Island Chef

We had heard so much information about this place being great that our expectations were sky high. For sure, the kitchen seemed clean and the single staff person/​chef was friendly. We ordered the coconut shrimp expecting this to be the bomb. But it turned out that the shrimp had more batter than shrimp. We also had ahi fish and chips. They were fine, but I think I am used to Ahi as a raw sushi entrée than as deep fry.

One of the few places to eat on the road to Hana and worth a stop, especially if you don’t have lunch. Ordered a large fish and chips for $ 16 and there was plenty of food for two. Don’t know what kind of fish it was but it was hot, fresh and flavorful. This place is cash only.

Largest coconut shrimps in the island with generous amounts of shredded coconut deep fried to perfection. It tastes like macaroons with shrimps.

Stopped here on our way up Hana to the falls. What a surprise! Really good food at a great price! Had the chicken and broccoli which was $ 12 and huge! Plenty for 2 hungry people! The sweet chili sauce was fantastic too!

We had an awesome coconut shrimp here. The batter was just right with freshly shaven thick coconut. I read the previous reviews stating the batter was too much, I didn’t think so, felt just right with big shrimp underneath. The chef works all by himself and it was impressive to see how organized he was with everything prepped. We didn’t have to wait long for our food and the place was packed. I give it 5 stars for what it is… a food truck in the middle of a mountain. It’s not a fancy five star restaurant, but it’s still 5 stars in my book!

Loved this little place! I ate here two years ago on my first adventure on the Road to Hana. Back in Maui last week, I had to stop again and they are still the BEST coconut shrimp I’ve ever eaten. Parking is hard but DEFINITELY worth the walk even if you have to park down the road.

On our way back from Hana we stopped and island chef let me tell you it an old bus on no wheels no windows two women cooking my goodness the coconut shrimp with fries was amazing :) my hubby had the battered mahi with fries delicious too my lil one had the chicken chow mien yup she did and it was very good too prices al lil high it was 45.00 for all three of us but it was so worth it enjoy ;)’

Amazing! That’s all. Worth the drive and the wait. When we arrived it was closed. We waited a few minutes because we heard such good things about it. Absolutely lived up to the hype!

We drove by this small collection of shops and food spots a couple times before stopping for an Island Chef feast.
The Mahi Mahi was just caught from a local fishermen and couldn’t have been any fresher.
The servings were huge, the vegetables wok fried were crisp, fresh and well seasoned. Add in the two scoops of rice and some fresh fruit on the side.

Heavenly! The owner walked by with a yellow tail tuna he caught using a line. The fish and chips were superb! We ordered the large portion to share (16.00) well worth it. Sat outside and thoroughly enjoyed the perfectly battered crispy FRESH fish (wish the fries were a bit crispier). Highly recommend.

The yellowfin tuna fish and chips were great. I had not had tuna made this way before. It was great. I have eaten more kinds fish and chips than I can count and this was the best. I skipped the malt vinegar and just put lemon juice on it. Awesome flavor and texture.

I had the fish and chips here as recommended by the cook. It took over 30 minutes to get my order as there was only 1 person cooking, and I could tell some of the folks who were doing the road to Hana in one day were getting restless. The setting is very quaint and fits with the Hana vibe. The fish and chips were edible, but nothing to really rave about. It was still greasy though I’ve had greasier fish and chips elsewhere. The fish was fresh but I had fresher fish and chips elsewhere. Also, the batter was too much I had to dig the fish out. It’s also pricey at $ 15 (cash). Overall if you’re pressed for time I don’t recommend a stop here as it would eat your time (pardon the pun!). If you’re hungry be prepared to wait. There’s a café nearby that sell amazing coconut bread though.

