Fiance and I will be going to Kauai (Princeville area) and Maui (Wailea) for our honeymoon in November. Many people have sworn by Mama's Fish House one night in Maui but I'd love other recommendations as well. Thanks in advance!

Yes, do Mama's. Go early have cocktails, watch sundown, then eat. Get reservations now.

For Kauai, Tahiti Nui is hard to beat. Kind of a dive, but a stand out experience for me.

In Kauai on the south shore, these are all decent to good:
Brennecke's
Tidepools
Beach House

Bar Acuda in Hanalei. Get reservations in advance.

On Maui;
Monkeypod
Merrimans
Paia Fish Market

Go to Maui every couple of years
Here are some of my go tos in the Wailea / Kihei area

Restaurants
Matteo's Osteria
Fabianis
Monkeypod by Merrimans
Pizza Madness
Da Kitchen
Paia Fish Market
Kihei Cafe for Breakfast

Sweets
Ululanis Shave Ice
Maui Bread Company

Lots of high end end Hotels with Celebrity Chef restaurants in Wailea. Will get dressed up and do one every trip.

Everyone should try Mamas in Paia at least once. You will need to get reservations at least 6 months in advance. Be prepared to spend 3-400 hundred for Dinner of two.

If you drive to Hana and are looking for a place to eat Thai Food by Pranee is pretty good.

barnacle bob said:

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For Kauai, Tahiti Nui is hard to beat. Kind of a dive, but a stand out experience for me.

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+1….best Mai Tais on the island…..so close to Princeville too…..

gotta try Chicken in a Barrel….technically not a restaurant by any means, but it's good casual eats…

gggmann said:

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If you drive to Hana and are looking for a place to eat Thai Food by Pranee is pretty good.

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We love that spot. It's right next to the hotel we stay at, which by the way, has awesome horseback rides (but no air conditioning).

Second for Matteo's Osteria.


Off the beaten path some, but would recommend the ranch store and Maui Wine across the street…

https://ulupalakuaranch.com/

It's been a long time, but when we were at Princeville on our honeymoon, we ended up eating sushi at least a couple of nights at the Living Room at Princeville watching the sunset.

I'll second Tidepools. We enjoyed the food and the environment was very cool if you're looking for an upscale and unique but thoroughly Hawaiian setting.

This will be a contrarian view but we did not think Mama's anything special especially considering the 40 minutes (no traffic) each way from Wailea. Plenty of great spots (many listed above by others) for food and views much closer.

barnacle bob said:

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Yes, do Mama's. Go early have cocktails, watch sundown, then eat. Get reservations now.

For Kauai, Tahiti Nui is hard to beat. Kind of a dive, but a stand out experience for me.

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Second for Tahiti Nui, great pizza. And they filmed part of The Descendants there.

For a good local place, go to Hamura's by the airport for saimin and lillikoi pie. Also Puka Dog is good for a quick lunch.

drwong said:

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barnacle bob said:

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Yes, do Mama's. Go early have cocktails, watch sundown, then eat. Get reservations now.

For Kauai, Tahiti Nui is hard to beat. Kind of a dive, but a stand out experience for me.

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Second for Tahiti Nui, great pizza. And they filmed part of The Descendants there.

For a good local place, go to Hamura's by the airport for saimin and lillikoi pie. Also Puka Dog is good for a quick lunch.

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This without a doubt.

Willy Wonka said:

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drwong said:

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barnacle bob said:

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Yes, do Mama's. Go early have cocktails, watch sundown, then eat. Get reservations now.

For Kauai, Tahiti Nui is hard to beat. Kind of a dive, but a stand out experience for me.

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Second for Tahiti Nui, great pizza. And they filmed part of The Descendants there.

For a good local place, go to Hamura's by the airport for saimin and lillikoi pie. Also Puka Dog is good for a quick lunch.

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This without a doubt.

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And the yakitori is great too.

BSD said:

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Bar Acuda in Hanalei. Get reservations in advance.

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How far in advance can you book a reservation at Bar Acuda? Looks like they do not take reservations outside of the current month through Yelp unless I'm missing something.

Already booked Mama's Fish House today. Stoked to say the least and appreciate everyone's insight here.

Willy Wonka said:

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It's been a long time, but when we were at Princeville on our honeymoon, we ended up eating sushi at least a couple of nights at the Living Room at Princeville watching the sunset.

