Lahaina Coolers Restaurant & Bar

Absolutely recommend this restaurant for dinner. We came here twice in 2 days. The chorizo and brie stuffed puff pastry was creative and delicious. I had the scallop and shrimp dirty risotto and my boyfriend had the evil jungle pasta– both were amazing. We ended the meal with the brownie/icecream…needless to say we were stuffffffed but it was well worth it. The only downside is that their drinks are kinda blah. Stick with wine or beer if you eat here.

let me start with the food. overall a ⁶⁄₁₀. my chicken was slightly overdone. tasted good, but got a little chewy as it got cold. the risotto also had good flavor, but the texture was off as it was overcooked. chef Ramsey would freak out. the cheese pizza we ordered for my son looked like a frozen pizza. the crust was a pre-​made puck with some cheese – perfectly round and just out of the toaster oven.
why the 1 star… well the management just plain sucks. the bathroom has multiple hazards which resulted in my 4 year old getting injured. we stood in the middle of the restaurant with my son crying for a good 10 minutes trying to calm him down before our server asked if there was a problem. when we told him what happened, he clearly did not know what to do or how to respond. he deferred to his boss who was behind the bar and proceeded to inform him of what happened. did the Sean the manager/​owner care? nope. he couldn’t even be pulled away from the bar to see what happened. he shouted from the bar that he thinks Wailuku but couldn’t provide anymore details. you would think that if someone got injured and they were asking for the nearest urgent care, you might want to get some details. my son was screaming in pain and the Sean did nothing.
just so nobody else has a problem. here is what to watch out for.
1. the toilet seat is broken. it likes to fall back to the down position on its own. the «injury» occurred on the first shot, so the damage was done before I knew the seat was faulty. i did try to put the seat back up multiple times and it just fell back down. this was not a one time deal. the seat is broken and will forever haunt my son. while this isn’t a problem for adults, it’s a problem if you are 3 feet tall and barely make it over the rim. use your imagination here… falling toilet seat while peeing. ouch is an understatement.
2. the hot and cold water to the sink are reversed. i have no idea what the building codes are in Maui, but where I am from this is a huge safety issue and would be cause to be shutdown. my kids are trained to turn on the cold water first and then add hot water. fortunately we didn’t get burned. i also mentioned this to our server and he was completely aware of it and acknowledged the fact the hot and cold are reversed. so its safe to assume its been like this for a while and «the management» (deadbeat Sean) has no intention of fixing it.
bottom line if you want ok food and support a place that really doesn’t care about their customers, then go here. if you stay away from the men’s room your chances of avoiding the ER go up dramatically.
we will not be coming back here.

Tonight was our 2^nd visit to Lahaina Coolers and it was just as good as before. I had the Sesame Crusted Ahi (delicious), one of us had Kalua Pork Tacos, two others the Mahi Mahi and a couple of caesar salads and everything was delicious. Service is attentive and the patio seating is relaxed. Definitely try this one while in Maui.

Great setting but… Been coming here for years — feels like it had a change of ownership? Based on today I won’t be back. I «created» my own omelet. I asked for cheddar cheese and it came with 2 triangles of thin cheddar on top of the omelet. Also the potatoes should be called Ore-​Ida potato bits. You know, frozen with some chemical coating on the outside. Oh well, there are lots of good places to eat in Lahaina.

Wanted to have high hopes for this place, but it fell below expectations. Servers were friendly, but our dinner service tonight was unnecessarily slow. My husband’s dinner and my dinner came out more than 10 minutes apart, which made it hard for us to enjoy the meal together. The kitchen seemed backed up and disorganized as I saw most tables around us waiting a long time to get their food as well. Overall food quality was okay. It was overpriced for what we got, my husband’s pizza was pretty bland and my fish was overcooked.

The food was fine, we would have been satisfied and complimentary if that were the critical factor. If only we could judge this restaurant solely by the cuisine! But unfortunately, the reality was that we were harassed by the server from minute one. It started with a very sexist joke about current events and devolved from there. The server (who said he was there for 17 years) would not leave us alone. He kept putting his hand on my son who was with his fiancé and and telling joke after immature joke. Our smiles were frozen on our faces. He wouldn’t stop, even though my husband did not crack one teeny smile. Was he drunk or stoned? Get this man some help, or stay away from that unfunny place.

Great atmosphere and great food. The bar menu is reasonably priced. The dinner menu looks good, but we just ordered off the bar menu. The fish sandwich was simple but good.

