I’ve been so excited to write this post! If you know me, or have been following me for more than 5 minutes, you know we LOVE food! The first thing Jason and I do when we book a trip is start researching food and booking reservations.

We were blown away by the food in Maui. I’d say 90% of the places we went were excellent and the service everywhere was stellar. From the super casual and affordable spots to the fine dining, there was so much delicious food and lots of friendly faces.

So without further adieu, here’s a rundown of where we ate:

808 Grindz Cafe in Lahaina

We went here for breakfast our first morning in Lahaina. It’s just a little hole in the wall type place but there were tons of people waiting out front so we took that as a good sign! Jason tried the Pork Moco which is a traditional Hawaiian rice dish with gravy, eggs, and meat. I had the veggie Benedict, but the real star of the show was the macadamia nut pancakes with Mac-vanilla sauce (breakfast dessert, hah!). These seriously might have been one of my top dishes of the trip!

Honu Seafood and Pizza

A few locals recommended Honu to us and I’m so glad we went! It’s a quaint little place right on the water in Lahaina with a fun menu. Our server was amazing and had lots of recommendations. We tried the tuna bruschetta per her recommendation and it was to die for- another one of my favorite dishes from the trip. I pretty much had tuna with every meal in Hawaii. 😉 The octopus was awesome, also.

Merriman’s

Oh my goodness. I’m so glad we opted for brunch at Merriman’s because seeing it in the daylight is something I will never forget! Merriman’s is located at Kapalua Resort and it is literally the most stunning piece of property I’ve ever seen. Wow! The banana bread that we shared to start was to die for and my lobster eggs Benedict was pretty great, too (that jalapeño hollandaise sauce!). We just loved everything about our experience at Merriman’s and will definitely visit again.

Monkeypod

I was really looking forward to Monkeypod based on tons of reviews, but we thought it was just ok (it may very well have been that we were ever so slightly tipsy from spending hours at the pool???). It’s a casual and funky vibe with a little bit of everything on the menu. We shared tuna tacos (that were definitely tasty!), a pizza, a salad, and banana cream pie. There was nothing wrong with our meal or service, it just didn’t live up to the hype in my opinion. The pie was killer, though! That said, I’d definitely give Monkeypod another try, especially with kids.

Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante

This was an Italian restaurant at our resort (Four Seasons) that we tried for lunch one day. I loved that the entire restaurant was open air. It’s pretty much always the perfect weather for dining outside! We sat at the bar and Jason ordered a prosciutto and arugula pizza and I had an awesome salad that was overflowing with fresh seafood. Both were excellent. I’m not sure I’d go out of your way to come to this restaurant, but it was great for a bite if you are staying at the resort.

Ka’ana Kitchen

OK this was absolutely one of my very favorite meals of the trip! The restaurant is located at the Andaz Resort in Wailea, just a few hotels down from where we were staying. A guy that we hung with at the pool recommended it and, again, I’m so glad we listened! Everyone you talked to said try the fried chicken. I’m from the South, so it’s hard to impress me when it comes to fried chicken but OMG SO GOOD I COULD CRY. Honestly, the best part of the dish was the savory mochi cake which tasted like a sweet corn cake. The Ahi Tataki was also incredible. See…more tuna. I’d give this place 10/10 and everyone says it’s even better at breakfast!

Paia Fish Market

Paia Fish Market is a little spot in the sweet town of Paia. We wanted to see what Paia was all about after visiting Haleakala and we loved the hippy/surfer vibe of the area. Paia Fish Market is super casual, but my fish tacos and Jason’s fish and chips were great. Nothing fancy, just good, quality ingredients that let the fish shine. This would be an ideal spot with kiddos!

Ululani’s Shave Ice

Just a stone’s throw from Paia Fish is Ululani’s Shave Ice, which was super convenient because I wanted to try it while in Hawaii! I’m not the hugest shave ice fan, but this definitely hit the spot! The ice is so soft, not at all crunchy. I opted for the Lahaina, which was banana, pineapple, and coconut syrups and added a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream to the bottom. What a refreshing treat! Not overly sweet- just perfect. I’m very glad I got some authentic shave ice while in Hawaii.

Spago

Ahhh this was another favorite meal and it just so happened to be located in our resort. Spago is the brainchild of celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and is a fusion of Hawaiian and Californian cuisine. We sat at the bar and shared a few appetizers. Highlights were the pork belly and the scallop risotto, which was so perfectly savory and delicious that I could have licked my plate clean.

