The island of Maui is a wonderful place to live, visit, and play. It is no wonder it attracts so many people. Part of the reason for the attraction is the climate – tropical cool breeze, beautiful beaches, and warm sunshine every day. On the south side of Maui, in the town of Kihei, many people have decided to relocate there, make a name for themselves, and add to the diversity of the culinary scene as it is an excellent location for visitors to the island. Kihei is where you can dine on some of the freshest seafood from the waters that surround the island, a variety of locally sourced farm-to-table dishes, mouth-watering delights that are infused with a variety of flavors and unique combinations that are creatively blended and most of all delicious. If you are looking for ideas of where to dine while in Kihei, here are a few of the suggested places to dine in the area.
Here are places to dine in Kihei that we recommend:
DaKitchen
DaKitchen may be one of the most recognized names on this list because of the connection to the famous Food Network chef cooking competition. This is where local comfort food and good vibes meet. DaKitchen offers delicious favorite dishes that many locals are familiar with such as chicken katsu, loco moco with a grilled homemade beef burger, topped with two eggs, and onions all covered with brown gravy. Enjoy Korean style chicken or teriyaki chicken with two scoops of rice and mac salad. They also have lau lau and kalua pork, fish tempura, and kalbi ribs on the menu. Enjoy stir fried noodles with vegetables or a hot bowl of saimin. If you are looking for a salad option, they have a Caesar salad available. If you want to enjoy more than one dish, they have combo plates as well. Quickly visit to see what specials they have available – garlic chicken or ahi poke bowl. There are so many options to choose from you will have to try the entire menu. Their hours are 11 am – 8 pm six days a week, closed on Sunday.
1215 S Kihei Rd Suite E, Kihei, HI 96753-5233
Nalu’s South Shore Grill
A family style restaurant that is locally owned and operated. They offer a mixture of American as well as local Hawaii dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Enjoy comfort food in a casual environment where the trade winds breeze through their open-air restaurant to cool the place down. Dine on their popular dishes such as loco moco, ahi poke bowl with rice, macadamia nut pancakes, burgers and fries, salads, chicken and waffles, acai bowls, island style ribs, roasted beet with goat cheese, and so much more. Ask them about their keiki (children) menu. They are open seven days a week from 8:00 am – 9:00 pm with live music every night. It will surely lift your spirits and satisfy your hunger.
1280 S Kihei Rd, Located in Azeka Shopping Center – Makai, Kihei, HI 96753-8240
Miso Phat Sushi
This is also a family owned and operated restaurant with over 20 years of experience in the restaurant business. They offer a variety of the freshest and finest seafood, hand-picked daily. Indulge in a variety of nigiri sushi topped with a variety of fish or other types of protein, sashimi as well as carefully made sushi hand rolls such as tekkamaki and specialty rolls made to order. They also create poke bowls and much more. Stop by their location in Kihei that is open every day from 11:30 am – 8:30 pm and happy hour from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm.
1279 S Kihei Rd, Unit 108, Kihei, HI 96753-5222
Fabiani’s Pizzeria and Bakery
If you are craving Italian flavors, we have a place that serves a variety of pasta dishes, pizza, and much more. The pasta served at Fabiani’s is homemade along with the varied range of sauces from creamy fettuccine to a mozzarella cheese marinara sauce with or without added meat, or a vodka cream sauce. They also have cheese stuffed ravioli, and linguine with clams. They have ten different homemade pizza selections with optional toppings. Enjoy fresh salads, desserts, and pastries made in-house. They are open seven days a week. Weekdays they open from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm except Fridays from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm and Saturdays Sundays open from 10:00 am – early enough to a weekend brunch.
95 Lipoa Street, Suite 101, Kihei, HI 9675
Pizza Madness Maui
The owner/ chef is extremely specific in what he believes is the best strategy for how he runs his restaurant and that is the simplicity of fresh, high-quality ingredients. Here is where you can enjoy legendary pizza made by owner and chef Kirk. Additional items on the menu include mouthwatering meatballs, sandwiches, and wings with a variety of freshly made sauces. Stop by their location in Kihei every day from 11 am to 9 pm. You can dine in – where you can also enjoy happy hour between 2pm – 4 pm or take your meal to go and enjoy it on the beach or at your place of choice.
