WEST MAUI - Maui: Including Molokai and Lanai - page 161

LAHAINA
Continental
Hidden in an oceanfront cove by the Lahaina Library, Sunrise Café (693 Front St., 808/
661-8558, 7am-3pm daily, $6-9, cash only) is a popular local breakfast spot, although the
service can sometimes be a little slow. That aside, this is by far the most affordable, almost-
oceanfront breakfast you'll find in Lahaina. Fill up on eggs Benedict or a breakfast platter.
Breakfast is served all day. Snag a table on the back patio.
Local Style
There's a place in Lahaina where you can eat good food by the water and the bill
won't give you a heart attack. At the northern end of Lahaina next to the Old Lahaina
Luau (with which it's affiliated), M Aloha Mixed Plate (1285 Front St., 808/661-3322,
www.alohamixedplate.com , 8am-10pm daily, $8-12) offers affordable plate lunches in a
casual oceanfront setting. The plates are paper and the tables are plastic, but who cares?
The private setting is up there with some of the most scenic in Lahaina, the food is the
best local food you'll find outside of a lu'au, and it's cheap. For lunch and dinner you can
sample lu'au items such as lomi lomi salmon or poi. For the main course, get a kalua pig
plate lunch (with two scoop rice and macaroni salad)or spring for the Aloha Mixed Plate
of shoyu chicken, teriyaki beef, and fresh fish served with rice and mac salad. Breakfast
is just as affordable with omelets and loco moco dishes. There's also a full service bar, al-
though alcohol isn't served at the oceanfront tables.
Mexican
The freshest, healthiest, and best Mexican food in Lahaina is M Cilantro (170 Papalaua
St., 808/667-5444, www.cilantrogrill.com , 11am-9pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-8pm Sun., $9-13),
in the Old Lahaina Center next to Jamba Juice and Foodland. The atmosphere here is un-
assuming, and there is an open-air kitchen where you can watch your food being made.
Being set a block off Front Street makes for affordable prices, and the portions are huge.
The $10 Mother Clucker Flautas are the tastiest item on the menu (how can you go wrong
with chicken drizzled in spicy-sweet roasted jalapeño sauce?). All meals are made from
scratch using old-world recipes, and there are even a few gluten-free options. Pair your
meal with a creamy horchata drink to round things out.
If you want to pair your Mexican with a margarita, Amigo's (658 Front St., 808/
661-0210, www.amigosmaui.com , 9am-9pm daily, $9) in the Wharf Cinema Center has a
decent bar selection to accompany the largest selection of any Mexican restaurant in town.