Zushi

Zushi is a local hole-​in-​the-​wall that serves Japanese Hawaiian food. We ordered the tempura battered chicken teriyaki and the tempura shrimp. The chicken teriyaki was really really good. The batter was crisp but had a bit too much at times. I can see why this is their signature dish. The shrimp tempura was large but the oil tasted old. The Mac salad had too much mayo, as some others have noted. The miso soup was clean and tasty and was not over salted like many places in California.

Awesome little hidden Gem right next to front street. Some of the best food I’ve had on the island the fried chicken teriyaki was mind blowingly good and the lady knows how to make some good Hawaiian/​Japanese food.

I’ve been having her deep fried Teri chicken special for over 15yrs now and it’s just as good if not better! Very consistent. And a great deal! Her tempura is awesome too. I love that her plates come with miso soup.

Super nice lady offering $ 7 plates for lunch, this is really Hawaii, not the mega-​resorts offering spam musubi for $ 4.95. Its located in a nondescript strip mall across from Foodland. Not much seating inside but plenty of tables outside, you’re in Maui, you should be dining alfresco.
Anyways we hand the chicken katsu curry, mahi plate, and tempura. Yes, the bottom line is its all fried, but fried in a good way. The lady fries with love, that is its super crisp and NOT greasy. The curry on the katsu really bring it home with two scoops of rice. She is very similar to Melba at Local Food on the other side of the block. Mom’s home cooking (for a reasonable price).

Great food made to order
The fried chicken and ladies special are yummy
Cash only
Hard to find in the strip mall

A nice Mom and Pop shop. Thank you fellow Unilocalers! It is a hidden jam indeed.
Had Chicken Katsu Curry and Chicken Teri (the most popular item in the menu). They were both delicious.
It turned out the chief is a Japanese, no wonder the food and the way she prepares the food resembled Japanese aunties. Authentic Katsu!
Will definitely come back!

Found this place on Unilocal and it’s a hidden gem. It’s a little place in Lahaina Town and they’re serving-​up some of the best Japanese food. The service was awesome and the two ladies behind the counter were so friendly. There were a few people in front of us when we arrived and they apologized for making us wait. We hadn’t even ordered and they were apologizing. How awesome is that?
We took all our dishes to go, but you can sit outside at the tables and enjoy the delicious food as well. We ordered the Tempura, which was cooked perfectly. Not to mention the Tempura sauce that was spot-​on. We also ordered the Oyako Donburi, Chicken Karaage and Katsu Curry. All our dishes were tasty and cooked to perfection. You can bet I’ll be back when I’m back in Maui.

I was visiting family in Lahaina when I found this spot tucked in a small shopping center by a Taco Surf.
Zushi is tiny and I think is cash only (it was cash only when I went last Saturday). The menu isn’t extensive but you can expect that from a place so small.
The food is inexpensive and delicious. I had the chicken katsu curry for $ 8.25 & kept thinking how my family had not told me about this place. I ate every last drop of curry.
If you like Japanese food and are in for some low-​key take out, I absolutely recommend this place.

Zushi is my favorite little Japanese dive in Lahaina. The mama san that works there, why she works alone man! She takes orders from the counter as well as phone orders, she freaking rips! My favorite dish? Mmmm, the Deep Fried Chicken Teri, a generous amount of battered chicken, deep fried with a teriyaki sauce drizzled all over it, and it comes with rice, mac salad and yes, MISO SOUP! 4 Stars Yay!!! I’m a fan.

Tiny place in a strip mall of offering ridiculously good Japanese fried food. Chicken Teri 10/​10, deep fried chicken with teriyaki sauce, comes with rice and miso. Chicken katsu with curry 10/​10, curry was really good and you can tell it was made with quality ingredients! Japanese lady running the place was very nice!

