MAUI – PAIA FISH MARKET

While on vacation in Maui, The Fiance and I took a set of engagement photos around North Shore with the lovely and talented Anna Kim. Unfortunately, I managed to hurt my knee during the last photo, a jumping shot, and The Fiance was ready to head back to our hotel. However, I had planned for us to grab lunch at Paia Fish Market and I wasn’t willing to pass it up. After some convincing (aka stubbornness), The Fiance gave in and helped me limp into the restaurant. We arrived just after the lunch rush and was able to grab seats at the communal picnic tables inside. The decor reminded me of an old school boat cabin with wood beams and fish everywhere.

For lunch, we split an order of fish tacos and a fish burger. Our fish tacos were heaped with fresh toppings and served on creamy coleslaw. The fish was well seasoned and shredded, making it easy to get a bit of every ingredient with each bite. I liked how extra corn tortilla shells were included. There was so much filling, it was easy to make 4 tacos out of the two. At $12.95, the portion size was a great deal. The fish burger ($10) was the best I had on the island that trip. The giant slab of fish was cooked to just opaque, had an even crisscross of grill marks and was lightly seasoned, not overpowering the taste of the fresh fish. I loved the tangy tartar sauce and the simple sesame bun. It was worth a little pain to get my hands on that burger.