd., Kīhei, 877-3700 Homemade tropical-flavored syrups and finely shaved ice set this shave-ice business apart. Treats. $

WAIKIKI BREWING COMPANY The Shops at Wailea, 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr. B25, Wailea, 868-0935 Paddy’s Irish Stout and Waikele Wheat brew temper the heat of the jalapeño queso dip served with a giant pretzel. American. B, L, H, D, $$

CENTRAL

808 OLD TOWN 2051 Main St., Wailuku, 242-1111 Stylish Main Street cafe offering soup, paninis, sandwiches, and salads in a cozy, welcoming space. Open for breakfast and a popular Wailuku lunchtime favorite. American. L, $$

ACEVEDO'S HAWAICANO CAFE 190 Alamaha St. 7A, Kahului, 385-3752 Blending Mexican and Hawaiian heritage with California-style fare and plate lunches. Try the fish ceviche bowl with cabbage, onion, tomato, guacamole and chipotle aioli. Mexican/Mixed Plate. L, D, $-$$

BROTH CAFE 340 Hāna Hwy., Kahului, 877-4950 Alive & Well health store's Broth Cafe serves health-focused wraps, bowls, smoothies, bahn mi and salads. Try the green burrito with sweet potato or taro bahn mi and tan tan ramen. International, B, L, $-$$

AMIGO'S Akaku Center, 333 Dairy Rd. 110B, Kahului, 872-9525 Casual spot for Mexican plates and AmericanMexican favorites like quesa-birria, chimichangas and hearty burritos. Mexican. B, L, D, $$

A SAIGON CAFE 1792 Main St., Wailuku, 243-9560

Squeeze into a booth and order a Vietnamese burrito, clay pot or lemongrass curry. Also popular are the green papaya salad, sizzling fish and garlic noodles. Vietnamese. L, D, $-$$

BA-LE 1824 Oihana St., Wailuku, 249-8833 Vietnamese counter-service eatery with flavor-packed bahn mi, aromatic pho, a wide range of plate lunches and fresh baked bread and croissants. Vietnamese. L, D, $$

BALAI PATA 425 Koloa St. #104, Kahului, 727-2230

Discover the vibrant flavors of the Philippines at Chef Joey Macadangdang’s restaurant. Indulge in specialties like crispy duck pata and balai sigang or classics like lumpia and pork adobo fried rice. Filipino. L, D, $-$$

BISTRO CASANOVA 33 Lono Ave., Kahului, 873-3650 Relaxed urban bistro near the airport serving Mediterranean favorites like seafood paella for two, burrata caprese, housemade pastas and fresh-cut fries. Full bar and happy hour. Mediterranean. L, H, D, R, $-$$

BRIGIT & BERNARD’S GARDEN CAFE 335 Hoohana St., Kahului, 877-6000 This garden café serves authentic German-Swiss fare made from scratch, with dishes like Wiener schnitzel, bratwurst platters, beef rouladen with spaetzle and a daily fresh fish. Save room for apple strudel with vanilla sauce. German. L, D, $$

CAFE O’LEI AT THE MILL HOUSE Maui Tropical Plantation, 1670 Honoapi‘ilani Hwy., Waikapū, 500-0553 Fun, expanded menu at the restaurant group’s newest venue. The most beautiful mountain view in the Central Valley! Hawai‘i Regional. L, H, D, R, $-$$$

DA GRATEFUL DOUGH 553 Haleakalā Hwy., Kahului, 772-2697 Home of Maui’s wild venison pizza, this food truck is known for its flavor combinations like Da Fig-GetAbout-It and Da Upcountry Veggie. Food Truck/Pizza. L, D, $$

DA SHRIMP HALE Maui Mall, 70 E. Ka‘ahumanu Ave., Kahului, 868-2361 Gloves and bibs required for Cajun-style feasts of shrimp, clams, crawfish, mussels and crab. Specials include ribeye steak, opakapaka and gumbo. Seafood. L, D, $$

ESTERS FAIR PROSPECT 2050 Main St., Wailuku, 868-0056 Serving classic cocktails, tiki drinks, spirits, rum, mezcal, wine and beer. Local farm-to-table-inspired small bites. Rosé wine and daiquiris during happy hour. Bar. H, N, $

FORK & SALAD Pu‘unene Shopping Center, 120 Ho‘okele St., #330, Kahului, 793-3256 See South Shore listing

FOUR SISTERS BAKERY 1968 E. Vineyard St., Wailuku, 244-9333 At this family-run Wailuku spot, there’s typically a line outside the door for their soft butter rolls, malasadas and other tasty treats. Bakery. B, L, $

