What and Where to Eat in Maui

I went to Hawaii! You see, my sister is basically a mermaid who lives on Maui, so every once in a while I hop over there like her glowing, arctic mermaid sister and we have a grand ole time. So after bunkering ourselves from Hurricane Lane for my first few days there we emerged, fueled on Cheez-Its and Gushers and ready for a real meal. Here’s everything I ate, drank, and did on Maui!

Where to eat in Maui

Kihei Cafe: Ate the most Hawaiian explosion of French toast while sister had the Hawaiian Snickers Frappuccino. It’s cash only, so be sure to bring the bucks.

Ululani’s Shaved Ice: POG (Passion Orange Guava) shaved ice with mochi and a snow cap (sweetened condensed milk). It was heaven.

Akamai Coffee: A Maui-grown coffee shop in Kihei and Kahului. I asked them to surprise me and got the tastiest concoction of coconut and macadamia.

Maui Brewing Company: I had pineapple beer and macadamia nut pizza and it was everything I ever wanted from an island brewery.

Guadalajara Tacos: Blink and you’ll miss it, but this roadside stand churns out some real good tacos in Kihei.

Monkeypod: Really good food but really really good cocktails. Be sure to go during their daily happy hour!

Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade: Loads of fresh lemonade and kombucha. Try the Watermelon Basil Lemonade!

Poke at Tamara’s Wine and Liquors: I thought I was allergic to fish for my whole life, so fresh Hawaiian poke always seemed on the no-go list. But then I tried a bite of my sister’s spicy tuna poke from the back of this liquor store and I didn’t balloon into an anaphylactic mess! If you’re into raw fish, this is where to get poke.

Sushi Paradise: Devoured the most delicious avocado-wrapped, Maui onion-stuffed veggie roll.

Kihei Farmer’s Market: The liliko’i (passion fruit) cream cheese here is magical. And of course, all the sweet Hawaiian pineapple!

The Gazebo: No trip to Maui is complete without a trip to the Gazebo. Wanna know a secret? You can skip the long line and order takeout. Eat at the tables right next to the restaurant overlooking the beach.

Star Noodle: I devoured the aloha taro dumplings with tofu aioli (and a whole bowl of garlic noodles).

Farmacy Healthy Bar: Basically a vegetarian’s candy shop. Sister had the açaí bowl, I went with the popcorn tofu sandwich.

And all of this feasting obviously fueled some pretty awesome adventures. We hiked the lava rocks out at La Perouse Bay and I nearly passed out hiking the windmills of Lahaina Pali Trail.

We also found one of my favorite new places (ever? on the planet?) out in Hana, where we climbed and jumped off waterfalls, fueled on fresh guava and sunshine.

And then we walked the beach path along the resorts in Wailea. And watched sea turtles and surfers at Ho’okipa Beach. And I learned how to surf! Basically I lived out my dreams of being Lilo and Stitch (but no one tells you how much the Hawaiian rollercoaster ride kills your arms).