Nuka

Haiku-Pauwela, United States

4.4

Open now

21 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 808-575-2939
Website:
nukamaui.com
Address:
780 Haiku Rd Maui, Haiku-Pauwela, HI, 96708
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Takes Reservations
No
Take-out
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No

Today

Today 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
4:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Haiku-Pauwela) 20:37 Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Business hours

Monday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
4:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
4:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
4:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
4:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
4:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday 4:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday 4:30 pm – 10:00 pm

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21 reviews of Nuka

No registration required
Place rating: 1
Claremont, CA
Another sushi bar on Maui getting by by selling «fresh nigiri» to country-​people and tourists who don’t know any better.
City people will be disappointed.
Place rating: 4
Makawao, HI
Great food and service. We like the sushi bar that allows you to sit and eat at the counter when all the tables are filled. The open kitchen adds atmosphere to the experience. We enjoy the fresh seafood and friendly service.
Place rating: 5
Billings, MT
We always end up coming back here because the rolls are phenomenal and the ambience is so fun — not to mention the great drinks! They even have non-​fish friendly dishes that are delicious. It’s always packed so make sure to get there with plenty of time (especially if you have a larger party) or call a few minutes in advance.
Definitely worth a stop!
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
This ranks right up there among our favorite restaurants in Hawaii. We went with friends who live in the neighborhood and had a great time. The food was delicious and the service was very good. My only complaint would be that they were out of a few items, but we were eating late in the evening. I think it’s nice that everything is fresh enough that they DO run out.
Place rating: 5
Minneapolis, MN
When we got to Nuka last night, it was hoppin’. So we had to wait about 20 minutes. We didn’t mind. It was a nice evening to hang out. Once we got seated, we were well attended to. The hardest part was trying to decide what to order. Everything looked fantastic. So refreshing to see creative rolls… not the same ol’ same ol’ like crunchy roll, caterpillar roll, etc. We put an order in for 4 rolls and one sashimi order. While eating a couple of the rolls that came out, our server brought out a complimentary roll because we had to wait so long to be seated! Totally unexpected! Nuka was the best sushi experience we’ve had (aside from being at our friend’s sushi restaurant on the mainland where he creates off menu items for us). If you want a creative experience away from all the tourists, I HIGHLY recommend Nuka!
Place rating: 5
Kahului, HI
Nice ambiance, filled with locals.
Diverse and innovative.
With a group of 12 we tried almost everything on the menu.
With several drinks each we split the tab that came out to about $ 75 per person. Reasonable for Maui.
Place rating: 5
Paia, HI
Creative Japanese style menu with different specials nightly. Fun and hip spot in Downtown Haiku, so get there early or be prepared to wait a bit. A great place to run into people you know, if you live in Haiku because it seems to be always busy. Even diners who don’t care for sushi will find menu items to satisfy. Glad to see they are doing so well and will be here for the duration.
Place rating: 5
Atglen, PA
My husband and I came here for dinner. The place was full but we got a table right away. Service was fast and it had a good atmosphere. The food was delicious. Very fresh! We hope to go back before we leave. If you like sushi definitely a must! Some of the best sushi we’ve had. Also must try the karagge chicken appetizer! It was super tender! Also the lollipop roll was super refreshing and wrapped with cucumber. Every roll we had was great. We also tried the nuka roll and caterpillar roll and some other none specialty rolls. Awesome!
Place rating: 5
Cherry Hills Village, CO
Wow! We love sushi and found this place great. The only thing we would change is the name, which seems to suggest «nuclear,» not a good concept after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster thousands of miles away. Onto the positives, which is everything else. Calamari tempura was a special tonight and was a bargain at $ 8, served seconds after coming out of the deep fryer. Shake and maguro sashimi super fresh and tender. Haleakala roll uniquely good. Tempura shrimp roll fine. Black sesame ice cream a very nice ending. Special cocktail enjoyed by my wife. Wine list thin but adequate. Service attentive. We want to return!
Place rating: 5
Fortuna, CA
I went back after I got a response from the management regarding a staff change.
My Nuka is back!
I can live again.
Mahalo.
Place rating: 5
Makawao, HI
They also have a great lunch
Acacia bowls, hamburgers and french fries, noddles and specials daily. Great prices too
Place rating: 4
Kula, HI
I loved the ideas behind NUKA, from the menu creations to the NUKA Rice, the restaurant design to the freshness of the ingredients
My palette was awakened and entertained and the food went down gently so i didnt walk away bloated or uncomfortable.
There is a lot to choose from, but I loved the NUKA roll, and there is a home made sesame seed ice cream that is an old family recipe that is incredible
Definitely a must try place
NUKA is easy to find, just go to the Haiku Post Office
Place rating: 5
Honolulu, HI
Aloha from an UpCounry Sushi Joint,
Only once have I driven by this place and not seen a line out the door, hence I had to pull over and run in to find some good din din. I may be having a stroke with all this rhyming but typing this review is rather fun because only good things can I say about this establishment. Recently transplanted from Honolulu to Haiku you do notice some restaurants fade away, and the quality changes here and there, however at NUKA it is almost better than some of the best on Oahu.
