yak and yeti Indian restaurant — Restaurant in Hawaii

I had this fondest memory of dining at Kamana Kitchen 5 years ago when we were in Maui. We had met the friendliest server Laxmi and she was just so warm and welcoming. I had the picture of the restaurant in my head and I was so sure this was it. I called and spoke to Lucky who told me Laxmi works in the Hilo location. I told him we would be there for dinner that night. He was very pleasant. We drive in to the parking lot and No No No; this wasn’t the location. What happened! I kept trying to rack my brain. Haha being a foodie I never forget a food place so what happened! Turns out Kamana Kitchen here only opened 3 years ago. My mind was playing tricks on me. We had indeed gone to the Hilo location in the Big Island, the last time we were in Hawaii lol.

We walk in and are warmly greeted by Anusha and a gentleman server. They were so accommodating and got us a wonderful booth with high chair but as soon as we were seated, our toddler wanted nothing to do with being in the restaurant. We told them we will calm her and be back. When we did they had left our table as is and was so understanding and welcomed us back.

Hubby wanted Tandoori roti and his favorite Palak paneer, where as I wanted to go with their vegetarian thali. The vegetarian thali came with samosa and pakora appetizers, they were delicious. I wish I had gotten the name of the gentleman who brought our food to us in a cart. He was so very kind. My husband said he really enjoyed his Palak Paneer and tandoori roti.

I asked Anusha, if the kitchen could sub the Palak Paneer in the vegetarian thali for my favorite Aloo Gobi. She had to go check and she said it was not a problem. My vegetarian thali also came with matar paneer, tandoori roti, dal, rice and rice pudding. I enjoyed each and every bite of my food. It was really tasty and comforting.

Lucky, came to check on us. He was very welcoming and hospitable. We got my confusion cleared about the location, hehe. Anusha, the other server and the gentleman who brought our food all showed us so much kindness. The service is excellent here, the food is delicious. I cannot wait to come back here again the next time we are in Maui....

Yak and Yeti is one of the best Indian food restaurants on Maui, and my wife's favorite restaurant on the island. Their food is so good that when we celebrated my wife's birthday by hosting a fairly large party (~40 people, including kids) in the Kula Botanical Gardens... we asked Yak and Yeti to cook up enough food for the whole group, picked the food up ourselves in Kihei, and drove it all the way to Kula, a 45-minute drive! Yak and Yeti did a great job, packed our food in very large aluminum trays, plastic and foil wrapped, and carted it out to our car for us. (To keep it hot for the long drive we covered them in thick towels, which worked great if anyone else wants to grab some Yak and Yeti and enjoy it at a beach or other location.)

I can tell you every single person at my wife's birthday party absolutely loved the food, those who didn't already know and love Yak and Yeti asked about it, many of whom suggested that we should meet up at Yak and Yeti for more Indian food sometime. The Samosas were especially a hit! If you're looking for easy-to-eat food-to-go, pick up an order of their Samosas!

Note that Yak and Yeti tends to make their food slightly milder for American tourist palettes (which makes sense-- they will offer what the most of their customers want), but if asked to make the spiciness more authentic to Indian palettes, they will be happy to do so.

Some of our favorite go-to items here are: Vegetable Samosas (easy-to-eat, no plates needed) Paneer Masala (we recommend medium spicy) Dal Makhani (request mild-- great for keiki) Mango Lassie Rose...

This is the worst experience I have ever had visiting a restaurant. Initially when we reached, we were not attended and after asking for few more times, got the table even though the table was empty by the time we reached. After ordering food, we were told that our appetizer would arrive in 10 mins and main course in 20 mins. But we got it in 55 mins and 1 hr 15 mins respectively. Even after trying to check about the status of our order, the waiter even after seeing did not come to our table and just pretended to rush inside to check on it but in vain. The waiter was always on a phone call which I suspect was just a measure to avoid question from folks.

Another waiter was smiling when asked about the status and mentioned that others are waiting too. That was very annoying as instead of explaining he was smiling. All in all the food was good but not worth it given everything else around it. The second waiter actually had confrontation with us while we were leaving. Instead of apologizing for the delay, he was arguing back. Overall we spent around 2 hours and so were other customers all annoyed like we were.

I highly recommend never to visit this place as it will ruin your holiday experience of the...