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Lahaina Grill Maui

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View of the sunrise as we drove along the coast to our 7AM diving course each morning

It's easy to see why Maui is popular with honeymooners. The island is beautiful and filled with breathtaking scenery, excellent beaches, some of the best dive sites in the state, and some pretty incredible hikes. It's populated enough that there are tons of great restaurants, yet not overcrowded or touristy.

We spent four days in Maui: two days completing our open water SCUBA dive certifications, another day going out on a real dive (as certified divers!), and one more day hiking at 10,000 feet at Haleakala, the famous and stunning dormant volcano.
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With Bryan's gazillion Starwood points that he gathered from his work trips, we booked our entire stay at various Westin and Sheraton resorts. In Maui, we stayed at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa in Ka'anapali, which we loved.  Even in the winter, the weather in Ka'anapali (the western side of the island) was always sunny, warm, and dry. That definitely wasn't the case everywhere on Maui (more on that later!).
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The ocean view from our room was spectacular, and the direct beach access was great.
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Even the view on the other side, facing a golf course and mountains, was still beautiful.
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Our first night in Maui we headed straight to Lahaina Grill, a well-known, upscale bistro located right near the ocean in a lively, bustling area of Lahaina. I mainly chose this restaurant because it repeatedly showed up on every single "best of" list for Maui. Furthermore, it focused on innovative New American cuisine showcasing Hawaii's regional ingredients, something I didn't want to miss. The restaurant's been around for close to 25 years, yet continues to grow in both physical size (at least two major expansions since 1990) and global recognition.
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We started with a signature Hawaiian dish, the Ahi Poke ($25), made with a generous pile of "sashimi-grade" local ahi, avocado, seaweed salad, mild red jalapeño, julienned cucumbers, and watermelon radish tossed in lime juice and a tamari-ginger dressing. The poke was extremely fresh and oh-so-flavorful. The overall dish was solid - not amazing but not too disappointing either.

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The waiter highly recommended the Bufala Tomato Salad ($24), a stacked salad made with locally grown Kamuela tomato, bufala mozzarella imported from Italy, local Maui onion, fresh basil, and shallots. The caprese tower was dressed with aged balsamic vinaigrette, extra virgin olive oil, truffle oil, and a dash of black Hawaiian sea salt. The flavors of the dish were excellent, although I was a bit disappointed that the tomatoes seemed refrigerated. Overall, the dish was still very good, but would have  been better if the tomatoes had better texture.

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Aiming to have as much local seafood as possible, we opted for the Local Mahi-Mahi ($43), which came served with a perfectly grilled shrimp over a delicious asparagus risotto and a lemon butter caper sauce. The quality of the seafood in Hawaii is overall excellent, and this was no exception. Portion sizes were very generous, and everything was executed really well.

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We also got the Maui Onion And Sesame Seed Crusted Seared Ahi ($46). The fresh local sashimi-grade ahi steak was seared just enough to afford a beautiful rare center. It came with Tahitian vanilla bean jasmine rice and an apple cider butter vinaigrette. I loved this, mostly because the tuna itself was perfectly seasoned, super soft, and just so delicious. I never got tired of Ahi while I was in Hawaii, and ended up ordering it as much as I could during my two week trip there.
General Thoughts

Lahaina Grill is a great choice for dinner for several reasons. It's in a fun location, a block from the ocean in a bustling area of Lahaina Town. The sunset on the water is gorgeous. If you can, time your dinner to start right after sunset so you can explore the shops along the ocean and take in that beautiful sunset before heading into a nice dinner (the restaurant does not have views of the ocean).

The food is also excellent. Although none of the dishes are particularly groundbreaking, they are all very good and executed at a high level. The ambiance is relaxed but nice, and the service is super friendly. Prices are on the higher side, but you'll notice that in general about the Hawaiian Islands. Everything (except for maybe macadamia nuts and other local produce) is noticeably more expensive. At least, the portion sizes here were very generous. You won't go home hungry. All in all, we had a wonderful meal there and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others visiting Maui.

This post is part of a larger series on our two week trip to Hawaii. Other posts in this series!

Big Island
Exploring Volcano National Park
Da Poke Shack and Umeke's on the Big Island
A Mantay Ray Dive, Sea Turtles, and Kona Coffee

Maui
Haleakaka and the Hali'imaile General Store
Mama's Fish House and the Road to Hana
Sansei Restaurant & Sushi Bar (+ Diving in Maui!)
Lahaina Grill, Maui

Oahu
Kokohead Cafe, Honolulu
La Mer Honolulu

Lahaina Grill Maui
127 Lahainaluna Rd
Lahaina, HI 96761
Lahaina Grill on Urbanspoon

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  2. […] Maui Haleakaka and the Hali’imaile General Store Mama’s Fish House and the Road to Hana Sansei Restaurant & Sushi Bar (+ Diving in Maui!) Lahaina Grill, Maui […]