FUEGO ARGENTINIAN STEAKHOUSE 1333 Maui Lani Pkwy., Kahului, 633-4436 Cozy indoor and outdoor seating on the Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course. Argentinianstyle barbeque, pasta, sandwiches, cocktails and wines. Latin-inspired. B, L, D $$-$$$

GIANOTTO'S PIZZA 2050 Main St., Wailuku, 244-8282 Bodega-style eatery with pizzas and homestyle Italian served with aloha. Pizza. L, D, $

HAVENS CHOW CART 591 Haleakalā Hwy., Kahului, 868-0555 Sister to Havens Harborside, this gourmet food truck serves the brand’s signature smashburgers and sushi rolls. Executive Chef Zach Sato brings the same quality to a quick, casual setting. Food Truck/American. L, D, $

KAHULUI ALE HOUSE 355 E. Kamehameha Ave., Kahului, 877-0001 Lively sports bar with 69 HD TVs streaming major events. The menu covers fried appetizers, burgers, pizzas, plate lunches and sushi. American/Hawai‘i Regional. L, D, $$

KALEI'S LUNCHBOX 52 Maui Lani Pkwy., Wailuku, 793-3104 2025 ʻAipono Gold Best Plate Lunch serves Hawaiian comfort food and plate lunches like the Furikake Mochiko Chicken served with rice and macaroni salad. Mixed Plate. B, L, D, $$

KOHO'S GRILL AND BAR Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center, 275 W. Ka‘ahumanu Ave., #245, Kahului, 877-5588 Start with crab cake benedict for breakfast, mushroom burger for lunch and charbroiled chicken smothered in Koho sauce for dinner. American. B, L, H, D, $$-$$$

KRAKEN COFFEE MAUI 520 Keolani Pl., Kahului, 6337499 and 329 Alamaha St., Kahului, 866-9817 Specialty coffees include the Haleakalatte, Kīhei Kicker and Mochawao. Iced drinks are served over coffee ice cubes. Coffee Shop. $

LAS PIÑATAS OF MAUI 395 Dairy Rd., Kahului, 8778707 Try one of the signature kitchen sink burritos stuffed with your meat of choice, guacamole, beans, rice and more. Mexican. B, L, H, D, $-$$

MARCO’S GRILL AND DELI 444 Hāna Hwy, Kahului 877-4466 Family friendly Italian-American diner with homestyle eats like meatball subs, vodka rigatoni and shrimp scampi. Italian. B, L, D, $$-$$$

MAUI COOKIE LAB Kahului Office Center, 140 Ho‘ohana St., Ste. 101, Kahului, 300-0022 Handcrafted with aloha, serving classic cookies with a tropical twist like liliko‘i oatmeal and pineapple macadamia nut. Treats. $

MAUI COFFEE ROASTERS 444 Hāna Hwy., Kahului, 877-CUPS (2877) Pastries, muffins, salads, sandwiches, wraps, and bagels and lox made to order. Fresh-roasted coffee beans set this experience above the rest. “Happy Cappy Hour” 2-6 p.m. Coffee Shop. B, L, H, $

MAUI FRESH STREATERY MauiFreshStreatery .com ʻAipono Chef of the Year Kyle Kawakami dishes up imaginative ethnic dishes and a modern take on local fare. Follow his Facebook for locations. Food Truck/Hawaiian/Fusion. L, $

MIKO’S CUISINE 1764 Wili Pa Loop, Wailuku, 868-2914 Eatery serving Chinese, Korean and Japanese dishes including sushi, bibimbap, misoyaki butterfish and udon. Known for its welcoming vibe and birthday serenades. Asian. L, D, $$

MIYAKO SUSHI 1883 Wili Pa Loop, Wailuku, 244-0085 Sequestered Okazuya-style sushi joint also specializing in antiques, local snacks and nostalgic Japanese groceries. Carryout only. Japanese. B, L, $

MO ‘ONO HAWAI‘I Kulamalu Food Truck Lot, 24 Kiopa‘a St., Makawao, 633-0470 Acai bowls with Hawaiʻi flair. Popular toppings include poi, lilikoʻi butter and papaya. Treats. $

MOMONA BAKERY AND COFFEE SHOP 7 E Kaahumanu Ave., Kahului, 214-5389 Chic, spacious coffee shop serving fresh pastries like cinnamon rolls and Argentine-style croissants. Winner of the 2025 ʻAipono Gold for Best Bakery. Enjoy a sweet or savory treat in the old bank vault – a remnant of the shop’s previous identity. Bakery/Coffee Shop. B, L, $

MY THAI MAUI 230 Hāna Hwy, Kahului 877-8887 Winner of 2025 ʻAipono Restaurant of the Year. Serves authentic Thai plates like tom kha, larb and pad woon sen. Favorites like curry, pad thai and bao are also on offer. Don't miss the mango sticky rice for dessert. Thai, L, D, $$

