Boasting a veritable alphabet soup of words, we wonder if maybe this little restaurant is overcompensating. Although we’d understand if so, they really don’t have to. No bigger than your living room, Upcountry Fresh Tamales and Mixed Plate – UFTAMP, if you will – manages to churn out a wide...

In the six relatively short years since first opening, Coconut’s Fish Cafe in K?hei has become a top-rated area restaurant with a burgeoning string of franchised locations on the mainland. Named after the owner’s cat, the Coconut Shrimp  ($10.99) might be shocked to learn it’s not all about...

It was a dark and stormy night. Lightning threatened to ignite the very ground beneath our feet, seeming to chase us as we ran toward the refuge offered by the Queen Ka’ahumanu Mall. Denied shelter in the Verizon store, we bolted up the stairs toward the food court as the howl of a wolf – or...

In John Hughes’ 1985 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film starring Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy, we are taught not to stereotype others based on appearances. Haui’s Life’s a Beach – a veritable chameleon of a bar/restaurant/karoake...

In nineteen hundred forty-two Kuau Store was brand spankin’ new. Since that time, the little building off the Hana Highway has been through many incarnations, the most memorable to whit being the former Kuau Mart. Known for plate lunches, local surfer sightings and the proprietors’ uncanny...

By all accounts, Central Kahului’s Restaurant Matsu is a re-purposed double-wide trailer located in a parking lot on a nondescript part of Alamaha, but don’t tell that to the throngs of satisfied customers. The place is often standing room only – abuzz with hungry diners and others awaiting...

If it’s been a while since your mom called you pet names while filling your empty tummy, it could be time to pay a visit to the lady who gave you life. But let’s say – for whatever reason – that’s not so easy. No worries, as the sweet, sunny proprietress of the all-lunch-and-only-lunch...

Stillwell’s Bakery and Cafe in Wailuku came preceded by a veritable parade of acclaim. Their website boasts, “We are well known for our famous Chinese Chicken Salad.” and “Stillwell’s Cream Horns are a favorite for visitors and locals alike and boxes of them are often seen leaving Maui as a...

Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968), the five-time Olympian who brought surfing to Australia, Southern California and – ultimately – the entire world, left behind one of the Aloha State’s greatest legacies. How he came to front the Hawaiian equivalent of Red Lobster is beyond us, but there’s probably...

Ichiban Okazuya: The first time we met, we hated each other. Us: No, you didn’t hate me, I hated you. The second time we met, you didn’t even remember me. Ichiban Okazuya: I did too, I remembered you. You ordered Chow Fun. The third time we met, you ordered the Katsu and we became friends....

Anticipation Anticipation Is making me late Is keeping me way-ay-aiting This song was not playing overhead during our visits to The Fish Market Maui (TFMM) in Lahaina, but if they ever decide to employ an anthem or theme song or something, it would get our vote. Heralded by great word of...

Do you like breakfast? What about lunch? Then we’ve got an offer for you! What do you do when your stomach angrily informs you it’s time for a refill? Up until now, you probably had to drive around to area grocery stores, purchase a bunch of food, take it home, cut it up and cook it. No more...

Arguably the most outspoken – if not the bravest – comedian in the business, Bill Maher brings his droll political observations to Maui this New Year’s Day. His annual Aloha Live Stand Up Tour is now in its fourth year and offers ticketholders the opportunity to experience his unparalleled...

Key Vocabulary Kombucha – a lightly effervescent fermented drink of sweetened tea that most likely originated in China before spreading to Russia in the early 1900s. Lovelovelove – a listed ingredient in several Maui Kombucha food items SCOBY – Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast Early...

Good morning, Mr. X. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to elevate the beloved cuisine of your childhood. You may select any two items for transmutation into fine dining fodder, but it is essential that you also include: Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches Spaghetti-Os Rice...

Tucked into the uber-crowded parking lot of the Maui Seaside Hotel in Kahului is Tante’s Island Cuisine, a breakfast, lunch and dinner joint that is something of a family-run Denny’s. The sweeping menu is borderline-boundless and runs the gamut from steak and lobster to local food and even a...

Forget the fact that you’re on Maui. Forget the fact that this is a strip mall. Forget. Forget! Olvídalo. ¡Olvídalo! — Now that you’ve forgotten, take a breath and focus your attention on the vaulted ceiling, woven leather chairs and long granite-topped bar before you. Humble exterior aside,...

We do not know the owner of Prison Street Pizza, but we imagine him a “calling it like he sees it,” no frills-type dude. Suffering from an over-abundance of imagination, we even conjured the following totally fake, make-believe interaction for you: Prison Street Pizza Owner (PSPO): I’m...

Let’s see. There was Sporty Spice, Baby Spice, Scary Spice, Posh Spice and… Who are we forgetting? Oh yes. Thai Spice. This latest addition to the all-star lineup has taken over the space left behind by Tortillas Burrito Company on the Hana Highway in Paia. The menu contains most – if not all...

Oh, Tortugas. You so crazy. Let’s get this straight. On an island with plenty of Mexican options already, you open yet another one with a predominant focus on just one thing: tortas. Like a boss. The Mexican sandwich – which the restaurant explains are known as  “tortugas” (turtles) in Mexico...

