Maui Ono Donuts — Restaurant in Hawaii

Wowie on Maui! If you want amazing donuts you have to swing by Maui Ono Donuts in Kihei!

This is a fully vegan menu, which I love, but regardless of being plant-based these are some of the best donuts I’ve probably had (hands down)!

I was suffering from a bout of indecision so I ended up ordering a half dozen of the most popular donuts on the menu.

Food: 10/10 (gold star) These donuts are made to order and are the epitome of fresh. The to-go container was warm to the touch from the radiant heat off the freshly fried dough. The scent wafted off the container with a perfume of cinnamon sugar and that amazing smell of freshly fried dough. You know the smell I’m talking about, right?

The dough is advertised as being a cake donut, which in my experience is a dense batter. These are more akin to the texture of a churro - light, airy, and ever so slightly chewy. They are amazing! Even though you’re eating a donut they’re so airy it somehow makes you feel less guilty. Isn’t that how it works? It’s light and fluffy so it’s less calories? If not, that’s how it should work.

What else can I say? Every flavor was simple, but done to perfection. The owner of this little food truck is making some big waves in Maui.

Service: The service was great. I pulled up just before 12pm, immediately was greeted by a friendly face. Placed my order and not but 5 minutes later I was surprised by a freshly made half dozen. Maui Ono Donuts accepts tap pay and credit card. Everything about the order was simple, easy, and quick.

Location: Awesome location in Kihei! They’re right off the main road in a shopping plaza, tucked away in the parking lot across from Tajima Ramen. Right across the street there’s many awesome beaches you can go to as well. Go grab some donuts and enjoy them on the beach!

Overall: I’d definitely go back to Maui Ono Donuts and highly recommend this place to anyone in the area! Treat yourself to something on the border of special and magical. The real test will be if you can share after trying them for...

The donuts are good and I have no complaints about the taste or production quality. Unfortunately, they are quite small and rather expensive. That’s partly my fault for not checking the website ahead of time, but I never would have guessed such a small donut would be $3. Four donuts and a coffee cost $15, which is too much. I was hoping to make this a regular thing with my kids, but even they balked at the price and size, which is unusual for either of them to do.

I am usually of the opinion that restaurants serve significantly oversized portions. For probably the first time in my life, I felt the opposite way. It was almost to the point that I was going to ask a question about the size, but I decided it wouldn’t be a polite thing to do, so I ate the otherwise good donut and moved on. With that said, had I known the size ahead of time, I probably would have left without ordering.

It’s a classic volume vs. margin trade-off; I’m sure I’m not alone in saying I’d be a regular customer at a more reasonable price. If that ever happens, I’ll come back, but I am chalking it up to a one-time experience for now.

A few other things - The hours posted on google do not match the hours posted at the physical location. I don’t know which one to trust, but the sign at the trailer says 7 AM to 12 PM on weekdays or something similar - I didn’t get a good look at it. I would suggest planning to be there during google’s posted hours or calling first. Also, if you’ve never been there, it’s not exactly easy to find and neither the google business profile nor the explicit website offer any information about the location. It’s a small thing that would save time and frustration with hardly any effort. Lastly, I didn’t see a napkin dispenser anywhere and I was hesitant to ask because I am generally against napkins in the first place, but the glaze sauce is hard to avoid and licking your fingers during a pandemic...

If you’re looking for the best plant-based doughnuts on Maui, Maui Ono Donuts is a must-try! We ordered a large box of 12 doughnuts, and every bite was amazing. Our box included gluten-free options like the chocolate, maple-churro, macadamia-chocolate, maple, pumpkin-spice, churro, strawberry rainbow, and vanilla doughnuts—all of which were absolutely delicious! The flavors are creative and capture the tropical essence of Hawaii perfectly.

What makes Maui Ono Donuts stand out, aside from their whimsical and fun vibe, is their commitment to environmentally friendly practices. They produce almost no waste, and what little they do is recycled. It’s clear they care about giving back to the land while delivering one-of-a-kind, plant-based treats. Their doughnuts are made using non-dairy milks, flaxseeds or applesauce as egg substitutes, and coconut oil instead of butter, resulting in soft, fresh, and flavorful doughnuts that you just can’t find anywhere else.

Don’t be fooled by their eccentric behavior—these doughnuts are serious when it comes to taste! After trying them, you’ll understand why they’re called Ono Donuts. Plus, the team at Maui Ono Donuts makes it easy to track their food truck’s location—just follow them on social media to stay updated....