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Paia Fish Market serves fresh fresh fish served in a variety of ways at a counter-type joint in the heart of Paia. You enter, you order at the counter, you get your receipt, you find a spot in the communal picnic type tables, and then when your number is called you pick up your food.
Finding a seat at 3pm was kinda tough! I guess that is how popular the place is. The food was excellent though, we got the fish n chips with mahi mahi, which were super tender, only lightly dusted with cornmeal and deep fried served with thin cut fries. We also got the seafood salad with grilled ono, served on a large bed of mixed greens, a few poached shrimp, and papaya seed dressing (soo good). Ono, I realized, was probably not my favorite fish since it's a little meatier than than most, but I thought it was very fresh and well-prepared. Everything was good, fresh, and fast. It's a great stop for late lunch/dinner on the way back from the road to Hana. Prices were reasonable, although not terribly low for a take-out counter style restaurant but the quality of fish is worht it.
After eating a meal here you can stop by Aloha Shave Ice and/or Ono Gelato Co. for dessert, both in Paia.
I went in and ordered the fish quesadilla lunch order that comes with their cole slaw and a choice of a side of cajun rice, rice&potatoes, red potatoes or french fries. I got the rice, and it was alright. Their cole slaw isn't the typical shredded cabbage version, it's squared cut and comes in this dill flavoring. The cabbage is crunchy enough with having just the right amount of flavor without it being watery. The quesadilla had cheese and refried beans within, which comes with a dill tartar sauce and goes really well with the fish. It tasted good, but I don't know if I'd order that again.
Their picnic bench style tables are pretty sticky to sit on, so that caught my attention, but they have all the amenities you need on the table--napkins from costco, metal forks and spoons and this sweet and hot sauce, salt, etc. It was nice to sit next to a couple talking about their first nudist beach experience while we waited for our food.
I'll have to try the shrimp fajitas next time.
On my first trip to Maui, I made a special trip to Pa'ia Fish Market on my last day in town (thank you Andrew Doughty). I had what was, up to that point, the best fish sammich I'd ever had -- or could even imagine. (Opah is where it's at, kids; accept no substitutes.)
So on my most recent trip, it was the first place I hit. As usual, the place was crowded and slightly dirty, and the staff didn't really give a crap about me or any of the customers. Hey, it is a dive after all. But what bugged me was my second, less-than-magical experience with my bff (best fish forever) opah sammich. They take this beautiful, though smallish, piece of fresh opah, grill it to perfection, put it on a very tasty, fresh roll, and top it with... a half-dead lettuce leaf, a slice of under-ripe tomato, and -- the piece de resistance -- a handful of pre-grated cheese-like substance from a bag. Are you effing kidding me? For $10 -- and with such a beautiful piece of fish -- you couldn't be bothered to use decent vegetables and real (better yet -- no) cheese?
It turns out there are lots of places on Maui that will sell you a fish sammich, and some of them are excellent. PFM, it was nice knowin' ya.
Believe the hype. This place is fantastic. On my way out of Maui, I decided to ease my tropical depression by stopping at the Pa'ia Fish House. It was 10:45, and there was already a line. Fifteen minutes later, the doors opened, and we moved en masse to the cash register to place our orders.
I had the ono sandwich with fries and a Big Swell IPA (a local brew) with cole slaw and fries. It was everything I thought it would be and more. Ono is a dense white fish, and it was grilled to perfection right in front of my eyes. The fish was so fresh I almost imagined a pleading little voice - "PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!" - coming from between the bun. The fries were crispy and perfectly seasoned, and the selection of local beers was quite expansive.
I love the laid back, picnic table vibe of this restaurant - it is how I imagine Maui 30 years ago before the invasions of celebrities, golf courses, and Japanese tourists. I will be back.
Yummy Fish Tacos!
Be prepared for a drive from Kaanapali to Paia (~45min) but it was worth it, the fish was fresh and the portion sizes are huge.
After the long road to Hana, a bite to eat (and a nap) is exactly what I need! From both word of mouth as well as Yelp, Paia Fish Market was a definite stop on the way back to the hotel!