The sushi chefs like to play, asking them for what they would recommend is always fun and here they are game, uni with quail egg in a unique presentation impressed me very much, and I am not that easy. The fish was very fresh like probably still swimming an hour ago and the presentation is amazing, photo finish good.
The ambiance is great quiet but still noisy enough where no one listens to your conversation, very nice and comfortable area to sit, and the staff is not only cute but also very helpful, with detailed knowledge of all dishes and the bar menu.
Enjoy
bogs in paradise
Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA
Awesome spot if you’re craving some sushi! Parking can be a little tricky so we ended up parking across the street since we were heading to the Haiku market after dinner. Just be careful while walking across at dinner time since there’s minimal street lighting.
The restaurant itself is very nice, sushi bar to the right with plenty of seating and tables otherwise. The décor is lovely and the back of the menus contain a quick history of the restaurant’s name.
We came on a Thursday night around 6pm and had a very short 5min wait. We ended up sharing the veg tempura and sushi platter. Everything tasted amazingly fresh and it was the perfect size to share between us two. The special rolls (which are usually my favorite) are on the expensive side here (some for $ 12, many for $ 15-​$ 20), so we decided to take a more traditional route and enjoy the freshness of their fish and it did not disappoint. We also had no issues with the service, they were attentive, helpful, and quick.
Place rating: 2
Boston, MA
Hmmm… I’m confused! We stopped in for lunch, hoping for some delicious sushi. Unfortunately, it wasn’t available but we could choose between a burger and noodles. Doesn’t seem like the kind of spot to order a burger, so we went with noodles with fish ball and seaweed as well as noodles with mixed vegetables and beef. I understand that the noodles are brought in from a special noodle factory and everything else was made from scratch, but I was not impressed. Wish we could have had sushi!
Place rating: 4
Port Coquitlam, Canada
Can I give a 4.5?
As we come from the land of sushi, (Vancouver), we are always incredibly impressed with the quality of fish. To say that Nuka is phenomenal is an understatement! We frequent Nuka quite often as we own a home in Haiku and are always excited to come back every time.
Like most nights at Nuka it is incredibly busy so give yourself enough time as you might end up waiting or if you are a smaller party, there is bar seating. Although there is a constant movement of people coming and going, you never feel rushed. EXCEPT for tonight when we had a server named Penny who was eagerly rushing us out the door. We had only taken a few bites and she offered us our bill. Not to mention she was so unfriendly and didn’t smile once. Tonight Nuka felt more like «sushi on the go» restaurant. We know that Nuka’s brand is not what tonight was.
Regardless, poor service by one person isn’t something that will stop us from coming back. Instead it is something they should be cognitive about. Nuka is a MUST try when on the island as it’ll always leave you back for coming more. And the presentation is OVER THE TOP!!!
Place rating: 4
Carmel, CA
I’m a self proclaimed sushi snob and I have to say, Nuka really impressed me!
They’re located in Haiku and definitely cater more to locals, but if you’re visiting and looking for amazing sushi make the trek, it’s worth it!
Their menu is creative with really interesting sushi rolls, appetizers and cocktails. What I appreciated about the creativity with the rolls is they weren’t over-​the-​top. Sushi is best served with simple combinations of fresh flavors (in my opinion).
What we had (all recommended and ranked in order of favorites):
–lollipop (fresh and NO RICE! ponzu sauce is great with this cucumber wrapped sashimi roll.)
— nuka roll (spicy, fresh, shiso leaf adds a great kick of flavor)
–dragon fly roll (spicy mayo sauce is not normally my thing, but it’s drizzled lightly which was perfect)
–Hawaiian roll (basically spicy tuna with Mac nuts., loved the texture it added to the roll)
–haiku roll (not normally a fan of fruit and sushi but the papaya spear was great, not overbearing sweetness).
Appetizers:
–hurricane fries.
–Truffle edamame.
–Tempura okra
–baked mussels
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
If you like fresh sashimi, sushi etc. this is the place! Service is excellent and we met the owner of this restaurant while checking on us. Highly recommended and Paia Fish Market is owned by the same person.
And the server, Jasmine is very knowledgeable of he menu and very friendly.
There you have it, we just found our go to spot in Maui.
Place rating: 4
Kahului, HI
I visited Nuka with a bunch of friends on a busy Friday night. They were so accomadating for us! It was crowded but we made it work. I’ll be honest and say: I’m not a huge sushi fan. I know, I know. But as the saying goes: different strokes for different folks. When I grow up, maybe I’ll like sushi. :)
I would be willing to branch out and try some but the prices here are a little steep. I know that this ties into the quality so, it is what it is. I went with something light: Miso soup and spicy garlic edamame. It was really tasty. The edamame was quite spicy and brought a few of us to tears over the heat. No lie. But they were like those addicting foods you just can’t stop eating. Just one more. Okay, one more. Another. Is my tongue bleeding? Totally joking, but WOAH. If you only like spicy «a little bit» watch out for these guys. If you love spicy, you will be satisfied for the night.
It’s clean and the service was good. Everyone at the table was satisfied with their meals. I will definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for good sushi on the north shore.
Place rating: 5
Lahaina, HI
Came in on a Saturday night at 7. Got sat within 5 mins. Service was perfect! Food was delivered timely.
The spicy garlic edamame was AMAZING!
Place rating: 5
Culver City, CA
Absolutely delicious and a great service from the team of beautiful waitress and dedicated cooks. Located in the north shore of Maui, you will find Nuka in haiku exotic tropical town near the post office. Enjoy. Claudius of Paris