It has taken me over 6 months to finish writing about my vacation in Maui. This is the first time I’ve so closely documented a trip and it was a lot of fun to reminisce with each post I wrote. I’m so lucky to have a partner who shares my love of eating and our vacations are pretty much planned around meals. When we booked our trip to Maui, attending a Luau was at the top of our to-eat list. After reading reviews and talking to people on Twitter, I choose to make reservations for Feast at Lele based on the intimate beach setting, private tables and French style service.

Service: Feast at Lele offers one sunset seating per day and the time varies by the season. I would recommend making reservations ahead of time to secure a table. We booked close to the end of our trip when we’d be up for a relaxing meal, with plenty of drinks, and it was a great way to wrap up our time on Maui. For groups of less than 9 people, cancellations are accepted until 10am the day of your luau. There wasn’t much cover from the elements and with unpredictable island weather, make sure to book with a hotel number or working cell phone number in case the luau’s cancelled due to rain.

Our seating was at 6:30pm and we spent the late afternoon walking around Lahaina before hand. Our hotel shuttle dropped us off at Lahaina Harbour and it’s about a 15 minute walk to the feast. There were plenty of taxis available after the feast to get back safely. When we arrived, we were offered fresh leis, a cocktail and taken to our seats, front row and centre (w00t). The first row of tables were all small tables and had the best view of the stage. Our server came to introduce himself, walked us through the drink menu and took our first order. He was very friendly, efficient and kept the drinks coming.

Atmosphere: The stage was set up right along the beach and we watched the sunset while guests slowly took their seats. I couldn’t have imagined a more scenic view. All of the servers and wait staff were dressed in sarongs and many guests sported Hawaiian shirts.

For me, the “feast” of the night was only ok, it was the “show” that made the luau. Feast at Lele aims to celebrate the food and dance of 4 Polynesian islands. Each island is represented by a course made up of 4-6 dishes and a performance. All of the performances were fun, energetic and truly entertaining. I loved the chanting of the New Zealand Maori Haka, the grace of the Hula, and the spectacle of the Samoan fire knife dance. We could feel the heat of the fire from our seats.

Three hours flew by and the experience was well-worth the price tag.

Food: Before getting into each course, I want to note that at any point in the meal, it is possible to ask for seconds on a dish. There’s so much food served that I would recommend getting seconds right away if you like something, otherwise you will fill up on other dishes that are only ok.

Feast at Lele is open bar with a selection of cocktails, liquors and beer. A premium selection is available at an extra cost. We stuck to the standard list and happily sipped too many creamy Pina Coladas and Mai Tais. There was one drink that was a Pina Colada with a swirl of strawberry cream that legit tasted like strawberry ice cream. I was in heaven after the first sip.

Of the four courses, my favourite was Hawaii, followed by New Zealand, Samoa and Tahiti. My favourite dishes were the Kalua Pork with Poi and the Hangi sliced steak. Both of these meat dishes were flavourful, tender and rich. We may have been spoiled by the rest of our meals in Maui but none of the seafood dishes stood out that night. In fact, I was looking forward to the baked Scallops of the Tahiti course, but the majority of them were undercooked.

Many of the side dishes that used fresh, raw ingredients were delicious, like the salad from the Hawaii course and the E-Iaota (raw fish ceviche) from the Tahiti course.

Overall, the private tables, table side service, stunning sunset and entertainment was what made Feast at Lele a great luau experience. I would recommend this luau for couples, adults or older children.

Although Tasty Crust was my second choice for lunch, it should have been my first. At Tasty Crust, I had the best bowl of saimin, delicious fried chicken and a satisfying plate of loco moco. The food was simple, well priced and above all, true to it’s name – Tasty.

Our order started with just the fried chicken and loco moco, but after watching locals all around me slurping down noodles, I couldn’t resist. The price tag of <$5 for a small bowl made the dish even more irresistible. The broth was savoury, the noodles cooked just right, with plenty of chopped pork and green onions on top.

Two sunny side up eggs, a large hamburger patty covered with a thick gravy and two mounds of steamed rice made up the plate of Loco Moco, a local Hawaiian dish. After a day of hiking, this was a satisfying plate. The hamburger patty was moist and the sauce was so tasty (there’s a keyword of this review). Even today, I still think about that fried chicken. The skin really was super crispy, similar to Korean Fried Chicken and lightly seasoned. For ~$6 – $8 per plate, this meal was delicious and a great deal.

Whether you’re on your way to Iao Valley or just driving around Maui, if you find yourself in Wailuku, Tasty Crust is a perfect stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Prior to my trip to Maui, I did a lot of food research and found out about Hawaiian’s love for plate lunches and spam musubis. Local Food serves up the best of both. Of all the spam musubis I had during my 10 days in Maui, this first one set the bar high and nothing beat it.

