Just got back from Maui. I brought over a few bottles that we enjoyed through the vacation and with dinner. No problems with corkage at Mama’s Fish House ($35) or MonkeyPod ($25) with very good glass service from both establishments. I understand Merriman’s also allows, but didn’t eat there(same owner as MonkeyPod). I felt a little guilty at MonkeyPod as they have a pretty nice list and somewhat reasonable pricing. Can’t complain about Huet and Anthill farms by the glass (good beer list too) but we ate there twice so I guess that makes up for it. I requested the Mama’s list ahead of time as I don’t like kicking off dinner looking over the list for 15mins with a scowling and thirsty wife, and when they didn’t comply I didn’t feel too bad about my bottle of Rhys.
YES… I learned this one the hard way not too long ago. Nothing like shipping a whole case only to send 7 bottles right back home.
Good to know that Mama Fish House now allows corkage.
Last time I went there I had to take my wine back to the hotel.
Has anyone been to Tamura’s fine wine and liquor in Kahului?
Anyplace that carries both poke and wine would be a must stop for me.
2 essentials in one place.
And conveniently right near the airport.
Yeah, if it doesn’t have an umbrella in it then the drink isn’t authentic
Or hit the Maui Brewing Co
I agree completely with all of that, from my experience last summer. Monkeypod had Scherrer OMV zin on the list for some very reasonable price ($60?).
I’d add that Merriman’s allows corkage, but I think it’s something like $50. Everything at Merriman’s is very expensive, but it was also a terrific restaurant and had a lovely ambience and setting.
As far as wine outside of restaurants, the smart thing is always to bring your own with you (The Wine Check carrier is particularly good for this), even if it means paying a baggage fee. The next best thing we found was Wailea Wine (http://waileawine.com/about.html), which is just a block uphill from the big Wailea shopping mall. A great little store, full of serious and interesting wines for the wine enthusiast. Prices are higher than on the mainland, but maybe by 10% or 15%. We bought Tempier Bandol Rose there for $44, I recall, which was a reasonable price, and it was just fun to be able to find wines of that distinction and quality there. It was also the only place I found that sold good stemware – we had forgotten to bring stems with us, and drinking out of the condo’s 3 ounce, Coke bottle thickness wine glasses wasn’t doing it for me.
Added this place to our list (going in March). Anyone else have good restaurant suggestions? Solid wine list is a plus, but not a necessity.
MonkeyPod was great, and the wine list and wine pricing was a big plus. Mama’s Fish House was just fantastic in every sense, though if you can get a seat in the outside area instead of within the rooms of the restaurant, that makes it a lot more special. Excellent service, really fresh fish caught in Hawaii, the whole package. Merriman’s up in Kapalua was superb, as well, though the pricing was really steep.
A great little lunch place in Kihei was Coconut’s. A fish taco type of place, really tasty and friendly.
We mostly cooked out and drank the wines we brought from home, though.
Thanks, Chris. MonkeyPod and/or Mama’s are reservation recommended type places or cruise on in whenever?
Definitely make reservations for Mama’s; plus, it’s a bit of a drive to get there, and you don’t want to go all the way only to find there are no tables or you have a long wait.
I don’t know how tough MonkeyPod is, but I’d always rather make a reservation and not need it than the other way around.
![[thankyou.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/df165fe9c1593d19166ae7e1ffe5e272089cc07b.gif "thankyou"){kind=small}
We were on Maui in November, and had a much less successful visit to MonkeyPod than the rest of you. Disinterested service, surprisingly greasy and oversalted food, and so on. We were there for lunch, which might have made a difference…
We had much better luck at Alan Wong’s Amasia (Grand Wailea) and Capische (Wailea Resort - up the hill from the Fairmont). Wine selection at Amasia was thoughtful and reasonably priced. We enjoyed a 2000 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois at what I recall to be less than 2x markup from mainland retail. Capische had an extensive Italian list, but was somewhat more marked up. We were in a cocktails mood that night, and those were good too.
As for retail, I second the suggestion for Cash n’ Carry in Kahului. Decent selection of the types of things you’[re likely to want in a warm environment (bubbles, crisp whites, lighter burgs). Pricing surprisingly close to mainland retail.
I think MonkeyPod is on Opentable or some other reservation service. It gets pretty busy for the dinner rush, but I think they take walk ins and have a decent size bar.
Mama’s is a must if you don’t live somewhere where fresh fish is the norm. I’d make reservations as early as you can and try to get a sunset dinner at one of the outside rooms as mentioned previously. They have a very nice oceanside view–you can’t actually see the sun set-- but you get the colors off to the side.
We had a great dinner at the Italian place at the Four Seasons, can’t recall the name. Wine list was too expensive for a bottle though. This a place to actually see the sun set with dinner, but don’t go too early, it can be quite warm directly in the sun as it’s almost all outside seating with direct sunlight.
Had dinner at both Mama’s Fish House and Monkeypod a few weeks ago. Monkeypod’s list is quite good. Indoor seating at Monkeypod was extremely loud though. Enjoyed food at both. Mama’s is worth it for sure, and I would eat there again. Reservations were hard to get just a week before i went. It was either before 5pm or after 8:30. Very aggressive mosquitoes outside Mama’s though. Bit 3 times just waiting outside.
Whenever we go to Hawaii (Oahu), I always bring wine. I have found the selection to be wanting at best. I bring half the wines we’ll need and buy the other half there, supplemented by a good beer selection there. Lucky to have Whole Foods on Oahu.
The Italian restaurant in the Four Seasons is Ferraro’s and isn’t great. The best restaurant in the hotel and probably the island is Spago Maui.
Monkeypod Kitchen has better drinks and beers than food. Fish tacos are pretty good.
Capische has good pastas, homegrown vegetables, and a great view.
Ka’Ana Kitchen in the new Andaz is good farm to table (everything is grown, caught, or raised in Hawaii).
I dislike Alan Wong’s restaurant in the Grand Wailea. The Grand Wailea has changed hands recently. Again.
Joe’s Bar and Grill is probably my favorite. Nothing fancy about Joe’s.
There is no great food on Maui. I spend 3-4 weeks in Wailea each December and can’t wait to go back again this year. But I don’t go to Hawaii for the food or wine…
Bumping this thread. I am off to Maui next week. Any updates on good wine shops or restaurants with decent wine lists?
We enjoyed the food at Star Noodle so much that we went back for a second dinner during a recent stay.
They’ve moved to a new location right on the water and just outside of downtown Lahaina.
Yeah unfortunately relplacing aloha mixed plate… hopefully they reopen
Been a while but Lahaina Grill had a decent list and some good choices by the glass