11 Best Restaurants in South Shore, Maui

This unassuming but popular spot across the street from Kalama Beach Park has a breakfast menu that runs the gamut from healthy yogurt-filled papaya to the local classic loco moco, with two eggs, ground beef patty, rice, and brown gravy. Unique menu items include corned beef hash and catfish at breakfast and a calamari sandwich at lunch. There are two additional locations in Lahaina Gateway (just outside the fire zone) and at Maui Coast Hotel.

Spanning more than 5 acres, the flagship location of Maui Brewing Company includes a restaurant, brewery, tasting room, gift shop, and outdoor space featuring backyard games and a garden. Craft pizzas, burgers, salads, and more highlight a lively menu, as do craft cocktails made with Kupu Spirits that are distilled on-site. Step behind the scenes with a one-hour guided brewery tour on the weekend.

"Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto's eponymous restaurant, located at the Andaz Maui resort, has some of Maui's most creative presentations and, arguably, some of its best food. Poolside tables that sit under the stars, a bustling dining room, and a sushi bar all make it a lively choice, but the food is ultimately the reason to go. Feast on slices of tuna pizza, indulge in premium Wagyu beef (carpaccio or filet), and splurge on some of Maui's best sushi. The service is impeccable, and the standards are high, making this a great place for a memorable meal. 

Don't be fooled by its playful name—this place serves high-quality food that befits its chic surroundings. This restaurant's owner is a fisherman himself, so you know the fish here is the freshest available. Lunch features affordable and delicious sandwiches and burgers, but in the evening the space is transformed into an Italian--Greek bistro with entrées like chicken fettuccine and moussaka.

Maui Ocean Center's signature restaurant is a great choice for seafood (aquarium admission is not required to dine here) and offers harbor and ocean views from its open-air perch. Although the restaurant promotes heart-healthy cuisine—with dishes made using sustainable seafood and canoe plants (i.e., those brought to Hawaii by early Polynesian explorers) like taro, bananas, and ulu—you can still enjoy an indulgent dessert or a drink from the well-priced cocktail menu.

It's more "island-style" than Hawaii-style—and yes, it's a chain—but the food is consistently great, the service is filled with aloha, and the ambience is island refined. The cocktails are among the best and most creative on Maui and include well-priced non-alcoholic options. You can enjoy happy hour from 2 to 5 pm and live music from 5 to 9 pm daily.

Perched on a bluff above Wailea Beach, this outdoor Italian eatery at the Four Seasons Resort Maui is Wailea's only oceanfront restaurant. A recent remodel adds contemporary design elements inspired by the local environment and a new menu that combines coastal Italian flavors with Maui's ocean ingredients. For lunch, enjoy the catch of the day, artisanal sandwiches, or one of the stone-baked pizzas (including a vegan option). Dinner is a time for indulgence with Petrossian Caviar service, squid ink pasta with Kona lobster, and roasted whole fish. 

The wooden surfboards hanging above the bar and surf videos playing in the background create a decidedly chill vibe at this buzzing restaurant, the creation of Hawaii celebrity-chef Peter Merriman. He offers a menu that highlights local bounty, with such standout dishes as poke tacos, lobster deviled eggs, and wood-fired pizzas.

For a little break from the Maui sun and fruity cocktails, spend an afternoon digging into elegant pub fare backed by an excellent, expert cocktail program with a focus on whiskey. This is the type of place where you want to sit at the bar and talk story with the bartender (if they’re not busy), and, though it may not seem like it at first glance, this is a family-friendly restaurant—it even has a keiki (kids) menu. 

This family-run restaurant serves authentic flavors from Mexico City and just about everything—from the furniture to the artisanal plates on the wall—has been brought directly from Mexico as well. All menu items are made in-house—try Grandma’s classic chicken mole recipe, which packs in more than 25 ingredients.

The name of the restaurant comes from the three young chefs who each have a distinctive culinary style (Hawaiian, Southwestern, and Pacific Rim), but somehow it all works. The space is as big as the menu—there are salads, burgers, steaks, and fresh fish, as well as a raw bar with sushi and hand rolls—with three separate dining areas, plus an outdoor patio. The daily happy hour from 3 to 6 pm features discounts on popular menu items, sushi, and cocktails.