Hula Grill Kaanapali

The hula grill is just great!
I love how they have sand for your feet and there food is good.
It’s nice how it’s on the water and the sunset is beautiful

Food was terrific! The atmosphere during late night is very loud and immature at times. Nonetheless, worth the wait and the price.

Food was good, but expensive. Loved that after the beach we could walk up and sit in the outdoor seating without feeling bad because we were still in swimwear, covered of course. We were seated immediately and our server was very nice. Such a laid back atmosphere when we had kids playing on the grass right in front of us… but then you get the $ 70 bill, and it was just me and my 2 kids. Must be because it’s in Kaanapali :/
Just missed the live music they have from 3pm-​5pm
And they also have a list of what looks to be really yummy drink specials made of fresh ingredients

So, quick and dirty. Very disappointed in this place. Used to be one of our favorites but last time the signature dish, the «firecracker fish» was soggy and gross, the chicken looked raw (they said it is now being prepared Sous Vide) and in general, I just feel like the quality has gone down hill. It seems as though rather than making things fresh, by hand and with care, they have now resorted to more of chain style approach. I mentioned Sous Vide, and if you don’t know what that is, it means the food is cooked in water, in a plastic bag. Now even the show burnt would argue that chefs everywhere are doing this but I disagree and think «real chefs» don’t Sous Vide!
Shame on this restaurant and this world for taking these type of cuts/​using these type of cooking methods. i don’t agree and will never agree. A REAL chef takes his/​her time. And, they certainly charge enough that this should be the case.

If you want good local food, this probably isn’t a good place. If you want ritzy fusion touristy food, this is the place for you.
I personally did not have a good experience here at lunch time, but my family did. This review will cover everyone.
We got here at 11:30 and had our choice of seating. It fills up quickly since its along the beach in Whaler’s Village. There is an option to sit in the sand, and there’s an option to sit on the solid stone patio.
I ordered the fish tacos and they were really undercooked. The inside was still raw. I asked the waiter to send it back, and when it did come back, my food was cold and there was hardly any improvement. The waiter never checked up on me after. We had to flag him down to get stuff after. He also didn’t check on our drinks and didn’t offer any refills for our water, soda, and iced tea.
My dad and fiancé ordered the Kalua pork flatbread. They both really enjoyed it. The food was flavorful and the meat portion was alright. My sister ordered the fish and chips. It came with this phenomenal lilikoi sauce that was delicious with everything! That was the best part of the meal.
Sister and fiancé ordered a Mai tai and lava flow. The Mai tai was strong and the lava flow was well made — the alcohol was hidden.
Overall, I’ll probably never come here again because of my poor experience. But, everyone else that was at the restaurant seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Customer service: ²⁄₅
Food quality: (me) 1/​5, (everyone) ⁴⁄₅
Ambiance: ⁵⁄₅
Price: $$/​$$$

Awesome and friendly service. Spectacular views of a Maui sunset on the ocean. Live music playing in the background with strong mixed drinks and good food served. Dead fly stuck to the underside of the bread they served and me almost eating it… priceless. Seriously though it’s Hawaii and bugs are everywhere, so be smart and inspect your food before you pop it in da mouth.
My wife had the mahi mahi and it was amazing. I had the ribeye and it was ok. Avoid «tailing» it, the lobster was extremely over cooked and hard.

The food was so good and the views spectacular. The waitstaff was super friendly and my child who is vegan, was allowed to order off menu. Very accomodating.

I have fond memories of this place coming here on vacations years ago but now that I am older and have returned I realize that it is pretty overrated.
I got the pork sandwich (3.5÷5) and tried the flatbreads (³⁄₅). The lava flow was too sweet. Loved the hula grill ketchup which has guava jelly in it. I normally hate ketchup but this was addicting!
Honestly I don’t want to come back but given the lack of restaurants in Maui I probably will.