OGO 331 Ho‘okahi St., Ste. 201, Wailuku, 866-8224 Local Hawaiian bites with an Asian twist. Popular dishes include taro gnocchi, oxtail katsu, green tea soba carbonara and misobroiled fish. Asian Fusion/Hawai‘i Regional. L, D, $$

ONLY ONO BBQ 73 Pu‘unēnē Ave., Kahului, 777-9026

Crispy-skin Chinese-style roast pork and duck, bao pork buns, plate lunches, smoked brisket. Location varies (see website for schedule). Food Truck/Chinese/American. L, D, $

THE PARLAY 2086 Main St., Wailuku 214-5161 Enjoy craft cocktails and elevated bar food at this retro-style tavern situated in the heart of Wailuku. Try the French Puddin' Toast. American. L, H, D, $

RAMEN YA Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center, 275 W. Ka‘ahumanu Ave., Kahului, 873-9688 Explore over a dozen unique ramen options. Opt for the big bowl ramen to savor a variety of flavors in one dish. Japanese. L, D, $$

THAI MEE UP Plate Lunch Marketplace, 591 Haleakalā Hwy., Kahului, 214-3369 Addictive fried pork ribs and luscious pad Thai noodles. Curry, too! Thai. Food Truck. L, D, $

TIKI TIKI THAI CUISINE Dairy Center, 395 Dairy Rd., Kahului, 893-0026 Taste authentic Thai at family-owned Tiki Tiki. Fresh herbs from their own garden bring traditional flavors to life. Favorites include drunken noodles, yellow curry and papaya salad. Thai. L, D, $$

TIN ROOF MAUI 360 Papa Pl., Kahului, 868-0753

Sheldon Simeon of Bravo’s Top Chef builds memorable kau kau bowls filled with mochiko chicken or garlic shrimp. Try the double-fried-chicken sandwich on a brioche bun with house-made pickles. Pacific Rim. L, $

TJ’S WAREHOUSE 875 Alua St., Wailuku, 244-7311

Located in Wailuku Industrial Park, TJ’s serves plate lunch to go: chicken katsu, fried saba and daily hot specials like potato croquettes, nishime and poke. Asian. B, L, $

TASTY CRUST 1770 Mill St., Wailuku, 244-0845 A Maui mainstay since 1942 serving breakfast classics and islandstyle lunch and dinner. American, Mixed Plate. B, L, D, $

TIFFANY’S 1424 Lower Main St., Wailuku, 249-0052

Helmed by Chef Sheldon Simeon, Tiffany’s serves Filipino, Japanese and island-style dishes like garlic noodles, pork belly lechon, kim chee fried rice and Hilo-style sashimi. Pacific Rim. LLunch on weekends. Asian, Local. L, D, $$

TOKYO TEI 1063 Lower Main St., Wailuku, 242-9630

Longstanding Wailuku staple with authentic Japanese fares made from scratch in a family-friendly atmosphere. Japanese. L, D, $$

ULULANI’S HAWAIIAN SHAVE ICE 333 Dairy Rd., Kahului Second Central Maui location: 50 Maui Lani Pkwy., Wailuku See West Side listing.

UMI MAUI 1951 Vineyard St., Wailuku, 500-1802 and 1440 Lower Main St., Wailuku, 633-2502. If a California roll topped with tuna, hamachi, salmon and unagi rocks your world, then chef Jayse Sato’s restaurant is your earthquake! Creative presentations, epic soft-shell crab bao buns. BYOB. Japanese. D, $-$$

WAILUKU COFFEE COMPANY 26 N. Market St., Wailuku, 495-0259 Espresso, breakfast bagels, fresh salads and specialty sandwiches in a relaxed, eclectic setting with local art displays. Coffee Shop. B, L, $

UPCOUNTRY

ALBA’S CUBAN COLADAS 55 Kiopaa St., Makawao, 305-773-7107 This coffee truck brings bold, rich flavors of authentic Cuban coffee, serving up potent espresso and traditional cuisine. Coffee Shop. $

SAM SATO’S 1750 Wili Pa Loop, Wailuku, 244-7124

This beloved Maui restaurant sets the standard for dry mein, saimin, barbecue sticks and local plate lunches. Asian. B, L, $

SHIKEDA BENTO PATISSERIE 2050 Main St., Wailuku, 500-2556 Japanese bento and patisserie shop in the Main Street food court. Arrive early for bentos and colorful pastries like azuki cream puffs, matcha berry rolls and ube coconut shortcake. Japanese, B, L, $-$$

