Leilani’s

Ok. Here we go… short n sweet… mai tais are fawking amazing! I’m not a citrus kinda guy due to mid 20s abuse of screwdrivers but these are kick yo ass strong and sooo good. Headed upstairs to the restaurant for dinner and for the price point not bad at all. Wifee and I had the poké and crab cakes for starters, then seafood pasta and prime rib for mains… on the pricier side… yep, but we only went out once for dinner… sans kids! Had a great time… food, mai tais (omfg so good) and service was quite nice… great date night spot to spend a little cash… went for happy hour little b4 5pm reso had dinner then had just enuf time to spend the February 630 sunset with the wife on the beach… magic

This restaurant should have 5 stars, I was so impressed! I ate there for the first time tonight and I’m certain it was the best meal I’ve had in the 5 years I’ve been vacationing here. All the ingredients were so fresh and executed perfectly. It was hard for me to pick out each ingredient because the overall harmony of the dish was so well put together. I will be returning again and again, it’s worth the wait. Make sure to make a reservation because it is ALWAYS busy. Once seated at your table it doesn’t take long though, they seem to operate like a well oiled machine. Our server and hostess took excellent care of us. A total of six staff members told us to have a great night with big smiles on our way out. I wouldn’t change a thing here. Whoever is running the show there knows exactly what they’re doing. Aloha Leilani’s!

This review is for Leilani’s Beachside Grill.
First of all, I am not a huge fan of eating at overpriced resort restaurants. During my stay on Ka’anapali Beach, I ate almost all my meals in Lahaina. That being said, I think Leilani’s Beachside Grill is one of your best options on Ka’anapali Beach. It rescued my family from heading out for food when it was late and we were exhausted.
The location is excellent (on the beach), the atmosphere is great, the Grill is slightly more affordable, and the food offerings are good, better than what my resort down the beach had to offer. I was also grateful for the Keiki (kids’) menu.
The Ahi Poke Bowl ($ 18) was excellent and the Taro Chips were a great accompaniment.
The Siracha Guava Chicken Wings ($ 14.50) were tasty, though they could have been crispier, but the portion was actually bigger than I expected (about 10 wings). Some photos showed 5 wings.
Fish and Chips ($ 19.50) were well cooked, crispy, not greasy, and pineapple jicama salad was great.
Keiki Fish and Chips ($ 8.95). Yay for not having to pay for a full-​price meal for my younger kiddo.
Prices were steep, but at least the food was good. Also, I appreciate that they have gluten-​free options and they are labelled!

We got the seafood pasta and the Maui’s farmers salad with grilled shrimp.
The seafood pasta had a variety of seafood (fish, calamari, shrimp, etc) but it was mostly fish. We loved the noodle that they used (a short, twisty noodle) and the lemony cream sauce was out of this world.
The farmers salad was delicious and tasted very local and organic, and the goat cheese was a good addition. The grilled shrimp were buttery and tasty — just a bit expensive for the quantity you get!

Loved the food, and especially the hula pie.
Planning to come back at least for the pie. The evening we were there they had live music which was nice but a bit too loud for us.

Lunch we had fish tacos fish and chips ahi tuna all exceptional live music at 3 good server hula pie for desert really yummy

My husband and I went to this restaurant many times when we were in Maui. Their drinks are really good and so is the food. My favorite was the ahi poke and the fish and chips. The service was good every single time!

Enjoying a few days in Maui, and staying on the west side in Napili. Was heading to a show in Lahaina, and wanted a place close by, or on the way. Checked reviews, and headed into Leilanis. First off, it is located in Kaanapali, in the Whalers Village. Easy access, and plenty of parking in the multi level lot (Leilani’s will validate).
There are options in seating, with an lower level bar, with live music, or in the upstairs dining room. We opted upstairs, and were very happy with a beach view seat. I will also add a very nice and attentive staff.
We arrived at 5:00 sharp, and chose a price fix special to attempt to sample as many different items as possible, and it was all amazing, and so fresh. The shrimp appetizer, to the Ono entrée, to our varied desserts… everything was great.
I would definitely be back!

