Makena Grill

Love this place when I stubbed upon it when I got married in Maui 5 years ago and was looking forward to getting it this trip but sad to report that she has CLOSED shop. What ever the reason is I will miss this road side eatery.

If you’re on Maui and you fail eat at Makena Grill, you, my friend, have failed at more than Maui… you have failed at life.
The depth of flavors they are able to achieve in a roadside food stand are amazing and inspiring.

This place is awesome! We were a little skeptical because we really wanted fish tacos but Marissa convinced us that everything is good and its true. The beef and chicken tacos are yummy. Her home made banana cake is the best cake I have ever eaten. And the grilled bananas are to die for. Possibly the best meal we had on our entire trip. from April 2011

Appears to be closed. My wife and I searched high and low for Makena Grill and we never found it. After drilling down into the most recent tips on the Unilocal page, it dawned on us that they might not be in operation anymore. So after wasting a few hours on an island goose chase, we headed over to the local Irish pub for some much anticipated food and drink.

Plus 1 star for the decent food that was tasty but did not fill me up for $ 10.
Minus 4 stars for the grumpy lady that ran the stand that thought it was all gravy to take ur money but too good say anymore words other than how much our meal costed after we ordered. As I was about to ask her where she was from (because she obviously didn’t look local) she interrupted me and just pointed at a sign she had posted up with all the answers to any questions us paying customers might have. Basically implying «I don’t have time to have any small chat with you people, so before you think about talking to me, read this Q & A’s so I don’t have to be bothered… but yea buy my food and pay me for it».
We all are obviously on vacation and happy to be on it, esp in Hawaii. She ruined my vibe so I’m banning her stand and suggesting people to do the same. It takes more than mediocre food to run a good business.

We stopped by here after snorkeling for lunch and we were the first order of the day. Th lady was still setting up when we got there but she got us our food in 15 – 20 minutes.
First off, I’m not sure if we encountered the same woman that the other reviewers are talking about because the lady we met was really friendly and made sure everything was great. Also she looked a little different compared to the woman in the posted pics. Maybe she lost weight? Either way, this woman and I’m sure the other woman (if they are different) are super hard working and have a great little stand that my husband and I will enjoy every time we come to Maui!
Since we were the first ones there and she was still setting up, we got to see how much work it takes her to get everything set up and prepared. She has to unload her car carrying large coolers and boxes by herself, get the fire going to heat up the pit (which takes her a couple times since it’s really windy) getting the temp of the pit just right, then she has to set up the condiments, take orders, cook, receive payment, serve people, and repeat but not in that order. It’s a one man show people, cut her some slack. She could hire extra help but what’s the point of that? It’s a roadside stand. If your looking for top notch service where you can chit chat with the waiters than go to a restaurant and leave this little gem to the people who appreciate it.
Now for the food review. Ummm… DELICIOUS! My husband ordered a steak taco and an ono taco and I got the chicken plate. We enjoyed all of it, but the steak was awesome! Glad we were the first ones there because it got crowded fast and there was a line of people waiting to get in on this goodness. Prices were a little expensive but as I’ve said in my other reviews of Maui establishments, EVERYTHING is expensive here and there’s no getting around that. Anyway, I would recommend this place to everyone and we’re definitely eating here every time we visit Maui!

My Wife and I have been to Hawaii twice and Marissa’s hospitality and food was a highlight of the trip. The food is spectacular and location is a must see at Big Beach.
I saw a negative review a while back and this could be further from the truth. We probably ate there about 10 times and Marissa is always working her absolute hardest to deal with the lunch crowd while always keeping a smile on her face. Keep up the good work.

