The Best Restaurants in Kaanapali Maui

Oct 1

(Plus Where to Spend Your Extra Day)

If you're looking for the best restaurants in Kaanapali Maui, you're already staying in one of my favorite areas of the island. After multiple winter trips back, a handful of places have earned a permanent spot on our list: some classics, some surprises, and at least one broccoli salad I still think about months later. The short version: Monkeypod for the Mai Tai, Ulu Kitchen for the broccoli salad, Leilani's for coconut shrimp, and Island Vintage Coffee every morning. Here is where I'd eat, drink, and spend my time if Kaanapali is your home base.

My Favorite Places to Eat, Drink and Explore Around Kaanapali, Maui

If you are staying on the Kaanapali side of Maui, you are already in one of my favorite areas of the island. You have beautiful beaches, incredible sunsets, plenty of restaurants within a relatively small area, and easy access to some of our favorite places that we return to every winter. After multiple trips to Maui, there are a handful of places I recommend again and again. Some are classics, some surprised me, and at least one has me thinking about broccoli salad months later. Here is where I would eat, drink, stay, and spend my time if Kaanapali is your home base.

First Night in Maui: My Thai Maui

If your flight gets into Maui later in the evening, your first challenge may simply be finding somewhere that is still serving food by the time you pick up your bags, get your rental car, and make the drive toward Kaanapali. Our move is My Thai Maui. They are open later than many restaurants on the island, and we love getting takeout and bringing it back toward the beach. There is something incredibly satisfying about eating your first Maui dinner at a table overlooking the ocean or down by the sand after a long travel day. It is low effort, casual, and exactly what I want after getting off a plane.

Where to Stay in Kaanapali

My mother-in-law stayed at the Outrigger and absolutely loved it, so that is one I would keep on your list if you are still deciding where to stay. One of the biggest benefits of the Kaanapali area in general is just how much you can access without turning every meal or activity into a major excursion. You can spend the day by the water, walk to dinner, grab coffee in the morning, and still have plenty of options nearby.

Ulu Kitchen: Order the Broccoli Salad

I need everyone to hear me on this one. Get the broccoli salad at Ulu Kitchen. It is on the dinner menu, and when we visited, it was also available during happy hour for $10. I am not someone who ordinarily gets this emotionally invested in ordering broccoli at a restaurant, but it was DIVINE. Someone else had recommended it to me before our trip, so naturally I have to continue passing the recommendation along. We went back two nights in a row for it. Their espresso martini was also such a treat, and I really love the patio here. It feels a little more private and elevated than some of the busier beachfront restaurants while still giving you an incredible ocean view.

Monkeypod Kitchen: A Kaanapali Must

We go to Monkeypod multiple times almost every winter, and we have genuinely never had a bad meal. Make a reservation early if you know you want to go. The Mai Tai really is that good. It is one of those famous vacation drinks that actually deserves the hype. I also love the bulgogi tacos, but this is one of the rare restaurants where I feel comfortable saying that almost anything on the menu is going to be good.

Monkeypod is part of the same restaurant family as Merriman's, and that quality comes through. They simply have great chefs.

If someone asked me for only a few Kaanapali restaurant recommendations, Monkeypod would absolutely make the list.

Leilani's: One of Our Biggest Surprises

Leilani's surprised us with how much we loved it.

The coconut shrimp and pasta were highlights for us, and I like that you have a couple of different dining experiences available. There is the more casual beachfront atmosphere, but they also have a nicer indoor dining room if you want your dinner to feel a little more special.

It is an easy one to add to a Kaanapali itinerary because you still get that quintessential beach vacation setting without sacrificing the food.

Hula Grill: Choose Your Dining Area Carefully

Hula Grill has a gorgeous setting and a beautiful sand patio, but based on our experience, I would personally skip the more casual sand bar for dinner and try to dine on the nicer side with the expanded menu. We ended up eating in the sand bar area because it was our only option at the time, and the food quality did not compare to some of the other meals we had around Kaanapali.

The atmosphere is beautiful, though, so I would not completely cross it off the list. I would just be intentional about where you make your reservation.