After a morning of exploring Lahaina and booking activities, we set out to find Local Food. Based on the address, I knew where it was supposed to be, but all we saw was a parking lot. The Fiance was convinced I was getting us lost until I noticed the wooden shed and hand painted sign hiding underneath an awning between two parked cars. Local Food was not the easiest to find. Stay on the East side of the street and south of the gas station.

We ordered a Hawaiian plate lunch with Kalua Pork ($7) and two spam musubis ($1.50 each). $10 bought plenty of food to feed the two of us. The plate lunch came with two generous scoops of rice and a large romaine salad. On top of the generous portions, the food was also delicious. There was no skimping on the natural flavour from the pork fat and the dish was perfectly salted. Both spam musubis were still warm, had a thick slice of spam and were full of sauce. The sauce was what made these special, and the best spam musubis I had in Maui.

Great value, local fare and perfect for lunch. Local Food is a must visit if you’re in the Lahaina area.

The Fiance and I spent our last day in Maui on the Road to Hana. It was an unforgettable day, filled with waterfalls, fresh fruit, coconut ice cream, stunning ocean views and a harrowing drive. We were looking forward to dinner, a reward after an active day and the Deep Fried Spam Musubi at Da Kitchen did the trick.

We arrived at 8pm. While there was a queue for tables of 4, as a duo, we were seated after a 5 minute wait. The space inside was painted a stark white and sparsely decorated. Our order consisted of the famous deep fried Spam Musubi, a bowl of Saimin and Korean fried chicken. After all the hiking we had done, I was craving greasy comfort food. I polished off all three plates with The Fiance’s help, but it was mostly my accomplishment.

Deep frying spam musubi sounds excessive, but the actual result was the right amount of indulgence. The additional crispy exterior contrasted the moist rice inside and soaked up the sauce. The dish could only be made more perfect if it came with an extra bowl of sauce. When the server brought over our giant bowl of saimin, I was a little intimidated. The noodle bowl was easily the same size as a Large or even Extra Large pho in Toronto. While the portion size was satisfying, I didn’t find the noodles special. A solid dish, but not the best Saimin of the trip. Ordering the Korean chicken was a gamble that paid off. I didn’t know what to expect, but the tender pieces of fried chicken served with a sweet soy sauce was filling and tasty. I especially liked the coarse crust.

After several meals of fish tacos, I was ready for a change. Star Noodle was the perfect meal and I even contemplated a return visit during our trip to Maui, the food was that good.

Atmosphere: Located near the Kaanapali Resort area, Star Noodle was tucked away behind the main road in a fairly new neighborhood. Following our GPS, the Fiance was sure I was getting us lost until I spotted their sign. A good number of people were already waiting outside the restaurant for a table. We added our names to the queue and joined them. The interior of the restaurant was modern with large communal tables in the centre, bar stools along the bar and more private tables along the walls. We sat down around 8pm and there was still a small line when we left close to 10pm. Diners ranged from couples to families and across the spectrum of ages.

Service: It was a 45 minute wait before we were seated. When the family at the table next to us left, the servers moved quickly to clean up and reset the table. I appreciated seeing the efficiency and effort Star Noodle put in to turn over tables. It was also nice because we weren’t rushed at all during our meal. Our server was friendly, answered all of our menu questions and offered recommendations. Our appetizers arrived quickly, hot and each course was served after the previous one was cleared.

Food: After reading the menu, I wanted to order everything. We had to settle on two appetizers, two entrees and I forced room for dessert. Still it was too much food and my dress was uncomfortably tight after but I would do it again. For our appetizers, we ordered the Steamed Pork Buns and the Vietnamese Crepe. The buns were fine, soft baos and flavoured pork belly. Personally, I prefer my pork belly charred and more crispy, not the best baos ever but decent. I loved the Vietnamese crepe (Banh Xeo). Minced pork and shrimp, cooked with coconut milk, was wrapped in a crispy crepe and served with fresh bibb lettuce, basil and cilantro. Each bite was delicious and the portion was huge. The flavours were rich, savoury, creamy and all the different textures were brilliant together. Just writing about it makes me want to have it again (any recommendations in Toronto?).

Both The Fiance and I went with noodles for our mains. I chose the local saimin with spam and fish cakes while he ordered the Hapa Ramen. Both bowls did an excellent job with the broth. My dashi was well seasoned and The Fiance’s pork broth was rich and milky. The toppings were generous and I liked the simplicity of my bowl, strong flavours and fresh ingredients. I would have preferred my noodles a little more al dente. As is, they were a bit soft. Overall, I liked my saimin the best but it was a close call.

