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Mon-Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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I'd been to one of the other locations 5 years ago so I was looking forward to going to this spot. It was great because I wasn't disappointed - I had great quality and flavorful food that wasn't over-the-top expensive and had huge portions.
We started off with the Chinese Chicken Salad, which is fantastic - generous pieces of flavorful chicken along with fresh vegetables gives this salad a very hearty feel...the portion is also a decent size so it can really be its own meal. Teriyaki Beef (with Brown Rice and Macaroni/Potato Salad) was the next item and that was really good too - savory grilled beef complemented the delicate flavor of the brown rice and the macaroni/potato combo was tangy and slightly sweet with some nice spices. We even managed to find room for dessert - a Macadamia Nut Pudding Pie, which really had a strong macadamia nut flavor.
This is a great restaurant with some awesome local cuisine...it's not close to the touristy stuff, but it's worth the travel for the good food.
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This was my last meal before I hopped on the plane to fly back to the mainland. My BFF and I shared 2 items while our other friends ordered something else. I sampled everything -- here's the breakdown:
Chicken katsu -- humongous plate of food -- looked like 3 chicken breasts -- portion enough for 3 people. I really liked how they served the sauce on the side. I do not like my crispy chicken katsu drenching in tonkatsu sauce. This was definitely a winner!
Hamburger steak -- surprisingly, the portion for this item wasn't as huge as the others. The hamburger steak was lovely, the sauce wasn't thick and glucky, just light with mushrooms. Quite tasty!
Miso butterfish -- highly disappointing. The butterfish was most definitely overcooked because it wasn't 'buttery' in texture. In fact, the butterfish I make at home is tastier. Definitely won't be getting this again!
Hawaiian plate -- definitely enough for two people -- kalua pig, tasty, but very salty. Chicken long rice -- not good, extremely salty and not much ginger taste to it. They also used the wrong type of 'long rice'. Lomi salmon -- flavorless. Lau lau -- this was the best item on the entire plate, but again super salty!
Service was lovely. I enjoyed the food, but everything I had on my order was so salty that when I arrived back home, my ankles were swollen -- in fact, I had no ankles! Factor in the saltiness of the food plus the plane ride, I was retaining water like anything!
3.5 stars for the food -- I'm upping it to 4 stars since we had such friendly service!
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I tried a lot of Hawaiian food when I was in Maui, Da Kitchen Cafe was the first place we tried and now that my trip is over I can honestly say it was my favorite.
We arrived to Maui and when the rental car lady asked us if we needed directions to our hotel, I just asked her for directions of a good Hawaiian food place and she told us about Da Kitchen and it's right by the airport.
Located in a tiny strip mall, even the sign for the restaurant was small and a bit hidden. We had a short wait for a table, so we ordered and about a minute after we ordered a waitress brought over 3 plates... wow that was fast service!! However it was the wrong order for a different table. But damn that food looked good.
I ordered the loco moco, with runny egg and all...I'm usually not a big fan of over easy eggs, but here I'll make an exception. I ate my whole meal and that was a big meal...the portions here are pretty decent size. But it was so good and I was so hungry...I devoured that plate!
My friend ordered the chicken katsu and that was good too....HUGE plate. Once again I thought the mac salad was a bit too mayonaise-y for me...but other than that I really enjoyed my first dinner in Maui.
Plus the decor was really cute. High high ceilings and it was all painted to make you feel like you were outdoors by the water. They even put up patio umbrellas inside...which at first I didn't get, but when you look around...you understand what they are trying to portray...it was cool. The service was friendly and it looked like there were just locals at the time we ate. So it must be pretty decent. I'm definitely a fan, and would come back to try the deep fried spam musubi...thats the one thing I regret not trying...but I don't think my tummy could have handled it. Too much food!
People thought this was:
Get the Hawaiian local plate.
Lau lau, kalua pork, lomi lomi, two scoops rice, mac salad with potatoes mixed in.
And the deep fried spam masubi.
And the luau pie; a sweet purple taro pie with haupia coconut pudding on top. Oh, yeah.
Yes, it's in a little strip mall near the airport, but it's good food.
If you need food before your flight out, stop here for the takeout and bring it on the plane for the others to envy.
Definitely worth a stop after getting off of or before getting on a plane. Good Hawaiian food, near the airport, not much money.