Sometimes you go to a restaurant, and you leave wondering, «How have I lived without going to this place before?»
This is one of those places. On our visit to Maui, I spent hours looking for a meal. Being that it the trip, in part, was to celebrate my and my father’a birthday, I wanted to find a really great restaurant for mine while I was here. I wanted a traditional, homemade Japanese meal. After searching and searching, going through dozens of Unilocal pages, I came across this. The name caught my eye. At first I thought it was simply a typo, but after seeing how it was spelled in Kana as ずし rather than すし, I knew it was no typo. I read some reviews for it, and I settled on this place. And am I sure glad I did.
The only person working there was a sweet, kind, old lady. It’s people like her that give me hope for humanity. She was as nice as humanly possible, taking orders as well as cooking, singlehandedly. Figuring that the food would take a bit longer to be made because she was alone, I sat down and waited patiently. The food came really quickly. Seriously. I’ve been to fast food chains that took 2x longer.
I got the Katsu Chicken meal, which comes with macaroni salad and white steamed rice on the side, and is garnished with lettuce. Now, I am an absolute stickler when it come to being traditionally prepared when I have my Japanese food. This blew my expectations out of the water. This is something that your Japanese mother would make for you. Imagine you were a young Japanese child, and your mother lovingly prepared the best meal she could for you when you got home. That’s exactly what this sweet old lady does. The Katsu itself was flaky, tender, and perfectly cooked. Exactly as it should be. The steamed rice was perfect; not too sticky, but not falling apart either. The macaroni salad was clearly homemade with a recipe. And it shows. It was sweet, savory, and tender. Amazing.
On the side you also get Miso soup. There are bits and pieces of ねぎ (green onion) のり (seaweed) but do not let that bother you. I’m not a big fan if seaweed myself, but you couldn’t even taste it individually from the other ingredients. Everything blended together perfectly and it was savory and delicious. You can observe her making the soup in the back, if you wish, while she’s making it.
TL;DR
This is an amazing place run by an old, sweet lady working alone. The food is second to none, and amazingly done. I can honestly say it is one of the best meals I have ever had.
Please support this restaurant by visiting. You will not be disappointed in the least.
(P.S. After you eat, you can tell the woman «おいしえです» or «Oyshee Desu». It means, «It’s really delicious!»)

Great little hidden gem. Thanks Unilocal for helping me find this place! The lady who runs Zushi is seemingly doing it all on her own. Taking orders and cooking. We ordered the fried chicken teriyaki and the chicken Katsu curry. Both were delicious, fried to the perfect crispness and accompanied by white rice. The chicken teriyaki also came with a nice little scoop of Mac salad. If you’re looking for something casual and tasty, look no further.

My mouth has been watering after seeing some of the pictures on Unilocal.Been wanting to go here for months! Finally got a chance.
Located in the same strip mall as Maui Tacos, Ace Hardware and Discount Plus, off of Wainee Street, one block east of Front Street, just North of Lahainaluna Road.
Walked into this unassuming hole in the wall and saw the menu. You know when the menu is limited, they must specialize in the food and the taste has got to be good! We ordered the deep fried chicken with teriyaki sauce, shrimp tempura and chicken Katsu curry. These came with miso soup all included in the price. Taxes also included. Kid you not, all this, plus drinks, came out to $ 26.00!
The food was delicious and was more than enough. I even had leftovers for a complete dinner! The taste was delicious and authentic and better than some of the «authentic» places I’ve had on Maui or anywhere else, for that matter. The owner (cook, cashier, etc.) was also the nicest person you would ever want to meet. She was very receptive, caring and sociable. I wish her only the best! Reminded me of my own Mom!
For anyone, local or visitor alike, you gotta try this place! You definitely get your money’s worth and walk away highly satisfied. Only thing is no debit cards, not sure about credit cards, but i assume not since debit cards weren’t accepted. Oh yeah, their $ 1.25 Teri-​spam musubi was one of the best, and cheapest, I’ve tried. I love the Teri sauce. We will definitely be back!!!

Delicious! The very sweet Japanese lady takes such care with not only the preparation but presentation of her food. For $ 11.50 I got the mixed tempura plate which included 2 servings of rice, 1 serving of macaroni salad, green salad, miso soup, 3 califoria roll pieces, tempura (2 ebi (shrimp), 2 nasu (japanese eggplant), 1 okra, 2 zucchini) and three slices of canned peaches. The tempura is just like how my sister in law (from Okinawa) makes it. The macaroni salad had too much mayo and while you may wince at the idea of canned peaches, the latter reminded me of my own japanese grandma. Just a touch of sweetness to end a tasty meal.
My husband had the fried chicken which was very good. I can tell that she pounded the chicken so that the meat was tender.
It’s not eco-​friendly with the take out packaging but everything had it’s place. The miso soup and salad were packaged in their own take out containers. The peaches, rice and california rolls in one and the tempura, tempura sauce (in it’s own container too) and mac salad in another. There was so much tempura that I couldn’t even close the lid!
She is a one-​woman shop. Takes the order and then goes to the kitchen to cook it. Be patient as it’s worth the wait. If you eat there, make sure to tell her «oshii» (oi-​she) meaning delicious in japanese.
The décor lacks but the food more than makes up for it. I’m going back later this week for more. Like my husband said (who is also japanese), it’s like something my grandma would make.

