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Ahhh Wailea…welcome to the land of perfectly manicured palm trees, drinks by the pool, spa treatments, tee times, and long walks on the beach. This is resort life at its finest. 

If you’re heading to Wailea (lucky duck!) and you want to know all the best places to eat in the area, this post is for you. 

Now let me set your expectations, if you’re looking for local dives with $10 plate lunch specials…this isn’t that. 

Just by nature, this post is going to focus mostly on fine (or at least nice-ish) dining because…that’s what’s abundant. Wailea is a resort area, not a town so most of the restaurants and food options are made to cater towards tourists. And while you should definitely get out and venture to other parts of the island to see the “real Maui,” if you’re planning a relaxing vacation where you spend quite a bit of time at the beach/pool/resort then you’re going to want to know your best options in the area. 

So I’ll give you the lowdown on what spots are definitely worth the $$$ (because not all resort restaurants are created equal) plus my favorite spots for options for happy hour, quick lunches, etc. 

If you’re looking for breakfast options, scroll on down towards the end of this post where I’ll break down the buffets at each resort plus more casual options in the area. 

And I’ve even got luau recommendations plus places that I like nearby in Kihei.

Here’s a quick “table of contents” for what’s in this post:

• My Favorite Wailea Spot
• High End Dining
• Best Places for Sunset Views
• Lounges/Bars/Happy Hours
• Casual Resort Meals
• VERY Casual Resort Meals
• Places Outside the Resorts
• Places I Like in Nearby Kihei

Best Restaurants in Wailea

Okay, without further adieu, here’s my roundup on the best restaurants in Wailea: 

THE Place to Be in Wailea

The Monkeypod

This was one of my go to spots when I lived in Maui and for me, a return trip to Maui is never complete until I’ve had a Monkeypod Mai Tai. 

Their happy hour is a don’t miss because besides their impressive drink menu being discounted, they also do half price appetizers. When you’re in a resort bubble, people take notice of that kind of a deal and that plus a fun atmosphere has kind of made the Monkeypod THE place to be in Wailea (heck all of South Maui) for tourists AND locals. 

If you’re familiar with Hawaii famous chef Peter Merriman (he has a range of restaurant concepts throughout the Hawaiian islands that all focus on local, fresh, farm to table ingredients), the Monkeypod serves the “bar menu” of the flagship Merriman’s, and IT’S ALL GOOD. 

The mai tai is what they’re most famous for. They come with lilikoi foam on top, and I’d say they’re probably the best in Hawaii (I’ve never had a better one at least). 

The menu changes by location and sometimes by season, but their pizzas are always one of my go-tos and if there’s any kind of dumpling on the menu those are hard to pass up. It’s definitely a place where I tend to order more appetizers (pupus) and sides than main dishes. 

Get dressed up or go casual, anything goes at the Monkeypod. It gets loud, it gets crowded, and it’s not “undiscovered,” but inevitably whenever I’m checking out another happy hour spot in Wailea, I always end up thinking “I wonder what’s going on at the Monkeypod.” 

So the ambiance is definitely happening (totally family friendly though-hey, it’s Hawaii), but the location isn’t anything to write home about. It’s in a shopping center up near the entrance to Wailea away from the beach. If you sit on the side patio, you might get a distant ocean view. 

But here’s the real scoop…they’ve opened a second Monkeypod in Ka’anapali on the west side and if you’re only going to one, the one in Ka’anapali is definitely better. It’s right on the beach so the views are A+. There’s also one in Oahu in Ko Olina and they’re getting ready to open one in Waikiki. 

High End Dining Experiences

This is what you expect from resort life, right???

Restaurant at the Hotel Wailea

Okay, let’s start this off with the holy grail of dining experiences in Wailea. Maaaaaybe even all of Maui. I can’t in good conscience rank this place above Mama’s Fish House on my list of best restaurants IN THE WORLD, but y’all…it is close. That’s how impressed I was. 

The Hotel Wailea is quickly becoming one of Wailea’s swankiest spots (and that’s saying something!). The hotel and the restaurant have been racking up all kinds of accolades lately so on my last trip to Maui it was time to finally check it out. 

First things first, the Hotel Wailea is TOTALLY DREAMY and unlike the big beachfront resorts in Wailea that you can kind of stroll through even if you’re not staying there, this place is pretty exclusive. Part of it’s the location. It sits up on the slopes of Haleakala above Wailea so it’s not right on the beach, but it’s got GREAT views. It’s also adults only and just has a very lowkey (but sophisticated) hideout vibe. 

