Customer Reviews

50 Thrifty Maui Restaurants

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is not exactly what it promises to be. It's better! We were VERY well pleased by the quaqlity of each of the exceptional food experiences to which we were guided. This is not just a guide to cheap eats. Yes! These are inexpensive eateries; but the food is generally far better than in significantly more expensive restaurants. We're seasoned travelers. We wish there was a book of this quality for each of our destinations.

Great book - we tried about 10 places this book recommended and they were great.

A couple of notes:

1. On page 56-57; DeanO's Maui Pizza Cafe is no longer there - it's now some type of buffet restaurant.

2. Charley's on page 42 is fantastic!

3. Thai chef on page 36 is another great place (and its BYOB - so you can bring a bottle of wine)!

This little book greatly enhanced our ability to find great places to eat and dine. As others have said, it'll pay for itself within a few meals easily. Some of the recommendations I can't say I agree with 100%, but all-in-all, the book is a great resource. It's probably the best book for "food tourism" you can buy; it beats out the guidebooks which try and cover food by a long shot.

I'd recommend it to travelers!

My partner and I, having never been to Maui, followed the recommendations in this guide. We never would have found many of these places unless we'd first lived on the island. It was just what I wanted when bought the guide -only better. The book paid for itself. What more could you ask? I would recommend the book. Just before I submitted this review I peeked at what others had said also about the guide. It seems that we all have a similar review!

My husband and I used this guide for a 5 day trip to Maui in January 08. We found the reviews to be up-to-date and accurate. Yes, the descriptions are brief, but this is meant to be a lightweight pocket guide that you can throw in your beach bag or keep in the glove box of your rental car, whether you use it on the fly to find a casual place to munch, or want to plan for something a little more upscale but still within a budget. Most of the places listed here are casual condo resort restaurants, "mom & pop" digs, or fall under the "fast food" category (but there's only one chain restaurant listed). But afterall, this is Maui and unless you are at the Four Seasons or other upscale resort area restaurant you are probably fine to roll in with your flip flops and a t-shirt. We liked the specifics like instructions on where to park and suggested menu items to try. If you like to stay at your resort and dine at the typical touristy restaurants in Lahaina and Kihei, you wont find this book very useful. But if you are like us and like to explore "out of the way" Maui when you go and are looking to spend less than $20 (or less than $10) per person on a meal, this book will be indespensible during your driving tours around the island. You can save money and eat at the less expensive breakfast and lunch spots listed in this book, and then splurge a night or two on dinner at Mama's Fish House, Roy's/Kimo's/Lahaina Fish Co., and a luau or dinner show. We ate at at least 5 places recommended by this book while we were there, from oceanfront restaurants to tiny taco stands on the Hana Hwy. By the way, we've used Maui Revealed for years (who doesn't these days?), and 50 Thrifty lists a lot of restaurants that Maui Revealed doesn't. So spend the few bucks for this book and have an even bigger selection of restaurants to choose from when you get there!

Honestly, for under $10 you only need to get one bargain to make this book worthwhile. You should have no trouble doing that. This book has a lot of hits in it. That is especially helpful in Maui, where you can spend a lot on very mediocre food sometimes. This is easily the best guide to eating on a budget in Maui.

While you are at it, take a look at "Maui Revealed" for the absolute best overall guidebook for Maui.

Just got back from Maui a week ago. My husband and I bought this book and hunted down just about every resturant listed. What a huge waste of time and money! Almost every establishment listed were either closed, changed owners, or changed names. The ones that were still open had dramatically increased their prices. When asked about the published prices for meals listed in the book we were told more than once that "Those prices are for locals only". Save your cash and don't buy this book...you'll need that money for breakfast!

We brought this book on our trip and used it frequently. We were very pleased with the book. It was accurate regarding the restaurants, locations, menu selections, and especially pricing.

A first we thought that we will end up where there was OK food, but we tasted better food than some of the more expensive tourist locations. Gives you that great island living experience, you go to towns where no tourists hang out, restraunts with friendly people, mom and pop shops where people care about you and the food they are serving. I highly recommend this book, even if you are not on a budget.

Although I'd been to Maui before, this book revealed many new establishments and all we tried were great. I would recommend this book to anyone traveling to Maui. It pays for itself after the first meal. Don't miss Bale French Cafe in the Mall in Lahaina....it was excellent!