Nice restaurant/​bar located just off front street. Awesome fish tacos, they are the main reason for this glowing review. We stopped here for lunch on a Saturday, wasn’t busy at all. We seated ourselves and got menus and water promptly. The waiter was friendly and attentive. The drink menu has mostly wine and beer with a few cocktails listed, but they have a full bar and can make anything you ask for. Our waiter even offered to whip something up of we weren’t sure what to pick. He asked a few questions and made us drinks based off our answers, they were all delicious. I ordered the fish tacos and they were superb. I really wish they were on Oahu instead of Maui. They make their own hot sauce and it’s available for purchase (I recommend buying a bottle, we did). It definitely has a kick but the flavor can’t be beat. I highly recommend stopping by if you’re ever in the island.

This is a true local favorite place I seem to frequent way to
ONO!!!There food is simply amazing. The staff is very pleasant and quick with joke. if you don’t have tough skin this place might not be for you.
But if you and laid back place for a Damn good meal paired with a tasty cocktail COOLERS IS THIS PLACE FOR YOU!
In closing the best dessert may be served in the establishment. There fried brownie Sunday is to die for. it’s perfect for
in sweet heavenly flavor!

(sings…)
«It’s getting HOTTTT in here (so hottt),
…so take off ALLL yo’ clothes.
(I am… getting so HOT, I wanna’ take my clothesss OFFF!!!)»
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
Whoo’da thunk? A place called Lahaina Coolers could serve things up in such a sizzlin’ HOT manner!!!
With esteem to a previous reviewer’s stance, simply put, fellow Maui vacationers… EAT HERE! There’s no going wrong!!!
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
Going completely against the grain while on vacay– with attempt at NOTTT doing the «tourist thing», I/​we sought to Unilocal for verified assistance in avoiding the crowds, saving a few bucks and more importantly… grubbin’ on QUALITY food while in somewhat of a foreign enclave.
The results were astounding as we located Lahaina Coolers, situated just off of Hwy 30 on Dickenson, a hop, skip and jump away from the trendy, densely populated, ocean front –tourist attraction that is…“Front Street”.
Yazz yazzz yazzzzzzz!!! Take it from me yall’, this place is what you envision when you sit within your office while gazing at the clock, reminiscing on all of those Calgon commercials — hahahah!!!
Boasting an indoor and outdoor seating concept, «Cooler’s“is what it’s ALLLL about!!!
Evidently the restaurant’s daily catch of fish is what’s managed to staple them onto the map as a première «local» destination, yet we elected upon brunch with befitted mimosas, madrases and an inundation of other house provided «estaminet» favorites.
Ordered the seafood burrito, served to completion with shrimp, fish and scallops alongside some sort of «house-​made» spicy, salsa cream sauce. —- TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, I lived and died for this dish!!! Lol — and it wasn’t even mine (he ordered it).
I took our server, Tony’s (who referenced his name with a comical gesture to both his toe and knee) suggestion and partook in ordering the Cajun chicken wrap, prepared and served within a tasty tomatillo tortilla and while not NEARLY as good as the seafood burrito… it didn’t disappoint either.
Lastly and while I’m on it, lest thou’ NOT digress on how «Cooler’s» dishes out a homemade habanero hot sauce that would HANDS DOWN, make the Devil, himself blush!!! This was the hottest sauce I’ve ever consumed in life yet it didn’t compromise on flavor!
— - — - — - — What’s that saying? Burn going in… BURN COMING OUT!!! (…sighs)
Let’s just say that it was an –uhm… «interesting» flight back home and move on from there.
Lahaina Cooler’s mantra is: «LIFE’S TOO SHORT TO EAT –BORING– FOOD».
Bless-​ed be, because without question, was this place anything but… ^ ^
Great job guiz’!
You’ve just obtained 2 new fans.
Mahalo~~

Hidden Gem. Went to this place because of the reviews on Unilocal.I got a pizza, husband got the fish tacos, and salads. My son also got a pizza. Fish tacos were delicious, pizza was yummy. Son loved his. Service was great. Love this place, we are going back before we leave.

EAT HERE!
My boyfriend had the Loco Moco with Kalua Pork & SUBBED fried rice… it was to die for… the gravy is gluten free & the ingredients are super fresh!
I had the scrambled eggs, potatoes, & a side of veggies which were all done to perfection.
They also have a homemade hot sauce… emphasis on the hot AND lots of flavor!

Came back to a friendly atmosphere. Drinks are great and the food is equally as good. We’ve had appetizers, pork and fish tacos, entrees such as risotto, fish, etc.
Food was properly prepared and served with a smile.