Makena Grill — where have you been all my beach-​going life? Who would have thought that one of the best meals I had in Maui would be served from a roadside taco grill?
Prepare to fall in love. Situated across the street from Makena Beach, the fish tacos are by far my favorite — big fat chunks of smoky grilled white Ono in a flour tortilla with a bright, light salsa of onion, pineapple and mango. The combo is beautiful: moist fish, clean, fresh flavors and healthy portions. But also be sure to try the smoked pork and chicken, as well as the grilled plate. The jasmine/​coconut rice and grilled fruit are lightly dressed with some sort of soy/​miso dressing. My boyfriend and I were actually fighting over the last bits of sweet/​salty fruit…
Naysayers can harp all they want about the owner (Marisa’s) ‘attitude’ — but I’d bet $ 100 none of them said «Hi, how are you?» before barking orders. Understand that good food takes care and time — and that Maui runs at a different pace. For those who chill you’ll understand what I mean: this lady is all about food love — obvious since she’s willing to stand over a hot grill while the rest of us are frolicking at the most gorgeous beach on the planet. Anyone who makes tacos this tasty is a lovely soul and deserves thanks.
This is the perfect lunch on a hot day when you’re hungry from the sun and surf. So good we had food/​wine friends from all over the Bay Area demanding we try it on our first trip to Maui — and we did (twice).
Mahalo Marisa!

Slow down and take your time to enjoy everything about Makena Grill — the location, Marisa’s ‘spicy’ personality and most importantly — the food. On our first trip to Maui we had lots of recommendations about where to eat — mostly from our fellow food and wine crowd — and Makena Grill definitely made our top 5 list on Maui.
To say these tacos are GOOD is an understatement. Marisa doles out big portions of fresh grilled fish, smoked pork and chicken. The fish tacos are definitely the winner — huge chunks of beautifully grilled white fish topped with fresh mango and pineapple salsa. I have to say hers was one of the best beach lunches I’ve ever had. Her grilled plates are also a must-​try: we had the pork with jasmine/​coconut rice and grilled fruit. Absolutely incredible.
Makena Grill is a must try. But don’t go there in a rush. Remember its Island Time — and most importantly remember to thank her — Marisa’s out there every day cooking over a hot grill while her patrons are lounging on vacation — enjoying the surf and sun. Be polite and she’ll love you for it. Compliment her food and she’ll tell you stories. Nothing but love about Marisa — for her food and for the folks she’s feeding. Definitely a treat!
So good we went back twice. Thanks Marisa!!!

I really don’t like giving bad reviews, especially from an overall great time on Maui. Makena Grill is a little food stand on the side of the road recommended by a few travel books (Maui Revealed in particular). We have to completely disagree with the reviewers here. The fish tacos we received were incredibly small, completely overcooked, and had a generally fishy taste (not the good kind). Sides and portions were very small for the price; we went down the street a little ways afterward to grab some more food at another, much better stand. Makena Grill left us with a bad taste in our mouths, literally and figuratively.
To top it off, we managed to find the smuggest woman on the entire island chain as the owner. Marisa was a completely unfriendly rude woman, and we couldn’t figure out why. We’re not going back again, so I guess we’ll never find out.

If I’m reincarnated as either of these three things, I’ll go back to Makena Grill:
1. Health Inspector (so I can write them up)
2. Miss Manners (so I can teach the woman how to be nice)
3. The richest dude ever (so I can afford the food)
There’s no running water and sometimes the food isn’t fully covered. The woman that runs the shack is mean and the food is expensive for what you get. She reuses your plasticware (but how does she do this without running water?).
The woman keeps saying she needs to keep expenses down but if you took the same $ 10 and go down the street to Da Kitchen, you’ll get the same food that tastes much better, about double the portion (if not more), a smiling face taking your order and if you want to ask questions, you can.
Isn’t it funny that other places serve more food for the same money and they have a WHOLE stores and a WHOLE staff?