If you want the full blown experience, stop for drinks at the Birdcage first. Otherwise, plan your dinner reservation about 30 minutes before sunset. 

The setting of the restaurant is definitely romantic and enchanting and it almost has more of a European vibe than Hawaiian. 

The menu is really elevated, but still accessible. If you’re an adventurous foodie, or more of a plain jane…you’re going to eat well here. 

Here’s how it works: the menu is a set $125/person for a first course, a main course, and a dessert.

And these aren’t tiny little portions where you’re going to leave wanting more. One of the things we like about this place the most was how much food we felk like we got to try. With three people, we felt like we were able to try a LOT of the menu and nobody went home hungry. 

For first courses we had beet salad, risotto, and pork ribs. 

For mains, we had the scallops, the wagyu ribeye, and the fettuccine with braised wagyu. 

And for dessert, the chocolate mousse, tiramisu, and yuzu tapioca. 

There wasn’t anything that we didn’t like. I would just base your choices on what you’re most drawn to. 

If you’re looking for a true, special occasion spot in Wailea, this is it. I mentioned jokingly earlier that this place is a contender with Mama’s for best restaurant on Maui. 

Here’s how I would break that down: 

If it’s in the budget to do both, DO BOTH. 

If you’re trying to just pick one…

If it’s your first (and only) trip to Maui, go to Mama’s. It’s truly over the top impressive with the beachfront setting, the warm aloha atmosphere, and super yummy food. There’s really nothing like it. 

Once you’ve done Mama’s, come to the Restaurant at the Hotel Wailea for a bit of a more refined setting and elevated menu. Seriously, it’s good. 

In general, I would say…if you’re not used to spending $150+/person on a nice meal, Mama’s is very accessible in making everyone feel very welcome. They’re very used to hosting people who are coming there for a once in a lifetime meal. Whereas the Restaurant at the Hotel Wailea feels a bit more like a place that caters to people who just live this life. Not at all snobby or exclusive, but just on a different level. Does that make sense? 

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DUO | Spago | Ferraro’s

Basically, anywhere at the Four Seasons is worth your time (and $$). I haven’t been to Spago yet, but friends really rave about it. And I LOVE Duo and Ferraro’s.

Duo: This steak and seafood spot is upscale dining at its finest. You’ll get the top notch service that the Four Seasons is known for as well as really good food served up right on the pool deck with epic views of swaying palms and gentle crashing waves. For me, this place wins for the best pool/beachside dining in Wailea. Duo is also where you’ll find the resort’s over the top breakfast buffet. 

Ferraro’s: This lovely Italian spot is located on the opposite side of the pool deck and it’s terraced a bit more down towards the ocean. Overall, I would say it has a more romantic feel than Duo. Make reservations well before sunset because you’ll want to see this place in the daylight. And you’ll need to use the flashlight on your phone to see anything after dark haha! Ferraro’s is also open for lunch. 

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Morimoto | Nick’s Fish Market | Humuhumu

There are a handful of restaurants in Wailea that also fall into this category that I haven’t tried yet. 

Morimoto is a high end beachfront sushi restaurant at the Andaz. I’m not really a big sushi person and while I’m sure you can find other things on the menu, I just haven’t prioritized it yet. But if you love sushi, it’s probably a must do. The location alone is phenomenal. 

There’s also Nick’s Fish Market at the Fairmont Kea Lani which just hasn’t piqued my interest yet with all of the other options in the area, although it does win a lot of awards. 

And Humuhumunukunukuapua’a at the Grand Wailea is also hyped up in the fine dining category. It’s the Grand Wailea’s signature restaurant. I’ll try it someday, but from what I’ve seen of it, it kind of reminds me of Tidepools on Kauai (the scale of the restaurant is impressive and it goes after the romantic vibe, but the food may not be the showstopper). 

Ko

Ko isn’t quite on the same level as these other restaurants, but I still want to mention it here. 

Located by the adults only pool at the Fairmont Kea Lani, Ko (the word for sugar cane in Hawaiian) draws its inspiration from the ethnicities of Maui’s sugar cane plantation days. 

90% of the menu’s ingredients are sourced locally, and the open air atmosphere of the restaurant makes for a nice evening. It’s kind of tucked back in the resort so you won’t get a big sunset/beach view, but it’s still really nice. 

If you’re not very familiar with Hawaiian regional cuisine, the menu may seem a little exotic, but just go with it because it all works. 

