Mulligans on the Blue — Restaurant in Hawaii

Fabulous Service and Food at Mulligan’s on the Blue in Maui, Hawaii.

I wanted to extend my sincerest thanks Michael O’Dwyer and the entire staff at Mulligan’s on the Blue located at 100 Kaukahi, St. in Wailea/Kihei, Maui. If you are looking for a family-run business great for families, couples and individuals alike, that serves especially tasty food and cold drinks with entertainment, against the backdrop of historical Irish flair, beautiful palm trees and the picturesque Maui sunset—Mulligan’s on the Blue is the place to go.

I went in search of an appropriate place to bring my wife and tween children with good food, excellent attention to the patron and entertainment while in Maui. I am happy to say that Mulligan’s provided us with a phenomenal experience.

The food at Mulligan’s was especially tasty and savory. I recommend the brisket ribs and BBQ ribs—the meat falls off the bone it’s so tender. The coconut shrimp were mouth watering and the cheeseburger and fries were perfect.

Additionally, the service at Mulligan’s was excellent.

At the outset, a special “Mahalo” to owner, Michael O’Dwyer. Despite a packed restaurant owner/manager/ and all around great guy, Michael O’Dwyer, took time out from cooking to cordially greet my wife and children and recount a bit of the restaurant’s history referencing several pieces of poster art hanging on the wall. He also let us know that, as a family run business on Maui for almost 25 years, the restaurant’s food and service were a source of familial pride. Family, staff, local patrons and visiting customers, alike, all contribute to the restaurant’s success.

When my family arrived at Mulligan’s, it was busy. Even though Mulligan’s was very crowded, Juan and Mauricio, our waiters, provided us with a table quickly and efficiently—minimizing wait time. Juan and Mauricio, the gentlemen who took our orders and assisted us, were friendly and cordial. Juan explained menu options, suggested food we might like to sample, made polite conversation with my wife and children in both Spanish and English, was very attentive to me and my family and, I noticed, to each person seated at the other tables. Both Juan and Mauricio provided us with exceptional service over and above what normally might be expected—and more than what I have received at other restaurants in and around Maui and NYC. Especially, in view of the many other restaurant guests to which they had to tend.

Juan and Mauricio were fantastic. They understood my wife and kids were hungry and handled our orders quickly. Juan remembered what each one of us ordered and placed the correct plate in front of each person quickly and seamlessly. Incredibly impressive in view of the number of tables he was handling that afternoon/evening and the number of orders he must have taken.

The staff at Mulligan’s was incredibly attentive to all of our requests and made it a point to pass by the table on three or four occasions to politely inquire whether everything was going well and whether we wanted additional food or drink.

The staff contributed to an overall great dining experience as a result of their tireless efforts.

In short, Michael O’Dwyer’s Mulligan’s on the Blue provided great food and great customer service in a courteous, professional and friendly manner.

When friends, colleagues and others ask me for a recommendation for a place in Maui with great food and excellent service, I will let them know that they have to get to Mulligan’s on the Blue in...

On vacation in Maui when the 5 of us chose Mulligans on the Blue for dinner. 4 adults (1 in a wheelchair) and 1 child.

We arrived at 6 and parked in the lot. The handicap entrance was uphill, which was quite a push. We had a reservation, so we were seated right away. The interior was haphazardly ordained, the pictures were crooked, there were playbills taped to the walls. The tables and chairs had seen better days, but it was also an Irish bar so it gave the place a little bit of charm. There were 4 large TV screens, 3 in the bar showing dirt bike racing, tennis, and paralympic hockey, and 1 in the main dining area showing an awards show on TNT.

The waitress (no nametag) reminded me of Flo from the show Alice. Not very engaging, bad humor, and a bit unorthodox. We ordered our drinks... my wife asked if they had Dr. Pepper, and Flo had to stop a waiter to ask, they didn't and then we waited 20 minutes.

My wife ordered first, a steak which came with a choice of 1 of 3 salads. My wife just wanted a plain salad with French dressing, but Flo said that wasn't one of the three choices and a special order would confuse the cooks. Uh, okay, so she ordered the chopped salad that came with blue cheese, she said no blue cheese and French dressing on the side. She should have asked when she wanted the salad, but she didn't, so it didn't arrive until halfway through dinner.

Flo didn't bring out the food, a male server delivered. The food was spotty, the Irish Stew that 2 of us ordered had a funky goat taste that was hard to overcome. The Shepherds Pie was very good, but a little light on the vegetables. The steak was superb. The chicken tenders that were ordered for the child was never eaten, the barbecue sauce that was asked for twice was never delivered.

Flo stopped back a couple more times, sort of asking if we wanted refills. She would point and gesture at our empty glasses. We waited for a half hour for our bill.

Perhaps if we were one of the other guests, we would have been treated better, but we weren't. Sorry, can't recommend this place... an interior decorator and some proper staff training may improve...

Having been actively working in mauis food/beverage and hospitality field since summer of 2003, through present day (if you dont believe me, you can verify it yourself. Look through my profiles on LinkedIn, google and Facebook, call and verify employment with each listed employer if you want) its safe to say that i know what I'm talking about and have a highly validated standpoint (I'm not talking out of my butt). That being said, i am extremely easy to please and understanding, as i live and know first hand, what it is to work in the service industry. I do not, in the slightest, recommend mulligans. I have been coming here, on and off over half of a decade, for various reasons, including helping put on a charity event for a rotary club years ago, as well as a quick happy hour snack and drink at the bar. My most recent experience was about a month ago, sitting at the bar in the evening for a quick bite. It was moderately busy that evening. I saw a flower/lei sales girl approaching and was really anxious for her to stop by, as it was my mothers birthday the next day and wanted to surprise her with a lei. Suddenly a staff member, manager of some kind, pulls her outside and has a few words with her. Growing up around deaf people, i am fairly good at reading lips. This staff member, proceeds to ask her something like "who told you to come into my restaurant?" From that point on, i didnt need to read lips, the body language and facial expressions of this rude manager, were very clear. I know that mulligans is well known for there Wednesday willie k performances, but just so you know, there are other places, such as kimos in lahaina, the Kamehameha golf club in waikapu, and likely more, that feature him also. Dont spend your money, supporting people who think its okay to disrespect a...