This place is just extremely difficult to write a review about because a big part of what we all review about this place is not the food, but the service and attitude by the owner. I do feel compassionate for her ’cause I’m also a business owner myself so I’ll try not to be judgmental for once and just be cool about this one.
The food: it’s good, but not superb. I ordered a beef kebob and my wife got a beef curry. The flavor is pretty good, but unfortunately it ends there. Portion is terribly small for what you pay for, and frankly I’m not a big eater to begin with. (see for yourself in the pictures section) Now my kebob was nicely cooked, but unfortunately the outside is too burnt. I ate most of it anyway… it’s fine no harm done. But when it comes to the smaller pieces it’s kinda hard to swallow… There’s like 1 scoop of rice to go with 1 kebob, oh well. Curry is quite tasty, but again the same problem. tiny portions and it’s barely enough to feed my wife.
The uncertainty: cleanness is something that I learned to look away from since I spent a good deal of my childhood growing up in Asia. I can withstand more than most and still manage to eat my food. But then again I cannot overlook the fact that she does not have running water there and apparently to conserve water she cannot rinse her towels very often, and you’ll see a couple do-​it-​all rags that do everything where she rinses in a small container with like 1 liter of water (that’s half a bottle of coke or so worth of water). Hmm… oh well, for the records I ate my food. Then half way through my meal she took out a leaf blower cleaning her area kicking up the dirt around… ummm… oh well, let’s forget about the ants trying to share my food too, it’s alright I understand it’s a food stand on the side of the street.
The attitude: This is where it becomes controversial. She is a character… you are expected to read all the signs and follow her rules. My wife and I walked up there and started reading most of it, and we decided on a kebob and curry, and then the next logical thing that we did like most human beings would do trying to be friendly and strike up a conversation when she asked what meat — is we asked «what do you recommend?». Then she would go on great length to explain why she does not recommend anything because that’s how to came up with the menu and how she has everything on the signs and how she’s not being rude but very polite because she’s smiling and how much crap she takes a day when people ask her everything and what she recommends. Alright, alright, alright… it’s a very simple question, you can say «up to you», «i don’t know», or «depends on what you like» or a million different variations, but she chooses to take the longest route possible and feel offensive about it apparently.
No I didn’t find it offensive, and no I’m not judging either… but I’m just puzzled by the way she chooses to handle one very simple aspect of life a very complicated way.
The weirdness: You do the clean up ’cause she’s the chef and «not your mom». That’s in quotations because it’s also on one of her signs. Make sure the plastic disposable forks and spoons don’t go into the trash! They go into a metal container next to the trash and she «cleans» them and reuses them… if you throw them into the sign you get a slap on the hand, bad boy! How she cleans the utensils is beyond my imagination… good luck next person because I threw mine into the trash and had to pick them up and put them back into use.
So there you have it, Mekena Grill — it’s an experience. Now if you want to experience this in full, make sure you want up to her and ask what she recommends and feel for yourself. Good Luck! ;-)

TIny, run by a «spicy» woman who puts lots of love in the food, insanely cool location. I could not have enjoyed my meal any more, and my wife is STILL talking about the grilled banana dessert. The yellow curry was GREAT, the fish was slightly overcooked, but the coconut rice was moist and flavorful.
This is not corporate food. If you get there after 12:30, your options may be limited. If you are stressing out or too type-​A, maybe try another place to eat. If you can run on island time and want a great dining experience, you could not find a better place to do it.

Right across from the most amazing little «hole on the wall» beach is hot, great food… Who could ask for more? I had teriyaki chicken on a bed of amazing rice and literally a just cut up, huge pile of fresh fruit for $ 10-​really great!
What should change is her set-​up. Clean it up! And attitude which is displayed on her many signs. I believe if a person doesn’t really want to interact with the public then, don’t. I think she should remember that she has a dream gig… working 11ish to 4ish in paradise! & making a decent living… chicken thighs/​rice and local fruit are cheap… perhaps $ 2 and she charges $ 10, which I am happy to pay, so keep it in perspective Marissa! Sadly, she probably doesnt read these reviews — but go, the food is good.

The novelty of these little roadside stands has finally worn off. Makena Grill is supposed to be the better of the bunch but I had some truly bad eats here. And I was hungry.
I paid $ 10 for a wayyyy over cooked fish kabob. May as well been «fish jerky» the thing was was so chewy, flavorless, and DRY. My girlfriend actually gagged on it. Much to my dismay, my underwhelming meal was accompanied with a side of attitude, compliments of the lady who runs the stand. I asked the lady for a knife so I could cut into this rock hard piece of fish and the response– «We don’t have knives here. I have to keep my costs down so I don’t have to raise prices.» Well how about some lime then, I ask. She says «We don’t have knives, we don’t have limes. I said we have to keep our costs down.» Costs down? Lady, I just paid more for lunch since I got to Maui. Your food is not cheap! Condiments and utensils should not be part of your «cost cutting». I’m paying for it.
When I hinted that I needed the lime because the fish was dry she told me that that is what Ono tastes like. Really? Who are you, Chef Ramsey?
Bottom line– I got a TINY portion of bad food and an attitude. I also walked away with 10 less dollars in my pocket. Something is wrong with this picture.
Note to beach-​goers: Do yourself a favor and go into town to get lunch. It’s really not that far from the beaches and it’s a lot better than all of these roadside stands whose only upside is convenience. The food is not good and it’s over priced.
I will say one thing: The woman can bake!

