Cafe Mambo

Really nice for breakfast-​we dropped by after our volcano 5’o clock morning sunrise visit-​Aloha, thats early, so you want to go for a good coffee-​and thats the place. Pancakes, real cappuccino, nice and relaxed atmosphere, very chilled, hence the dishes are bit dirty, thats why I ve to deduct a star. Presentation plain for quite a steep price, one more star gone, but ok for a short visit!

Wow reviews are deceiving! Shrimp plate was greasy and tasteless, duck quesadillas worst onion rings were good overall bad experience

Great food 6 of us and we all had something different from lamb to my awesome pork incredible and Jill was a great help so ask for her

The food was great, but the restaurant was empty, and the waitress asked us to move away from the window seat in case they had six people coming in for lunch. After asking her if we could stay since the restaurant was empty, she had an attitude and reluctantly said OK but if people come in I have to move you in the middle of your meal. The two of us just about walked out. Glad we stayed for the duck.

Surprised this place is so highly rated. The staff and premises don’t give the cleanest impression but we ate there anyway because we were tired and hungry. The food portions were big but I would only call it «edible». Wouldn’t go back as there are better places to eat in Paia.

I read the mixed reviews and had to discount the «I got slow service — they were really busy» ones.
They were swamped when we walked in. There were only two small tables open. I waited for a server to finish taking an order and as I prepared to ask if it was self seating she greeted me and told me to choose a table and if it wasn’t cleaned yet they would be by in a moment. True to her word they were by in seconds.
They gave us plenty of time to look at the extensive menu. There were so many choices we ended up ordering three entrees for two people.
We had the Kalua pork, Seafood soup and Sautéed shrimp. All were beyond excellent. To top it off we had a great Tiramisu.
I’d return in a heartbeat and intend to do so.

My husband loved his bagel sandwich from here!

Solid 5 for the food. Can be a tad slow at times, they are quite busy. I’ve eaten there 3 or 4 times and all of it was pretty darn good. Maui beef w ancho chile rub & blue cheese salad? Best beef I’ve ever had, seems like.
No wifi.

We came here right after we landed at the airport. We weren’t super hungry so we ordered a sandwich (Thanksgiving Turkey Special) to share. They brought it on two plates cut in half with two portions of sweet potato fries and they didn’t charge any extra.
The sandwich was good and the sweet potato fries were sooo delicious. Crispy and perfectly seasoned.
All in all a great experience with friendly, attending service and good food.

Very relaxed vibe. Stopped by on a Friday night and split the Kalua duck quesadilla. Awesome balance of sweet and spicy. The passion iced tea was a little too sweet for my taste. Friendly staff and quick service.

Place got a lot worse in a past year or so. Organic greens salad turned out to be salad with lettuce. No good wine either. Service is so-​so. Fun ambiance though. Looking for good food? Go to Maka by Mana:)

For some reason we only come in here and have beers. However the service is always friendly and we truly do enjoy it whenever we are in upcountry.
The menu is seemingly slightly limited however it’s just a great place to stop in Paia–

Just walked in as it was highly rated. Wow what a joke. Waited for a seat, was gestured to a table only to be told that it was not available, since it was now being added to another party that was already seated. Stood in limbo in the middle of the restaurant, all the while the «hostess» attended to others. After a few minutes, we’d had enough and left. Turned to see «hostess» shrug and turn away.
If this is how you’re treated before you even sit down, God knows what happens once you’re a captive audience.
Please note ratings are not based on just the food.

Café Mambo is a great place to stop in Paia, if you are looking for a quick and casual meal. They offer a nice variety of menu options and bring your food to you within 10 – 15 minutes of ordering.
I stopped at Café Mambo with a group of seven people after we did the bike ride down Mount Haleakala. Our favorite lunch dishes were the «Aloha Burger» with pineapple, and the burger topped with a frittata. Everybody liked their food, but nobody was especially impressed.

Food was good, but not awesome – my fish sandwich was nothing special. The service was really slow (maybe because it was 8:30pm when we came in and they were ready to go home?), but friendly.
But there were SO many bugs flying around, all over the table, on us, and then the food – ugh. Not sure why there were so many here but not in any of the other places nearby.
Probably won’t go again.

Probably one of the better restaurants in Paia! Incredible food, Great service and reasonable prices! Try the duck!!! #AMAZING

We were lured into having Lunch at Café Mambo, an open air, casual restaurant in Pa’ia by a posted menu that said «duck fajitas». Sadly, duck fajitas are not served at lunch, so we had the Crispy Duck Salad and the Ahi Sandwich with Fries instead.
The Crispy Duck Salad was pretty good. The duck is well seasoned, pre-​cooked, shredded, and reheated on a flat-​top till it develops a crispy crust. The salad greens got wilted from the heat of the duck, but the fresh salsa, full of red onion and fruit, saved the «salad» part of the dish. The salsa has a nice bite and sweetness that balances the fatty, richness of the duck and pulled everything together.
I would skip the Ahi Sandwich (or modify it), the focaccia, cubes of ahi, lettuce and tomato were fine, the problem was the chipotle sauce. For me, the sauce was out of place and the sandwich would have been better without it.
If you do check out Café Mambo, most of the other tables order burgers. They have some interesting add-​ins to their burgers, as well as other sandwiches and salads.

Cute little café in Paia off the Main Street. Decided to come in as other places were busy and his place was in a lull. Two magic words… Kailua pork. Oh my goodness. The best ever.
They take the pork and cook it on the flattop to get it crusty. They they serve it with a vinegar based BBQ sauce. Get extra sauce, dip the pork in it, then be prepared for heaven. You can thank me later.
Plus they have a great selection, of beer. Had a double IPA from Maui brewing company that was excellent.
Wife got the tofu which was crusted with sesame seeds on a fresh salad. She loved it and described the tofu as the perfect combination of crust and moist tofu.
Next time through here I will be getting the Kailua pork again and maybe I’ll try the crispy duck too. So many choices… to be continued.

We stopped by this restaurant after the Road to Hana. The Crispy Duck Burger was pretty tasty and had good flavor. It was crispy and sweet with their homemade honey glaze. The fries were just ordinary though. The fish salad I ordered was very underwhelming. I could have fallen asleep eating it if it weren’t for the open-​window restaurant atomosphere.
Definitely not the cherry on top after driving the road to hana.
But I do have to say, the staff was very kind and professional!

We ended up here because the restaurant we wanted to eat at was closed for the day due to a water main break. Luckily we were there for happy hour (3p-​6p) which brought the drink prices down 50%.
ATMOSPHERE:
It’s a nonchalant open air older restaurant. The only view is of Baldwin Avenue and people walking by.
MENU:
Salads, burgers, American entrees, and fajitas.
BEVERAGE:
Strawberry daiquiri — Very refreshing, nice thickness and not overly sweet.
FOOD:
Nachos — We added kalua pork to the mix. The chips were mainstream but good, and came topped with black beans, jalapeños, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese. The kalua pork had a BBQ flavor and was too sweet, which is a total turn off to me. The black beans could’ve been eliminated as they had a weird, ocean/​salty taste that reminded me of opihi lol. Pass on this.
SERVICE:
Our female server was very friendly and professional.
OVERALL:
Good prices. Some of the other dishes on the menu sound tasty, but I won’t be back to try them as nothing really stands out.