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My bf and I (Kailua Hawaiian n Kauai Girl) went here because we heard the locals talking about it. We were excited to go because everywhere else we went we were disappointed. My bf had the Hawaiian plate n I had the Chinese chicken salad n corn/crab chowder.
The Hawaiian food was the worse we ever had. The kalua was soggy n oversalted. The lomi tomatos were not fresh n looked like they were defrosted. The poi was super watery! And the mac salad n long rice had no flavor. It had a nice presentation but was a disgrace to Hawaiians.
The Chinese chicken salad wasn't even chopped up nicely. It looked like they just pulled it out of a bag from foodland n added chopped cabbage. Large portion but not appetizing to look at or Ono.
The soup was just alright but would have been better with just corn n less pepper (hot n spicy!).
Sorry kitchen chef! But these spoiled Oahuians tastebuds were not satisfied. Then again, we realized we were on Maui where everything, including the food, is haolefied. Too bad. :(
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Really, this is one of the best decisions you can make when you are in Maui. The price is very reasonable and the food, not to mention portions are out of this world. I had a obscenely large plate lunch with Kalua pork (so yummy), spam, and teriyaki chicken. Of course I could not finish it, but my family helped me out with that. My husband had the Mahi Mahi sandwich and it was equally awesome. I can't even remember what everyone had, it was so good.
End your meal with some sorbet, it is served in little fruits! Da Kitchen is close to the airport so make it a stop when you are arriving or departing Maui.
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I was interested in trying local favorites and so on my way out of town I stopped in. Now in fairness, I suppose the locals DO dig Da Kitchen BUT I can't say I found it much better than just okay.
Setting and staff were fine. Authentic? Fair enough. But the food was eh. Having said that, I do intend to give it one more try on a future trip because I really do want to like it.
Note: Do not attempt to eat poi by itself. Alone it is more of a rudimentary adhesive than a foodstuff. Rather, pair poi with a highly flavored or salty substance, much as you would use rice in a Chinese restaurant.
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A cab driver told me that I had to try this place before I left Maui.
So, on our last day, we did.
This is a casual, local place that serves Hawaiian inspired entrees.
We ordered the loco moco burger (burger w/grilled onions, mushrooms, two eggs, rice, no bun), pork/fish lau lau, lomi lomi salmon, macaroni and cheese and beef teriyaki saimen.
The pork/fish lau lau and lomi salmon is the same type of food that you would get at any luau (Good and very filling). The beef teriyaki saimen was very tasty. The ramen noodles tasted fresh and the beef was plenty. The mac and cheese was deep fried in pieces (Think chicken mcnuggets but with mac n cheese, this entree is on the kid's menu). It was soooo good.
The burger was outstanding. The burger was covered with grilled onions, mushrooms, two eggs and brown gravy. Two scoops of rice came with the meal.
I don't normally eat lunch (except for a protein bar), but I had to eat at this cafe!!!
For quick and cheap authentic Hawaiian lunch, U must come here!
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I visited both Da Kitchens on the island (in Kihei too) and loved them. This one, in Kahului, had super friendly staff and good food. I liked how they amended the typical mini-mall architectural feel with high, vaulted ceilings, umbrellas on tables inside, and fans.
I ordered the Chicken Katsu or the Katsu cutlet (I actually got the wrong one, but it could've been my fault.) While the sauce didn't have the expected sweet flavor that usually accompanies katsu, I could tell they were going for something else, with an onion and mushroom gravy. It was good, and of course, huge. I munched on it for two days. And the best part? The chicken was organic! Nowadays, if I see a restaurant feature one or two organic items, I'll be sure to order them to encourage this sustainable and awesome practice.
They also served their food on regular plates, unlike the Kihei branch, which uses styrofoam.
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Can spam musubi get any better? Yes, it can. At Da Kitchen you can order DEEP FRIED spam musubi. Deep fried anything is yum, but deep fried spam musubi from Da Kitchen is triple yum.
Tip: If you are flying out of OGG order it to go for a pre/post/in-flight snack.