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Now known as the Welina Terrace. Just booked it.

Not a restaurant rec but something to do on Maui (especially if flying there first) is to drive up to top of Haleakala for sunrise. Amazing.

Make sure you get reservations far in advance for both restaurants and many of the hikes still require them after covid. If you do the kalalau trail (needs parking that sells out). Once you get to the beach, follow it to the right and there's a cave you can hangout in and watch the waves. One of the most relaxing hours of my life, very few people actually walk down the beach, so it's insanely peaceful.

merrimans is awesome as others have said. Have eaten at both big island and Maui

Since I assume you won't spend multiple hundreds on dinner every single night (and others have said them all), I'll toss in non date night food choices that are "cheap".

Kauai
Island craves in kapa'a had great donuts and pizza. Fantastic dough.

The shrimp station -Waimea, the Cajun shrimp was great along with other fried shrimp, and cheap by island standards.

We usually eat at L&Ls once too, just get a chicken dish and it's solid. We did it to go and ate at Hanalei bay at sunset, great way to end a day.

On Maui:
Mama's Fish House is worth trying for sure. Monkeypod mentioned above has a great happy hour. Outrigger Pizza in Kihei is also really good.

I'd recommend renting a car and exploring the island. As wonderful as the coast is my wife and I really like spending time in upcountry. Maui Wine is a fun experience and the Ranch Store across the street has great burgers. Marlow and Mahalo Aleworks are fun spots, and the view from the Ocean Vodka Distillery is great. O'o Farm has a fun farm/coffee tour and great breakfast.

On the East Side of the Kauai suggest Bullshed as good steaks and is right on the water. Beach House on the South of island is great but reserve around the time the sun sets. Lamperts is a great Ice Cream place.

scottthomas16 said:

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On the East Side of the Kauai suggest Bullshed as good steaks and is right on the water. Beach House on the South of island is great but reserve around the time the sun sets. Lamperts is a great Ice Cream place.

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Isn't it Lapperts for ice cream?

If it's still open, Shrimp Hut in Poipu is good.

Well done on Mama's reservation

It's my favorite restaurant....enjoy it!

I am in Maui now.

Do NOT go to Star Noodle. Decent views but the food was downright bland. Can get much better noodles or Asian food in Dallas and Houston. I still can't believe this place required reservations.

If you are looking for a nice and easy lunch or light dinner...one of our favorite things to do has been grab some poke from the Foodland grocery store deli and eat it with some fresh rice.

Paia Fish Market is solid. Got some blackened fish and cajun rice and was just really good food.

Go to O'o Farms for a tour and lunch...beautiful place.

For nice dinner in Maui (especially if you are staying on West side of island, Lahaina Grill is my favorite spot. It does not have the views of Mama's Fish House, but the food and service is excellent.

We had breakfast at Grandma's Coffee House and Da Kitchen while on Maui. We ate at alot of places while there but these two stand out as having been special in my memory. They were both really really good. The homefries at Grandma's Coffee House were off the hook.

Been to the islands about a dozen times, so I've got some opinions ...

In Wailea, Pita Paradise is absolutely fantastic. No matter where we stay on Maui, we make a point to eat here at least once. The best fine dining experience we've had on Maui was at a place called Capische?, which is now called The Restaurant at the Hotel Wailea. There are less than 10 tables so you have to book way in advance, but the sunset views are unmatched. But the best thing I've ever eaten on Maui is at a little hole in the wall called Sam Sato's in Wailuku near the airport - it's a local joint, and we've never seen another tourist in there. Be prepared to wait, but it's well worth it.

As for Princeville, the place we stay isn't convenient to many restaurants, so we usually cook. But as others have said, Tidepools and Beach House down south are nice places for a more elegant dinner.

Got married last year at the Beach House in Poipu,if you make it to the southern part of Kauai I highly recommend the Beach House for a dinner.

Merrimans was a great dinner spot, Keoki's Paradise is cool atmosphere and food was ok, Red Salt was overpriced, and always hear great things about The Dolphin. If youre ever looking for a snack or quick lunch, get a Puka Dog.

If you're not able to get Mama's reservations (and it's not too inconvenient) , it might be worth it to go there anyway. Reservations were booked like 6 months out when we went, but we stopped by there after doing a short version of the road to Hana, asked nicely, and we got a table! Only had to wait 10 minutes too. Much better than 6 months. Watched the sea turtles while we waited. It was incredible.