WEST MAUI - Maui: Including Molokai and Lanai - page 164

One of Lahaina's best-kept secrets is Lahaina Coolers (180 Dickenson St., 808/
661-7082, www.lahainacoolers.com , 8am-midnight daily, $27), a laid-back, local favorite
that can rival anywhere in town. All three meals provide reason for visiting (particularly
breakfast). The dinner menu is just as good as the fancier names in town. There are also
pizzas, pastas, and an affordable bar menu (think kalua pig tacos).
On the far southern end of Front Street, Betty's Beach Café (505 Front St., 808/
662-0300, www.bettysbeachcafe.com , 8am-10pm daily, $9-14) in the 505 shopping center
has affordable breakfast platters, sandwiches, burgers, and plate lunch combos. The best
time to visit this hidden beachfront location is brunch on a weekday morning for mimosas.
For quick and easy sandwiches that are filling and affordable, check out Mr. Sub (129
Lahainaluna Rd, 808/667-5683, 9am-4pm Mon.-Fri., 9am-3pm Sat., $7-10), on Lahain-
aluna Road. There are only a couple of tables at this hole in the wall, so you may want to
get your turkey, bacon, and avocado sub to go.
Japanese
If there were an award for best cuisine in the most unlikely of locations, M Star Noodle
(285 Kupuohi St., 808/667-5400, www.starnoodle.com , 10:30am-10pm daily, $12) would
take the competition by storm. This popular noodle establishment in an obscure corner at
the top of the Lahaina Gateway industrial area has been sculpted by Sheldon Simeon, a
local chef who made it to the final three contestants on the reality show Top Chef. The
Asian-infused menu is spectacularly affordable, with bowls of udon, plates of pad thai, and
dishes such as miso salmon or chicken in ponzu sauce. If the wait is too long, sit at the bar
and order from the main menu.
In downtown Lahaina, Kobe (136 Dickenson St., 808/667-5555, www.kobemaui.com ,
5:30pm-10pm daily, $22) steak house offers teppanyaki-style dinners where tableside
chefs flash their sharp blades through the air, and neatly arranged piles of marinated meat,
chicken, and vegetables are expertly flash-fried at your own grill, often culminating in a
ball of sake-induced flame. Teppan meals come complete with rice, soup, and tea. You can
also order at the separate sushi bar ($6-10 a plate).
Hawaiian Regional
In the 505 shopping area, M Pacific'O (505 Front St., 808/667-4341,
www.pacificomaui.com , 11:30am-10pm daily, $29-46) is one of the best venues in La-
haina for enjoying an oceanfront meal. Many of the ingredients are not only sourced loc-
ally, but grown at the organic O'o Farm in Kula, with which the restaurant is associated.