SIXTYTWO MARCKET 62 N Market St., Wailuku, 793-2277 Part market, part brunch joint with artfully plated eggs benedict, frittatas and omelettes. Lunch time offerings include soup, sandwiches and salads. American. B, L, $$

STILLWELL'S BAKERY 1740 W Ka‘ahumanu Ave, Wailuku, 243-2243 Serving up homemade delights from flaky pastries to the famous cream horns. Hearty sandwiches, Chinese chicken salad and homemade dressings like raspberry vinaigrette are fan favorites. Bakery. B, L, D, $-$$

CASANOVA 1188 Makawao Ave., Makawao, 572-0220 Upscale Italian with delicious fresh pastas, wood-fired pizzas and polished service. Don't miss the wood-fired homemade focaccia served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Italian. D, R, $$

ESPRESSO MAFIA 3617 Baldwin Ave., Makawao, 286-9422 Options for every coffee lover with light bites on the side. Order a slice of fresh baked banana bread and a coconut cold brew, or try the ube latte for a violet delight! Coffee Shop. $

FRESHIES Makawao Courtyard, 3620 Baldwin Ave., Makawao, 868-2350 Serving vegetarian and vegan-friendly recipes, each bite of their fresh food is a delight, from a musubi omelet with diced Spam to the coconut red curry bowl with tofu. American. B, L, $-$$

GRANDMA’S COFFEE HOUSE 9232 Kula Hwy., Kēōkea, 878-2140 The eggs Benedict and baked goods made from scratch are worth the trek. For lunch, enjoy a hamburger with Swiss cheese and caramelized onions served with chips and coleslaw. Coffee Shop/Cafe. B, L, $-$$

HALI‘IMAILE GENERAL STORE 900 Hali‘imaile Rd., Makawao, 572-2666 This farm-to-table restaurant blends Hawaiian and Asian cuisine. Don't miss the signature Maui Gold pineapple upside down cake. Pacific Rim. L, D, $$$

JOY’S PLACE LIVE 81 Makawao Ave., Pukalani, 5722186 Maui’s go-to for take-home health eats, from hearty bone broths to Buddha bowls, vegan desserts, tonics and almond shakes. Fresh homemade soups made daily highlight the menu. Cafe. B, L, D, $-$$

KALEI'S LUNCHBOX 55 Pukalani St., Makawao, 7930151 See Central listing.

KOJIMA'S SUSHI RESTAURANT 81 Makawao Ave., #114, Pukalani, 573-2859 Casual dining in the heart of Pukalani brings a fresh take on island-inspired sushi classics featuring favorites like the rainbow roll, Hawaiian roll and zesty, spicy edamame. Japanese. D, $$-$$$

KOMODA STORE AND BAKERY 3674 Baldwin Ave., Makawao, 572-7261 This Makawao staple has been around since 1916. They bake delicious sweets like a guava malasada, cream puffs and donuts on a stick. Bakery. B, L, $$

KULA BISTRO 4566 Lower Kula Rd., Kula, 871-2960 Nestled on Haleakalā’s slopes is a cozy Italian bistro serving homestyle food. The coconut shrimp with Molokai mashed potatoes is a work of art on a plate. Italian/ American. B, BR, L, D, $$

KULA KUPS Kulamalu Food Truck Lot, 24 Kiopa‘a St., Makawao, 298-2390 Sweet-treat truck serving up smoothies, coffee, tea, dirty sodas and more. Try their popular Dubai Strawberry Kup, Mango Sticky Rice or Halo Halo. Treats. $

KULA LODGE FOOD TRUCK 15200 Haleakalā Hwy., Kula, 878-1535 Parked on the grounds of Kula Lodge, this casual food truck serves hearty plates that lean toward comfort fare, making it a reliable stop after a Haleakalā drive. Hawai‘i Regional. B, L, D, $$

LA PROVENCE 3158 L. Kula Rd., Kula, 878-1313 French croissants, fruit tarts, blueberry-mango scones and artisan breads baked fresh daily. Carry out from the bakery or dine on the cozy outdoor patio. French/Bakery. B, L, (Wed-Sun), $

MAHALO ALEWORKS30 Kupaoa St., #101, Pukalani Taste of Maui’s wild side with unique beers like a starfruit rose or Kupa‘a mango sour, each made from foraged yeast and local fruit for an upcountry flavor. Sip and watch the sunset from second-floor seating. Brewery. L, H, D. $-$$

MAKAWAO PUBLIC HOUSE 3612 Baldwin Ave., Makawao, 298-0590 The gastropub pays homage to this historic paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) town with Uncle Dave’s kalo burger, kanaka stew, and bangers and mash. Hawai‘i Regional. D, $$$