Aloha folks…
The place is a pleasant and much needed break from the winding drives that will take you up to Hana or prepare you when you are going back down towards Paia. It looks like a countryside food court of sorts…
A) Island Chef — run by a long pony tailed chef. He cooks everything fresh (based on what I saw)…the food comes out hot and nice. We ordered the Coconut Shrimp & chips. I guess he is slightly on the pricier side among the 4 options there. Just the shrimp/​chips combo was $ 20. I would rate his food a 3.5÷5. Overall décor — ³⁄₅
B) Taco shack — this is not their name but they sell tacos. Run by a couple of ladies (one seems happy the other not so much! :)). The options include tacos, sandwiches. The fish or shrimp tacos are fresh, flavorful. There are a range of sauces to spice your food up. The rate for fish tacos was $ 13. Rating for food 3.5÷5. Overall décor — ³⁄₅
C) Thai food — run by an Asian lady (probably thai). Options include fish or shrimp spicy curry, chicken/​pork are other protein options. They also sell so Basil curry etc. You won’t get all that is there in that limited menu but I got what I wanted — Spicy shrimp curry with vegetables and a side of rice. Mannn… the lady cooked up a fab fare. The food was the right spice, flavor and salt. I was so glad I chose it… it was served hot and the rice was a good compliment. The cost was $ 13 and I was happy paying every cent of it! Food — 4.5÷5. Overall décor — 2.5÷5
D) Café — the best looking place with lots of little and interesting things local — right from locally baked fruit breads to cookies to small/​large locally made ukeleles. The options for warm and cold drinks are surprisingly wide and the taste is very good. They serve Maui grown coffee. The rating for food — ⁴⁄₅. Overall décor — 3.5÷5
Please note
– this place accepts only CASH so please go prepared.
– It is not cheap/​inexpensive
Mahalo!

I don’t really understand why this place has such rave reviews. Food was bland and way too expensive for what it was. The coconut shrimp was all batter, and the fries tasted like they were straight from the frozen aisle at a discount supermarket. The fish and chips were ok… for the most part. The fish seemed fresh, but that’s all it had going for it. I wouldn’t have eaten it without the sauce. If you want authentic food on your way to Hana, I would definitely skip this place.
The one redeeming quality of the stand were the cooks. Super nice, and very friendly! If you’re absolutely starving, and didn’t bring a snack on your journey, I would avoid their seafood dishes altogether and go for beef or chicken.

People leaving four and five star reviews must not have packed *any* food or snacks on their Road to Hana trip. Delirium from hunger is the only rationale for thinking this joint serves good food. The other food stalls were closed so this was our only choice.
BF and I ordered the coconut shrimp (85% batter and way too sweet) and fish & chips (they tasted the same — like nothing. Jk, they tasted like the oil they were fried in.).

Saved our lives on the way back from Hana! We had taken the route to Hana on the south and east side of the island. Went on the Pipiwai Trail and started to drive back on Hana Highway around 3pm. Could not find anywhere to eat at that time of day and we’re STARVING after the hike. Thankfully Island Chef had fresh fish and chips and a lot of other things, as well. Even had some veggie options for the not fish inclined.
The Chef cooks out of a food truck with two or three burners, so it can be a bit slow. Other than that definitely fresh, hot, satisfying food.

Much needed pit stop on the long road to Hana! The owner recommended the fish n’ chips so that’s what we got! It was so fresh and delicious! Still warm, with the golden crispy batter. Not too oily or over cooked. Nice assortment of condiments to compliment all dishes. It did take a good 15 minutes for our order to be ready but it was worth the wait! The pineapple and passion fruit is a friendly Hawaiian treat that comes with each meal!

This doesn’t have 1 check in because there’s no service on that side of the island. Anyways a good place for a lunch break. We stop by on I’ll way back from Hana. The do have s few shops there but parking can be really hard to find during lunch hour. OK about the food I got the hot and spicy shrimp. The shrimp were fresh but lacking flavor plus it comes only with 6pcs. for $ 14. My wife got the fish and chips. The fish they use was Blue Marlin. That was really good. That plate had about 6 good size fried fish for $ 14. It’s a good place to stop if you’re heading or coming back from Hana. The place is called Nahiku Market place.

We decided to take a drive to The Road of Hana and by the time we’re on the way back, we’re starving!!! So either pack your own meal or make a stop at this area to grab a bite to eat!
The hubby and I grabbed the fish and chips because we had reservation a few hours later and didn’t want to be full. They normally use the caught of the day… And on that day was the ahi fish! It was cooked to perfection and we really enjoyed the meal! It was not too oily and not over cooked! Yummy just thinking about it.
It seem like the places to eat around here close off once they run out of food which make sense!

I’m glad that I just had little bites and snacks on the way to Hana so I had room for some Coconut shrimp! It was $ 20.00 dollars a plate but I think that is the norm on the island because I ate at another shrimp truck and the plate was also $ 20.00.
The shrimp were nice, big and non greasy. The plate also had rice, salad and pineapple slices. The salad dressing was different but was delicious! They make the dish fresh so it takes about 20 minutes to prepare it. There is a nice shady area where you can sit and wait. I thought the meal was worth it!