Brunch at Duo

Duo is actually the upscale seafood and steakhouse at the Four Seasons, but they also have an over-the-top breakfast buffet that we tried on our last full day in town. Everything from donuts to açaí bowls to classic breakfast offerings, Duo had it all on display. And what a stunning backdrop for breakfast! We also ate dinner at Duo one evening, but we were less than impressed- there are other upscale spots in Wailea that I’d rather try.

Mama’s Fish House

Get a load of the view from our table!

When people find out you’re going to Maui, they all say you have to go to Mama’s Fish House. We were reluctant- was it really as good as everyone says? It’s also nearly impossible to make a reservation. We ended up snagging a table on our actual 10th anniversary at an obscure time on our way to the airport and I’m so glad we decided to give it a try! For me it was a highlight of the trip. Stunning views and incredible, unique Hawaiian food. I had the steamed fish, which may not sound all that exciting, but it was bursting with fresh ginger, fresh veggies and a macadamia nut oil. Jason had their famed lobster-stuffed fish. The Haleakala ranch beef in a grilled papaya was awesome, too! Mama’s Fish House really is as good as everyone says so don’t miss it!

I’m ready to go back to Maui after reliving all these meals! And we could try so many different restaurants next time. Which are your favorites?

We just returned from our first-ever trip to Hawaii and it’s safe to say we are smitten! Jason and I were able to sneak away to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary and some R&R was just what we needed.

We opted to only visit Maui and we seriously fell in love with the island. It’s less developed than Oahu, but still plenty to do. Instead of high rises it’s mostly gorgeous resort areas and tons of undeveloped natural beauty (from beaches to mountains).

We split our time between two different areas of the island- Ka’anapali and Wailea. We started at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in Ka’anapali (west shore of Maui). Ka’anapali was once home to sugar cane fields but was turned into Hawaii’s first planned resort area and is home to quite a few beautiful beach resorts.

We had a fun little anniversary surprise waiting on us in the room.

The view from our room was pretty spactuclar, but the room itself was a bit small.

The beach was stunning in Ka’anapali!

There is a public beach walk that connects the resorts (directly on the beach). so we enjoyed strolling from resort to resort and taking in the scenery.

The Hyatt would be great for families- we saw tons of kids! The pool was great.

So after two nights at the Hyatt, we made our way to central Maui to another resort area- Wailea. We stopped for brunch at Merriman’s, which I’ll cover in my food post. The views here were insane. Most beautiful piece of property I’ve EVER seen. Just stunning.

We took the scenic route around the back side of west Maui (which can be kind of dangerous!), but we were rewarded handsomely with gorgeous and off-the-beaten path views.

I highly recommend the book Maui Revealed– it has tons of info about Maui, much of which you won’t find in any other reviews or guidebooks. We read about these Olivine Pools and decided to stop. You have to hike down a little way to the water, but these are the most incredible tide pools in barren lava. SO COOL! And beautiful. And dangerous with HUGE crashing waves and sharp pieces of lava rock, so be careful!

After our planned detour, we finally arrived at the Four Seasons in Wailea, which was about as dreamy as it gets.

I just really cannot say enough about this hotel. We certainly splurged since it was a big occasion for us and we were treated like royalty! The service was spectacular. Every employee was kind and accommodating.

The concierge so graciously upgraded us to the club level in celebration of our anniversary, which meant our room had a balcony overlooking the pool and ocean.

My view every morning…not too shabby!

Our floor had a special lounge that was always overflowing with hot bites to eat, cold drinks, and drawers full of candy, chips, ice cream, and anything else we could have wanted. Our kids would have been in heaven!

This was the lounge…we frequented it for snacks and drinks. And a candy bar or two.

The grounds at the Four Seasons were just stunning. The most lush landscaping dotted with beautiful white pool cabanas all overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Heaven I tell you.

Our favorite spot was the adults only serenity pool. Oh, goodness. It was quiet and relaxing and just perfection. We spent quite a few hours there our first afternoon at the hotel.

Here was our view:

When we were finally able to pull ourselves away from the pools, the beach at Wailea was pretty spectacular, as well.

The beach here in Destin is about as gorgeous as it gets, but having mountains in the background in Hawaii is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Jason and I probably said to each other “this is so gorgeous!” about 500 times during our trip. We were in awe!

And you know food is super important to us so I’m planning a separate post just dedicated to our Maui eats. The restaurants at the Four Seasons are great- Spago was our absolute favorite!

I’m glad we decided to split our time between different sides of the island. That said, I wouldn’t have wanted to stay in the Hyatt after the Four Seasons. We were very pleased with the Hyatt, but the Four Seasons was just so spectacular that anything else would have been a let down after.

We cannot wait to visit Maui again! We’d love to bring the kiddos in a few years!