Honestly - the BEST mahi burger that I've ever had. Hands down. Granted, since I'm not too veggie friendly, mine was wiped pretty clean - but great nonetheless! They have huge benches to sit on so you get a pretty "homey" feel.
The downside... it's a tad pricey - for the hubby and I, we spent close to $30... not what I expect for "fast-food-ish" places. But hey... if you're on vacation... F IT!
That's 2.49, not 2.51. We had lunch here today after stopping at Mana Foods for tea. It was almost as crowded as last night but less noisy. I spotted a family getting up to go, so I moved into their place when they left. Alan ordered for us at the counter, fish and chips for him, calamari and chips for me. Both came w/ coleslaw and tartar sauce. I thought the fish and the calamari had been cooked too long. Both were too dark. Alan liked the coleslaw better than I did. The fries were undistinguished. I was sorry to have missed the seafood pasta that sounded so good last night, but it was too warm a day for it and my impression was that the dish was too big for lunch, although Alan saw one coming from the kitchen, so someone ordered it. The best part of lunch was the conversation w/ the nice young couple from Phoenix who shared our table. I doubt we'll be back.
mmmmm... *drool*
All I need are the Mahi burger and fries to boost my energy to get me to Hookipa to watch the surfers/windsurfers in action :) While quirk z. was disappointed, I LOVE their fries. Perfect in size and saltiness. The coleslaw and dill in the sandwiches are key. Can't wait for the next trip...
More of a good super casual fast local fish, salad and burger place. Order at the counter. Sit wherever you want. You'll likely share a table, but it's cool, not weird. They'll shout your number which you won't hear the first time. Then you eat a super tasty Ono fish burger with onion rings and drink a Longboard lager. The fish tacos come on an enormous plate with potatoes and rice and Cole slaw. I enjoyed it. But it's super casual if you looking for a sit down waiter ordering meal, this isn't it.
Had to eat here after reading the Yelp reviews and we were not disappointed. We headed here on our last day before heading to the airport for our red-eye flight. We had fish and chips and it was delicious, the best we had this trip. The place was super crowded even at 2 in the afternoon, and it was really hot inside they have no a/c only fans, so we got our food to go and drove to a nearby park to eat. Plus they have cafeteria style seating which is not my thing especially in a hot, crowded restaurant.
I'd love to hit this place when it's not so crowded and try some of the other menu items.
Best fish at a reasonable price. Worth the drive to Paia.
I had read all the reviews, and decided we had to try it out, so we made it up to Paia on our last night in Hawaii. Truly, the fish just tastes amazing! Husband had the Mahi fish and chips, and I had the seafood pasta. The fish was SO wonderful, and my pasta was HUGE, with big pieces of fish and shrimp, and tasted amazing. It is definitely a place the locals hit, and was quite busy at 7pm on Saturday night, so we had to wait a few minutes for some open space at a table, but it was worth it. Crowded and busy, but definitely recommend checking it out.
That was one good fish sand at Paia Fish Mkt. It's one of the best meals we had in Maui when we were there a couple of years ago. It was also one of the cheapest meals we had in Maui! The fish sandwiches were around $9-10.
We read rave reviews in Lonely Planet so we decided to make a stop on the way to the Road to Hana. The place was crazy busy and we were lucky to have found a couple of open seating pretty quickly.
There is a large menu of fish to choose from. I tried their Ono on the first visit and Mahi on the second. They were both fresh and fantastic. We also had a few beers which went really well with the sandwiches, fries and coleslaw.
It's kind of out of the way from civilization and it would be quite a drive to come just to eat here, but we did drive for an hour just to eat here on our second visit.
The place is very casual with picnic/park benches instead of tables and chairs. It looks like a bait shop and has a fish shack look
If I am ever back in Maui, I will be making a stop here.
Probably the best fish burger I ever had.... the fish is grill and very fresh on a bun. Choose the obama burger, its ono fish with cajun spice.