I would personally recommend: 

The lilikoi margarita

The pork belly bao buns

The lobster tempura

For Sunset Views

Situated on Maui’s south coast with a clear view across the west side of the island, Wailea is a GREAT spot for sunsets. A lot of restaurants have great sunset views (of the places I’ve mentioned so far, all of the Four Seasons restaurants have pretty prime locations and the Hotel Wailea has a great-but distance view), but I think these are some of the most noteworthy places (mostly because they sit up higher): 

Ka’ana Kitchen

Ka’ana Kitchen at the Andaz is a farm to table style restaurant that serves dinner plus a daily lavish breakfast buffet. Most of the kitchen is actually in the middle of the restaurant, hence the name and it makes for a fun atmosphere. 

The resort has a terraced layout and Ka’ana Kitchen sits perched up on an upper level so it has great sunset views. 

The chefs really know what they’re doing here and I think it’s one of those restaurants where you just have to trust the menu. I’m not a terribly adventurous eater and you’re not going to find a lot of plain jane dishes on the menu, but everything I’ve had here is GOOD. 

We really enjoyed the butternut squash salad, the Waipoli mixed greens, and the butternut squash risotto, but my favorite was the big eye tuna and the strawberry cake.

If you’re looking for something really special, you’re a big foodie, and you have some extra $$$ to spend, book the chef’s table in the middle of the restaurant. 

Gannon’s 

Besides the Monkeypod, this is the other big recommendation for a non-resort dinner spot in Wailea. It’s definitely worth the short drive up the hill. 

The food is classic Hawaiian regional cuisine (Chef Bev Gannon is also the mastermind behind the popular Haliimaile General Store) and you’ll be plenty impressed by it, but it’s really the sweeping views of the ocean that you’ll remember most. 

Since it sets up above Wailea a bit, it’s definitely one of the best places for sunset on the south side. 

Besides full dinner, they also do a good happy hour menu on the bar side (drinks and food), but they don’t take reservations. 

Humble Market Kitchin

Besides Monkeypod, Humble Market Kitchin is one of the most popular spots with locals for happy hour in Wailea. It’s actually one of the few restaurants to offer specific happy hour specials. 

I’d been for happy hour before and thought it was okay, but wasn’t overly impressed. The drinks are good and they have a few food options, but the seating for the happy hour menu is kind of hit or miss. There are a few high top counters near the bar that are more in the middle of the restaurant, but most of it is on couches off to the side so you’re not going to get the good views that are arguably the restaurant’s best feature. 

I stayed at the Wailea Beach Resort on my last trip so I decided to try the full blown dinner experience. 

What we liked: ALL of the food was VERY good. The charred brussel sprouts and cauliflower (with pepitas, queso fresco, and cilantro aioli) were phenomenal and we talked a lot about how to recreate them at home. The potato crusted mahi mahi with creamy rissoto style couscous and charred carrot lobster sauce was GOOD. Rich, but good. We also had the herb seared mahi mahi with veggies, Okinawan sweet potatoes and yuzu piccata sauce. We loved everything, but I think next time I would try the Japanese style chicken and mochi waffles just because it sounds unique. And the chocolate lava cake was 10/10.

The view here is the real star of the show. The restaurant sits up a bit and faces the ocean and there are a LOT of palm trees. Sunset is a show here. 

What we didn’t love: This is the Wailea Beach Resort’s “premier” restaurant, but it honestly doesn’t feel all that special. The restaurant itself is pretty loud and just a generic “cool, modern hotel aesthetic.” The service was nothing special…not awful but not anything to recommend. 

Bottom line…the food was very good, but at the “resort” price point, the whole experience was nothing special. And if you miss sunset, it’s even less of an experience. If you’re only going to splurge on one “special occasion” dinner, I wouldn’t pick this. If you’re staying at the resort and you’re doing big dinners every night, give it a go. 

For a Civilized Drink

Looking for a place to grab a drink before dinner? There’s no shortage of beach bars and restaurant lounges in Hawaii where you can try the house mai tai, but I would say all of the spots on this list are destinations in themselves. 

Now let’s be clear, these are not places where you’re going to find happy hour deals…it costs what it costs (resort prices), but the atmosphere is “chef’s kiss.” 

Pick one based on where you’re having dinner or order heavy pupus/appetizers and call it a meal!

Lobby Lounge at the Four Seasons

This place doesn’t even have a real name, it’s just the “lobby lounge,” but it’s still one of the most popular places to be in Wailea starting mid afternoon and running through the evening. 

It’s a nice, “civilized” vibe, the drinks are good, and there are enough food options that you could make a meal of it. Most nights they have live music and a hula dancer. 

