Nearly every year, Gio’s family takes a trip to Wailea to rewind and enjoy some of the best restaurants in Maui. Our top restaurant recommendation in Maui is actually outside of Wailea, but it is a must: Mama’s Fish House. Top recommended hotel: Kea Lani (mostly for the swim-up bar).
Why stop in Maui? Continue on to Japan- see our Tokyo & Osaka Guide here.
Don’t know what to pack? Here’s Jess’s Packing List.
Top Restaurants
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 8.5/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Food: 9/10 Beverage Program: 8/10
Located a 40-ish min drive from Wailea (where almost everything else we have reviewed is located), Mama’s is our #1 restaurant in Maui and one of our top 5 restaurants in the world. Proof- we will happily drive 40 or so minutes each way… and we get carsick so we almost never do that. Mama’s books up immediately, so the moment you book your trip to Maui, you should work on getting a reservation. We recommend lunch to enjoy the beachside view. The restaurant is indoor-outdoor, so do dress accordingly for the weather (it can get warm, but don’t let that deter you). Jess’s favorite dish is the toothfish, and Gio likes the opakapaka. If you call 48 hours ahead of time, the chef can try to arrange for fresh sashimi (we highly recommend the fresh ahi). Mai Tai’s are excellent, and Jess always orders the Pau Hana gin and ginger drink because it’s not too sweet. We go a minimum of 2 times per trip and couldn’t recommend it more. Make sure to order lots of appetizers to share.
Mama’s is worth the flight to Maui (we often go straight off the airplane as it is closer to the airport than Wailea).
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Food: 8/10 Bar Program: 8/10
Spago is a solid option for a nice dinner in Maui, located on the upper floor of the Four Seasons. We have been many times and, while the service has always been good, the last time it was excellent, so we bumped the rating up. The famous ‘Spago-cones’- we find to be a little too sweet. Other than that, we enjoy a lot of the menu items- especially the bolognese pasta (which you can order in a small portion and you should definitely consider). No corkage here, as with pretty much all Wolfgang Puck restaurants.
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 7.5/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Food: 8.5/10 Beverage Program: NA (sake list is solid)
Morimoto Maui has impressively fresh fish and quality local specials that are not to be missed- especially the ahi poke tacos. Make sure to make a reservation and specify exactly where you want- we prefer either the outdoor bar or the outdoor, large table directly to the right of it (seats 6 very comfortably). It is colder indoors, so on nights when the weather is nice… it is great to sit outside- you might even catch the hotel’s fire show…
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 6.5/10 Food: 8.5/10 Bar Program: 7/10
Probably the most modern dining concept in Wailea shops, Lineage offers Chinese fusion with a younger vibe in a moody and casual restaurant. We highly recommend spending a dinner here- the garlic noodles are absolutely not to be missed and the fried chicken is almost iconic. Reservations necessary (and you can reserve dinner at the bar, which we will 100% do again).
Overall: Highly Consider
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Food: 8.5/10 Beverage: 6/10
This walk-in only sushi spot in Kihei is our favorite casual lunch spot on the island, and it is just outside of Wailea. The fish is very fresh (we love the local sashimi platter) and the rolls are extravagant. The portions are generous, so do be prepared. It can get cold (which is a great thing for sushi restaurants, we think) so do bring a sweater on a hot day. We usually arrive at least 10 minutes before opening to secure a seat.
Top Bars
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Bar Program: 8/10
This is certainly our favorite bar in Maui for sunset drinks, and they usually have very good live music at night. Bar seats are hard to come by and hotel guests do seem to get priority (which should be the case), but go early and snag some bar seats or a comfortable lounge chair. They also have very good snacks including yuca fries which Jess loves and (sometimes) sushi rolls or chef pop-ups. This is the bar when you enter the Four Seasons directly from the front or pool/beach level, in the lobby. Also, yes, the bar in White Lotus.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 6/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 6.5/10 Beer Selection: 7.5/10
This Kihei outpost is a quick ride from Wailea resorts and offers a nice afternoon activity. We have always gone early/around opening time, so we are not sure how busy it gets later in the day, but they apparently offer live music many evenings. We like a pre-lunch beer flight and a few snacks, if we’re hungry. Indoor-outdoor and it should be noted there are usually chickens roaming around.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Food: 7/10 Bar Program: 7/10
This is Kea Lani’s swim up bar and neighboring grill, and it is a huge reason why we often choose to stay at the Kea Lani- it is a fun place to spend the day. Both the chicken tenders and Maui Salad with the fresh catch were memorably good. The ambiance is often determined by whichever guests are there (as with most swim-up bars).
More Restaurants & Bars...
