I am a planner, especially when it comes to vacations. I even plan where we are going to eat. I do this by searching for good restaurants before we leave and making a list. By doing this we don’t waste any of our precious vacation time figuring out where we will eat. By doing all the research ahead of time we can weed out the poor restaurants and stick with the ones that have great reviews. This isn’t to say I plan every single meal, but it’s so nice to have good restaurants in mind, some of these places I would have skipped if I had just looked at them from the outside.
Da Kitchen (dinner) – Don’t let the outside of this restaurant fool you, it’s a good one! It’s located in a strip mall with a less than exciting storefront. If I hadn’t done my research ahead of time I wouldn’t have given this place a second look. The food here was so good, all 7 of our family members loved their meal.
But wait…it get’s even better because look what they have for dessert. Dole Whip!
Coconut’s Fish Cafe (lunch) – This was another amazing restaurant that got a ton of great reviews. It was totally worth a stop (in fact, we even thought about coming back again a different day). They specialize in fish taco’s but if you aren’t a fan of fish they also have some chicken and steak dishes too.
In addition to the excellent food the service here was amazing. The employees were friendly and helpful. Everything about our lunch here was perfect.
Aloha Mixed Plate (dinner) – This restaurant is outdoors and it is right on the edge of the water. The views are wonderful, the food was wonderful, the service we received wasn’t nearly as wonderful, but it was still a great place to eat. We had dinner here, but I have heard great things about the breakfast too. You may want to make reservations, it is pretty popular place.
Pi Artisan Pizzeria (dinner) – This was the one place I didn’t plan in advance, we just stopped in and had dinner. We had been eating a lot of fish and chicken and we just wanted something different and pizza fit the bill. The service we received here was amazing. I recommend either the BBQ Pi or the Chicken Ranch pizzas. The location is wonderful too. It’s located in Lahaina, right across the beach. We had a nice view of the sun setting over the water.
Kihei Cafe (breakfast) – They have very large breakfast portions here and the food was great. Two of my boys ordered the Banana Macadamia Nut French Toast and thought it was some of the best french toast they have had. This place was busy and there was not nearly enough seating, especially for our large family of seven. This restaurant only accepts cash, they do have an ATM on site.
Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade – They serve hand crafted lemonade with fresh fruit. It’s yummy! Interestingly, they have a Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade located here in Kirkland, Washington, so if you are local and you want to feel like you are in Hawaii, stop by and pick up a lemonade.
Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice What is a trip to Hawaii without a stop (or two or three) for some shave ice. You can choose to have it topped with sweetened condensed cream, or have your shave ice served on top of vanilla ice cream. We loved Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice. They have so many different flavor combinations.
Here are more great dining options that made my list, but there was no way we could try them all:
808 Grindz Cafe (breakfast)
Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop (breakfast)
Brekkie Bowls (breakfast)
Gazebo (breakfast) – Get there early, a line usually forms before they open.
Tin Roof (lunch)
Flatbread Company (lunch)
Mama’s Fish House (dinner) – This places is expensive, it would be a great place to go for a date night if you are celebrating something like an anniversary.
Lahaina Grill (dinner) – Another expensive date night option.
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