Went here on my last day in Hawaii, and had the best meal of my visit there. I had a salmon burger (they were out of their Ono), and it was the best combination of items with that perfect fish, slaw, bun, and possibly illegal substance of some kind that seemed pretty out of this world at the time.
After reading the reviews, I'm kinda glad I did this instead of Mamas. It was cheap, fast, and absolutely put me in some happy place.
The Mahi burger is delicious and the picnic table eating goes along with the whole hippie vibe that the city holds. Crowded, cool little shop. I will definitely be eating here again!
Awesome mahi burger!! You get a very large slab of fish, soft bun, and tasty addons. Fries were disappointing.
Wish I had another.
We stopped by after walking past several times to get a drink. We really weren't very hungry. As we ordered, the fish sandwich special (Obama "burger") sounded too interesting so we ordered. The fish was cooked to perfection and the fires were great!..IF you like seafood and are looking for a quick, very well prepared meal - I recommend stopping by. Friendly staff and great food. Paia is a great town with unique shops.
Honestly, this was one of my favorite meals of my trip in Hawaii.
I dragged my family here after wanting fish and seeing that we were near this place that had good Yelp reviews AND was recommended in our guide book.
They have all different kinds of fish and many different ways of cooking them, and you can get whatever. The standard fishes are mahi mahi and ono (wahoo), but they also have a list of currently fresh fish with descriptions of the texture and flavor of each, that you can choose to substitute into any of the entrees, which is great.
For my meal I picked the opah (moonfish - this was off the fresh fish list) cajun burger with fries. Man, it was so good. Super tender, cajun spices were right on, tartar sauce in just the right amount. I was super happy. And the fries were crisp and tasty, and they had local beers as well, of which I tried the Maui coconut porter... not bad.
My brother had the ono burger, which I tried some of, but I liked the moonfish way better than the wahoo... way more tender. I bet the mahi mahi would be pretty good as well.
To be honest, I'd really like to be able to try one of the fried entrees or the seafood pasta, but alas... oh, and someone else's tacos looked really good too.
But yeah, go here. For sure. Super yum. A++.
Fuc*ing Awesome!
Had to drive BACK to Paia after our day long drive to Hana. J was diggin the menu with a wide range of fresh caught fish. He was very very happy with his Ono fish tacos and raved for days about their yumminess.
I had a plate of Ahi Tuna w/fries and it was oh so deliciouso!
A definite MUST try in the town of Paia! We can't wait to go back!
Ambience - cute and kitschy, complete with large fish replicas and beach shack decor. Seating on communal benches led us to meet several transplanted locals (they went to windsurf and have stayed for 21 yrs!).
Price: Very reasonable!
Service: Self serve keeps it quick and cheap!
Location: In the heart of Paia town. Easy walking from the free parking lot.
My husband and I came here on our way to Road to Hana. My friend recommended this place and I'm so glad we tried it. The place is very casual and laid back. The restrooms are in the back and you have to use a key to get in. I didn't like that part.
As for the food, I ordered 2 fish tacos. It came with a heaping pile of rice, potatoes, and slaw. The tacos were delicious! It was lightly breaded with a coleslaw topping. It was very filling.
My husband ordered the grilled mahi mahi plate. It was also delicious! It also came with a generous portion with rice, potatoes, and slaw. We also had an order of fried shrimp which was also great!
For lunch our meal was a little under $50. I thought it was a little pricy for lunch, but it was worth it. We arrived at 11:00AM when they opened and by the time we left, it was packed!
Stop by this place before or after the Road to Hana. It is worth the drive!
this place was great every time i had the pleasure of making it to this side of the island... their portion sizes are massive and they have a pretty decent selection of fish and sides and flavors... in busy season there is usually a pretty big wait and there is not a lot of seating, but once you make it through the wait i assure you it is well worth it!
Ambiance. Order from the counter, cafeteria style dining, and surrounded by "beach bums". There is no ambiance, nor should there be. This is as simple as it gets.
Service. Nothing to say really, as that's not the point of this restaurant.
