Maui - Kihei good food?

[BorntoEat]

Hello all -

Am planning a trip to Maui and will be staying in Kihei. Looking for good places to eat in the area (if there are any). Also looking for advice on farmer's markets and places to buy local produce/fish/meats as will be cooking back at the condo as well. I know nothing compares to the Hilo Big Island farmer's market, but would love to get some local staples.

Thanks!
BorntoEat

ps I'm totally willing to drive for good stuff - one of the reasons we stayed in Kihei is that it's closer to get to the east side of the island for more food options.

[amattern]

we had our honey moon in Kihei-and bought foods at all the farmers mkt.
we ate out two times the whole time, at Cafe O'Leis, on the main drag.
it was great price $6-30
depending. we did lunch both times and had local fish and chips, oh i forgot, we once had lobster and steak.
it was a super restaurant and didnt break the bank, they have sushi too.
and alcohol:)

[Rockgrappler]

This is so funny, I was going to ask the exact same thing. I would only add suggestions for Wailea (not in a hotel). Thanks!

[honu2]

Kihei adjoins Wailea, which has the upscale hotels and fewer nonhotel restaurants. So all of the suggestions for Kihei restaurants work for your stay in Wailea

[Docsknotinn]

There's nothing in Wailea but hotels. There's a mall with a Ruth's Criss, Tommy Bahama and a few other restaurants.

[alanbarnes]

Produce: the Saturday flea market next to the post office in Wailuku town. Everything from aloha shirts to objects d'art to used samurai swords. Lots of farmers from all over the island bring their produce to sell.

Meat: Long's Drugs (seriously). The store in Azeka Mauka Marketplace on South Kihei Road carries Maui Cattle Company beef in a small stand-up cooler on the front aisle of the store. Good crack seed on the snack aisle, too.

Fish: Eskimo Candy Seafood. It's a commercial operation in an industrial area near the Safeway off of the Pi'ilani Highway, but there's a retail fish counter and a tiny restaurant tucked into one corner of the building.

Plate lunch: Da Kitchen. WAY too much food, though. Share, or give some thought to the doggie bag before you order (laulau is good from the microwave the next day; fried mahi not so much). Or if you find yourself up in Makawao, Kitada's Kaukau Korner. Classic old Hawai'i.

Sushi: Paradise Sushi in the same shopping center as Long's. Small, unhip, and traditional, it contrasts dramatically with Sansei, which is huge, crowded, noisy, and a bit of a scene. I like the sushi better at Paradise. YMMV. Also, if you like very expensive Caucasian-assembled makisushi, Hakone in the Maui Prince Hotel has good innovative rolls.

Pacific Rim: Hali'imaile General Store. Bev Gannon is simply the best chef on the island. Think Alice Waters in paradise. If you eat nowhere else on the island, eat here. Twice.

There are some good options on the West side, but I tend to avoid that whole part of the island (Kihei pushes my tolerance for tourists). OTOH, if you want to watch the Feast at Lele (a well-reviewed luau) but prefer to avoid the steam table food and the fairly steep entry fee, have dinner on the terrace at Hecock's in Lahaina; the back tables of the luau are literally at your feet. Food's pretty good, too.

Enjoy!

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Haliimaile General Store
900 Haliimaile Rd, Makawao, HI 96768

Hecocks Italian Restaurant
505 Front St # 120, Lahaina, HI

Sushi Paradise
1215 S Kihei Rd Ste I, Kihei, HI 96753

Da Kitchen
2439 S Kihei Rd Ste 107A, Kihei, HI 96753

Kitada's Kaukau
3716 Baldwin Ave, Makawao, HI 96768

Eskimo Candy
2665 Waiwai Pl, Kihei, HI 96753

Longs Drugs
1215 S Kihei Rd, Kihei, HI

[aloha gurl]

bad news - Kitada's has closed - sorry

[alanbarnes]

Oh, man. That's like having an auntie die when you knew you didn't visit her enough. Kinda figured it would go on forever...

[mnadel]

We had good sushi at the Kihei branch of Sansei. (I think that early evening on Sundays, they have a ridiculous half-price special that the locals line up for.)

[snobofwine]

Indeed they do...
Wish I had read this before going there last night
I like this restaurant quite a bit but it was truly nuts
Line of probably 60+ out the door at 5:45 on a Sunday evening

[TMWeddlle]

We stay in Kihei and eat various places in Maui - check out my Trip Report:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/377338