Island Vintage Coffee: Our Morning Routine

We stopped at Island Vintage Coffee basically every morning. Our order was the Island Latte with macadamia nut, and it became one of those little vacation routines you immediately miss when you get home. If you are staying nearby, it is an easy morning stop before heading to the beach or starting your day.

Roy's: A Maui Classic

Roy's is a Maui classic and certainly worth knowing about if you are planning your restaurant reservations.

It has been a few years since my last visit, so I do not have a specific current order that I feel strongly enough about recommending, but it remains one of those restaurants that comes up again and again when talking about Maui dining.

Merriman's: Worth the Drive Up the Coast

Merriman's is another restaurant from the same family behind Monkeypod, and you really cannot go wrong.

If you are staying in Kaanapali, it makes a great excuse to venture farther up the coast for dinner and explore another beautiful part of West Maui.

The restaurant group consistently delivers some of our favorite meals on the island, so if you already love Monkeypod, Merriman's is an easy addition.

If You Have an Extra Day, Leave Kaanapali

As much as I love Kaanapali, I would not spend an entire Maui vacation without exploring at least a little more of the island.

If you have one extra day, my first choice would be Wailea.

Spend a Day in Wailea

Wailea feels noticeably different from Kaanapali. It is quieter, a little more elevated, and in some areas feels less overtly touristy. The Shops at Wailea are fun to wander, and booking a ResortPass can be a great way to turn the day into a full pool experience without changing hotels. If you happen to visit the Fairmont, say hi to Nick at the swim-up bar. At this point he is basically a friend of my mom and me. Tell him Shelby from Minnesota will see him in February.

For coffee, Akamai is our favorite. Get the Honeybee.

For dinner, Nick's Fishmarket at the Fairmont Kea Lani and Olivine at Grand Wailea have both been favorites. I especially love the lamb at Nick's, although there are so many great restaurants in Wailea that choosing just one is genuinely difficult.

Snorkeling from Wailea

If you want to snorkel Molokini, Kai Kanani has historically been one of our favorite experiences. They have a great departure location for getting out to Molokini, plus one of the best service levels and onboard bar experiences of the snorkeling cruises we have tried. If you would rather depart from the other side of the island, Trilogy is another great option.

You Have to Go to Paia Fish Market

No trip to Maui is complete for me without Paia Fish Market.

My order: broiled mahi mahi with home fries and extra coleslaw. It is one of my favorite plates of fish anywhere.

Once you are in Paia, stay for a while. Walk around town, shop, and explore before heading back toward Kaanapali.

I especially love Mahina for clothes. Think Anthropologie-adjacent style with an island feel and much friendlier prices. An unreasonable percentage of my closet may or may not be from Mahina at this point. You are also not far from some great spots to watch surfers, making Paia an easy half-day adventure.

Mama's Fish House: Go for the Full Experience

Mama's Fish House is one of Maui's most famous restaurants, and depending on who you ask, one of its most hyped. For me, the food is still good, but the setting is what really makes it special. The view is absolutely beautiful.

Reservations for dinner can fill far in advance, so book early if this is important to you. If reservations are gone, it may still be worth checking for lunch availability or seeing whether there are any last-minute openings.

The scallops have been one of my favorites there.

For Something Completely Different: Visit the Ram Dass Sanctuary

If you practice yoga or have a deeper interest in its philosophy, spirituality, and history, visiting Ram Dass' home and sanctuary is an incredibly unique Maui experience. Public meditation experiences have been offered there, and visiting was genuinely magical for me. It is obviously very different from a beach day or restaurant reservation, but that is exactly why it stands out.

Should You Do the Road to Hana?

Hana is beautiful.

Driving to Hana yourself, however, is not something I recommend casually.

Even confident drivers may find the drive tiring and stressful, and the person behind the wheel misses a lot of what makes the journey so special.

If you want to experience Hana without dedicating so much energy to navigating the road, look into a small guided shuttle experience. A helicopter experience is another option if you want to see this side of Maui while saving considerable travel time.

Hana is absolutely worth seeing. I just prefer experiencing the scenery as a passenger.