Advertised as the best breakfast in Kihei, it’s really the best breakfast in Maui.
Housed in a Quonset hut with outdoor seating only, Kihei cafe has the enormous charm of an old Hawaiian greasy spoon. This is the type of authentic place Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (wiki) tries to find. With packed tables and a lunch line out the door, the signs are there that the wait must be worth it. Cash only, no problem because there’s an atm inside and ample time to use it since the line snakes around a few times in the small entryway.
The menu is quite expansive, and inside the cashiers area you have time to watch the TVs which show each items picture. After ordering we found some seats by the sidewalk. Amazingly the staff quickly found us among the masses when our food was ready.
We went with the loco moco with spam, the Hawaiian comfort food classic of rice topped with meat (spam), an egg, and gravy. Easy to do well, Kihei Cafe does a great job and each constituent part of the loco moco is perfectly prepared and full of flavor.
We also got a classic breakfast and this was cooked perfectly as well. The biscuit was very fluffy and fresh no less. The potatoes were perfectly seasoned and cooked, and the bacon was crispy and juicy.
The kids got a keiki meal, but they were only in the mood for rice. So we ended up eating their food. As with everything else, this too was cooked perfectly.
Overall the Kihei Cafe provides a combination rarely seen in the islands: good food, authentic and honest food, and reasonably priced. The same breakfast of eggs and bacon costs $20-30 at the famous Wailea hotels, but isn’t as good. On top of being reasonably priced, the Kihei Cafe is a great place to get Hawaiian comfort food classics.
Kihei Cafe
1945 S Kihei Rd
Kihei, HI 96753
(808) 879-2230
Yelp | Webpage
First Visit: 2020
Most Recent Visit: 6 January 2020
# OF VISITS: 1
Cuisine Rating: 13
Decoration Rating: 13
COST: $
BEST BET (meats): spam
BEST BET (meals): Loco Moco, comfort food