Aurum Maui — Restaurant in Maui

Chic Maui eatery with a lot of potential but is a classic example of style over substance.

Found Aurum Maui on a few lists as offering an exceptional food experience. My partner and I stopped in for lunch service. They are located in an upscale shopping plaza which has plenty of free parking. The restaurant was easy to find and we were seated right away upon entry to a table for two.

Atmosphere: The overall ambiance of the restaurant is very chic and feels brand new. There’s a lovely mix of warm wood, textured Venetian plaster, and hard surfaces. The booth/bench seating that runs throughout the restaurant has soft curved lines that give the impression of being hugged. Visually, this restaurant is a feast for the eyes and provides a modern Maui experience for its guests. I also love the beautiful flowers by the water stations and the variety of potted palms by the large floor to ceiling doors. This makes the restaurant feel more private despite being in a popular shopping plaza.

Staff experience: The entire staff on the day we went were incredibly friendly. We were greeted with a smile and acknowledged upon exiting. A whole host of people thanked us, actually, after we were done with our meal. This is a lovely touch as it makes the guest feel appreciated and seen. Our server was incredibly knowledgeable about the menu. Every question my partner hurled at him about the food was met with a very detailed answer. Major kudos to our server! He was attentive throughout the service but also gave us our space to enjoy the meal. One thing I appreciated the most was the hostess and server handed us menus instead of plopping them down in the table in front of us. There’s a lot of small touches the front house staff did that weren’t wasted on me.

Cleanliness/amenities: The venue was impeccably clean. Anytime I saw something fall to the ground a member of the staff was quick to pick it up. The bathrooms were also super clean. These details tell me the management care a lot about instilling a high bar in their practices. I also thought the amenities in the bathrooms were a lovely touch: hydrating facial mist, wipes for those not wanting toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, body sprays, etc.

Food: Now for the food. If you’re reading this review, thus far you may be asking why this is a 2 star review. It’s because of the food. Despite all of the wins this restaurant had the food was a big miss for both my partner and I. I ordered the smash burger with fries and my partner ordered the pasta with pork belly (cheese omitted). Both of these orders were intentional. A burger is a staple for many restaurants and a prime test to see if a kitchen is good. I mean, if you can’t do a burger well then how in the world are you going to do more complex dishes.

My burger was overcooked, very well done. I also was never asked how I wanted my burger cooked. The bacon and mushroom-onion toppings were good, but the burger being overdone overshadowed the whole dish for me. The best part of the meal was unquestionably the French fries - cooked to perfection. Super crispy on the outside, but light and fluffy inside. Seasoned well with salt and perfectly hot.

The pasta with pork belly in a red pepper sauce was also a big swing and a miss. I will give credit where credit is due - the pasta was cooked al dente, which I greatly appreciated. However, the sauce was bland. Yes, I know the cheese was omitted by order, but the kitchen should have adjusted and seasoned the sauce accordingly to make up for the loss of an ingredient. They did not. To make matters worse the pork belly was very, very dry.

Overall: There’s a ton of potential for this restaurant, but the kitchen output needs to match the bar the front of house is setting. Until that happens this place isn’t worth a visit for...

Maui’s newest eatery opened on 7/19/25 in The Shops At Wailea. Aurum has three other locations in Colorado.

ATMOSPHERE: They’ve taken up several spaces on the mall’s west side first level. Decor and lighting is warm and bistro chic with house music playing overhead. Outdoor seating is available along with a private lanai for larger parties. Indoor seating is a mix of plush benches, semi-private booths, low tops and bar.

RESERVATIONS: Recommended since they’re new.

PARKING: Plenty of free parking within the mall.

MENU: Intimate mix of American, Italian and Asian dishes, desserts and a happy hour menu. No liquor license as of this review so BYOB is okay. A few dishes were sold out.

FOOD: Kauai Prawn Okonomiyaki My second ever Japanese pancake had delish ocean-y flavors from the furikake and juicy shrimp, with a pleasurable crunch from the cabbage. Recommended.

Hand Rolled Ricotta Gnocchi The savory fennel sausage is definitely the star of this creamy-esque dish. Recommended.

Fried Chicken Sticky like ribs, the tender and moist chunks of chicken were crazy flavorful and not overly sweet. Highly recommended.

Crispy Curried Cauliflower A nice alternative to the mundane fried Brussels sprouts offered everywhere, these lightly-curried and slightly sweet Brassicaceaes had pleasing crunchiness and sear to their exteriors. Highly recommended.

Lopes Farm Pork Perfectly cooked and juicy, the meat simply needed more seasoning/salt.

Pan Seared Kanpachi With its flaky meat and crispy skin, the fish needed more “zing”. Loved the chunky root veggies.

Lobster Seafood Roll While not the biggest of rolls, the lobster had a tad too much dill that overpowered the crustacean’s natural flavors.

DESSERT: Haiku Honey Ice Cream Laboriously hand-churned, the scoop of ice cream was really soft. A first for me, the bee pollen had an unusual chewy texture to it, while a friend was surprised at its intense flavor profile.

Coconut Milk Panna Cotta Tasty and creamy, it wasn’t set so it was very runny.

SERVICE: Everyone was great, especially our male server who was very engaged and knowledgeable.

TIP: A 10% kamaaina discount was offered.

OVERALL: A...

Glad to have able to dine in at this new hot spot at The Shops in Wailea on their second day opening!

From the onset, we were impressed with the clean, fresh and welcoming atmosphere. The friendly host introduced himself and greeted me by shaking my hand and was aware of the occasion of which we were celebrating.

We had reservations so we were quickly seated in a comfortable intimate corner nook next to luscious green plants.

The waiter offered suggestions and was aware of various components of each item.

We settled on three starters and an entrée:

We started with the Rosemary Parker House Rolls which boasted a honey-all spice butter and paired well. The bread rolls were nicely portioned and had a delightful sprinkling of Hawaiian smoke sea salt on top. The texture of the rolls were a bit coarse than expected but the butter helped to smooth things out.

We then moved on to a new favorite of mine, Crispy Curry Cauliflower. This dish is a must have—shishito peppers for a mild fire, a sweet and sour reduction hit, golden raisins for perfect sweetness, and macadamia nut, spices and herbs for an added layer of texture and delightful flavor.

Our last starter was a great finisher: Fried Chicken with gochujang bbq sauce! This had explosive flavorings placed on a bed of rich and appetizing buttermilk herb dressing. I also enjoyed the pickled cubes of jicama as a bit of acid and added texture with the chicken!

Lastly, My entrée was the Mushroom Campanella Pasta—Now I’ve had many sauces over my years—cream based, tomato based, butter and wine, you name it—good and great. Aurum Maui has done something outstanding and brilliant with their take on this dish; the oyster mushrooms, white wine, leaks, black truffle butter and parmesan have the perfect ratios that create a delightful dish with earthy notes and varied textures with each memorable bite until the very end.

If only I lived here to try all the other great menu offerings but I guess I’ll just have to visit Wailea more often to see this new hot spot take off! It is definitely golden!

Congratulations Aurum Maui—Much Success, God...