Fred's Mexican Cafe - Kihei — Restaurant in Maui

This is the message I sent directly to Fred’s through their Facebook page. I have not gotten a response other than an auto-reply.

“I’m writing so that hopefully other customers don’t have the same experience we did. I did call on Thursday and talked to, I believe Penny, who apologized and did reimburse for one of our meals.

I want to provide additional details. We visited your restaurant on Wednesday. We told our son and friends we had been there a couple years ago and how awesome it was. This time, my wife and I shared fajitas. My son got fish tacos with shrimp. Katie had a shrimp quesadilla. Luke had tacos carnitas. When our fajitas came out my wife tried a bite and said the shrimp was cold. I felt it and it was cold to the touch. Since shrimp is often eaten cold I didn’t think too much about that and I ate one.

The server overheard us and immediately took the plate and said she would have them remake it. I overheard her tell the kitchen staff to remake it. It was no more than two minutes and the plate was back out.

I can’t imagine they remade it that fast. I’m afraid they threw it back on the grill and reserved it. I don’t know that for sure.

Immediately, on the walk back to our room my wife and son got sick. Katie and I have since gotten sick. All four of us that had the shrimp got sick. The only person that didn’t get sick was Luke.

I realize sometimes shrimp is served cold; however, the fact it was supposed to be hot but instead was cold suggests it was not handled properly.

Additionally, Katie told us the next day that while we were at the restaurant she could see the bin where the chips are stored. She saw a server clear a chip basket from a customer’s table and dump the remainder back in the bin.

Penny, if I got her name right, did reimburse for the fajitas, which I do appreciate; however, it’s bigger than that.

I love this island so much and crave coming back and experiencing all I can. But we’ve lost most of the time with our friends and son (they could only stay a week). My son slept for 40 hours.

We spend thousands of dollars to come here, and it’s wasted just to cut corners on food safety in the name of speed. My hope is for a complete overhaul of the process, proper training and supervision, and complete transparency with food preparation.”

Please be careful and insist your food is...

Ambiance/vibes: 5/5 Food presentation: 5/5 Portion size: 4/5 Service: 5/5 Flavors: 3/5 Cleanliness: 4/5

Fun place overlooking the water (just across street from beach). We came on Sunday evening around 6pm and were seated immediately. Casual vibes with cute decor.

Food ordered: Chips/queso/salsa: chips were good/average. Salsa okay but very mild. To this Texan it was basically tomato sauce. Queso is not your typical tex mex queso because it was made with pepper jack. However, I enjoyed it so much I took another order of chips and queso to go. It had a nice kick of spice and good cheese flavor. Even for being in a touristy/pricier area, $11 was too much to charge for the portion size of queso at this kind of place. It was barely enough for 3 people to enjoy—probably 4oz. But I paid it because I did enjoy it.

Chicken taquitos (ate this as my meal) : nice and crunchy, decent sized. Guac on them was fresh and comparable to guac I’d find in Texas, but the taquitos were better dipped in queso. The chicken inside didn’t have a ton of flavor which was the disappointment. I rumored tapatio on them which somewhat recovered the meal.

Baja fried fish taco: really good! Just lightly sauced but that allowed the fish’s flavor to really come out. It was fried nice and crispy and all ingredients tasted fresh. I only ordered one taco for $7.50 and now I am craving another. Only critique is that I would recommend serving it with queso fresco instead of cheddar/mixed cheese shreds.

Buffalo taco plate: nothing extraordinary, but hubby said he would get it again.

Pescado burrito: very large. Fairly good. Smothered in verde sauce which had great flavor.

Servers were friendly and hardworking. All wearing beachy shorts and T-shirt’s. We were checked on quite often and did not lack for anything. Good staff and well managed place, you will be happy as long as you aren’t a demanding karen type. ;)

Overall, I would return! It’s a casual beachy spot and the food reflects that. Nothing gourmet or extraordinary, but still...

I recently took a much-needed break from a hard day of work and decided to have lunch at Fred’s. Despite the heat of the day, the restaurant provided a refreshing retreat, especially on their shaded patio. The ambiance was just perfect for a relaxing meal.

Upon sitting outside, I was immediately greeted by Brett, my server, who promptly brought me a glass of water to help me cool down. His attentiveness from the start set the tone for what turned out to be an exceptional dining experience.

Brett gave me ample time to peruse the menu, and when he returned, he brought the freshest chips and salsa I have ever had at a restaurant, complimentary no less. It was a delightful touch. For my main course, I opted for the Kalua pork burrito, and it was nothing short of fantastic. The flavors were spot-on and truly satisfying.

What stood out the most was Brett’s impeccable service. As I reached for the last few sips of my soda, Brett was already at my table with a refill. His friendly demeanor and excellent service were beyond commendable. It was clear he genuinely enjoyed his job and cared about his customers' experiences.

Brett’s personality was another highlight of my visit. His positive attitude somehow made my day brighter. I even overheard him giving another table great advice on local golf courses, which the guests deeply appreciated. It’s rare to see such a level of knowledge and willingness to help.

Having worked as a waitress for 15 years in my younger days, I often find myself cringing at the service in many places now. However, Brett was a breath of fresh air. His demeanor was wonderful, and he truly made my dining experience at Fred’s memorable.

Thank you, Brett, for your outstanding service. Fred’s is fortunate...