808 General Store
856-0052
2960 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei
808generalstore.com
Courtesy 808 General Store
The 808 General Store just opened in a revamped ground-floor space in the 5 Palms. The store, related to 808 Deli and 808 on Main, serves up their legendary paninis and salads along with a fabulous Keawakapu Beach view. The selections on sandwiches rotate, so call ahead or check their board. The store also stocks snacks, groceries, beach supplies, and toiletries, etc. It’s the perfect spot to grab food after a beach day and enjoy their cute indoor dining area with majestic window views, and great air conditioning. They also have breakfast items like coffees, acai bowls, bagels, pastries, and breakfast paninis, of course.
Mediterranean Grill
868-3518
810 Haiku Rd., Haiku
Photo by Jen Russo
I am always down for a Mediterranean meal, and have found myself driving out to Haʻikū just for the thrill of visiting The Mediterranean Grill. This food truck has a semi-permanent place up at the Haiku Cannery and has consistently served up delicious gyro, falafel, chicken shawarma, baba ganoush, baklava, and hummus since 2015. They use their own Lebanese home-style recipes with fresh local ingredients; flavors are on point. The atmosphere is pretty chill for a parking lot food truck situation. There are some umbrella-shaded metal tables if you plan to eat there, and it’s a dog-friendly vibe. They are closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Ko Restaurant
808-875-2210
4100 Wailea Alanui, Wailea
korestaurant.com
Courtesy ko_restaurant/Instagram
Ko has a fantastic Sunday brunch that will blow you away. Pretend you are on staycation while posting up Sunday in their open-air dining room with ocean views and live music, pecking away at their luxe buffet selections. The What Maui Eats-themed buffet features Hawaiian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and Portuguese cuisines with a nod to our local island favorites. It’s an immersion experience. The short rib loco moco is out of this world, as well as the ahi poke, poi, pohole fern salad, lomi lomi salmon combination. Plantation French toast, Ube pancakes, steamed salmon, chap chae, Korean chicken, and Moloka’i sweet potato round out some of the other favorites you will find here. Leave space for the dessert table! Kama’aina get 25 percent off with Hawai’i ID.
