Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mexican
The sign hanging on the door says, “Come in and eat or we'll both starve!” Mix some
mango margaritas, a seafood burrito, and a great community atmosphere, and it will
be obvious why
M
Polli's Mexican Restaurant
(1202 Makawao Ave., 808/572-7808,
www.pollismexicanrestaurant.com
,
11am-10pm daily, $11-22) is a Makawao classic since
its founding in 1981. The portions are enormous: whether you order a seafood enchilada, a
chicken burrito supreme, a sizzling beef fajita, or even a “Makawowie” nachos appetizer,
you'll be be hard-pressed to finish. More than just Mexican, Polli's also offers Maui Cattle
Company cheeseburgers, barbecue pork sandwiches, a heaping array of vegetarian options,
and baby back ribs that fall off the bone. It's a true community gathering place where half
the patrons know each other by name. The festive interior is decorated with photographs
from Mexico, surf photography from Hawai'i, and authentic souvenirs from all corners of
the Latin American world.
WELCOME TO KEOKEA, MAUI'S CHINATOWN
Ask any local how to get to Chinatown and there's a good chance they'll laugh and
point you toward Honolulu. While Hawai'i's capital city does in fact have one of
the oldest Chinatowns in America, few people are aware that Maui's Chinatown is
on the slopes of Haleakala in the rural hamlet of Keokea. Don't expect to find any
swinging red lanterns, streetside dim sum carts, or seedy back alley parlors. This
Chinatown was initially founded on something decidedly un-Chinese:
Potatoes. Having arrived in the 1820s on ships engaged in the lucrative sandal-
wood trade, many of Maui's original Chinese immigrants would end up working
in early sugar mills once the supply of sandalwood began to diminish. Laboring
hard on the fledgling sugar plantations, Chinese farmers who had moved to Keokea
would eventually strike pay dirt in the form of potatoes, tons of which were needed
to feed the throngs of prospectors taking part in the California Gold Rush. At one
point Kula farmers were shipping such a steady stream of potatoes to the ports of
