All my vacations are planned around food foremost. I love researching restaurants, local eats and street food. Every trip, I like to include at least one splurge dinner. Lahaina Grill met all of my research criteria of being local, exclusive to Maui and had amazing reviews.

Atmosphere: The first thing I noticed walking into the restaurant were all the beautiful paintings. Every wall featured stunning pieces with bright colours and created an elegant backdrop for dinner. White linen tablecloths dressed each table and the room was lit with warm pendant lights. The dining space felt like a private dining room, intimate, comfortable and refined. Amongst the diners, dress code varied across the spectrum from suit jackets to t-shirts. I only wish the tables were more spaced out.

Service: Service at Lahaina Grill was superb, professional and efficient. Bread crumbs were swept away before appetizers were served, servingware was refreshed with each course and our server checked in on us throughout the meal. My water glass was never empty and we felt well taken care of.

Food: To start, the bread and butter was divine. The dinner rolls were pre-cut, warm and were a perfect canvas for the soft garlic chive butter. For appetizers, we split an order of The Cake Walk, a trio of fried seafood cakes, and a Bowl of Maui Onion Soup. I loved the presentation for The Cake Walk and they all tasted amazing. There was a shrimp cake with hoisin, a medallion of seared ahi tuna served on rice and a lobster, crab and scallop cake. I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite of the three. The bowl of Maui Onion soup was piping hot, gooey and had a beautiful toasted topping. Onions grown on the island were used and the flavour was so rich.

For our entrees, both The Fiance and I were swept away with the daily specials. I had the seafood special of panko crusted fresh Opakapaka while The Fiance had the land special of bone in, centre cut ribeye steak. The filet was cooked perfectly, flakey with just a light crust. The risotto was creamy and buttery. I had a great time with my dish and the portion was filling. It was hard not to compare this ribeye with the one The Fiance ordered at Jacobs & Co. Although there was a significant price difference between the two steaks, Lahaina Grill’s held its own. The outside of the ribeye was a bit on the charred side but the inside was a perfect pink.

Overall Lahaina Grill would be a great choice for a nice sit down meal; be it a special occasion, date night or a reason to switch up flip flops for heels while on vacation (although it doesn’t seem to be a requirement).

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.