Café O’ Lei Kihei
Café O’ Lei Kihei is the best place to go for fresh plates of seafood, steaks, and other local cuisines. Fresh seafood, sushi, steaks. They are another locally owned restaurant that prides
themselves on serving locally sourced cuisine. Their location in Kihei is what they consider casual but elegant. This is a family owned and run restaurant that serves lunch and dinner. Enjoy happy hour between 3:30 – 5 pm. They are open six days a week, closed on Mondays.
2439 S Kihei Rd Ste 201a Kihei, HI 96753
Three’s Bar and Grill
The three co-owners are all about great food that is locally sourced, creates memories and a casual island lifestyle. The three are chefs, surfers, and friends that met working at a top local restaurant. They all had the same enthusiastic mission to start their own business. Thus, they started as a catering business. Fast forward 15 years and the cuisine they have mixed into their restaurant includes Hawaiian, southwestern and Pacific Rim.
They offer vegetarian-friendly meals, vegan options, and gluten-free meals as well. You can enjoy starters such as kalua pork quesadilla, coconut crusted shrimp, grilled portobello mushrooms, and a variety of salad choices including a green papaya salad. Some of their entrees include a seared big eye ahi, jambalaya, beer can chicken, and so much more.
They are open daily from 11:00 am – 9:00 pm with happy hour Monday – Sunday from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
1945 S Kihei Rd, Suite G, Kihei, HI 96753-7836
Fork & Salad
This is a sister company to Three’s Bar and Grill created by the same three owners. This off-shoot eatery upholds the original company’s mission – to hold true to their farm-to-table standards. This allows them to adjust and adapt; it also allows them to create healthy, quick, and convenient meals that are affordable for their customers to enjoy on the go. It is a perfect option for those who do not have time to sit down for a meal or make their own meals but still want to remain vigilant to their health. They are open from 10:30 am – 9:00 pm every day.
Azeka Shopping Center, 1279 S Kihei Rd, Unit 204 Kīhei, Hawaiʻi 96753
Nutcharee’s Authentic Thai Food
Owner and chef Nutcharee Case remains true to her craft in serving authentic Thai cuisine. This talented chef first opened her restaurant in Hana back in 2011 and in 2015, she moved to Kihei and relocated her restaurant to the Kīhei’s Azeka Makai Center. Although she has lived on Maui for many years, she has held on to her Thai roots in the dishes she serves. She prides herself on creating authentic Thai dishes made to order using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. She has won numerous awards for her cuisine. The restaurant offers an extensive menu of various Thai
dishes that include spring rolls, summer rolls, green papaya salad, fried tofu, coconut shrimp, fried rice, soups and curries, noodle dishes, as well as stir fried dishes. Save room for dessert that incorporates tropical fruit and coconut milk. They are open six days a week from 11:30 am – 3:30 pm and 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, except Tuesdays. You can dine in or order to go.
1280 S Kihei Rd Ste 124 Kihei, HI 96753
SOL Brothers Southern BBQ
1 Pi’ikea Avenue, Kihei, HI 96753
The trend of food trucks serving tasty dishes is very much the case when it comes to this southern BBQ eatery. You can find them in Kihei serving up dishes such as smoked baby back ribs, drunken chicken, and jerk chicken to list a few entrees that come with a side of beans and rice or the local favorite, mac salad. They also have sandwich options that even include a twelve-hour smoked brisket sandwich, or salad options such as grilled chicken salad. For the little ones, they have a kid’s meals available as well. Stop by their location and grab a meal to go, they are open from 12 noon – 8 pm six days a week, closed on Mondays.
Suns Out Buns Out Kihei
Piʻikea Avenue, Kihei, Hawaii 96753, United States
Chef and owner, TJ moved from Virginia to Maui hoping to find a new adventure that included his 25 years of culinary experience. He had a vision to incorporate mainland comfort food with Asian bao buns, something he says is prevalent in Hawaii. His menu is creative where he incorporates guava glazed pork belly with pickled vegetables in a ube bao or a buttermilk fried chicken with a special sauce and slaw in a bao. He also has a fried shrimp version and oyster mushrooms for vegetarians. His menu also includes sloppy tots – a creation of fried tater tots topped with kalua pork or buttermilk fried chicken. If you are in the mood for a more filling meal, he does offer bao-less plates with pork belly, kalua pork, tofu, or roasted beets with a variety of sides. This food truck is open daily from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm.