Wailea Restaurant Week comes but twice a year. For some Maui residents, this occasion is more eagerly anticipated than many holidays. During the off-season in May and November, savvy locals and a few lucky visitors head to South Maui to indulge in $29, $39 or $49 fixed price three-course menus at 21 top Wailea restaurants. The event benefits the Maui Food Bank.
This fall WRW runs from Sunday, November 9th to Saturday, November 15th, but with 21 great restaurants participating and only 7 nights to enjoy, how do you choose? Here are our top picks for Restaurant Week, spanning each price range. Click here for the full list with menus. Reservations are highly recommended and most can be made on OpenTable.
Note: While some restaurants readily offer up the WRW menu, others make them available “by request only.” If you are not presented with the WRW menu, just use your best Oliver Twist voice and say, “Please sir, I want the Wailea Restaurant Menu.” Considering many entrées alone usually run from $25-$60, you won’t be sorry you asked!
Nick’s Fish Market, The Fairmont Kea Lani - $49 This Mediterrean-meets-Maui open-air restaurant overlooks the Kea Lani Resort gardens and pools with lovely sunset views. While most restaurants provide 2-3 options in each category or truncated portions, Nick’s offers a wide selection of full-sized appetizers and entrées. Our favorites include the Hawaiian ceviche and the Moroccan spiced salmon. Excellent service and Maui’s best mai tai round out the experience.
Ka’ana Kitchen, Andaz Maui Resort - $49 When you’re tired of the ubiquitous macadamia nut crusted mahimahi or coconut shrimp, head to the sleek and sexy Ka’ana Kitchen at the Andaz Resort for a cosmopolitan and sustainable dining experience. Must tries are the refreshing watermelon feta salad and the perfectly prepared abalone risotto. If you don’t score a seat on the lanai, the open kitchen concept and mixologists will keep you captivated.
Capische, Hotel Wailea - $49 Upscale and innovative Italian cuisine featuring locally sourced ingredients located in the Hotel Wailea overlooking the other resorts below. Choose between a table in the intimate and romantic garden or on the lanai with its sweeping views of South Maui and the sea beyond. Portions lean towards tapas style rather than family style, but the WRW pricing makes it much more palatable.
Migrant, Marriot Wailea Resort - $39 With an infectious smile that stretches from here to his hometown of Hilo, Chef Sheldon Simeon is a rising star in Hawaii and beyond. This local boy was the Top Chef: Seattle fan favorite and is a two-time James Beard Award semi-finalist. Inspired by fun and flavorful dishes from his childhood, he crafts Filipino-Hawaiian comfort food with attitude. Don’t miss the blistered shishito peppers or the Korean fried chicken with peanut sauce. It’s finger lickin’ good!
Mulligan’s on the Blue, Wailea Blue Golf Course - $29 Perched on the 19th hole of the Wailea Old Blue golf course, this Irish-themed restaurant and bar is a world away from most other Wailea restaurants with its relaxed atmosphere and nightly entertainment. Enjoy pub fare and great selection of draught beer or whiskey selection while watching the game inside or taking in the ocean and sunset views from the lanai.