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We came here under the recommendation of one of our friends. After having horrible meals at Aloha Mixed Plate, we were really craving for some ono kine grindz. This place definitely hit the spot! The first time we went there, we shared a Hawaiian plate which included a Lau Lau, Kalua pig, Chicken Long Rice, and Lomi Salmon. The second time we went there we ordered Teriyaki beef and Chicken Katsu. Their portions are huge and can be shared by at least 2 people. Their dishes had the authentic/home-made flavor that we were looking for. In fact, we saw mostly locals that were eating there... which in my opinion is always a good thing!
The terriyaki chicken & beef is marinated in the perfect sauce. I would use the recipe if I had it!!
They are very friendly & children enjoy their coloring sheets & child friendly cups. Great place to go eat right after you get off the plane! It is close to OGG airport & very reasonable! Especially for the HUGE portions!
I had the loco moco twice at this place and on the 2nd time I had it on the same week my heart felt clogged. Hey! I was visiting from the east coast. Anyways, this is a local joint that is laid back and ladies at the joint are friendly.
You know that feeling after a big meal where you feel like barfing because you are so stuffed but on the other hand satisfied because the food was so darn good? You will feel like that after eating at Da Kitchen.
Da Kitchen is one of our go-to restaurants when my family and I visit Maui. When any of my friends come to Maui I tell them to try out Da Kitchen. The local food is good and the portions are HUGE. Make sure that you are hungry when you come here. My aunt said that the owner wants you to think of him two times: when you are in the restaurant eating and again when you are at home eating the left overs!
We recently went with my aunt and uncle who live in Makawao. Most of us ordered off of the Specials menu written on the blackboard in the rear of the restaurant. I had the Miso Butterfish (Black Cod), which was delicious. I usually get the Chicken Cutlet but butterfish is my favorite fish so I had to give this special a try. I'm lucky I did because it was the most generous portion of butterfish that I have ever had. I think the piece of fish was about 5 inches squared. The miso sauce was yummy and the fish was served on a bed of veggies. I was only able to eat half of it so I saved the rest for dinner that night! http://www.yelp.com/bi...
My mom got the Crispy Whole Moi (a Hawaiian fish that the Royal family used to eat also known as the Pacific threadfish). It is a 10 inch fish that is deep-fried! I had a nibble and it was delicious. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
My uncle got the Chicken Cutlet which is the same as the Chicken Katsu but is served with a brown mushroom onion gravy. The plate was literally towering with chicken katsu strips. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I think all of us had to take home our left-overs and eat them as another meal. Come here and get stuffed. I always gain weight when I come to Hawaii and I'm pretty sure Da Kitchen doesn't help. Too good to refuse. Good thing there isn't one in L.A. or else I'd be in trouble.
**I came back to Da Kitchen one more time before I left the island and I got the Garlic Chicken off of the Specials menu and it was delicious. Here is a pic: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
People thought this was:
Whenever I come to Maui, I can't pass up the opportunity to go to Da Kitchen. Kihei...Kahului, doesn't matter. Both locations are consistently great. They have a variety of plate lunches that look amazing, but I can never resist their kalua pork. Salty deliciousness. Mmmmm...I'm dreaming of it now. The lunch comes with a mound of pork, two scoops of rice and potato mac salad for around 10 bucks. You can also sub the potato mac salad for a green salad, but why would you do that? It is seriously enough to feed two or three people, or good for leftovers. Oh how I love it so. Hmmm...Chicago franchise?
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Not knowing where to eat, my boyfriend suggested "Da Kitchen". He wanted me to experience some yummy local food.
When we got there we were greeted with a cute little restaurant, with blue walls, surf boards, flowers, and other cute decorations. This place is so adorable.
I ordered "Beef Teriyaki" with green salad and papaya seed dressing. "Beef Teriyaki" is thin slices of beef grilled with two balls of rice, and the green salad with papaya seed dressing. mmmm it was so good. The portions at this place are insanely huge! It's enough to feed 2 people.
My boyfriend ordered "Loco Moco". A " Loco Moco" is a local favorite in Hawaii.It is filling and satisfying. "Loco Moco" is steamed rice, with a grilled burger topped off with gravy, and eggs. YUM!
The food that I ate here was good and it was really cheap. The bill was $20.00 for two people. Large portions+yummy food+cheap bill= Happy Bellies! yay!!! =)
Thanks for taking me here babe. I dedicate this review to my boyfriend Daniel.