Food. As fresh and as simple as it gets. It should be noted right away that Paia Fish Market gets its fish from the same source as Mama's Fish House, which is significantly more expensive. This is perfect "beach eats". You choose your fish, you choose from several cooking styles, and you enjoy your delicious, fresh, (relatively) affordable seafood.
Go here. You will not regret it. This is where the locals eat and you should too.
Had heard this place was a must for fish tacos... not a big fish taco fan, but decided I could find something worth trying. I gotta tell you, I was totally thrown off by the self-serve atmosphere and having to scrounge for a seat at at table with strangers. As put off as I was, I'm always willing to overlook lack of luxury for good food.
I ordered the seafood pasta, thinking there's no way this place could pull off a decent pasta dish, but I live in AZ so nothing excites me about tacos and fajitas. You all can talk all you want about your ono burgers and fish tacos, but I can't imagine anything beating the giant bowl of seafood pasta I got (at dinner, mind you). Flavorful sauce with lots of parmesan, big chunks of fish, meaty shrimp, and scallops that melted in my mouth like pure butter. I was so full about halfway through that I had to just pick out all the seafood... absolutely fantastic!
Again, the service (what service there was) was rude, the crowd was bizarre, the seating was difficult, and the gas-station-style restroom was just sketchy. But I'd elect to eat the food from this place over fancy-schmancy, over-priced Mama's down the road any day.
SEAFOOD PASTA = SOOOOO GOOD. (~$17)
During a recent trip to Maui with friends, my boyfriend and his family had gone to Paia Fish Market, and he brought back some leftover seafood pasta which he thought I might like to try b/c I love my scallops. I was pretty full that night from Zippy's, so I saved it for the next day's lunch. I was a little skeptical because leftover+reheated seafood does NOT appeal to me. But, once we threw it in the microwave, OH MY GOD.. it smelled sooooo good (and tasted even better). All of our friends were jealous as I quickly scarfed down the pasta.
Our friends ended up making the drive to Paia for the seafood pasta. 5/6 of them ordered the seafood pasta, the last 1 got plate of ginormous calamari. Keep in mind this was mere days after swearing up and down they'd never go near the road to Hana ever again.
As for my boyfriend and I, we also made a large detour to Paia on our way to the airport to get one last seafood pasta meal. It was definitely as droolworthy as the first time around. Creamy sauce (but not too heavy), scallops, clams, capers, shrimp, oodles and oodles of noodles :) Delicious!
The biggest surprise this year for us on our visit to Maui. On other yelpers recommendation we tried this place out.
The bad ~ lot's of bums or people who look like bums in the area. Old (very old) towne. I wouldn't visit Paia when its dark. Small restaurant and eating area...you have to share cafeteria style tables with strangers.
The good ~ Best fish tacos hands down! Fresh fish...very fresh. After the tacos I had to try something else so I ordered the Ono burger. Fresh fish again. This place is awesome.
Great hole in the wall. I wouldn't recommend this place for someone who wants a nicer setting.
We were just walking through the town on our way to dinner and looked inside the restaurant and saw it was packed. People were raving about the food so we decided to go here instead. The fish dinner was FANTASTIC. For $20 we had a filet (opakapaka) that was the size of 2 hands. With Rice and potatoes and cole slaw it was a steal. Two of us had this. It was the best fish I have had even compared to the upscale places. The place is a dive BUT you go for the food. Worth the trip from Lahaina
A great, laidback casual place with a large variety of fish on the menu. The fish and chips were delicious. The fish seemed like it came right out of the hot oil. It was crispy, hot and oh-so scrumptious. The portions were all huge and the prices were very reasonable. It's a great place for kids too, as the bench seating provides ample room for all.
Excellent food! Great atmosphere! This is a must while in Maui. Loved for the food here!
This was the last meal we were to enjoy on Maui last week and I thought it was THE BEST!
I love dives, and this was a clean and classy one. People complain about the family seating and picnic style tables,,,,,, get a life! It's supposed to be fun and lively, it works! If you want something fancy,,,,,,,,,,,,, go someplace fancy,,,,,,, sheesh!