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7.5/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Food: 7/10 Bar Program: NA
Located downstairs of the Four Seasons, this steak and seafood restaurant offers Four Seasons-level service with a menu that has something for everyone. Jess enjoyed the penang curry and sitting outdoors is wonderful in good Maui weather (we usually visit in December). We don’t visit DUO every trip to Maui, but when we have gone we enjoyed it.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 6/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Food: 6/10 Bar Program: 5.5/10
This locals-friendly cafe is a 30-45 minute drive from Wailea and is worth it if you are staying in town for a long time and want to mix things up (while you can get an Uber there, it might be a dicier situation trying to get an Uber back). Gio’s parents love this place, and they used to visit often when they lived in Hawaii, so it has many good memories. It is a locals favorite- especially for the pork enchilada pie. They do have very good desserts. We personally don’t love it, but part of that has to do with the drive.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7.5/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 7.5/10 Bar Program: 7/10
This indoor-outdoor pool restaurant is located in the Marriott and has solid food and drinks. It is slightly air-conditioned (or feels like it, at least), so on hot days it offers a nice break. It is definitely a good, casual lunch spot with people watching over the pool. The nearby bar is also comfortable and has a nice ocean view, but is sometimes filled with guests-only signs (but we have only seen these enforced in the actual pool).
Overall: Worth A Visit
Service: 6/10 Atmosphere: 6 /10 Food: NA Beverage Program: 6/10
A casual place for lunch in the afternoons. Unfortunately, Jess’s weird allergy to bee products makes it hard for her to eat here (honey is even in the pizza dough!) but it is a casual and nice lunch spot and people love the lilikoi (passion fruit) foam on the Mai Tais (also made of honey). Everyone seems to go here for casual lunches.
Overall: Consider
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 7/10 Beverage Program: 6/10
This is Grand Wailea’s poolside restaurant, and we have really only gone for lunch (and mostly only eaten the pizzas- which can be highly customized and are quite good). Ask for a pizza extra crispy and enjoy the ocean breeze. The bar program is average, but we had a slight problem with the wine list looking good and them being sold out of most of what we tried to order.
Overall: Maybe
Not rated
A good spot for watching sports games and having a quick bite, located in the shopping mall near Lineage (which you should go to).
Hotels
The Four Seasons has the best lobby bar in Wailea. The private pool for guests has a great swim up bar- small but high-end. The rooms aren’t a great value, which is why we prefer Kea Lani.
The Grand Wailea is the hotel we often stay at with family, but it’s not our personal favorite. It’s a little spread out and also a bit out-of-date (especially the gym) with seemingly never-ending construction. The pool service is mostly a miss, and even though the pools are cold there are very fun waterslides for all ages to enjoy. The swim up bar is in a cave and can be fun. The bar in the lobby is great around sunset time, with live music and a very friendly bartender named Keoni– tell him we said hello!
The Kea Lani is our preferred hotel due to the great swim-up bar, convenient location, and brand new gym. The bar in the evenings is comfortable, made particularly enjoyable with live music as the sun sets. The rooms are comfortable and spacious, and the service has been solid for all of our stays.
This Marriott hotel is a favorite of many, and we enjoyed our stay there. While it might be tempting to book the base room with points, we highly recommend against the base rooms (ours was in a dark nook by a water heater and surrounded by loud families so we did need to change, but maybe some are better?). The suites overlooking the ocean and pool are spacious and comfortable. The restaurant Kapa Bar & Grill is also a great lunch spot. The pool is nice, but lounge chairs instantly fill up and the cabanas are reservation-only. This hotel is generally comfortable and in a great location.
We have not stayed at the Andaz, but we do enjoy going to Morimoto there, and the location is nice. The pools are laid out in a ‘tier-style’, which spaces them out a lot- separated by staircases. We would highly suggest avoiding this hotel if you cannot walk up stairs because there are so many (there are ADA golf-carts available but they can take a while).
Tourism & Travel Notes
As much as it seems easy to rent a car, Gio and I much prefer using Ubers and the occasional hotel house-car, both of which are plentiful. As you’ve noticed from our post, we spend most of our time in Wailea, which is very easy to get around and has a wonderful walking path along the beach that (can be hilly but) does get you between hotels easily.
Most hotels offer wristbands for their guests and are only open to hotel guests. Resorts Pass has proven a great way to explore other hotel pools when you get bored of your own- we used this to go to the Kea Lani swim up bar one time when we were staying in a house nearby and had a great afternoon.
Notable Places Visited & Not Reviewed
KŌ: We don’t want to review this restaurant at the Kea Lani Hotel because we haven’t been in years and we heard it’s changed its concept (it was not memorable before but that can be a good thing?). Matteo’s: This is a standard Italian restaurant that might be worth a visit if you are in the area for over a week. Ruth’s Chris: Standard chain with lots of butter on steaks and hot plates. Tommy Bahamas: Coconut shrimp type of deal. Wailea Swim-Up Bar: You should obviously check out this cave-style bar if you are staying at Wailea, but it is not a reason itself to stay at the hotel. If you are looking for a hotel with a good swim-up bar we would suggest Kea Lani istead.
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