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Delicious local food!!!! I am a local girl living in DC and I make it a point to eat here at least twice while I'm visiting. I usually end up eating here around 3x though, because I have 3 fave dishes there: fish tempura (tempura fried mahimahi), hamburger steak, and katsu cutlet. The teriyaki chicken and chicken katsu are also up there on the list.
The portions are huge, I usually can't even finish half of my plate. It's a definite to-do if you're on Maui.
Had the Lau Lau plate, Hawaiin plate, Honolulu fried noodles, and the Scampi.. Most of it wasn't good. The Lau Lau was too salty. The Hawaiian plate was under seasoned, lacked acids. The noodles were too dry. The scampi was pretty decent. I am not sure why everyone loves this place, I didn't think the food was any better the those of the tourist trap restaurants.
I know where I'm stopping whenever I'm on my way to/from the airport. Da Kitchen!
Their branch in Kihei is/was always on my Places I Always Eat At While On Maui list, but since I've been staying further west in Ka'anapali the last few times, Kihei's a bit out of the way (though we'd usually make a day trip down there at least once per trip for shopping, fish tacos, and Da Kitchen). Since this one is really REALLY close to the airport, it's a lot more convenient.
This location is a bit more restaurant-y (vs. more fast food-y like the Kihei location), and has more options on the menu (OMGWTF FRIED MUSUBI!!!!!!!). There was a bit of a wait (on a weekday night), but not too bad. Food is just as good as I remembered - I usually don't order teri chicken, but it was part of my combo plate and damn it was good. The menu says it's marinated for a day *drool*. The hamburger steak patty was grubbin. Kalua pork was as juicy and flavorfully awesome as I remember (It's supposed to be a bit salty people - eat it with some rice like you're supposed to, and it's friggin perfect). It didn't have much smoke flavor, but was still really delicious.
I only wish they had a "choose 2 or 3 item combo", instead of the two preset ones. As everyone else has mentioned, portions are huge, so count on getting a to-go box to take back to your hotel/condo/tent/whatever to have some awesome leftovers for a breakfast/snack (or two).
Oh - one slight negative - the chicken katsu was a tad bland (though I didn't try it with the sauce). Could've just been a bad/bland batch, and/or meant to be eaten with the sauce (obviously).
Biggest portions I've ever seen. our family of three were planning on ordering three dishes plus a fried spam musubi before I looked around and realized that other diners were eating piles of food that resembled mountains. so we decided to downgrade and only order two plate lunches plus our musubi.
The "appetizer" musubi was deliciously hot and crispy and big enough to feed a mid to large sized person for lunch. the only criticism of the food I have is that there wasn't actually a lot of spam in it. It was a giant mount of rice and crispy outside with a little tiny slice of spam that you sometimes couldn't taste because it was too small.
Then we got the Loco Moco (hamburger patty topped with two eggs and gravy with onions and mushroom) and the chicken katsu. Both came with huge mounds of meat plus huge mounds of rice. So in LA, restaurants would put stuff like half a plate of lettuce underneath the meat to make it look like theyre severing more, but not at Da Kitchen. I looked and looked and it was ALL meat. yeah. a whole half feet of meat. So after gorging ourselves we had almost a whole plate of katsu left and when we put it in the to go container the container lid could barely close. I kept hearing about gigantic portions in Hawaiian but kept eating at touristy places serving tiny pieces of fish until i found this place. Now I get it.
I had a hawaiian plate.
Kalua pork - too waterly, no flavor, too salty. ugh.
Lau Lau - what happen to da stuff inside???
Lomi Lomi salmon - had fish flavor and lots chopped tomatoes.
Chicken long rice - didn't touch it.
I had better Hawaiian lunch plate in Calif.
BTW, Da Kitchen Express in Kihei is no betta.
I heart SPAM!!! Hush up! You know it's good! So on our very last day in Maui, I was all frowns because I hadn't had anything Spam yet (plus we had just seen a Maui special on Travel Channel that got me all worked up for Spam). So my husband and I headed over to Da Kitchen Express in Kihei. Sadly, this location didn't serve a full menu since it was an "Express" location. Doh!
So literally, just a few hours before our flight back to Chicago we were driving around Kahului looking for grub when we stumbled into this location. To my surprise, they had Spam masubui on the menu-and deep fried too! It was basically served as a Spam maki and I could not get enought. I almost didn't share! Also had a noodle soup dish with pork wontons and veggies-could have fed a small family! So be careful when you order, portions are ginormous!