Located in a strip mall. It’s literally a mom run operation. She works the counter and does the cooking.
If you like panko crusted food, you will love it here. I had the chicken curry katsu. You get a styrofoam cup with the curry and a styrofoam container with the white rice and chicken katsu. The chicken is so thin that you can miss it. But if you like curry, there’s plenty of that.
It’s a hole in the wall kind of place. She cooks the food, then knocks on the glass window to let you know it’s ready. Eat it at any table located in the outdoor mall.

Great lil find!
As a tourist you always end up eating at many of the mainstream places a vacation spot has, but you are always on the lookout for those local spots not so well known that will serve up some good grub. This one woman shop does just that.
The sweet lady here took our order and served us up some Deep Fried Chicken Teriyaki and Chicken Katsu Curry. The Deep Fried Chicken Teriyaki was my favorite of the two, it was lightly breaded, fried (not too crunchy) and flavored to perfection. I would definitely get this again on my next trip.
The store is located in a random strip mall, easy to pass up… so keep a lookout for the sign if you’re looking for this place. The place has minimal décor, just the necessities of a food establishment, simple even… but like I said I’m here for the food and to support this mom and pop shop business.

The reviews were right on. This place is great. The owner was friendly and the fried chicken is a must.

This place is located in a mall that tourists do not frequent, if ever. It is a small hole in the wall shop, it is a one person shop run by a nice japanese lady. It is a place that locals frequent but has gone unbeknownst to outsiders. So how did I come upon this place then? I saw their name while driving down the coast, and it just so happened that they share a name with one of my favorite sushi restaurants back home, so I looked it up and decided to give it a try.
With the above in mind, let me first tell you what you should NOT expect. Tourists, a «clean» hip or otherwise well decorated/​appointed restaurant, high prices, difficult parking, sushi or sashimi (this is not that kind of japanese restaurant, though she does have california rolls)
What you will find is a very down to earth hole in the wall restaurant with a menu consisting of very fair prices and extremely delicious home-​style japanese food. The teri chicken chicken was fried to perfection, with a very tasteful and well-​balanced teri sauce (probably the best teri chicken i have ever had), the shrimp tempura was done just right with the right amount of panko and flavor, the panko is balanced enough that you do not feel like your stuffing yourself full of bread crumbs. ~8 dollar pp for lunch.
cash only, limited hours. enjoy this food!

Way back before the Zushi Lady ran it all by herself I remember when it was herself, her husband, their 2 kids and a couple workers in their old location where Saigon seafood now sits. They used to be a bigger operation slamming out tons of plates. 10 years Later the husband passed away, the kids are off living their own lives and all the workers are gone. Now she runs a smaller operation all by herself in a little 2 table place next to maui tacos.
BUT… The food is still as good it was back in the day. Everything she cooks up is made with her love and hard work. You can try anything on the menu and love it. Highlights on the menu for me is her lady’s special which is freshly fried shrimp tempura and hand rolled Cali rolls. Her Katsu Curry is awesome! And of course what everybody lives by which I love the most is her deep fried chicken teriyaki! It’s pretty much tempura battered and fried chicken pieces fried crispy to golden brown then she puts her «secret» Teri sauce on it, (she gave me the recipe ;) and finished with rice and her delicious Mac salad with the imitation crab in it.
If you don’t like this place then you can go away, because I could care less what you think, Zushi has a place in the heart of every person that grew up in Lahaina.

Lahaina’s old school, take out lunch place. My all time favorite and I’m sure it’s every locals: Deep fried Teri chicken.
Got to try it! Doesn’t look very clean, from first view, but I can assure you it is. It’s ran by the owner, «mamasan» And she’s a darling.