Food, Drinks and Beautiful Views in Maui, Hawaii

April 21, 2015

Food, drinks, and beautiful views. Just a few of the reasons why even the most touristy of locations can’t ruin a trip to Maui, Hawaii.   

Food, Drinks and Beautiful Views on Maui | Travel recap at Fake Food Free              

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a touristy area, but it will be fine. It’s a quick trip and Hawaii is so close now. We’ll be back.”

Famous last words when travel planning.

When we decided we would visit Maui, I spent some time researching accommodations. Our first thought was to get a remote rental where we could relax and cook a little using local ingredients.

Then when booking our direct flights from Oakland we got swayed by the great package deals, so we went ahead and added the hotel, too.

So with our tolerance for crowds way up, we arrived on the island, eager to finally see Hawaii.

Food, Drinks and Beautiful Views on Maui | Travel recap at Fake Food Free

I can’t fault the hotel along Kāʻanapali Beach in Lahaina. It was stunning. As is the entire island. You simply cannot look in any direction on Maui and not see something beautiful.

Eats, Drinks and Beautiful Views from Maui | Fake Food Free

Eats, Drinks and Beautiful Views from Maui | Fake Food Free

The problem was that despite our best efforts, we simply couldn’t get a break from all the people. We even woke up before 7:00 am, in the hopes for a quiet walk. Something we do often when we visit the Caribbean.

Nope. Loads of people were out and about. It felt like the middle of the afternoon. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve traveled anywhere where people were up so early!

I know. We should have known better. We did know better. We just took a chance.

And no, the trip was not ruined at all. We still had amazing views, plenty of tropical drinks and some really great food.

The second we stepped off the plane we headed straight to Da Kitchen. We had seen it on a Brew Dogs episode a few weeks before we left and it immediately made the list. Say hello to my first spam musubi experience. I happened to love it, by the way. 

 Spam Musubi from the Kitchen in Maui | Travel eats, drinks and views at Fake Food Free.

With that we had a plate of the classics – kalua pork, chicken, mac salad, rice and more spam – which we split because it was enough to feed us the rest of the trip. Oh, and we found out after we arrived that they don’t sell beer, but it is bring your own. So make a quick stop before you head out to eat if you are thirsty for a brew. 

A traditional Hawaiian plate at Da Kitchen in Maui | Travel eats, drinks and views at Fake Food Free.

 When one finds themselves in a touristy area, one might as well take advantage of happy hours. And we did. Somehow the umbrellas make it better. Our first Mai Tai of the trip from Leilani’s On the Beach. 

Eats, Drinks and Views from Maui | Fake Food Free

 A visit to Maui Brewing Co. was high on the list and luck was on our side. When planning the trip we were unsure if they would already be moved into their new brewery in which case tours would be cancelled. While I would have loved to have seen the new spot, we enjoyed the opportunity to tour the old brewery and taste some of their outstanding beers.

Maui Brewing Co. | Eats, Drinks and Beautiful Views from Maui at Fake Food Free

Maui Brewing Co. | Eats, Drinks and Beautiful Views from Maui at Fake Food Free

Maui Brewing Co. | Eats, Drinks and Beautiful Views from Maui at Fake Food Free 

I think one of the things the new location will do is combine their brewery and brew pub. I can’t tell from the website if this has happened yet, but while we were there, the brew pub was about a 10 minute drive away from the brewery. We enjoyed a few rounds there (a couple of times). We maxed out our quota for traditional Hawaiian plates of kalua pork so I won’t show you any more of those, but I will show you these nachos. Topped with chili made from local grass-fed beef. 

Maui Brewing Co. Nachos | Fake Food Free

My favorite beer? I’m so glad you asked because it was out of this world. You might know the Maui Brewing Co. Coconut Porter, and it’s pretty good. But this? This is the Imperial Coconut Porter. Flavor-wise it knocks the regular coconut porter out of the park. I still dream about having another sip. 

Imperial Coconut Porter, Maui Brewing Co. Brew Pub | Travel recap at Fake Food Free

Sometimes touristy locations do provide a few unexpected opportunities. We were in Kāʻanapali during Kāʻanapali Fresh, a culinary festival. We didn’t attend any events, but I learned before the trip that for the occasion, the Maui grown farmers market would be near by.

Big score for us! So many tropical fruits including Maui Gold pineapples, Maui grown coffee, tasty ulu (breadfruit chips), interesting banana jerky, and oh that banana bread.

Maui Gold Pineapples at the Maui Grown Farmers Market | Travel recap at Fake Food Free

A friend of mine told me about the banana bread before we left. I thought, eh, it’s banana bread, which never excites me too much. But this stuff is unlike any other I’ve had. So tender and rich with a wonderfully balanced sweetness. We almost polished off a whole loaf for breakfast. 

Maui Grown Farmers Market - Ulu Chips | Travel recap at Fake Food Free

Banana treats at the Maui Grown Farmers Market | Travel recap at Fake Food Free

 After all of this, you might be wondering what my favorite meal was during the trip.

That would be the tacos. 

We took a drive and stumbled on Ono Tacos. On the side of a building, next to a gas station with about 5 lawn chairs out front. Exactly the kind of place you go for amazing tacos. 

Ono Tacos Lahaina Maui | Travel recap at Fake Food Free

 We settled on the classic beef tongue and the fish tacos. They came in perfectly cooked soft tortillas with crisp edges, and there was a toppings bar so you could add all your favorites like pickled red onion and spicy salsas. Really outstanding. 

Ono Tacos Lahaina Maui | Travel recap at Fake Food Free

Ono Tacos Lahaina Maui | Travel recap at Fake Food Free

So the moral of the story is that even staying in a touristy spot on a trip does not mean all is lost. But unless you have, say, a family of five to entertain, or enjoy being around families of five being entertained during your vacation, find yourself a little remote spot on the island. Hop in the car and grab yourself some food and drink at one of these fine places. Then hit the beach to watch the sunset. 

Sunset at Black Rock in Maui | Travel recap at Fake Food Free

 

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  • suki April 22, 2015 at 8:57 am

    omg that coconut porter is calling to meeee… 😀

    • Lori April 22, 2015 at 9:01 am

      It is amazing! You can find the regular coconut porter at BevMo if you haven’t had it yet, but the imperial is off the charts!

  • Tracey | Salty Sweet Life April 22, 2015 at 8:15 pm

    This is such a great write up Lori! Your photos are just stunning! I’ve often wondered why Hawaiians have such a fascination with macaroni salad. I understand the history behind the Spam but not mac salad! Even though you must have felt so hemmed in by all the people, it looks like you were able to make the best of it!

    • Lori April 23, 2015 at 6:56 am

      Thanks, Tracey! I was never a huge mac salad fan until I had it Hawaiian style with rice. Haha! We have some restaurants here that do it well, but as expected, it was especially good on the the island!

  • Joanne April 23, 2015 at 4:38 am

    Now you’re making me want to go to Hawaii! Crowds of people and all.

    • Lori April 23, 2015 at 6:56 am

      You must! So stunning and really great food to be found!

  • lisaiscooking April 23, 2015 at 9:57 am

    This was a perfect virtual getaway this morning! Beautiful photos. Sounds like you had a great time!

    • Lori April 23, 2015 at 10:43 am

      So glad I could help you get away! 🙂 Thanks so much. We had a great time!

  • Velva April 23, 2015 at 6:47 pm

    Glad that even with all the tourists you managed to have a great time, and ate plenty of good food and drank good beer.

    welcome home.

    Velva

    • Lori April 24, 2015 at 6:21 am

      Hi Velva! We did for sure!

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