BEST LOCAL FOOD IN HAWAII!
Ok, I'm a huge DKC fan! Everytime I visit Maui... DKC is #1 on my "gotta do" list!
I love...
1. cream cheese crab wonton
2. Chinese chicken salad! (THE WINNERS!)
3. The Hawaiian plate (sooo YUMMY!)
4. Shrimp scampi (Love it!)
5, Desserts!
Portions are huge! SO much to choose from.
If you're visiting Maui and want a taste of Aloha... then don't miss DKC! Also, check on hours of operation. There was many times I wanted to eat here and they were closed.
Theres a small parking lot, so it's not that hectic to park. Super close to the airprot. Oh, I love their logo tanks... my best friend picked one up for me. Customer service is ok. Lots of young local girls working. Super busy... always packed with locals.
* Check out my photos I posted!
Ahhh.... only if I could stop by Maui this year to get my grinds on.
I miss you DKC!
5 stars for the BEST LOCAL KIND GRINDZ in HAWAII! YUMMY!
WHOA, these portions are GIGANTIC! And at an awesome price too!
After flying in to Kahului, we were starving and knew this was the place to go. Between two of us, we ordered the chicken katsu. It came with a HUGE STACK of sliced up chicken katsu and 3 mounds of rice with some pasta salad on the side, and of course the sauce to go with the chicken katsu! Now, we can eat a lot, so I thought if we shared these so-called big dishes, we'd each eat half. We ate half and then still had a little leftover!
Service was good. All the servers are petite skinny girls! But they do a great job.
I wish I was still in HI so I could try the other dishes the other reviews talk about!
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nothing special!! like EASY S K. said "I had better Hawaiian lunch plate in California!
huge portions of mediocre tasting food.
If your looking for a cheap place to stuff yourself, try it! you'll have plenty left over so i hope you leave room for left overs!
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While in Maui, we made another attempt to find decent kalua pork, after the complete and utter failure at Big Wave Cafe. Sadly, Da Kitchen, despite some pretty glowing reviews, is mediocre at best.
All 4 of us separately ordered combination dinners, each with kalua pork and then another meat of our choice, rice, and a basic salad. This time, the pork was mushy and so salty that we couldn't help but make repeated trips to the soda fountain for refills. Actually, I was just having water, and it came out of the machine a disturbing shade of pink because it was sharing a spout with the fruit punch. Blech!
Fortunately, my teriyaki chicken was much more palatable...although it certainly was oversalted as well. Paired with the rice, I was able to "enjoy" it to a certain degree. However, my friend's teriyaki beef was disturbingly charred and tasted like jerky.
The place was packed with people on a weekday night, so it is certainly popular...I suppose that the massive heaps of food makes some people really happy. But $10 for a huge meal really isn't a deal if most of it ends up being ceremoniously tossed into an overflowing trashcan.
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Excellent local food. That simple phrase plus the five star rating is really all you need to know.
Wonderful plate lunch food. One of my favorites. Huge portions so each meal is at least two including the leftovers. Kalua pig is always delicious.
Has my favorite potato-mac salad on the island.
The food was sooooooo good here! Highly recommend this place if your visiting Maui. It's close to the airport for convenience. I have been flying to Maui weekly for work and this by far is my favorite place to grab lunch! I agree with everyone else - the portions are HUGE! Three of us shared two plates: the Hawaiian plate and Korean Fried Chicken - both good. I can't wait to try the rest of their menu.
Definitely a hoppin lunch spot so be prepared to wait however you could be lucky like we were last Wed. It is a small size area if you decide to dine in. Take out is also very popular. The decor is fun and tropical of course. The wait staff were very friendly. They had no problems in giving us extra plates to share. And check-out the blackboard - always ton of daily specials!
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On my first visit to Maui, my L.A. 24 hour access to food mind set screwed me royally. Two weary travelers, desperate for food with grumbling stomachs at 10 p.m. went to sleep hungry, at 10 p.m. for lack of available open places for food.
Now that we know better, as we touched down in Maui a little after 7 p.m., we knew that if we wanted to eat, we better find food, and fast! Mickey D's and his other fast food friends were not an option for me.