Birdcage at the Hotel Wailea

The Hotel Wailea is one of my new favorite places on Maui and the restaurant here is a MUST DO. If you’re looking to extend your evening before or after your meal (or you want to experience the place without committing $$$ to the restaurant), pop into the Birdcage. The atmosphere is just as stunning as the restaurant and the view is amazing at sunset. 

Bumbye Beach Bar or Lehua Lounge at the Andaz

The Andaz has a couple of great lounges to choose from depending on the time of day. The Bumbye Beach Bar sits on the bottom level of the main pool area and it’s a pretty casual resort pool bar/cafe that I would recommend for lunch, but the Lehua Lounge is the real showstopper. It sits up on the top tier of the infinity pools so it has a great view (plus access to the uppermost pool). This is the place I would go for sunset. 

Botero at the Grand Wailea

When you want something really grand, the best place to go is, of course, always the Grand Wailea. Botero is the lobby lounge and the place is just such a big scale that it’s really impressive. 

Casual Resort Meal

KAPA Bar & Grill

If you want a casual resort meal, I would head to KAPA at the Wailea Beach Resort. It’s right off the main pool deck, open for lunch and dinner, and while it’s not inexpensive by any means, with plenty of burger/taco/sandwich options in the $20 range that’s about as close as you’ll get in the resort bubble. 

Very Casual Resort Meal

If you want something more lowkey/quick/easy than a table service restaurant, these two spots fit the bill. They’re walkable if you’re staying at the Wailea Beach Resort, Grand Wailea or Four Seasons (on Wailea Beach) and a bit farther from the Andaz (Ulua Beach) or Fairmont (Polo Beach) but still accessible via the Wailea Beach Walk: 

Whale’s Tale

This oceanfront kiosk is the best place in the area to grab coffee, breakfast, acai bowls, smoothies and juices, paninis, wraps, etc. Seating is casual with some chairs and umbrellas and there’s also a firepit and lounge chairs in the area. 

Aloha Trick Pony

Open daily from 11AM to 4PM this food truck in the Grand Wailea’s “Surf Garden” is right on the beach and the perfect spot for a casual lunch. The menu is hearty (tacos, brisket nachos, wood-oven pizzas) which is just what you need when you’re spending the day playing at the beach. 

Places Away from the Resorts

Since Wailea’s coastline is pretty much all dominated by resorts and condos, there aren’t a ton of restaurants in the area that aren’t part of the resort bubble. But there are some! Besides the Monkeypod and Gannon’s (which I’ve already mentioned), here are a few that might fit the bill.

Matteo’s Osteria

Everybody loves Italian food! It might not be what you automatically think of when you think of a meal on Maui, but sometimes after a week of mahi mahi and Hawaiian regional cuisine, Italian comfort food hits the spot. 

Matteo’s is regularly rated as one of the best restaurants in Wailea, so I decided to check it out on my last trip and we really enjoyed it. 

It’s tucked away a bit off the beaten path in a shopping center off the beach, and it’s not going to win any awards for beachfront fancy schmancy resort atmosphere, but it manages to feel a lot like your neighborhood Italian restaurant. 

We loved the limoncello spritz and saronno margarita plus G’s meatballs for the antipasti. 

For secondi, I had the chicken parmesan which was as good as I’ve had anywhere. And we were also pretty impressed with the Isola. Their signature dish is seared fresh catch (mahi mahi when we were there) and everybody thought it was some of the best mahi we had on the trip (and we had a LOT). 

I wouldn’t say this is a must do, but if you’re looking for something different and you love Italian food then you won’t be disappointed. 

Mulligan’s on the Green

The only authentic Irish pub on Maui, Mulligan’s is a great casual place to go for food and drinks, live music, sunset views, etc. It’s not fancy, but it’s a nice change of pace from all the other spots in Wailea. Only open Friday through Sunday though!

Wailea Kitchen

I haven’t been here yet, but it’s at the top of my list for my next trip. The farm to table vibe and sunset views look pretty dreamy. 

Lineage

Located in the Shops of Wailea, this spot features Filipino and Hawaiian favorites served family style. Plus they have a dim sum cart!

Pint & Cork

This has become a popular spot (even a bit of a local spot) for a lowkey dinner. It’s inside the Shops of Wailea, and you’ll find pub fare and craft brews as well as plenty of TVs for sports fans.