The reviews are all positive for this place and I get the ambience, but was disappointed with the actual food quality and value for money. 2 adults and 1 child ended up being a $ 200 dinner for something I would regards as being below average. We loved the environment and ambience and music playing in the background, but please check out other places for better quality of food.
We ordered 1 fish taco starter (the only thing that was good and edible), 2 main meals, child meal and 2 drinks, the main meals were the tuna and steak, and both arrived overcooked, the tuna ended up tasting like rubber and the 28day aged steak, which was supposed to be medium, was crisped all the way through. I know it was busy as a Saturday night, but no excuses for serving 2 main dishes overcooked.
Our son ordered from the child menu and they said it would arrive first, which was ideal for a kid, but it ended up arriving last as they forget to cook it.
I expected much more from this place due to the reviews, and felt disappointed in getting overcooked food and a child meal that arrived when the adults mains was finished.
Overall if you want the ambiance and don’t care about the food quality then you may enjoy.

The location of Hula Grill is beautiful (right on the shore of Ka’anapali beach) and the server was very friendly, but these two factors alone aren’t enough for me to return. Let’s talk about food. My dad’s fish & chips tasted more like chicken nuggets and my mother said the veggie burger at Costco tasted better than her entrée. With a wonderful description on the menu, I was disappointed to find my fish sandwich was bland and earthy tasting. My brother’s entrée– the chicken carbonara-​was fairly tasty, but excessively zested with lemon. I’m usually pretty lenient in my reviews, but for $ 20 – 30 a plate I was dissatisfied with the quality of food we were served.

So so so good! We ordered the coconut calamari, fish tacos, and the pear salad with ahi… unbelievably good! Tender calamari, and the fish was so flavorful. Draft local beer was refreshing and delicious! And you can’t beat the view! Great service!

LOVE this place. The ambiance is pure, electric aloha.
Dining and drinking under the stars, tiki torches aglow, the Big Beautiful Blue in the background and live music every night. Magical.
A little tip? Get there on the early side. When we left at 10:00 p.m. on a Saturday night, there was a 50 minute wait to get a table.
BTW…Jo Jo is a great waiter!

our last restaurant in this year Hawaii trip. NICE!!! choice!
food are very delicious and the bread their serving with sour sweet sauce is awesome! So I bought 3 bottles to bring back to home.

They really deserve 5 stars
Every thing is super tasty
Fish tacos and firecracker fish is amazing we have been dinning here almost every day of our trip to maui

Went to Hula Grill for the Saturday night sunset. The place was packed, so we grabbed 2 chairs at the seat yourself open high chair tables near the bar.
Our server Chelsea was OUTSTANDING in every way, the live band with the female lead was awesome as they played all the jams. Didn’t see any other kama’aina, but that was expected, no big deal. The food and drink prices were what we expected as well. $ 20 for 10 pieces of sashimi, the crab won ton was really good at $ 15. Pricey but expected, if you’re looking for cheap prices, Kaanapali is not the place for you.
Had a blast and would definitely go back.

It’s been about 15 years since I actually _​ate_​here, and the food was functionally passable, decent, expensive but not overly so. Things change, so please don’t take this as an indication either way.
Here’s the thing. The location is drop dead gorgeous, on the beach, the ambiance inside is suited to match, there’s lots of outdoor seating, and there is constant varied, low key but quite good local live music. Last time I checked (about a week ago) the staff was friendly. The place, now, is more or less an institution, but not a stuffy one.

3.5 stars for a solid burger and veggie burger. Stopped by here at 1pm on a Sunday and we were seated right away with no wait. Enjoyed the mango lava flow and fresh pineapple juice.
The whole feet in the sand concept while you eat is pretty genius.

Stopped here for lunch while wondering around Kaanapali. We were seated quickly with an amazing ocean view. Our friendly server Ty came by to take our drink order and answer our questions.
I ordered the fish tacos which were a hawaiian swordfish (A-​u?). The others at our table all ordered the jidori chicken sandwich on focaccia bread. The food arrived pretty fast even though it was very busy for lunch.
The fish tacos were excellent, the fish was grilled perfectly and the chips & salsa were a nice match. Everyone loved their chicken sandwiches as well. They are huge and can easily be split for 2 to share.
You can’t come to Hula Grill and leave without getting the Hula pie. Macadamia nut ice cream, oreo crust, hot fudge and whipped cream. We devoured it as soon as it hit the table! Great food, great service and an ocean view. Cant ask for much more than that.

