The wave of businesses expanding South Maui’s casual dining scene includes a mix of familiar names and fresh faces. Offering quick bites and refreshing sips, these seven new spots in Kīhei and Wailea highlight local ingredients, Hawaiʻi-inspired flavors and collaborations with Island producers. You’ll find Maui-grown produce as well as local favorites like poke and shave ice alongside trendy concepts like specialty slushies and dirty sodas. There’s certainy no shortage of flavors to explore.
1. Lava Java Coffee Roasters of Maui
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A beloved local coffee shop since 2008, this Kīhei staple has expanded beyond its original Kīhei Kalama Village location to a second spot at Kai Ani Village in North Kīhei. Stop in for your morning pick-me-up and choose from premium 100% Maui-grown coffees, including fan-favorite Kula coffee sourced from the slopes of Haleakalā, as well as other varieties from West Maui. Enjoy your beverage hot, iced or frozen, paired with freshly baked treats like Maui banana bread or cinnamon rolls. Beyond coffee, the shop sells (and ships) local teas, flavored sugars, gourmet chocolates and Hawaiʻi-inspired products, from tropical soaps and children’s books to authorized Original Red Dirt products.
2. Maui Frozen
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Need a midday treat to beat the South Maui heat? Maui Frozen offers a refreshing lineup of frozen delights, including its signature Maui Slush, a granita-style slushie with a uniquely crunchy texture that lands somewhere between shave ice and sorbet. Flavors rotate daily, with recent selections including lemonade, POG, lychee, mango and coconut coffee. Another specialty is the Pineapple Scoop Ice, made with pineapple, water, cane sugar and whole milk. It’s a tropical treat that’s creamier than shave ice but lighter than ice cream. Choose from original, berry or torched for a caramelized finish. For a completely different experience, indulge in a frozen chocolate-covered banana sprinkled with sea salt or coated in roasted peanuts. Best of all, the shop only uses real fruit, purified water and cane sugar—no artificial dyes, flavorings, extracts or high-fructose corn syrup here.
3. ʻOkoʻa Farms
Photo: Ashley Probst
This family-owned farm in Kula has been growing local produce since 2007. Now, with its new shop in Wailea, ʻOkoʻa Farms brings its certified organic produce to South Maui. At the shop, you can browse fresh fruits and vegetables alongside prepared foods like sauces, soups and salsas, plus a rotating selection of artisanal local products from purveyors like Haleakalā Creamery, Maui Nui Venison, Maui Pineapple Farm, Valley Isle Chocolate and others. Also at the shop, you’ll find skin care products, tinctures, tea blends and other everyday essentials. Beyond providing access to high-quality food, the farm is committed to educating the community about organic farming and sustainable agriculture. Ask about guided tours of its Kula farm, sunset farm-to-table dinners and the 15% kamaʻāina discount on both experiences.
4. Pantry Café
Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons Maui at Wailea
One of the newest additions to Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Pantry Café marks the Hawaiʻi debut of Los Angeles-based fashion and lifestyle brand Madhappy, as well as its first standalone café. The menu features creative coffee shop fare infused with Island flavors and locally sourced ingredients, from mango sticky rice matcha and banana coconut lattes to the Maui Optimist smoothie and the South Side açaí bowl, both with li hing mui. Other tempting treats include a poi coconut crown pastry. The café also collaborates with Hawaiʻi-based businesses like Maui Juice Co. and Kauaʻi Juice Co., and its Pantry & Friends menu showcases specialty drinks created in partnership with influencers, models and actors. Also shop an exclusive retail collection of luxury island-inspired apparel and accessories designed specifically for Maui.
5. Swell Soda Co.
Originating in Utah, the dirty soda trend offers a playful alternative to a traditional coffee shop experience. At this quaint storefront on the makai side of Azeka Shopping Center, the possibilities are nearly endless, with a vast menu of customizable drinks featuring bases like soda—both Coke and Pepsi products are available—energy drinks or simply still or sparkling water. Mix things up with fruit purées, flavored syrups, creams and fresh citrus, and choose from signature creations or build your own concoction. My personal favorite is the Mystic Mango Reef, a tropical blend of vanilla and mango syrups, mango purée, coconut cream and lime, upgraded with an Orange Kiss Alani Nu base with a splash of sparkling water. A retail section also displays branded T-shirts, tumblers, stickers and light snacks.
6. The Frontroom
Photo: Ashley Probst
Stepping into The Frontroom is like being transported to a chic urban café—minus the island-style views, of course—more reminiscent of a metropolitan lounge than a typical oceanfront eatery on Maui. A sculptural cherry blossom tree hangs above the entryway, while a wall of faux foliage complements the emerald-green velvet seating, “brick” walls and industrial lighting. The menu features artisanal pastries baked in-house daily, along with generously portioned toasts and sandwiches served on housemade focaccia bread. Other offerings include sweet and savory bowls, freshly squeezed juices, locally roasted coffees and an extensive selection of flavored syrups, including sugar-free options.
7. Tobi’s Poke and Shave Ice
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This casual woman-owned eatery has been serving locally sourced poke bowls since 1992. Although it’s best known for its iconic Pāʻia location, Tobi’s actually got its start in Kīhei, just down the road from its new outpost at Kūkui Mall, making this second storefront more akin to a homecoming. Beyond its award-winning poke, the kitchen also serves up hearty plate lunches like shoyu chicken, kālua pork and chili and rice, plus sides such as purple sweet potato salad and housemade kimchi. Signature sauces are available as single servings or by the bottle. For something sweet, cool off with a refreshing açaí bowl or Hawaiian shave ice with an optional pineapple Dole Whip base.
READ MORE: Revisiting a Pāʻia Treasure: Tobi’s Poke and Shave Ice
Ashley Probst is a contributor to HAWAIʻI Magazine.