Restaurants I Like in Kihei 

Wailea’s more casual neighbor to the north has no shortage of spots to eat and that’s one of the reasons I like staying in Wailea so much! When you (or your wallet) gets tired of resort dining, hop in the car and you can find absolutely ANYTHING in a 5-15 minute drive.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of places to eat in Kihei, but here are a few of my absolute favorites: 

Kihei Caffe: This is my favorite spot for breakfast on the beach. It’s a total dive but the food is GREAT and you can’t beat the location. Go early or be prepared to wait in line. The pancakes are amazing and you can get them with a variety of toppings. This place wins for best breakfast on the beach. Cash only but they have an ATM inside. 

Nalu’s South Shore Grill: Somewhat of a trendy spot, this place serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Everything is counter service and moves quickly (even with a long line), but the fare is a bit higher end than local “dive” spots. It’s located in the back of a strip mall, so no view but they’ve created a pretty lush atmosphere all the same.

Coconut’s: Coconut’s usually wins all of the “best fish tacos in Maui” award. They’re super yummy and very unique. The restaurant is very low key. You order at the counter and seating is community style. My favorite part about Coconut’s is that Wow Wow Lemonade is right next-door. Grab a handmade lemonade (made with local ingredients) before you head into Coconut’s. 

Horhito’s Taqueria: My personal favorite fish tacos on the island can be found at this food truck across the street from Kalama Beach Park (next to the 77 gas station). I’m not going to say they’re the best on the island (because I don’t feel like I’m a distinguished fish taco connoisseur), but they make them with a chipotle mayo that I love plus soft flour tortillas are the only way to go. 

WowWow Lemonade: I cannot rave enough about this place! Locally made, fresh to order lemonade in a mason jar??? Yes please. But I think the real star here are the acai bowls. These are some of my favorite smoothie bowls I’ve had anywhere in Hawaii. They’re made fresh (not frozen!) so they’re very accommodating to both allergies and tastes.

Ululani’s: You can’t come to Hawaii without getting some famous local style shaved ice. Get it with ice cream on the bottom (trust me). Ululani’s is a local favorite and they’ve got multiple locations so it’s always super convenient.

Want to read more posts about Maui? I’ve got plenty!

Things You Can ONLY Do on Maui // 4 Day Maui Itinerary // My Favorite Road to Hana Itinerary // Things to Do Upcountry // Tips for Sunrise at Haleakala National Park // Snorkeling Molokini Crater // Whale Watching

My Favorite Hotels on Maui // Where to Find Condos on Maui // Wailea vs Kaanapali // Every Resort in Wailea Ranked // Four Seasons Maui Review // Andaz Maui Review // Fairmont Kea Lani Review // Wailea Beach Resort Review // Four Seasons vs Andaz Maui // Andaz Maui vs Wailea Beach Resort

Best Restaurants in Wailea // Best Breakfast in Wailea & Kihei // Mama’s Fish House // Best Luaus in Wailea

My Favorite Things to Do in South Maui // Best Beaches in Wailea & Kihei // Road to Hana Tips // Driving the Backside of the Road to Hana // Where to See Turtles on Maui

Maui vs Kauai // Everything You Need to Know BEFORE you go to Maui

Here’s one more really important thing you need to know before your Hawaii trip…

Reservations You Need to Make BEFORE Your Hawaii Trip

You’ve got your airfare, hotel, rental car and your big activities booked, so you should be good to go, right? Wrong!

Travel is BOOMING in Hawaii so a lot of state and national parks used the closure and reopening to institute reservation systems at some of the island’s most popular spots to make things a little more sustainable.

That means that there are now over half a dozen sites (beaches, trailheads, etc.) that require advance reservations. And some sell out well before you arrive on the island so you really need to have some sort of a plan.

I recently saw somebody in a Hawaii travel group post in a panic that they didn’t know they had to make reservations for things in advance…they thought they could just show up and “go with the flow.” I was tempted to say, well, “as long as the flow doesn’t take you somewhere that requires reservations, you can!” ; )

But I don’t want YOU to be that person, so I’ve pulled together a list of all the places you need to reserve entry in advance (plus all the details on booking windows, price, links, etc.) and a handful of popular tourist hotspots that book out really far in advance too.

P.S. Thanks for sticking around and reading this whole post! If you have ANY questions about planning your trip to Hawaii, you can join my free Facebook group here. I’m there answering questions every day and there are 7500+ other friends who have a ton of Hawaii information to share!

Also, if you want to follow along on my travel adventures in real time, you can follow me on Instagram (@caitylincoln). My post captions are full of travel tips and I have a ton of story highlights and videos with great info. And please share my account with your friends that are headed to Hawaii! Your support really helps me keep this blog running!