MARLOW 30 Kupaoa St., A104, Pukalani, 868-3366

Chef Jeff and Kaili Scheer serve wood-fired sourdough pizza, house-made pasta, killer meatballs and rustic salads using local Maui ingredients. The menu rotates with the seasons, featuring vegan pizzas and cocktails. Italian. D, $-$$

MAUI COOKIE LADY 3643 Baldwin Ave., Makawao, 7933172 Owner Mitzi Toro is the “Maui Cookie Lady,” baking thick, gourmet cookies in decadent flavors with locally sourced ingredients. Her creations are shipped nationwide. Treats. $

MAUI PIZZA TRUCK 24 Kiopaa St., Makawao, 2766529 Upcountry food truck serving Napoli-style, kiawe woodfired pizzas with charred sourdough crusts and toppings like kalua pork, Maui pineapple and lilikoi drizzle. Pizza. L, D, $$

MAUIWINE 14815 Pi‘ilani Hwy., ‘Ulupalakua, 878-6058

Enjoy wine tastings and light fare on the open-air lānai. Immaculate grounds surround the historic wine-tasting room, which features estate-grown blends and signature pineapple wines. Winery. L, $-$$

MO ‘ONO HAWAI‘I Kulamalu Food Truck Lot, 24 Kiopa‘a St., Makawao, 633-0470 See Central listing.

MOKU ROOTS Waipoli Rd., Kula The zero waste and plant-based farm store lives in Kula, where customers can shop everything from local produce to cotton candy berry cheesecake. 2025 ‘Aipono Gold winner for Best Farm-toTable Cuisine. Healthy Fare. BR, L, D, $$-$$$

OCEAN ORGANIC VODKA4051 Omaopio Rd., Kula, 877-0009 Enjoy the panoramic view of the island as you sip on signature Ocean Organic Vodka and Kula Rum cocktails. For dinner, try the flatbread or poke nachos. Pacific Rim. L, D, $$

‘OHANA ISLAND GRINDZ 3647 Baldwin Ave., Makawao, 500-3429 Cozy up with ‘ohana for local Hawaiian fare like saimin, loco moco and kalua pork. Don’t miss a scoop of classic or fruity ice cream. Hawai‘i Regional. B, L, $-$$

O'O FARM 651 Waipoli Rd., Kula, 856-0141 Learn about gardening and coffee roasting. Enjoy a breakfast veggie frittata, bread from the wood-burning oven and freshroasted coffee. Lunch includes chicken and fish entrees, veggies and dessert. American. B, L, R, $$$$

POLLI’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT 1202 Makawao Ave., Makawao 572-1325 A Makawao cornerstone since 1981, this lively, welcoming local watering hole is famous for its margaritas, hearty Tex-Mex–style fare and always buzzy vibe. Mexican. L, H, D, $$-$$$

PUKALANI CLUB HOUSE 360 Pukalani St., Makawao, 572-3429 Open-air restaurant overlooking the Pukalani Country Club golf course Come at breakfast time for classics and comfort food, or enjoy local favorites for lunch and dinner. Hawai‘i Regional. B, L, D, $$

SATORI 3655 Baldwin Ave., Makawao 727-9638 Enjoy healthy sushi handrolls, like the Green Goddess with vegan mac nut pesto, ramen and inventive sushi specials with cozy outdoor seating. Food Truck/Japanese. L, D, $$

SUSHI KO Kulamalu Food Truck Lot, 24 Kiopa‘a St., Makawao, 463-2072 Quick and delicious stop for high quality sushi like rainbow rolls, shrimp tempura rolls and spicy tuna rolls. Order a poke bowl and appetizer, too. Food Truck/ Japanese. L, D, $$

THAI MEE UP Kulamalu Food Truck Lot, 24 Kiopa'a St., Makawao, 280-7753 SeeCentral listing

THE WOODEN CRATE Lumeria Maui, 1813 Baldwin Ave., Makawao, 579-8877 Enjoy farm-to-table dining on a serene retreat landscape with clean, nutritious recipes incorporating harvested fruit and produce into a seasonal menu. Vegan/ Vegetarian. B, L, D, $$$$

‘ULUPALAKUA RANCH STORE & GRILL 14800 Pi‘ilani Hwy., ‘Ulupalakua, 878-2561 Deli fare, lamb burgers with tzatziki and beef or grass-fed venison burgers. Plus, homestyle chili and rice, or kālua pork plate lunch. American. L, D, $

UPCOUNTRY SAUSAGE 31 Kupaoa St., Makawao, 281-5214 Sausage served on a toasted bun or bed of rice. Choose from Ze German, The Italian Stallion and Ragin Cajun, and enjoy alongside a drink from Mahalo Aleworks. Food Truck/International. L, D, $$