We found this local spot as suggested to us by our rental car shuttle guy. It's in this little strip shopping center located across from the GM car dealership. He wasn't sure when they closed but when we drove up we were relieved to see they closed at 8 p.m., and I think we were about 20 minutes shy of that.
They serve traditional Hawaiian plate food in a hole in the wall type interior with this interesting 3-D wave that comes out of the wall as decoration. I guess it was part of the previous operators trade dress. I didn't care though, because the people were friendly and the portions were large. Choose from Lau Lau, Kahlua Pork, Katsu Chicken, Lomi Salmon, etc.
Health conscious eaters, TAKE NOTE! They serve organic chicken with no steroids or injections. Their cattle is from Maui Cattle Co. (no doubt these are happy, free range living cows!).
I was thrilled to see that they offer BROWN RICE ($2 extra) on the menu! You would've sworn I saw a diamond ring on the menu or something based on my reaction! Ha ha!
I had the kahlua pork with brown rice. It was so freaking gooood and it was the first time I ate this dish with brown rice. Me likey!
The rental car shuttle guy suggested the chicken katsu, but he mentioned that you need to ask for extra sauce, because they only give you a teeny tiny container for the mounds and mounds of chicken in your to-go plate that is so full, it needs a piece of tape to help keep it closed.
Anyway, we took our food to go and devoured it the minute we got in to the hotel room after the 40 minute drive it took us to get there. It was torture to wait while the aroma of the food wafted in the air below our noses, but it was well worth it.
Mahalo, rental car shuttle guy!
PS: It is CLOSED on Sundays! We had a flight out on Sunday and stopped here hoping to grab a bite and avoid airport food but we were bummed when we walked up and noticed they weren't open. The hours are Monday through Friday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
People thought this was:
Huge portions and good food at good prices what else do you need?
Chicken Katsu and Hawaiian plate are where it's at.
This is a popular spot so if you go during normal lunch/dinner times expect to wait. It's well worth it though.
Don't forget the tropical ice tea!
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This Da Kitchen is much nicer than the one in Kihei. It's probably newer, and is more a restaurant than a cafe, like the one in Kihei.
They serve Hawaiian style plate lunches, and all plates are piled full of food, so expect to take home leftovers.
Always seems to be busy, so expect a wait if you come at lunch time or dinner time.
People thought this was:
Da best-est local food in Maui. Great for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I salivating memories that I would love to relive. If you're in Maui don't pass this place up. Everything is ONO!
I really like their Tempura Mahi sandwich. The flavor is great and the portion is huge - with the amount of fish that they serve, you could easily make two large sandwiches! I'm not a fan of tartar sauce, but theirs is different, more of a gourmet tartar sauce if you will. It comes with a large tasty bun and ample veggies, like lettuce, tomato, and onion, along with a scoop of potato salad that also tastes great, and I normally don't care for potato salad either.
The kids love the unusual mac and cheese triangles! They take mac and cheese and form them into triangles and deep fry them. Not the healthiest meal, as it comes with fries, but so ono!
I make no bones about it....when I go to the islands, I go to lay in the sun, relax and enjoy, shop, and eat like a pig. Thats it.
We always go to Oahu and I haven't been to Maui in several years and Da Kitchen was not there the last time I was in Maui, so this was a frickin find! It's conveniently located between da airport and the Kea Lani, so we hit it up straight off the plane. Da place is clean, nice size and had a good distribution of booths and open tables. All of the workers are mostly hot young hawaiian hotties, which deserves 5 stars by itself, but lemme get to da food. I ordered Korean chicken, the wife ordered da classic loco moco and my father in law ordered some other kinda chicken. Everythinig was breaka you face! Slammin crack on a plate. The loco moco was the best I've ever had.....nice thick hamburger patty that was moist and delish...the chicken dishes were the same....slammin. And the portions are large enough for two, or just right for a heavy hitter that goes balls out.
This place is so good that we went back the next day for lunch at the Kihei location. We got take out at Kihei, but everythinig we got was the the same...simple, delish, filling and slammin. We had the shrimp pasta, fish sandwich and some other chicken dish.
I almost want to go back to Maui just for Da Kitchen and its harem of hotties. Maybe next year......
People thought this was:
The food was really good. We like it vary much. Will come back again and again.