I don’t get why so many places (aside form Unilocal) recommend this food stand. The lady is mean and I could cook better than her, which if you didn’t know me, says a lot.
Save yourself the disappointment and don’t listen to the hype from Maui Revealed and other places that incorrectly sing her praises… nothing is noteworthy.

This is the kind of place that travel magazines love to write about but in reality, isn’t that good from a food perspective. I had a salmon burger that could have passed for the anchor on the boat I’d been on that morning — dry and heavy. My fellow traveler had a kabob of chicken, also dry as a bone. She was out of most everything, and it was only 1 p.m. on a weekday.
The owner was surly. She’s been doing this too long.

DEEEElish, especially the «Bananas Makena», which I still am dreaming about, a month later! We had fish tacos, roasted corn and the bananas.
As far as «atitude» of the owner, keep in mind she’s standing there, day after day, at a hot grill. Not all of the customers get the laid-​back aloha thing and I betcha there are days when it gets challenging. So bring your own shaka spirit, hang loose and enjoy the best fish tacos anywhere.

We chanced upon this place after going snorkeling in the area. We had a few choices — the «crazy guy» up the road (according to our local friend) or we could go into town, or we could eat at Makena Grill. We were pretty tired and hungry so we thought we’d just grab a bite here and refuel.
There were a few people already at this food stand when we arrived, so we waited our turn to order. I had asked the lady several questions and by the 3^rd one, I could tell she was irritated with me. Her answers were snappish and curt. I was used to this type of behavior in the SGV but honestly, on the islands? Never! I’ve lived on Oahu and trust me, everyone is happy go lucky, friendly and laid back, so I was just taken aback by the abruptness of this lady.
We all placed our orders and then went to find a place to sit. We chatted briefly to the wood carver making tikis situated next to the food stand. He was relaxed, laid back and chatty — um… maybe you can rub some of that off to your neighbor there?
When our food was ready, the guys went to pick the plates up. The first thing I noticed was how incredibly small the portions were. For $ 10 (okay, $ 9.95!) it was the size of an appetizer. My teriyaki kabob (fish) and one of my friend’s teriyaki kabob (chicken) were the sizes of a child’s meal. I don’t think even my son would’ve been full on it.
Some other friends had the tacos which looked the best. Another friend had the teriyaki hot dog — meh, I don’t even want to go into this one — really!
For $ 50+ I was not impressed with what we received, but not only that, I thought *I* was the ONLY person who thought this lady needed to seriously chill, but one of my friends, who absolutely likes EVERYONE, even thought the lady needed to smile! Yes, I’m a huge stickler for good food, good service, good everything when it comes to something I’m paying for, but that just comes with the territory for me since it’s a professional requirement to some degree doing this sort of thing for a living. However, if my friends are making similar comments, then hmmmmm, I dunno. What do YOU think?
The food itself I’m giving 3 stars — it wasn’t bad, but wasn’t great either. The portions were what threw me off.
Convenience adds another star.
Price deducts a star (and I’m saying this because we went to other restaurants — sit down places where service with a HUGE smile were given away freely — and a plate of chicken katsu huge enough to feed 3 people cost $ 8.95)
And lastly, but most importantly, service with a smile? Deduct another star.
Sorry folks. I wish I could be as generous, but if we were anywhere but on the Hawaiian islands where people are supposed to be friendly, I wouldn’t be deducting a star for service with a smile. Unfortunately, for Hawaii, the aloha spirit is something I completely expect without having to ask for!
FOOTNOTE: Found out later that the lady was originally from SoCal and on the table there is a piece of laminated paper with her notes written on it stating things — kinda like a Q&A — because she didn’t like people asking her too many questions. Ahhhh I get it – I should’ve read that piece of paper and then maybe I wouldn’t have asked her the questions I did and thus, causing her undue stress.

Tasty fish tacos. Near the beach. Outside. Fresh ingredients.
We came here after a day of floating around in the ocean and gorged on fish tacos. Perfect.