VIDA BY SIP ME 3671 Baldwin Ave., Unit H-101, Makawao, 868-0868 Vida delights the tastebuds with organic favorites like their rose latte, cold-pressed juices and pastries. Grab a bag of exclusive Vida Blend coffee, with notes of cherry, walnut and dark chocolate. Coffee Shop. B, L, $

WEI WEI BBQ 55 Pukalani St., Makawao, 573-8838 Upcountry's spot for authentic Chinese food like duck, chow mein and char siu. Local dishes like kalua pork, laulau and garlic shrimp are also on the menu. Hawai‘i Regional. L, D, $$

NORTH SHORE

AUMAKUA KAVA LOUNGE149 Hāna Hwy., Unit 3B, Pā‘ia, 793-3232 Tiki-inspired non-alcoholic mocktails made with kava, a traditional root beverage. Sip on the lychee fishbowl made with liliko‘i & lychee syrup, grapefruit, lime juice, bitters and kava. Lounge. $-$$

THE BOBA BAR 2 Baldwin Ave., Pā‘ia, 727-2445 Local boba gem bursting with flavor. Try delicious concoctions such as brown sugar matcha, honeydew milk tea and honey lavender latte. Treats. $

BAKED ON MAUI Pauwela Cannery, 375 W. Kuiaha Rd., #37, Ha‘ikū, 575-7836 Fresh artisan breads, irresistible cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting and a warm, welcoming atmosphere with every shot of espresso. Serves coffee, breakfast and lunch. Bakery/Coffee Shop. B, L, $$

CAFÉ DES AMIS 42 Baldwin Ave., Pā‘ia, 579-6323 Savory crêpes served with wild greens and a dollop of sour cream. Lightly spiced curries come with chutney and raita (Indian yogurt sauce). Mediterranean. L, D, $

CAFE MAMBO 30 Baldwin Ave., Pā‘ia, 579-8021 Quaint Australian and European style cafe with all-day brunch and cocktail hours. Try the Toast Special with tomato confit on sourdough with whipped goat cheese and balsamic glaze. European. B, BR, L, $$

COLLEEN'S AT THE CANNERY Ha‘ikū Market, 810 Ha‘ikū Rd., Ha‘ikū, 575-9211 Hearty New American fare. Comfort food done right, from eggs benedict for breakfast to dinnertime’s popular vodka penne and Maui beef burger. American. B, L, H, D, $$-$$$

CHOICE HEALTH BAR 11 Baldwin Ave., Pā‘ia, 6617711 See West Side listing.

FLATBREAD COMPANY 701 Hana Hwy., Pā‘ia, 5798844 Big booths, a snazzy bar scene and organic flatbreads laden with maple-fennel sausage and roasted veggies. Check-in each weekly for new carne and veggie specials. Kid-friendly. Pizza. L, D, N, $$

KUAU STORE 701 Hana Hwy., Pā‘ia, 579-8844 Stop along the road to Hāna for a plate lunch, morning coffee, locally made snacks or sweet treat. 2025 ‘Aipono Silver winner for Best Grab-and-Go. American/Local. B, L, D, $$

ISLAND FRESH CAFÉ381 Baldwin Ave., Pā‘ia, 495-3133 Local, sustainable bites in a former train station. Serves sushi, traditional, Hawaiian-inspired meals, smoothies, acai bowls, wraps, sandwiches and beverages. Hawai‘i Regional. B, L, $$

JAWS COUNTRY STORE 4320 Hāna Hwy., Ha‘ikū, 4196887 Bite into gourmet breakfasts, poke bowls and woodfired pizzas made with local ingredients. Visit the spectacular Jaws wave and shop unique gifts and apparel from the market. American/Local. B, L, D, $$

LIMA COCINA + CANTINA71 Baldwin Ave., Pā‘ia, 868-0520 Airy restaurant serving artful Peruvian cuisine like saltados and ceviche. Inventive pisco-heavy cocktail list and late-night offerings every Friday and Saturday night. Fridays are always Lima Latin Night with Salsa, Reggaeton and Cumbia. Latin-inspired. L, D, N, $$-$$$

MAMA’S FISH HOUSE 799 Poho Pl., Kū‘au, 579-8488 Famous for its beautiful beachside setting and Polynesian-inspired cuisine, Mama’s evokes old-time island hospitality. Try specialty entrees like Antarctic toothfish caught at 6,000 feet under frozen glaciers. Hawaiian/ Seafood. L, D, R, $$-$$$$

MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 2810 Ha‘ikū Rd., 868-3518 A Mediterranean food truck to satisfy all your shawarma, gyro and falafel cravings. Try the vegetarian stuffed vine grape leaves with homemade Tahini or organic yogurt sauce. Food Truck/Mediterranean. L, D, $$