This is what Hawaii is all about! A great older structure that has been extremely well maintained. Very open and casual yet with a nice heir of quality, and the friendliness is local and warm. Great selection of wines and drink. Open air style indoor and outdoor seating.
The food. Quality, fresh catch daily fish, made to order off the menu, and if you have any dietary restrictions or requests let them know as you give your order. They will ask you anyways. The menu was a mix of Hawaiian, Mexican, Asian fusion and some staples like pizza — but if you wish there are amazing combinations to choose from. There is so much great amazing food I’m getting lost in savory thought and recollection! I had garlic and shrimp to begin with. Crab wontons. Then the moco loco with pork… Just an incredible combination of rice, pork, and gravy. Dinning companions had the fish tacos which were big enough to satisfy. Flavorful and even visually stimulating and aesthetically pleasing to all senses. Pep Za was simple and just right on balance and freshness of ingredients. Pesto chicken sandwich looked to be piled high and a free range garden delight! The fish was cooked to perfection and had a great presentation and sides to add to the digestive awesomeness of this local owned and run establishment.
We were lucky enough to have one of the co owners grace us with local history, knowledge, and local hospitality. And I mean hospitality. Tia Cruz’s smile and friendliness completed my dream expectations of how Hawaiians are and treat their friends and customers. Her smile lit our faces and table with aloha spirit. Mahalo!
Going back for breakfast to try their expert recommended fried rice with/​for breakfast

Food is decent, but the place is a shambles with an infestation problem behind the bar. The rudeness and disrespect from Sean (or Shawn) the «bar manager» is unprecedented. I have NEVER had such lousy service in my life. The seedy interior of the bar was frightening. I have never seen such a mess behind the bar, The stench from the lack of clenliness was only overpowered by the bartender himself. I saw the biggest cockaroach I have ever seen run across the top of the bar. When it came time to close, instead of a polite gesture to make guests aware, he shouted out… OK, TIME TO GO, IVE BEEN HERE 13 F**#KIN HOURS AND WANT TO GET THE F*&^K OUT OF HERE! GO HOME!
nice.
You have been warned.

If you arrive on the late flight from Honolulu, then this is a highly recommended pit stop, just 30 min from the airport on the way to the Westin ;)
It’s got a casual bar feel, with an open, spacious patio, right off the sidewalk. With some tacky colourful lantern lights strewn across.
Ordered the mushroom/​chorizo pastry puff, with some type of a creamy tomato sauce, that was absolutely deleesh.
And so were the crispy wontons, don’t laugh: real crab meat, fried nicely, and some green lime sauce.
But please pass the garlic butter shrimp, with no hint of white wine sauce, as server suggested: just a lazy disarray of chopped garlic cloves that seemed to still be raw, and absolutely no taste or sauce. The only wasteful $ 15 so far on the trip lol.
Great service, Amex cool.

eh… just ok breakfast. pricy pricy for what we got and left hungry. Why does this place have such great reviews? breakfast here in Maui definitely has not been so great.
Pancakes with Mac nuts on top and not that fluffy. Still in search for best pancakes. Gazebo???

Low-​key spot off the Lahaina Front St. grind. Great outdoor patio, chill servers, good beer selection, and amazing food. It’s a locals hangout, so don’t be in a hurry, and for Pete’s sake, don’t be a pompous, expectant tourist. Relax, enjoy the ambiance and enjoy the killer food.
Seriously divine goat cheese flatbread. Hands-​down the best I’ve eaten! The sobe noodles were a shared meal in itself. Just those two and we were unfortunately full. Unfortunately, because we’d really wanted to also try an entrée.
Facing west, it almost feels like you’re in a sleepy little beach town, not a few blocks from the hubbub of Front St. We really liked that, as we were over all the chain tourist traps (Cheeseburger in Paradise? Hard Rock Café? Uh, no thanks).
Super happy we happened upon this place! In fact, it was so good I wanted to go back the next day, for our final day but my husband said no. Lol! Two giant thumbs up for Lahaina Coolers.

Service was seriously laid back but not reflected in the feeling of being served. crab lobster cakes & teriyaki mahi mahi was awesome! Chris was a perfectly attentive server… belongs here :)

I really enjoyed this place. The food was decent, and the atmosphere is pretty chill. The reason for the five star was the service. The two waiters that were on the day we went were very friendly, very helpful and had a great attitude.
Both servers told what part of the island to go check, and showed easier routs to get to certain places, and told us some of the best kept secrets of the island. The hot sauce was god, I put that on my Moco (which I enjoyed).
Good way to start the vacation off.