I agree with Evelyn, the kalua pork was too salty. However, my chinese chicken salad and our opakapaka fish was good though I wish the latter hadn't been breaded and fried. Entrees are large usually coming with rice and salad. It's a hearty meal so you have to listen to you full signals in the brain.
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4.5 points to be accurate. Oi, everytime I go home to Maui I get my fill. I get my grub on! From my mom's pork adobo with the crispy yet moist chunks of taba (fat), to her chow fun, and to her curry beef stew...man do I eat good. But when she doesn't feel like cooking, we hit up Da Kitchen. It's been a great local eatery since I was in college at UNLV. Too bad I wasn't always home on Maui to enjoy this!
Da Kitchen is not the place for you little anorexic salad eaters. This place serves big food! Big everything! If you know a Hawaiian, Tongan, or Samoan from Maui...chances are this is one of their favorite places to get some grinds. Da Kitchen can calm down their appetites. And if it can do it for them, it sure can do it for you! Go here if you are super hungry and looking for a decent deal on the island of Maui. Even better, this place is right next to the airport, so right when you land or right before you leave you can get some great local food. You won't be sorry.
The main reason locals come here? The portions are HUGE! You can usually share a plate lunch with 2 people, that's how much food you get. My fav is the Chicken Katsu ($8.99). It's a chicken breast (or thigh) that is pounded flat, covered in panko batter and fried. It has it's own dipping sauce and comes with 2 huge scoops of rice and either your choice of a macaroni potato salad or a green salad with your choice of dressing. I usually end up getting the green salad with their Oriental dressing or Papaya seed dressing. It's a lot of food! You get usually 3 big rows of chicken katsu to go with your meal. I've never once finished it by myself, always had a doggie bag to go home with leftovers. Not are only the portions big, but the food is ONOlicious! Everything there is made to order so it comes out fresh. Always a plus.
Another one of my favorites is the Teriyaki Chicken ($8.25). It comes with 4 or 5 teriyaki marinated chicken thighs, 2 scoops rice and your choice of salad. Char grilled and oh so good! One of their signature dishes is the Fish Tempura ($13.50). It is a large plate, and will easily feed 2 people with leftovers. You get 3 or 4 large pieces off mahi mahi dipped in their special batter and deep fried to golden perfection. It comes with of course your rice and salad, and their home made tartar sauce. Moist and flavorful, perfect with the tartar sauce and little bit shoyu on your rice.
Da Kitchen has a lot of choices, from various pupus like shrimp shu mai and kalua pork wontons, to salads, sandwiches and burgers, and even noodles. Their Won Fat Guys' Chow Fun ($8.75) is a large platter of look funn noodles sauteed with fresh vegetables and teriyaki beef. Very good to share. They also have lots of daily specials that change with the availability of fresh local ingredients.
The service can be slow sometimes at lunch because it gets super busy. Expect on a Saturday to be waiting for at least 20-30 minutes to get a table for lunch or dinner. But the wait is worth it. This location is closed on Sunday so remember that! The staff is very friendly (all the hostesses are local girls) and will make sure you're treated right.
The only reason I knocked off a half star is because of the prices. For a plate lunch in Hawaii, this can be a bit expensive. But, realize that you can share one plate lunch and be full. And they don't charge extra if you're sharing (last time I was there anyway). So if you look at it, it could possibly be cheaper for you to eat at Da Kitchen if the folks you're sharing with like the same thing you're eating. But with all the good food possibilities there, why would you want to share? Get another plate lunch, then share! Your tummy will thank you!
Thank god for YELP! and iPhones! Found this place when we wandered over to the Maui Swap Meet and wanted "GOOD food." Mixed reviews threw me esp about it being in a parking lot. Man my stomach is rumbling just thinking of this place! My husband got the Loco Moco and said it was the bomb and I had the Beef Terriyaki, but I think for my first time the Chicken Katsu is in order! Looked sooo GOOD!! The salad with the dressing is so good too! This is what you come to Hawaii for! The Yummy Local Food! Def. a good spot to know! Took pictures 'cause it was so good!
Kahului, HI
Category: Drugstores
Wailuku, HI
Category: Vietnamese
Kahului, HI
Category: Fast Food
Kihei, HI
Category: Hawaiian
Wailuku, HI
Category: Bakeries
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