NUKA 780 Ha‘ikū Rd., Ha‘ikū, 575-2939 Izakaya food with flavor and style. Start with paper-thin fried gobo chips, then ‘ahi tataki with ponzu sauce. Creative lunch and dinner specials. Save room for black-sesame or green-tea ice cream! Japanese. L, D, $$-$$$

NYLOS 115 Baldwin Ave., Pā‘ia, 579-3354 This sixcourse prix-fixe tasting menu is created with the finest ingredients, like Osetra caviar, foie gras, wild truffles and linecaught local fish. International. D (5 & 8 p.m. seatings), R, $$$$

PAIA BAY COFFEE & BAR120 Hāna Hwy., Pā‘ia, 5793111 Open-air, garden seating with live music, craft cocktails, coffee and meals served all day. The Aloha Hour from 3 to 5 p.m. features poke, ceviche and hurricane fries. American/ Hawai‘i Regional. B, BR, L, H, D, $$

PAIA FISH MARKET RESTAURANT

100 Hāna Hwy. Pā‘ia, 579-8030 Slabs of fish served with coleslaw on burger buns explain the line out the door. Order your ‘ahi burger rare with a side of fries and squeeze in beside surfers and families. Kid-friendly. Seafood. L, D, $-$$

RAINBOW KITCHEN & REBEL TONICS

2250 Hāna Hwy., Ha‘ikū, 500-2885 Laid-back food truck with craveworthy vegan eats. Try their killer breakfast burrito, barbecue jackfruit bowl and signature Mermaid Dream Cream shake. Vegan. B, L, $$

ROSELANI SCOOP SHOP 115 Hāna Hwy., Pā‘ia, 4423450 Maui's own ice cream brand serving popular flavors like banana mac crunch, coconut pineapple, lilikoʻi sherbert, kona mud pie, mangoes ʻn cream and paʻuwela sunrise. Treats. $

THAI SPICE 149 Hāna Hwy., #5, Pā‘ia, 579-8269 Every dish is made like you’re ‘ohana. Enjoy signature curries, pad thai and hand-rolled spring rolls. Don’t miss fresh mango with sticky rice for dessert. Southeast Asian. L, D, $$

TOBI'S POKE & SHAVE ICE 137 Hāna Hwy., Pā‘ia, 579-9745 A north shore go-to for heaping poke bowls and seared ahi plates. Or, cool down with a colorful shave ice with up to three flavors. Add vanilla soft serve or pineapple Dole Whip and top with specialty toppings like gummy bears. Local. L, $-$$

WABISABI SOBA & SUSHI 161 Hāna Hwy., Pā‘ia, 3183342 Relax and enjoy buckwheat soba noodles in a serene Zen garden or order fresh sushi at the sushi counter crafted from 200-year-old Japanese cherry wood. Japanese. L, D, $$

WAIKOMO SHAVE ICE 43 Hāna Hwy., Pā‘ia, 6515169 Earth-friendly, delicious shave ice served in a souvenir coconut bowl all topped with fresh fruit, coconut cream and local honey. Add vanilla or vanilla mac nut ice cream for extra sweetness. Treats. $

HĀNA

THE BAMBOO HALEHāna Farms, 2910 Hāna Hwy., Hāna, 248-4047 Wood-fired pizzas with island-inspired pairings like ulu and pesto, complemented by farm-fresh harvest salads. Open-air dining surrounded by tropical gardens and live music every Friday. Pizza. L, D, $$-$$$

DA FISH SHACK 5260 Hāna Hwy., Hāna 269-3922 Your favorite island fish dish is on the menu at Da Fish Shack, from fresh fish tacos to poke and coconut shrimp. Not in the mood for fish? Go for a Paniolo burger with black angus beef. Seafood. D, $

HĀNA FARMS 2910 Hāna Hwy., Hāna, 248-7371 Lush, seven-acre tropical paradise offering organic produce, handmade goods and bakery delights like their legendary banana bread using harvested Maui fruit. Bakery/Farm Stand. $

HĀNA HARVEST CAFE 2800 Hāna Hwy., Hāna, 2699188 Farm-to-table cafe serving fresh smoothies, coffee and sandwiches. Try their purple sweet potato salad or delicious banana bread made from local produce. Cafe/Local. B, L, $-$$

HĀNA RANCH RESTAURANT 1752 Mill Pl., Hāna, 2705280 Chefs rely on nearby farms for seasonal produce and island-raised beef. Try fish sandwiches, kalbi ribs, ahi poke, veggie curry and the Hāna Ranch Mai Tai. Hawai‘i Regional, L, H, D, $$-$$$