I didn’t have any room left for dessert but plates of Malasadas kept walking by and when our server offered to bring us a half serving (just two vs. the usual four), I couldn’t resist. The fried dough balls were piping hot, coated in sugar and served with crushed peanuts, butterscotch and chocolate sauce. A decadent dessert. The malasadas were airy and I had to stop myself from licking the butterscotch sauce off the plate.

Leilani’s is the second restaurant we visited for dinner in Maui, just across from Hula Grill in Whaler’s Village. We were still trying to get over jetlag but had worked up a nice appetite from walking around Lahaina. 6pm dinner Maui time was still 12am back in Toronto.

Atmosphere: Similar to Hula Grill, Leilani’s offers a sit in dining area and a beach side one. We chose to line up for the Beach Side Grill because it had the shortest queue and we were hungry. The set up felt like a giant patio, there was no live music but the tables felt less crowded than Hula Grill. Giant umbrellas provided shade and protection from the rain, which turned into a heavy pour while we ate. Again, I would guess that more 95% of the diners were tourists.

Service: Nothing was spectacular or disappointing. Our server was professional and efficient. I was impressed at how quickly the staff rolled out a large awning when the rain grew heavier. They also didn’t mind when we lingered after we settled the bill to wait it out. Prices were a little on the higher side for the fare but it wasn’t out to left field and it was a very tourist heavy area.

Food: Between The Fiance and I, we shared an Ahi Poke Bowl, Fish Tacos and the Fresh Catch of the Day. Both of us loved the taro chips provided to scoop up the two kinds of ahi poke. They were fresh, thin and crispy. The poke themselves were on the very salty side and we quickly got through all of the chips. Delicious, but super salty. Between Hula Grill and Leilani’s, I preferred Leilani’s fish taco while The Fiance liked Hula Grill’s. Now looking back, I also realize that almost every restaurant has some kind of claim that their fish taco is the best on the island. I liked how firm the fish was and the creaminess of the cheese and sauce. I also thought the tortilla held up better and had a firmer texture.

I don’t remember exactly what the catch of the day was but when placing the order, we were able to choose how to the fish would be cooked. Options included plain grilled, grilled with butter and cajun style. We choose cajun and the fish was served alongside a giant pile of fresh greens and mounds of pineapple salsa. The salad was generously dressed, a little too heavily for my taste. The fish was heavenly, cooked perfectly, flakey and well seasoned. My one regret was not having enough room left for a slice of Hula Pie. Three women at the table beside us split a slice and I almost asked to join in. It looked like layers of chocolate, whipped cream and heaven but The Fiance is lactose intolerant and I couldn’t finish a whole slice myself. I really should have tried.

Our first night in Maui, The Fiance and I landed at 6pm. By the time we got through customs, picked up the rental (a lime green mustang convertible) and drove an hour to the hotel, it was 9pm and we’d been awake for close to 21 hours. Needless to say we needed a quick meal that was close by and still open. We stayed at the Sheraton resort in the Kaanapali area and was only a 10 minute walk from Whaler’s Village, a mall with shops and restaurants tailored to the many tourists in the area.

Atmosphere: Hula Grill has two dining areas, an outside barefoot bar in the sand right off the beach and a more formal interior space. We chose to sit outside and was directed to a table right in front of the live performance stage. It was nice to have sand in between your toes during dinner and I immediately felt like I was on vacation. Large beach umbrellas provide cover, and the space is lined with palm trees and tiki torches. The restaurant was still pretty busy with people enjoying drinks and dessert. There was definitely a heavy proportion of tourists and the mood was relaxed.

Service: Once we were seated, we had time to sit with our menus before our server came to introduce herself. She was friendly and professional. Our food arrived after a short wait and our bill was brought to us once the plates were cleared. It was a hard to track down our server as she moved in and out of the restaurant but it didn’t hamper our dinner at all.

Food: After such a long day, I knew I needed to eat something but my stomach was already asleep and ready for bed. We decided to split a plate of Local-Style Potstickers and a Fresh Fish Taco. Both dishes were “Hawaiian” and the fish would be light.

The potstickers were deep fried, filled with kalua pork, Maui Onion and served with a ponzu sauce.The skins were super crispy, not oily and the filling was rich and flavourful. I loved the ponzu sauce and it was nice tangy, sweet balance to the potstickers. This was my first of many fish tacos to come in Maui and it set a nice bar for the trip. The fish was lightly grilled and you could really taste the natural flavour with no fishiness. The salsa topping and coleslaw filling was also light allowing the fish to take centre stage.

Overall, our meal at Hula Grill was a nice way to start our trip. With the decor and overload of Hawaiian shirts, we slipped right into vacation mode while listening to ukulele performers and enjoying a great fish taco.