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I have to review this place because it was the highlight of my dining experience on Maui. We have just returned from a three week trip on the island where I stayed in Kula and lived like a local. It was fabulous. Most days we went to the beach and then stopped somewhere randomly for dinner. Cafe Des Amis was a divine treat. I had the Mediterranean Crepe on two occasions because it was so delish!! The banana Lasi was also scrumptious. On our first visit we sat outside while the rain drizzled a bit and we could care less because the live music, little lights, bottled water, wooden tables and food was completely warm and cheery. The servers are very friendly and know the menu well.
My guy had the Apple, Brie and Avocado Crepe and loved it. My mom tried the shrimp curry and gave me a taste. Man I wish I had ordered that dish... in addition to mine!!! yummmmmm!!!!
Tasty crepes in Paia.
Small quaint place making tasty food.
I had the ham and cheese crepe and an iced tea.
Simple, good.
People were friendly.
And they were open earlier than some of the other places in Paia after driving back from Haleakala after sunrise.
Your one-stop for French and Indian cuisine.
Yes, you heard me - French and Indian cuisine. And a little Mediterranean thrown in, too.
The crepes were good - but we were disappointed that they didn't offer the complete with an over easy egg - wasn't even an option.
Unfortch, we didn't get to taste the curries - just another reason to go back! They did look good though!
Crepes drew me to this sweet place. I liked the kinetic feel: there was a box of fresh produce on a table, doors were open to an outdoor patio, the walls were bright and colorful. My waitress was nice enough, though a bit distant or possibly annoyed by me, another tourist.
I was hoping for a few more local fruit choices in the crepes, like mango, passionfruit, papaya--things that aren't grown back home. Even so, the strawberries and cream were quite delicious, and the strawberries were local. I'd love to go back and try a smoothie, some Indian delights, and more crepes. Guess I'll have to move here...
Ambiance. This place is quaint. The tables are rickety, the seating is all over the place, but it's nice. Other than that, it's a total beach restaurant... nothing fancy here.
Service. Good service. The waitress was friendly and attentive, as well as nice enough to offer recommendation for the menu.
Food. This is good stuff. The crepes are interesting, especially the Italian Lentil Tomato Stew w/ Pesto. Very flavorful and enjoyable. Unfortunately, the side salad that comes with it was woefully uninteresting and lacked flavor next to the crepe. However, you don't come here for that salad, you come here for the off-the-wall crepe varieties.
Yummmyummy. This wonderful little joint has a great outdoor seating area, nestled among the couple-dozen storefronts and restaurants on Baldwin. We came here for breakfast and my cousin and I split 2 crepes - the lentil one, and the brie/avocado one.
GET THE LENTIL CREPE!! So delish. I wanted to come back later for the same crepe, but it didn't work out. I can only hope that I can recreate it at home, but I probably won't and will long for this one until the next time I am in Pai'a...
Service was pleasant, chill just like everything else in Maui. The price was right too...a very filling crepe with side salad is a cool $9.95 (don't fool yourself into thinking you and your companion can "split a sweet crepe at the end" - you will be way too stuffed!)
Five stars for the bowl-scrapingly good shrimp curry, the gorgeous mediterranean plate, the laid back outdoor seating, and the reasonable-for-Maui prices. The strings of lights and the funky glass bottles they bring water in are nice touches, too.
Everyone was super friendly. If you think they're moving too slow, remember where you are--and ask yourself why on earth you're in such a hurry.
Haven't tried the food here, just stopped in after Cafe Mambo to have coffee.
Absolutely love the patio area. Kind of reminds me of Elixir on Melrose in LA. With a touch of Bali and of course, Maui all blended together. You can lounge on the outdoor chaise or curl up in one of the huge wooden arm chairs. They also have tables & chairs & umbrellas of course.
I had an Americano (aka "long black" in Australia). Finally! A place that gets it right. Why does it have to be so far away from home? And it was nice having Lavazza coffee again. It's hard to find in my neck o' the woods.
The boutique that joins up with it is cute too - I don't know the name of it, but you can't miss it.
Next time I'm in Paia, I have to try a crepe at Cafe des Amis. I miss those babies.
I really like the breakfast and savory crepes (lentil being my favorite, followed by the mozzarella, parmesan, tomato) here, as well as the vegetarian curry.
It's even better since they've expanded and have outdoor seating now.
Never had a problem with service here either, sometimes it can be a little slow but it's never been unreasonably so.
Went on a visit to Maui with some Family. Excellent curry, could be spicier, but when cant it be, really?
Dessert also worth it. Pretty laid back open area. Hope to go back.
Giraffe Friendly
Personally, I think this is an amazing place to have dinner. Not only does it have a great rustic feel, with huge wooden tables, beautiful glass bottles with tap water (as opposed to charging you an arm and a leg for artisan water), and simple yet hearty home meals.
Six of us came here during our vacation in Maui and loved it. The fish curry, the mahi, the light pastas - each dish is simply presented (usually in a huge bowl), but is flavored perfectly and the seafood is cooked just right.
Being here reminds me of the hippy, hole-in-the wall places like those in Berkeley or in LA - without all the pretentiousness. This is a great place to have some of the freshest, home cooked, quality seafood dishes in Paia and Haiku. And its definitely more affordable than Mama's down the street.
I actually come here about twice a month.
Cute little place in the heart of Paia. I have this weird thing where i don't like my water warm, but I guess that's what they are goin for here. Ask for ice and they look at you like you murdered St. Theresa~ I usually bring a cold drink in from Mana Foods.
Ok, ok so you gotta try the hummus best on island by far!