Quick dinner here last night was delicious! Jidori chicken had crispy seared skin and tender juicy meat. The house gnocchi it was served with were awesome! Also seared and tender in a ratatouille stew with veggies.
We also had a goat cheese plate with three types of local cheese. Macadamia crusted variety was stellar. Pesto flavored one also good. There was also a mustard kimchee flavor that was interesting but crazy spicy.
Cocktails were good but a but sweet for my taste.
Service was quick and friendly, too. Seated in a nice windowed area with great breezes.
Giving 4 stars rather than 5 because I think this place is too pricey. While good, $ 26 for a chicken breast and $ 17 for a plate of goat cheese feels a bit outrageous… Even for the resort area of the island. Still great, though!

Great happy hour
Mai tai week worth the dough and tough to beat the view
I could sit there all day
I got one of everything on happy hour menu
Felt like was a great value

It was our first night in Maui so we opted for an easy, convenient place near our hotel. I didn’t expect great food, but being from SF, sitting outside in a dress was already making me happy. This place is huge, and it has a lot of indoor tables, so if you want to sit outside you need to request it.
What we remember most from here was our waiter, he was so high, he couldn’t get the order straight, came back to take it twice, and couldn’t even repeat it back to us. By some miracle the food arrived and was right.
The scallops were overcooked, the fish also dry unfortunately, that was a shame, my husband cooks way better scallops than this, and places that cook fish all day long should be drying it out, but fine, we had low expectations going in, so we weren’t too shocked.

We had made a reservation which was great so we didn’t have to wait as would have been the case. We were seated within 5 minutes of getting there. We came at 5:30 and were able to see the beautiful sunset from the balcony seating. Can’t beat the view.
The fresh sourdough bread was hot and easy to fill up on if you weren’t careful. Our waitress was attentive and very helpful. We didn’t have to wait very long for our food after placing our orders. I had the fish of the day special which was Monchong fish. I love that fish and this preparation didn’t disappoint. The other orders of chicken and steak were very good as well according to those in our party.
For dessert we had to have a slice of their famous Hula Pie which was as good as ever. We also split a fruit tart with ice cream and caramel sauce. Both were great desserts.
A couple of reasons why only a four star ranking was the lack of overall choices on the menu. For instance, the appetizers were pretty limited if you don’t like seafood. I do but no one else in my party does and I didn’t want to eat a whole appetizer myself. Another reason for the ranking is the portion size for the price was a little meager. I know this is a resort area and you expect to pay a little more than normal, it seemed like at least the fish special I ordered was smaller than it easily could have been. I eat fairly regularly at Jake’s in Del Mar, as well as Dukes on Oahu and Kauai which are their sister restaurants and by comparison Leilani’s is a little on the small side, both portion and menu selection. Aside from those points it is a great place to eat.

First dinner in Maui and it definitely set the bar high. Firstly, this restaurant should be $$$ not $$. Entrees start around $ 30, unless you get the chef tasting menu for $ 26 (between 5 – 5:45pm only). The chef tasting menu comes with appetizer, entrée and dessert. Now the portion is suppose to be smaller than normal entrée but it’s really not much smaller. So if you are not ravenous, this is definitely a good choice. Crab cakes were one of the best I’ve had. Didn’t care much for the pork egg rolls that came as appetizer with the chef menu. So all of our entrée were pretty delicious, fresh fish, good flavor. I didn’t care much for the monchong, it was pretty bland. The parm crusted mahi was the best ordered dish on our table. For dessert we had the hula which is pretty big. Service was just excellent!!! Our waiter knew the menu and the dishes inside and out. Very impressed!