Radiohead – Creep The Who – Pinball Wizard Warrant – Cherry Pie Led Zeppelin –Stairway to Heaven What do these four songs have in common? If you guessed, “They’re all sung by men,” well, thanks Captain Obvious. However,  if you know your obscure rock history, you’re aware that despite...

As anyone who’s anyone who knows anyone who knows anything knows, you don’t go to Hana without enjoying some lunch from Pranee’s Authentic Thai Food… or Nutcharee’s Authentic Thai Food, depending on the day. But for those with flexible schedules, the age-old debate rages: do you go Saturday...

Understated to the point of being near-invisible, Surfside Spirits and Deli in Kihei has no need to fly so low under the radar. Rather, this stealth bomber of plate lunch purveyors deserves a loud, proud and regular spot in your rotation. Beyond offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, there’s...

When last we saw our hero, he was wearing a sky blue tuxedo and drifting toward Tahiti on the back of a fiberglass swan paddle boat. Fortunes changed, tides shifted, sky blue tuxedos disintegrated and were replaced with Gap straight fit khakis, workers toiled in the sun, and fortunes changed...

And you may find yourself bracing against freezing cold And you may find yourself in another part of the world And you may find yourself behind the wheel of an out-of-control bike And you may find yourself in a beautiful room, with some beautiful food And you may ask yourself Well…How did I...

For the love of General Tso, what does a person have to do to get some decent Chinese food on this rock? If this is a question sounds familiar, we have two words for you: China Boat. Admittedly, it’s no Char Hung Sut, but it’s arguably the best Maui has to offer. The 100-plus item menu reads...

Tucked well out of sight behind Fred’s Mexican Cafe on South Kihei Road, you may not even realize 808 Bistro exists. Serving just breakfast and dinner in a surprisingly private, lush green setting, it’s somehow simultaneously front-and-center and off the beaten path. Regardless, should you...

Authentic Texas-style barbecue is not something you’d expect to find on the shores of Maui – Napili Bay, to be exact – but if you find yourself at the cleverly named Iron Imu BBQ Company, you can expect to find the unexpected. Case in point: the restaurant itself is located in the lobby of...

If the words “slightly salty” bring to mind terms like brackish, saline and briny, then prepare to log a whole new entry in your mental (and culinary) database. Most days the Slightly Salty food truck can be found in the Food Truck Oasis, that little cluster of stands that gather daily across...

Raised on the east coast by people who used the oven to store Wonder Bread and cereal boxes, we arrived at the University of California at Santa Cruz having never seen – let alone eaten – an artichoke, avocado or block of tofu. Hippie colleges have a way of making vegans out of a person, and...

Family friendly, easy-on-the-budget dining options on Maui are a lot like the Hawaiian Monk Seal: rare. Penne Pasta Cafe in Lahaina solidly fills that niche, although the food itself often underwhelms. Noting the mention of “penne” in the name, we started with the Baked Penne NY ($10.95). The...

Whoever said “the best things in life are free” clearly never dined at Ka’ana Kitchen in the Andaz Maui. Alas, pricey is the way the gourmet resort cookie crumbles, but we promise you this: it’s worth it. For those that take to more “creative” measures to fund your new astronomical...

Critiquing Mexican (or any cuisine, really) food on Maui is the social media equivalent of wearing a “kick me” sign to a Tae Kwon Do exhibition. Clearly, we like to live dangerously. Similarly, if you enjoy playing fast and loose with your taste buds, Fernando waits for you in all his...

When two different people told us Maui’s best burgers are being served at upcountry’s humbly named Liquor Shack and Deli (formerly Liquor Shack and Grinds, near as we can tell), we figured “if a shack is good enough for the B-52s, it’s good enough for us.” So we gassed up our Chrysler (it...

You see, in this world there’s two kinds of people: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. Scratch that. In this world there’s four kinds of people: Those with loaded guns, those who dig, those who stand in line for breakfast and those who would rather do anything other than stand in line,...

Mulligans on the Blue in Wailea is a veritable Maui institution known for Thursday quiz nights, rowdy St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and regular doses of the musical magic that is Willie K. But how’s the food? Happily, there are some reliable pub standards available. However, much like the...

Nothing gets people going quite like debates about religion, politics or – apparently – pizza. Ever willing to admit if we were wrong, when several people (angry villagers with torches) recently suggested (insisted) that the best New York style pizza on Maui isn’t in (friggin’) Kihei, but...

What says “Fourth of July” quite like attempting to blow up your yard, passing cars and/or your person; all while inhaling the smokey siren song of sweet, sweet barbecue? Although we can’t help you in the procuring and igniting of said boom, if you’re looking for some ‘Q today – and don’t...

Are you a sumo wrestler who can’t quite seem to fill up? Does it take fourteen Hungry Man dinners to stop the rumbling? Have you ever been chased out of an all-you-can eat restaurant for “taking brazen advantage” of the situation? You may have an eating disorder. Look into it. Meanwhile, get...