Foodland is a few miles north of Wailea in Kihei. Kihei also has a Times Market & a Safeway. The poke bowls at the Times Market where <$8 but the Ahi was a bit grizzly. Not sashimi grade for sure. :)

When there we do a majority of our shopping at Safeway. Make sure you use their member card for discounts. In Jan. milk was ~$7/gallon and eggs, oh, la, la, were $7>$10 a dozen, when they had them.

At least on big island, Foodland has ahi poke for ~$11.99 or ~$28.99. I assume the more expensive is the more sushi grade?

most likely.
agreed in Maui that Kihei is cheaper than Wailea not just with supermarkets but for dining etc. it’s also less pleasant than Wailea. :-)
safeway club card is definitely great.

While I’m sure all supermarket poke is adequate, I wouldn’t overshop just in case. Easy to return and shop again since most supermarket shoppers have a car.

The per pound price of poke in Hawaii is primarily-driven by two factors, 1.) the species of fish; and, 2.) if the fish is fresh or previously frozen.

For tuna poke (most common) the species will either be Aku (Skipjack) or Ahi (Yellowfin; sometimes Bigeye). Ahi is preferred by most as superior-tasting to Aku, but to each their own. Frozen tuna has a different taste than fresh-caught tuna and could be sourced from outside of Hawaiian waters. If supporting local fisherman is of any priority, paying the premium for fresh caught fish helps.

TIffany's in Wailuku. Excellent. Sheldon Simeon (Tin Roof and Lineage) re-did the old-school Chinese place into a . . . Sheldon Simeon kind of place. Get on the waitlist via Yelp before you drive there.

+1 for Nutcharee's Thai, haven't been there since 2016 but it was so good!! Excited to go again next month. I'll have to recommend the ahi larb to my ahi-loving husband.

+1 more for Nutcharee's - I just live up the road and have been several times and it's always great. The Asian food scene is actually disappointing here but Nutcharee's is a great find. My wife is Vietnamese and we struggle to find good Pho` and other authentic Vietnamese/Thai cuisine. There's really nothing good in Kihei but we do have a decent spot up in Wailuki - A Saigon Cafe.

For non-Asian we love Cafe Ole`. Gannons down in Wailea is great for happy hour or a somewhat upscale dinner too. Three's in Kihei is usually pretty solid as well.

After living here for a couple years we're finding some favorites but overall the food scene is disappointing compared to Portland, OR where we moved from. It seems like the choices are some 5-star restaurant attached to a hotel or a gas station sandwich. Just finding a decent middle of the road spot is tough. And the places that are decent are typically packed with tourists that, for some reason, are willing to spend hours of their precious vacation time waiting in line.

Thanks for mentioning A Saigon Cafe. We haven't tried it, but will add it to our list. I always wondered about that place.

There's a Thai Me Up food truck in Kihei. Have you tried it? We haven't tried the one in Kihei, but the upcountry one and the one across from Costco in Kahului are both pretty good. (My Thai wife thinks so.) There's some other good Thai restaurants on the island. Lots of Thai restaurants are really Laos owned here, and like most Thai restaurants in the US, they cater to the "farang" (western) palette. You can also get some really good Thai food at the upcountry farmers market on Saturday mornings. Though I'm sure you feel the same about driving upcountry like I feel about driving to Kihei :)

I really wish you would try and review some of those food trucks in Kihei .. those are really the "middle of the road" places these days.

-David

Speaking of Asian food at Maui, on our last trip, we tried Macadangdang which is a Filipino-Hawaii fusion restaurant. It is near the Kaanapali resorts area. One night we just decided to eat at somewhere within walking distance but not at the resorts and not at Whaler village. So I yelped and found this place. Everything we tried were really good. The Taro Colada, pork belly, octopus, duck, all look and tasted amazing. Normally I don't like veggies. I only eat them because they are on the plate. But the side veggies on every plate are also some of the best tasting foods I ever had.

I think that Joey’s kitchen is really good and I was last there in 2019. Their website is intact and I’ll assume they’re still active. They’re in the same mall as Napili Market grocery which I still love the most for Maui grocery stores combined with Times / Foodland for staples.

Joey Macadangdang is the owner and chef for both restaurants. Sharing an article in which he and family are featured, during and post-fire (might be behind a paywall)https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...-lahaina-fire/

In sensitivity to those businesses that were lost in the fire or remain closed due to the current conditions, I'll archive this thread and start a new one that can highlight the restaurants on the rest of the island that are open (and could use some patronage).

FlyinHawaiian, Co-Moderator
Hawaii (Travel) Forum