I need a name for this genre of place — the kind of place that’s not too fancy, and yet basically everything is just a bit better than you’d have any right to expect; the kind of place that makes you happy, and then makes you cry with just a little bit of rage that this kind of place is so rare.
At any rate, I’m talking about the beachside casual restaurant here, the Barefoot Bar. (The dining room looked stuffy and not particularly delicious.) The tiki drinks (mai tai, 1944) were very nice — fruity, a tiny bit funky, and only a little bit too sweet. The miso-​kale salad was satisfying, and tasty in the kind of way that makes you want to inhale large quantities of raw kale and broccoli. The poke was good, and cleverly served with a bed of taro chips for perfect snacking and sharing. The nachos were nice, with good guacamole and a generous serving of kahlua pork. And the coconut shrimp were plump, flavorful, and had an unusually tasty dipping sauce.
You get the idea. None of this was mind-​blowingly creative, but by the end of the meal, very full and very happy, we couldn’t shake the feeling that somebody in the kitchen was taking an unusual measure of pride in their work.

Had Thanksgiving dinner here and they offered a traditional option of turkey (not dry — yay!), mashed potatoes (YUM!), stuffing (they had a sausage or non-​sausage option so that was great — non-​sausage was DELISH!), gravy, cranberry sauce and steamed veggies (who eats veggies on T-​Day?! ;))
They also offered to replace the turkey with several different choices of fish for any non-​meat eaters which was great.
The food was excellent (we pretty much all rolled out of there) and the service was good — especially considering how packed they were and with big parties.
Now I want to go back to try their regular menu items which liked fantastic :)

This review is for the beachside café not the main dining room. It was around 3PM and the beachside area was almost entirely full! Happy hour specials were likely part of the afternoon draw — $ 7 tropical cocktails! The live music was good too! I loved the selections they were playing, but the music was extremely loud! I was there on my own do was not attempting a conversation, but had to just point at the menu to order! Seriously, my ears were ringing for awhile after I left.
I had a Mai Tai and the fish tacos. The Mai tai was quite good with a good balance of fruit and rum. The fish tacos were tasty, with generous filets, and a nice, not overpowering slaw. The chips and salsa accompanying the tacos were good.
Service was good overall, but somehow I never got utensils or napkins. Fortunately, I had some paper ones in my bag! I knew I stuck those in there for a reason!

This is a great place to chill for happy hour drinks and snacks. There’s live music on the patio, so it can get loud sometimes, but it’s near the beach and water.
We ordered the fish tacos which were DELICIOUS. They were so good — just fresh, flavorful, and creamy. We ordered the poke bowl appetizer (poke with taro chips) which were not bad (but not as good as some other poke places in HI). Drinks were ok too.

To be straight forward and honest as I begin this review, I was not looking forward to dinner when my mother informed me that we would be going to Leilani’s for our final dinner in Maui. All I could think of was Dukes, Kimos, huge kitchens, all tourists, mediocre food. As a big foodie and glorified fat kid, I’m picky about what I’m going to eat, especially if I’m going to treat myself and eat non healthy dishes. I have to admit I really pre judged and was really wrong. We ended up having a truly wonderful meal and time at Leilani’s.
Our waitress was so kind and friendly! We began with bread and drinks. I found a bottle of Chardonnay I loved but being the only white wine drinker at the table I had no one to share it with. Then, I found out certain bottles you could order the HALF BOTTLES of! Win! I enjoyed a nice half bottle of La Crema Chardonnay to myself.
For appetizers we shared the Crab Cake, Ahi Poke and Diver Scallops. The Poke was wonderful. The Scallops were great and cooked perfectly although I wasn’t the biggest fan of the sauce they came in. The Crab Cake had a little too much mayo for my taste but my moms boyfriend really enjoyed them.
Our entrees were the Filet and the Ahi Steak. I ordered my Ahi Steak with the sauce on the side and they Ahi was so thick and delecious I ended up just putting a little soy sauce on it instead and it was fantastic! I also ordered double asparagus rather than getting jasmine rice and veggies. There was no problem substituting which was nice. My boyfriend’s Filet was cooked Medium rare just as we ordered it and the seasoning on the outside was so tasty.
Of course we had a Hula Pie which I was NOT going to partake in because I know it’s everywhere in Maui and just didn’t seem worth it. However once it arrived at the table the hot fudge and Mac nuts just starred back at me and screamed ALEXA. So I had one bite, then two, and before I knew it I had helped my mom finish the entire thing.
Lesson learned from my dinner at Leilani’s, don’t let it being a tourist destination shy you away. They have great food, great service and a scrumptious dessert. That view of their’s isn’t too shabby either!

