Mama’s Fish House, Pa’ia, Maui, Hawaii
Mama's Fish House, Pa'ia, Maui, Hawaii
by Gudrun Enger, of Kitchen Gadget Girl
After surviving a trip on the Road to Hana, we decided a fancy lunch was in order, and fortunately, we were able to sneak into Mama’s Fish House in Pa’ia for that lunch experience. And sneak we did, since we had spent the better part of the morning scrambling up muddy hills in search of water falls!
Thankfully, Mama’s Fish House employs the nicest, service-oriented folks on the island, and not one person commented about our mud-stained attire. We were seated promptly, and our table overlooking the beach was gorgeous. The blue Hawaiian-styled table linens beautifully complemented the blue ocean.
Lobster Guacamole
Our server, Justin, a native of Hawaii, made us feel relaxed and welcome and told us stories of growing up near Mama’s Fish House. He also explained the menu and gave us hints about what to order. The restaurant is known for the crab-stuffed Mahi Mahi, but we both opted for entrees less complex – Ahi, Ono and Mahi Mahi cooked in Panang Curry and coconut milk, and Uku sautéed with Haiku tomatoes, capers and lemon. To start, we had Lobster Guacamole and Ono and Ahi in a Coconut (can you tell someone in our group loves coconut!).
The kids were also well taken care of – they had a choice of fresh grilled fish, chicken, Kalua pork or grilled cheese, served in a nice portion on a cute fish plate. My daughter ate hers all up! Dessert is included in the children’s menu, which was $15 per child.
Ahi, Ono and Mahi Mahi in Panang Curry
Adult desserts were divine; we had a hard time choosing. We finally settled on a lovely Chocolate Kuau Pie, on a caramel crust. Oh dear, was I stuffed when we left!
Chocolate Kuau Pie
The lunch menu is a slightly abbreviated version of the dinner menu, but the prices are still the same, which means Mama’s will likely be one of the big dining splurges of your trip. Also since Mama’s sources many of the ingredients locally, the menu changes often. Entrées range from $25-$58, with starters and salads $12-$25. Worth every penny, IMHO.
Mama’s Fish House Restaurant
799 Poho Place
Pa’ia, Hawaii 96779
(808) 579-8488
www.mamasfishhouse.com
Open Daily
Lunch 11:00 – 3:30pm
Dinner 4:15 – close
- If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
- Share
- Prev/Next
4 Responses
[...] Originally posted here: Mama’s Fish House, Pa’ia, Maui, Hawaii [...]
I love Mama’s Fish House. I always tell people that they need to go when they visit Maui. I only wish I brought a change of clothes, or even a different shirt on our Hana trip. I felt a little out of place at dinner. Our server and the hostess made us feel at ease, but still, I would have felt better.
The location and view are top quality; with an ambience that requires a modest tweek to be “fine dining” material. The meal was a 7 out of 10…..Hey, when the entree prices rival those of high-end charity events, the meals MUST be truly outstanding to warrant higher praise.
The customer service is of McDonalds quality; my car was valet parked (mandatory at this restaurant) and returned to me with a 1.5 inch gash. The manager claimed his people are “above reproach and 100% honest” and apologized profusely for this unfortunate situation, but sadly, admitted he was “powerless” to “do” anything about it. Repeated calls to the establishments vice president (as suggested my the manager) were met with deafening silence. I was left to cover the repair cost by the rental agency (who actually recommended the restaurant).
Overall, a very frustrating experience ruining a perfectly good day during our honeymoon; a very expensive meal indeed.
BTW, a top notch meal was had at Stella Blues in Kihei; for about half the price!! Now that’s a real quality restaurant!!
Service can absolutely make or break a restaurant – I am usually confounded by restaurants that spend so much money serving great food, then don’t take the steps to ensure the service is up to the same quality. In fact, I tend to enjoy good food with great service, rather than the other way around….