Maui Travel Tips

5 Things You MUST Eat While In Maui.

FOOD! Itʻs one of my favorite things on this planet. I, personally, love to be adventurous with my meals. I love to eat things and then figure out what I ate. It’s all because of the unique place I’ve grown up in. Hawaiʻi.

While on vacation here in Maui, here are some things I would suggest that you try. Some youʻll love immediately, others you will never want again. The important thing is that you tried it, and you lived to tell the tale. Here are my 5 things you should try to eat while on Maui:

Loco Moco

This is my favorite meal ever! To say this is my comfort food, I feel, would be an understatement. It is such a local favorite that nearly every “Local themed” restaurant/eatery has the original version or a specialty of their own. Some of my favorites are a Chili Loco Moco, Prime Rib Loco Moco, Chicken Patty Loco Moco, and so much more! Here are the original ingredients for this piece of Heaven.

• Bed of rice
• A piece of hamburger patty topped with gravy
• And a fried egg.

Poi

This is a classic side dish here in Hawaii. Poi comes from the Taro Root, a vegetable similar to sweet  potato. The process of making poi includes steaming the taro, pounding the poi repeatedly while adding water until it becomes a paste like substance. This process repeats until it forms a thick delectable paste. From there, you eat it with creativity.  As a topping with your kalua pork or lomi lomi salmon, eat it with a spoon/your fingers, or you can use it as a dipping sauce if you want.

Kulolo

A Hawaiian dessert made primarily with baked or steamed grated taro corms and coconut meat/milk. It’s a snack I’ve grown up with, and still love to this day! Considered something in between pudding and fudge, this chewy, tapioca like dessert has a taste similar to caramel.

Guri-Guri

This is a popular treat on Maui that is a hybrid between a soft serve ice cream and sherbet. Typically made with a mixture of guava juice, lime soda, and condensed milk.  It’s served at a little shop called “Tasaka Guri-Guri”, at the Maui Mall.  They also have special limited time flavors that you may be lucky enough to get. The guri-guri comes in two flavors: Pineapple and Strawberry.

Poke

Ok… you may have had it someplace else on the mainland, and that’s all fine and dandy, but it’s not the same. I donʻt care who you’re talking to, poke from Hawaiʻi is different from the poke shop where you stand in line and they assemble it for you. The biggest difference is that in Hawaiʻi we marinate the poke with the ingredients. Other places put the ingredients on top, and then mix it. There are many flavors such as Shoyu, Hawaiian-Style w/ sea salt, inamona, limu kohu, spicy ahi poke, and more. We also substitute the ahi for things like salmon, tako (octopus), shrimp, and more. 

For me, I love experiencing a culture.  From itʻs history, language, people, and the local meals.  I welcome your experiences with these foods, and even your opinions on other foods not on this short list. Leave a comment, share photos and videos, and donʻt forget to like, subscribe, and follow our social media accounts!

by Stefano