Maui’s Upcountry region is home to some of the island’s best restaurants — if you know where to look.
This part of Maui is best known for its farming and ranching enterprises. Thus, farm-to-table restaurants proliferate. From healthy hole-in-the-walls to restaurants once captained by iconic Hawaii chefs, here are ten restaurants you must visit in Upcountry Maui.
(In no particular order, and these are just 10 favorites. So, add more in the comments please!)
Haliimaile General Store
Haliimaile General Store is one of the most iconic restaurants on Maui.
The original Haliimaile Store opened in 1925 to serve the area’s plantation workers. It was a one-stop shop for all necessities and included a post office, butcher shop, clothing store, and fish market.
In the late ’80s, Bev Gannon, one of the pioneering chefs in the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement, bought the general store and turned it into a restaurant.
While Bev is no longer at the helm of Haliimaile General Store, the restaurant still serves beautiful Hawaii Regional dishes like mac nut-crusted mahi and seafood curry.
Casanova
Casanova has been a local go-to for Italian cuisine since 1986.
original owner hailed from Italy, and it is now run by local restaurateurs. Despite new ownership and a new look, the menu has barely changed since the restaurant’s inception.
Staple dishes include a variety of pasta, fresh salads, seafood, and wood-fired pizzas — made in the first wood-fired pizza oven to grace Maui’s shores.
Oh, and don’t skip the fresh focaccia. Pair your meal with a bottle of wine or Aperol spritz—molto bene!
Casanova is open daily from 5 pm to 9 pm, making it a perfect place to stop after sunset at Haleakala.
Kula Bistro
Kula Bistro is a family-friendly Italian-style restaurant located in the charming small town of Kula.
Although unassuming from the outside, Kula Bistro has become extremely popular among locals and visitors alike. This restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and even features a bakery with a daily selection of pastries.
The breakfast menu features favorites like benedicts, frittatas, pancakes, and loco moco. Lunch and dinner have an expansive menu full of salads, pasta, seafood, paninis, and more.
Kula Bistro is BYOB and conveniently located across the street from Morihara General Store, where you can purchase your favorite beer and wine.
Marlow
Marlow is one of the newest restaurants to open in Upcountry. This family-owned joint is known for its simple Italian fare and Neapolitan-style pizza.
Local ingredients are at the forefront of Marlow’s menu. Some of the produce is grown right up the road at farms in Kula!
In the mornings, Restaurant Marlow offers quick-service breakfast with mouthwatering sourdough breakfast pizzas and lattes so pretty that they’ll definitely end up on your Instagram story.
Kula Lodge
Tucked on the slopes of Haleakala at 3,200 feet, Kula Lodge offers excellent dining with a view. This restaurant features hearty breakfasts, elevated lunches, and dinners with a farm-to-table concept.
Opt to sit in the main dining room, where large windows frame bi-coastal views (perfect for a sunset cocktail).
During lunch service, Kula Lodge opens its outdoor garden terrace. This part of the restaurant serves artisanal wood-fired pizza, sandwiches, and other light bites, and diners can enjoy the cool mountain air and a lush garden setting.
La Provence
La Provence is a small French bakery in Kula. This restaurant is slightly off the beaten path, so few tourists find it. Yet locals revere La Provence for its pastries and breakfast.
The breakfast menu here is simple. Aside from the pastries, diners have two choices: benedict or crepe. There are a multitude of options for each. Go for the universal favorite – bacon, tomato, and avo benedict – or opt for a decadent sweet or savory crepe.
La Provence Maui has a no-frills atmosphere. The hours are unpredictable. There is no indoor seating, and the restaurant only accepts cash or checks. But they make some of the best pastries outside of Paris, so it’s well worth a visit.
Freshies
Freshies is one of Upcountry’s best hidden gems! This restaurant is tucked in a quiet open-air courtyard in Makawao.
Open for breakfast and lunch, Freshies lives up to its name by serving fresh, healthy, farm-to-table dishes. Staples like omelets, huevos rancheros, and parfaits are offered at breakfast, while lunch features sandwiches, wraps, tacos, and salads.
Freshies has a small-town, country atmosphere, which perfectly emulates Makawao’s paniolo (cowboy) history.
Satori
Satori is a farm-to-table sushi food truck located in a private courtyard in Makawao.
Satori serves ramen, poke, and colorful sushi hand rolls with fresh, local fish. One of Satori’s most popular dishes is the Cali-Aloha handroll, with smoked marlin, cucumber, avocado, mac nut aioli, and sesame. There are also plenty of delicious vegan and vegetarian options as well!
Satori is BYOB, so pick up your favorite beverage from Rodeo General Store, grab a table under the big mango tree, and order up your favorite sushi rolls.
Serpico’s
Serpico’s is a laid-back, family-friendly joint in Pukalani. This restaurant is known for its New Jersey pizza and East Coast-style Italian cuisine.
Serpico’s doesn’t kid around about their Jersey roots. The original Serpico’s opened in 1994 in Ashbury Park, NJ.
There are a plethora of pizza options at Serpico’s. Build your own, go for a specialty pie – like the Philly Cheesesteak pizza or Kalua Pork pizza – or deviate from the norm and make it a calzone.
Serpico’s also offers a head-spinning array of starters, salads, subs, hoagies, burgers, and entrees, so there is truly something for everyone at this Upcountry gem. Dine in or order online—the choice is yours.
Serpico’s is the sister restaurant of Prison Street Pizza, which was unfortunately lost in the 2023 Lahaina wildfire. Show this family-owned restaurant some love next time you’re in Pukalani.
Kojima’s
Kojima’s is a popular spot for locals, but visitors often miss it. Tucked just off the highway in Pukalani, Kojima’s is a family-friendly Japanese restaurant.
Although Kojima’s is best known for its colorful sushi, don’t discount the kitchen menu — which features Japanese favorites like miso butterfish and chicken katsu.
Kojima’s has indoor and outdoor seating and a sushi bar. You’ll often see Mr. Kojima, the proprietor, whipping up sushi rolls behind the bar.
And speaking of bars… Kojima’s is BYOB. No spirits, please, but you’re welcome to bring your own wine, beer, or sake.
Mahalo…So excited to add these great food destinations to my list of must visits.