Joey's Kitchen Napili — Restaurant in Maui

Went here on a Thursday after a grueling drive on the north side of Maui and wanted fish tacos. This place popped out.

Went in and saw that it was a family run operation. A good sign.

They have the usual Pinoy favourites. I was eager to try those as I can't find any decent Filipino places in the city I reside in. Go figure.

I ordered the pork lumpia (9.50). Excellent. Filling was a finely ground paste with some shrimp. It came with a slight spicy thin vinegary dip used for pulatan snacks.

Next I had what I came for: Joey's fish tacos (17.50). Well worth the price. Big filets of firm salmon drenched in a spicy sauce. Corn tortillas were done in the usual Hawaiian way: not steamed. They need to give them the Texas treatment so they would go down better. Still great though.

My friend had the tuna poke (21.50). He really liked it with the crisp onions and the firm rice.

Lastly I had the halo halo special (10) Part of me was silently in joy, as it was served in a bowl - the correct, authentic, and logical way. Most places in the mainland, serve this in a freaking cup. How the hell I'm supposed to mix? The literal translation is mix-mix. I eagerly ate and drank the contents, which were ample by the way.

Restrooms are in a alley in the middle of the shipping complex. All tenants including use this facility, which the way is well maintained. You will need a pin code to access the door; it is locked to keep the bums out.

I had a great time eating here, service was great, (I had quick refills of that nice water in a carafe many times), and the food was outstanding. A must visit.

Oh by the way some fat guy with a show recommends it too- if that...

We found Joey's Kitchen on a second trip to Maui when we wanted to find great food off the beachfront routine. We ended up at Joey's Kitchen due to the huge number of strong reviews. I keep a vegetarian diet and my spouse is an omnivore. We were richly rewarded for this venture off the beaten path. We so loved it there with THREE dinners in one week. We enjoyed each visit by dining at the bar.

My meal was the same all week: red basil tofu with rice noodles, vegetables and the most incredible cocunut milk sauce. My spouse had the salmon dinner twice (with rice and seasonal vegetables) and had the red basil fish (mahi-mahi) served just like the tofu. On two nights we also had the kale caesar salad.

Let's start with the kale caesar salad. The kale was super curly and devoid of any bitterness. The salad dressing adhered to every crevass and it was so pretty to behold. It was definitely enough for the two of us to split.

My red basil tofu was a big bowl of loveliness. The tofu was cooked perfectly. It floated atop the noodles, veggies, and sauce. As soon as I had my first few bites, I knew we would be back often this week. My spouse felt similarly about the salmon and fish dishes.

We sat at the bar on each visit. Brian, Israel, and Monica were engaging hosts and insanely exacting bar-masters concocting the mixed drinks the restaurant is known for.

Our only disappointment was not planning better to get there more than three times in just one week. That mistake will not be made on...

First, the food was excellent! The outdoor seating is convenient and it was a nice place to stop in when we were just getting into town. I’d rate it higher, but the person cleaning the tables was incredibly rude to us. She looked right at us sitting at a dirty table (it was cleared but just not wiped) and didn’t say anything, so I thought she probably didn’t see it (not a big deal at all—she was very busy). After a couple of minutes my mother in law asked her for a cloth to wipe it with, and I’m not sure what she said to her but my mother in law just came back and sat down very quiet, like something had happened. When the person came to wipe our table I thanked her and apologized for bothering her when she was so busy but I wasn’t sure if she had seen that the table was dirty, so we really appreciated her wiping it down for us. She pointed at her eyes and said, “I have two eyes, I can see.” I’m not sure how I was supposed to know that she knew the table was dirty. We were being as patient and polite as we could be. We just wanted to sit at a clean table. I understand that the locals deal with a lot of rude tourists, and they can become quite curt and bitter about it, but I really didn’t feel I deserved to be treated that way, and it really bothered me. We live in a tourist town too, and I know it can wear on the locals, but being rude for the sake of being rude isn’t acceptable in any circumstances. For any fellow tourists, the food is great but beware of asking for a...