All of this swimming and hiking can build up quite an appetite; luckily, Maui has plenty of options for stuffing your pineapple hole. The Hula Grill Kaanapali is a fun and popular beachside restaurant. The menu is brief, the food is good; macadamia encrusted mahi mahi (like buttah), Steak Kiana, Baked Hawaii cocooned in a beehive of toasted coconut; but it’s the ambience you come for. From the entrance lined with oversized Philodendron leaves and lit tiki torches to the live music and stunning, ocean view sunsets, dinner at the Hula Grill Kaanapal is festive, dramatic and quintessentially tropical.
David Paul’s Lahaina Grill has been voted ’Best Maui Restaurant’ 14 years in a row, and with good reason; it’s an island culinary experience not to be missed. From the tantalizing starters - including the excellent Reconstructed California Roll and Sweet Kula Corn Soup, to the main courses such as their legendary Tequila Shrimp and Firecracker Rice, right through to dessert - I sampled the tangy, refreshing Iao Valley Lime Tart - the food is expertly prepared and flawlessly presented. Darn tasty too! The vibe here is relaxed elegance, the service is outstanding and the prices are moderately high.
Down in Kihei, Peggy Sue’s is a 50’s style diner that proved to be kitchsy fun while serving up some delicious eats. The décor gets you in the mid-20th century mood; photos of Lucy and James Dean; a genuine Wurlitzer jukebox and huge stand ups of Betty Boop and Elvis complete the scene. The menu selections play along with burgers like ’Great Balls of Fire’ (Jalapeno with Cheese) and ’Good Golly Miss Molly’-(Teriyaki & Pineapple), served with a side of fries and washed down with a Mango-n-Cream shake or a ’Blue Lagoon’ Vanilla Sprite beverage. The bubbly waitresses wear pink uniforms straight out of American Graffiti. Like, crazy man!