Wifeypie had the Fish and Chips, the kidlet had a Veggie Quesadilla with Cajun Rice and i had the Obama Burger (blackened Ono) with Red Skinned Potatoes.
The wife's fish and chips were crispy and delish. Vegegirl's Quesadilla was just what the doctor ordered and my sammich was utterly fantastic! Blackened and perfectly charred yet raw on the inside, on a large soft bun atop of coleslaw and dressed with a wasabi butter. It was the best fish sandwich I have ever had,,,,,,,,,,, EVER! It also was beyond generous. The red skinned potatoes were also A+++.
The person taking our order was swift, knowledgeable and extremely pleasant. The prices,,,,,, I wish they had places in L.A. that could compare, there aren't! And for Hawaii, the prices were ridiculously cheap!
Granted we did not try close to everything they had to offer but hands down, what we got was stellar.
Thank you Paia Fish Market! Mahalo!
Dave
A perfect lunch spot to perch on a communal bench, flip thru the real estate guides, and enjoy some tasty fish while wishing you had a cool $2.5 mil to plunk down on a "beachfront plantation-style estate".
The tacos were pretty good (I think I just prefer them baja style), the ahi burger was really good (remember to ask for it rare), and the fish and chips were fantastic.
The portions are huuuge tho, so you might consider splitting.
definitely go here and skip Mama's when your'e on Maui. Can't wait to go back, and actually make it up the road to Hana.
Eat the Mahi Burger! Don't even bother to look at the menu, just order the Mahi Burger. Trust me -- after living a block away from this place for years, and taking every single mainland friend who visited me (and telling them the same thing), trust me, you'll love it. Many of my friends still reminisce about the Mahi Burgers...
The first restaurant I ate at when I traveled to Hawaii. The fish tacos are so fresh and tasty that I came back here again before we left.
Their 2 fish taco platter with potatoes and rice with a Bikini Blonde is amazing.
A brilliantly different spin on fish and chips.
I don't go here very often because typically when I go out for lunch I go with my husband who's a fish-hating vegetarian. Just the smell of fish sends him into a fit of complaints, so this place is a no go with him.
Occasionally I get to go here when friends are visiting and we hit the beach or Paia town without him... and I enjoy every messy bite on those rare occasions.
The fish tacos are great and the ahi burger is delicious. I'm not a big fan of the communal seating, but it works out fine when it's not right in the middle of the lunch rush.
We happened by on the way to Hana, and went back again for takeout for the perfect pre-flight dinner.
Fish. And. Chips.
we tried other things, but that was the clear winner.
oh, and the onion rings. and how.
3 words: Rare ahi burger. Sooo good. Make sure you order it rare or it will be well done. Best deal on the island for $9.50.
I also recommend the bikini blonde beer and the fries!
The best fish and chips I have ever had!!!!! I could've eaten a double order. Three largish mouth-watering, perfectly seasoned and fried to perfection hunks of mahi mahi. The coleslaw on the side was also tasty. My hubby had the ono burger and it was also very good. My brother had the Obama burger and it was delicious. I'll be craving this all the way back to the mainland for sure.
Maui would not be Psychedelic Babylon without this place. After any sponge 'n surf session, just got paid or lei'd ; and, crater adventure, you're bond to have a nasty appetite. Once you're back on earth, Pa'ia Fish Market's got plenty of grease to tame those visions and calm those nerves. Come down off that unrealistic vegan head trip with some Opakapaka (red snapper) burger coleslaw and potato salad. This place keeps it simple and rustic. They can't mess this up! If you sit by the window long enough you might see almost anything. Park your hippie bus in the lot down by the shell station and walk up. Excellent fish tacos. Great fries! Put some lemon in your coke. Great spot to be taken out. You won't break the bank of your host and you'll still get fed.
Paia, HI
Category: Restaurants
Paia, HI
Category: Seafood
Paia, HI
Category: Health Markets
Kahului, HI
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Wailuku, HI
Category: Hawaiian
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