Leilanis ist wieder ein tolles Restaurant, direkt am Strand und genau neben dem Whalers Village (ein Einkaufszentrum). Da das Restaurant ein 15-​minütiger Laufweg von unserem Hotel entfernt war, haben wir uns entschieden an einem Abend auch hier zu speisen.
Was gab’s zu essen? Natürlich wie immer: Meeresfrüchte! Ich habe wohl nie so viel Fisch in aller Variation gegessen wie in dieser Woche, jedoch hat es auch nie so gut geschmeckt! Also hieß es für mich: Alaskan King Crab und für meinen Freund den Hummer. Man muss sich wirklich an die Krabbe trauen, denn die Beine sind sehr groß und knackig, sodass es etwas schwer fällt, sie manchmal aufzubrechen. Aber wenn man sich mit großem gusto durchgekämpft hat, wird man auch belohnt. Denn innen drin versteckt sich ein köstliches, saftiges Fleisch von der Krabbe. Ich war sehr glücklich als ich die Krabbe verfuttert hatte. Dazu gab es für mich einen Passionsfrucht-​Eistee der meinen Heißhunger abgelöscht hat. Mein Freund war auch sehr zufrieden! Lecker, yummy!

Fantastic restaurant in Whalers Village. If you’re a tourist, this is a must go.
First off, this restaurant get pretty crowded during peak dinner hours through the week so plan on making a reservation for larger parties in advance. The outdoor grill is only first come first serve but definitely worth the effort as the floor is cover with sand, allowing you to take off your shoes and feel like you’re on the beach.
Now, on to the food. I had a course of Sesame Crusted Ahi Steak which came with a side of coconut butter seasoned jasmine rice and grilled Kula asparagus. The Ahi was so fresh, it would just melt in my mouth and the sesame gave a slight flavor that complemented will. I give it a ¹⁰⁄₁₀.
The server was more than happy to recommend wine pairings and don’t forget the desert. We followed it up with a Macadamia Nut Hula Pie, ice cream pie, which was to die for. Words cannot describe and requires a try from every patron.
Welcoming and engaging staff coupled with great food gets 5 stars from me. Definitely becoming a regular!

Had a reservation and got seated right away. Service was knowledgeable and friendly. Honestly everywhere I went in Hawaii the service was very friendly and attentive (which could be hit or miss back in NY)
I ordered the Parmesan crusted fish of the day. I’m pretty sure it was called Monchong. It was a flakey white fresh that was light and sweet. I’m going to see if I can find this fish out by me because it was delicious. If you like cod and Mahi Mahi you would like this fish. The dish was delicious start to finish. Fish was perfectly seasoned and crispy. Sautéed veggies al dente, good mashed potatoes (pretty lumpy in some parts) pops of brineyness from the capers. Lemon butter sauce was scrape your plate clean kinda good.
Someone in my party ordered their filet mignon well done (yikes! I know) and it came out cooked medium it was pink inside. Our waiter offered more than once to take it back and the manager came over to see if they wanted a new filet to be cooked «because they wanted everything to be perfect» they decided to just keep it and eat it they way it was prepared. (this was a blessing, well done beef is a sin in the food world in my opinion) So again service was on point and always wanted us to leave happy.
We got two hula pies to split between the 5 of us a regular one and a cappuccino chip one. If you like coffee ice cream I would suggest getting the cappuccino one. I actually preferred the original it was like an ultimate ice cream sundae. Vanilla ice cream was just soft enough to cut through, hot fudge sprinkled with macadamia nuts served on top of an Oreo crust with a spritz of whipped cream. Yum yum.
Most entrees were under $ 35. If you get seated outside you can have a great view of the sunset but if Mosquitos like you, like they like me you will get eaten alive.

Fantastic fish and calamari. Great salads. So much better than Hula’s across the way. We love eating here so much that we came back a few nights during our vacation. Try the ravioli appetizer (upstairs) or the meaty Calamari (downstairs).