We went here in 2014 and food was good to great, happy hour was solid, and the MaiTais won best in show for our party of 6’s tasting of probably a dozen places. This year staff were friendly and attentive, but food was just ok. Fish was billed as a flaky white fish, my server’s personal fav, then came out Mahimahi– «guess they changed it,» as it was laid before me.
No happy hour.
Mai Tais finished just ahead of the watery Luau’s.
Will come back only if re-​read reviews are enticing– and we’ll look for them as it was so great the last time.
2.5 rounded up.

Great food with amazing live music. Must visit place in Maui. The food is one of the best I ever had.
Be it appetizers, main course or desserts. Desserts are to die for.

Made reservations for dinner Saturday night. They had live music. It was mostly an outdoor dining experience. There were a few seats indoors. Ceiling fans working over time.
The parking is validated.
They have amazing cocktails. Monitoring, mule, dark and stormy.
Great apps. Shrimp cocktail in a no traditional sauce. Potstickers were the best ever. Bread so good in lunch boxes so cute.
Fantastic fish. They have to go over the menu because the fish are different for each preparation. Everything we had was top notch. The side veggies were all super tasty and farm fresh.
DESSERT. O m g
Baked Hawaii the caramel rum sauce was the best dessert sauce ever. It was super different. Lots of meringue.
Hula pie was a classic.
Ice cream sandwich also a good choice.
We kinda want to come try the lunch menu and the seafood chowder (it was too warm for it this time)
Service was very attentive. Carafes of water on the table.

I was happy to see that the restaurant is a strong supporter of local agriculture– not something I would typically expect from a restaurant in a resort.
The ceviche (with Maui onion, cucumber, coconut milk, jalapeño avocado) and was phenomenal and came with taro chips. Hawaiian ahi sashimi was good, but nothing to write home about. The kale salad (with organic spiced macadamia nuts, goat cheese, Maui onion, roasted yellow beets, and a yummy vinaigrette) was unique and delicious, and the poke tacos (three, with Maui onion, shoyu, wasabi aioli, sesame seeds, and pepper flakes served over dollops of fresh guac) were excellent!
Confusing layout concept. Without reservations, there was an hour wait at the hula grill, so we walked down to their dining room, which had a 30 minute wait. We walked back to the bar and a table opened up at the barefoot bar, which is apparently first come first served. We ended up ordering off both menus!
Service was pretty «meh» but not terrible. They were slammed so servers were a bit frantic.
Live hula performance followed by live music was peaceful and lovely.

My Husband and I decided to come to The Hula Grill for date night the last night of our stay on Maui. We didn’t have reservations, but when I called they said the wait was only 25 minutes so we headed on down. Well, when we got there 15 minutes later the wait was 45 minutes. WTF?! Luckily we stalked some people at the bar and were able to grab their seats when they left. You can order off the full menu while at the bar, so we decided to forgo the table and stay here.
This is where I had my favorite beer in all of Maui… Kona Brewing Companies Lemongrass Luau. It is probably on my list of top 5 beers I have ever had; it was amazing! It is a lighter beer with a refreshing lemongrass taste and less of a «beer» taste. So good!
To eat I decided on a bowl of their Tomato Soup (which they make in house) which also came with two small grilled cheese sandwich bites. The tomato soup was amazing, very fresh and flavorful and I loved how it came with something to dip in it!
My Husband had their Crab Wontons which he thought were really good, but came with a mustard dipping sauce that was way too spicy! Luckily there was some sweet and sour sauce at the bar too so he used it instead.
He also had the fresh fish as his main course which came on a plate with a small salad. The piece of fish was on the small side, but he thought it was cooked perfectly and liked the way it tasted with the different sauces on the plate.
Service was good and the whole restaurant is outside right next to the beach so we really enjoyed the atmosphere. The bar area is large and has plenty of seats, as well as a few TVs to watch whatever game is on. We would definitely come back again the next time we’re on Maui!