*Wished they used better quality chicken for the crepes*
--Stick with the ham and you'll be happy--
General impression: We are definitely going back there!
I went there twice with my girlfriend for breakfast. The food was excellent, and the service was prompt and friendly. The decor is very 'Paia style'... That would translate into something eclectic, hippyish, rustic and rinky-tink all in one! Very nice decor. We tried both inside and outside and loved them both: quieter outside and lively inside.
That said, I cannot give five stars. One of the reasons is that they don't have orange or grapefruit juice... only apple juice... for breakfast?
The other thing that seemed strange to us was that they only had italian coffee... in Hawaii?? where the best coffee (Kona) is grown!
Other than that I greatly recommend the very simple but succulent ham and gruyere crepes!!
We stayed about 20 minutes out of town and wandered into Cafe Des Amis a couple of times. The food is pretty good - it's very Paia - meaning it's kind of funky and unexpected, never formal or stuffy.
With so few places to choose from, it's a bit more varied and interesting than the Paia Fish Market (but only if you're tired of the fish and chips by this point,) and a good alternative.
Parking is generally a bitch on Baldwin Road, but the whole town is about 3 blocks so feel free to park around the corner or up the block and hoof it while window shopping.
we were beat by the sun, thirsty, and definitely in need of some good grub. we saunter into cafe des amis - the menu looks so enticing! simple - just crepes and curries. we stand by the counter for 2 minutes until someone tells us to find a table. we sit in the pretty courtyard...and wait. we watched people get served. we watched people leave. we watched the staff take a comfy seat and fold linens. we watched them lazily clean off tables. finally after waiting about 13 minutes for a decent "hello" and a glass of water (which we never received) we decided to leave. as we were getting up, the waitress finally came over - when she learned we were leaving, rather than apologizing, she scowled and threw down the menu.
we both agreed - this place is completely lacking "aloha".
Very simple,clean-eclectic, truly fits in the environment of Paia. It's a small space for a cool restaurant and there tends to be a wait time for dinner rush hour.
We loved everything we ordered....the fish curry was awesome. The
crepes....OMG... mouthwatering delicious crepes. This place had introduced me to nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread). We ordered the banana nutella crepe for desert and it was sooooooo good. Their prices were affordable.
Cafe Des Amis caught our eye immediately. What a perfect place to go for breakfast on your way to Hana in the town of Paia. It's a cute little cafe with the word "crepes" on the outside - who wouldn't want to stop. The menu was written colorfully on chalkboards mounted above the cash register, with displays of fruit and available drinks.
Even though we'd already technically eaten, the food looked and smelled so good, that we got something to share. The cashier was perhaps South African, and helped us order. We decided on a savory crepe - ham, greuyere, basil and tomato. It was served with a side salad and sour cream (? didn't eat that part). I don't know what yummy goodness they added to give it a much more complex flavor, but whatever it was, I could have eaten another! They gave each table a unique shaped and colored bottle of water, which gave it an added touch of funkiness. We debated driving all the way back from Kaanapali to get more food later. One of my favorite meals on Maui for sure.
I keep forgetting to review this place.
It's pretty good for breakfast, but if you go on a weekend expect to wait. And like most places on Maui, the service is slow. Which is fine, unless you're like me and are starving by the time you get around to going out to get some breakfast.
I don't really like their smoothies, but the savory crepes are great (I've never tried any of the sweet ones, it's not my scene). They premix their spinach with feta, so getting spinach added isn't going to happen unless you want the feta along with it. I love spinach, but feta often doesn't compliment the other ingredients I want. I found this out when they were out of the crepe filling I wanted... and since then that's happened a few times.
They also have a variety of tasty lunch items including a delicious curry wrap.
It's often crowded and loud in there, so sometimes the atmosphere is just too much for me.
This is our favorite restaurant on Maui, bar none, and has been for years. The food is DELICIOUS, the atmosphere friendly, casual, eclectic, the servers friendly and genuine. Portions are large, prices reasonable (esp. for Maui), everything is really fresh. The mahi curry includes a large portion of moist fish, the veggie curry is delicious too, and we love the lentil crepe (we get it as an appetizer and split it). The Maui cane sugar and lime crepe is really yummy. The paper machier artwork on the walls (we're told made by a husband/wife in England who are friends with the owner) are so unique and creative, we have bought one on our last two vacations to Maui. I write this review with hesitation, because I don't want the place to get overrun so we can't get a table next time we go! But in this economy, every restaurant in Maui needs business, so check out Cafe Des Amis. Paia's close enought to the airport (maybe 10 minutes) that it makes a wonderful first stop upon arrival on the island. We've never had anything but excellent food here.
Delicious crepes--now this is a great place for breakfast! They have a wide range of classic (and not-so-classic) sweet and savory crepes, and some dinner dishes as well. Good coffee, nice atmosphere.
I could sit in this cafe all day...it's a wonderful cafe atmosphere, laid-back Maui style. The prices are very reasonable (in terms of Maui) and the crepes are excellent. Big portions and all the savories come with a salad. They serve wine and beer...Great coffee too. A perfect place to spend a leisurely breakfast, lunch or dinner with friends or to hang solo and take it all in.
Who would have thought that a crepe place would be one of my best dining experiences in Maui. The crepes here, particularly the one with lime and cane sugar, are exquisite. The curries are also very tasty, and the Mediterranean plate is a great deal. The service was a little slow, but very friendly, the place has a nice atmosphere..... I'll be going back!
Makawao, HI
Category: Restaurants
Paia, HI
Category: Seafood
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