Dining on Maui

Don’t leave Maui without savoring some of the island’s harvests and popular delicacies. Even locals fervently await the summer season when the clusters of green mangoes on the neighborhood trees ripen to a reddish yellow hue. Check out our farmers’ market guide and pick up fresh lilikoi or passion fruit, dragon fruit, and papaya directly from their growers. Other must-try foods include ahi tuna poke, musubi and shave ice. Local restaurant chefs are also leading Maui’s dynamic culinary movement to showcase homegrown ingredients and sustainable practices.

Maui is the place to visit if you have a sweet tooth. All visitors must make a stop at Tasaka Guri-guri for Maui’s most popular treat: the famous guri-guri. It is a cross between ice cream and sherbet, in either strawberry or pineapple flavors. It is still served the way it has been for the last century: in a paper cup with a wooden spoon. Read more

Don’t miss Home Maid Bakery’s manju, a baked sweet Japanese pastry filled with azuki bean paste or fruit fillings. Locals from the neighboring islands visit Maui and stop here specifically to take the delicious manju home with them. T. Komoda Store & Bakery in Makawao is another must-visit Maui landmark that has been cranking out some of the best doughnuts in the islands for almost a century. Try their stick donuts, cream puffs, and guava malasadas. Be aware though, they close up shop for the day once they run out of food. Of course Maui has plenty of plate lunch restaurants and the highly-rated A Saigon Cafe, but it is a dream come true for those with major sugar cravings.