La comida es buena normal, el servicio me parecio malisimo, para q me traigan agu l tuve que pedir varias veces. Y el precio es normal para maui, pero le doy 4 estrellas por que es excelente donde esta ubicado, estuvimos sentados en l parte de afuera con las mesas sobre la arena y un show de musica excelente
Volveria si no fuese porque me voy de hawai hoy

Super Special of the day.

Das Essen ist sehr gut. Unter etlichen Restaurants kann ich für Fischliebhaber hier «Fish Tacos» nur wärmstens empfehlen!
Sehr gut gefallen hat mir auch der auf Holz gegrillte Fisch mit Ananas Salsa für $ 17 (?).
Direkt an Kanapali Beach bietet sich einfach ein traumhafter Ausblick.
Wie immer ist das Essen in Restaurants auf Maui nicht billig, aber Maui an sich ist das ja auch nicht!
Trotzdem jederzeit gerne wieder hierher!
Hula no Ka’oi!

24. März 2010. Wir beschließen, heute Abend Fisch zu essen. Dazu bietet sich die nahe liegende Whalers Village an, nur vier Autominuten von unserer Unterkunft Waimea Plantation Cottages (
). Hier gibt es eine Reihe guter Restaurants und das Hula Grill soll gemäß Reiseführer Fischspezialitäten anbieten.
Wie immer versäumen wir es, eine Reservierung vorzunehmen, so wie es jeder Amerikaner tut, geht er auswärtig essen. An der Reception (wait to be seated) die Auskunft: ca. 40 Minuten Wartezeit. Nun, wir haben Urlaub, Zeit und aktzeptieren. Dafür bekommen wir einen Pieper in die Hand gedrückt, Reichweite ca. 100 Meter. Die nutzen wir für einen kurzen Spaziergang am Kaanapali Strand, denn bereits nach 10 Minuten werden wir laut piepend zurück beordert.
Unser Tisch ist zwar nicht direkt am Strand, erlaubt aber dennoch einen Blick über den Pazifik auf die Inseln Lanai und Molokai. Die Menu-​Karte zeigt überwiegend Fischgericht mit ein paar Alibi-​Fleischgerichten. Die Fische sind aus der Region und da gibt es eine riesige Auswahl. Wir entscheiden uns für Macadamia Mahi ($ 31,95) und Wood Grilled Ono ($ 24,95). Dazu ein frischer, wohl schmeckender A-​Z Pino Grigio aus Kalifornien ($ 32). Zweimal Kaffee zum Abschluss schlagen mit $ 5,50 zu Buche. Iced Water gibt es wie überall gratis in jeder gewünschten Menge dazu. Die Preise sind, wie es der erfahrene USA-​Reisende weiß zzgl. Tax und des obligatorischen Trinkgeldes in Höhe von 15 — 20%.
Der Fisch schmeckte ausgesprochen lecker, war sowohl für das Auge wie für den Magen ein Genuss. Wie der Name des Restaurants sagt, wird fast alles hier gegrillt angerichtet. Die Preise bewegen sich für fresh Hawaiian Fish zwischen $ 25 und $ 32, die Flaschenweine $ 25 — 100.
Der Service war sehr aufmerksam, fix und zu kleinen Plauschereien bereit. Das Restaurant war gut gefüllt. Da wir die letzte Schicht erwischt hatten, wurden wir — als wir fertig waren — nicht gleich höflich hinaus komplimentiert, wie das sonst so regelmäßig in amerikanischen Restaurants Usus ist. So konnten wir den Abend sanft ausklingen lassen.
Wobei klingen — das einzig ein wenig Störende war die für uns etwas zu laute Hintergrundmusik. Vielleicht ist dies aber auch einfach nur eine Altersfrage.
Fazit: Hula Grill ist eine Kette mit diversen Restaurants auf den Hawaii-​Inseln. Wir haben nur dieses auf Maui kennen gelernt und empfehlen es gerne weiter. Wer schlau ist, reserviert vorher telefonisch einen Tisch. Und anschließend den Kassenbeleg aufbewahren, denn: Present this receipt on your next visit when you order a Dining Room Entrée to receive a free Ice Cream Sandwich! Nun denn, Mahalo und guten Appetit. Vier Sterne.