THE RESTAURANT Hāna-Maui Resort, 5031 Hāna Hwy., Hāna, 359-2401 This open-air dining room overlooks Hāna Bay and serves breakfast favorites like mochi pancakes and saimin. Lunch and dinner menus highlight regional fish, local produce, craft cocktails, house-made desserts and fresh island juices. Pacific Rim. B, L, D, R, $$-$$$$

Kanani Franco

Kahu

Kīhāpai, ʻEkalesia

o Kupaianaha;

Kahu, Kamehameha Schools Maui

as told to SAVANNAH DAGUPION

I GREW UP on Kokomo Road in Haʻikū in the middle of the pineapple fields, which were our romping grounds, where we got to play. I also had a cow named Nelly. In our household were my mom, sister, grandmother and grandfather. My grandfather was the eldest son of eight, so all the parties were at our house. I always felt that sense of ʻohana (family). My ʻohana loved music. My aunties and uncles would play music, and my cousins and I would be called to line up on the porch and sing. That love for music came from church.

“One of the pilars of this hale pule (church) is to perpetuate Hawaiian language, so ... my cultre and faith ... are blended."

I come from a line of five generations of kahu (pastors). ʻEkalesia o Kupaianaha was my second home. When I was growing up, we had a tiny hale pule (church) at the corner of this property. On Saturdays, we helped build our current hale pule – varnishing ceiling planks, pouring concrete, painting, plumbing.

I learned how to wrap laulau (lūʻau leaves containing meat) here. I learned how to clean ʻopihi (limpets) here. This is where I got the grounding of my culture and learned the language. One of the pillars of this hale pule is to perpetuate Hawaiian language, so when I look at my culture and faith, they are blended.

When I graduated high school from Kapālama in 1991, there was Pūnana Leo (Hawaiian language preschool) on Maui. After volunteering there and earning my bachelor’s in early childhood education, I became a kumu (teacher).

When I was hāpai (pregnant) with my third keiki (child), I left Pūnana Leo. Two weeks later, INPEACE called me to be an advocate for early childhood education. When my eldest daughter applied for sixth grade at Kamehameha Maui, I became the second Christian education teacher at the school.

Teaching fills me. We always say ‘Plant the seed, and in time, it’ll grow on its own.’ Knowing you’ve helped mold lives, even though it may take years, is rewarding. I think God was pulling me toward being a kahu. I saw how He was working in my life, and I had the blessings of knowing my ʻōlelo (language) and culture.

Within hale pule, I became a deacon, which was when I started my seminary journey and formal training. After my kahu kīhāpai (head pastor) passed away, there was a very traditional Hawaiian protocol to select the next kahu. The kahu kīhāpai from our other churches statewide came together, pule (prayed) and went through hoʻokēʻai (fasting). Through dreams and through opening the paipala (Bible), the next kahu was revealed.

When I got the call, I was very shocked, but when you get a calling from ke Akua (God), you just go. I was raised in this church, so I wasn’t afraid. In 2021, I became kahu kīhāpai at ʻEkalesia o Kupaianaha, and in 2023, I became kahu at Kamehameha Maui. I became kahu at Kamehameha Maui eight days before the fire. We opened the church, and Kamehameha Maui came here. We made sandwiches and took them to the firefighters.

Being a native Hawaiian kahu is not always an easy space to navigate, but it just comes down to respecting our culture and traditions that have been passed down through generations, and knowing that when I give my pule, I am honoring ke Akua mana loa, the God of the bible.

We perpetuate our ʻōlelo, give back to the community and shine God’s light. Whether it’s helping at the homeless shelter, going out to pick lūʻau leaf or pulling kalo (taro), the values of the loina Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian tradition) – kuleana (responsibility), mālama (care), aloha (love) – intertwine with our church foundations of putting action into your practice.

A priority for young Hawaiians should be giving ke Akua a chance. The more I see haumāna (students) grounded in faith, the less they worry about what people think about

them. Another priority is knowing who you are and the story of your ʻohana. Know your values and beliefs and use that to drive you to be a better person and to give back to your community.

My grandma, Elizabeth Kepani, was a pillar in my life. She and my mom cleaned classrooms at Maui Christian Academy so my sister and I could have an education.

For someone struggling with their culture or faith, I would say just take baby steps. You don’t need to know everything right away. Give yourself some grace. Pule is huge, so sit in that space and ask ke Akua to help you learn.

I would like to share Philippians 4:13: E hiki nō iaʻu nā mea a pau ke kōkua mai o Kristo iaʻu – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. There are times when I’ve felt insecure, times when I self-doubted, but God has never failed me. When I follow His command, He equips me. It doesn’t mean it’s going to come without obstacles, but He does give you strength. That inner strength is so powerful.