Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa — Restaurant in Maui

An elderly woman (hostess #1) checked us in upon our arrival. She made note of our reservation and left my husband and I to wait... for a good 15 minutes, until her colleague showed up. Her colleague, hostess #2 was not friendly. She sensed our frustration; however, instead of politely asking, she called out to us to see her at the counter, the way a teacher calls out to a student, which is far from service you would expect from a restaurant in a 5-star hotel.

After learning from the that we had already checked in with hostess #1, hostess #2 yells at hostess #1, grabbed a couple of menus and showed us to our table. No explanation was provided for the delay or her unprofessional behavior.

I was originally looking forward to the restaurant's Maui Green salad as my appetizer but decided against ordering anything uncooked after witnessing how disorganized and unprofessional the hostesses were at managing the simple things. While the front of the house and kitchen are completely separate operations, I just wanted to play it safe at this point, eat a decent meal, go back to our hotel next door and rest.

On this particular day, I was craving fries. Humuhumunukunukuapua'a did not have fries, but I noticed one of their mains - the chicken dish included fried smashed potatoes, which was the closest thing they had to fries. That made things easy - I went for the chicken.

My husband ordered the Chilean sea bass. We also decided to share the abalone & clam chowder, and a side of mushrooms.

Our sever, Larry was very nice and thoughtful. Without our requesting, he had the kitchen divide the chowder into two separate bowls, so that my husband and I would not have to eat it out of the same bowl.

The abalone & clam chowder smelled great. My husband and I immediately dug in. We were getting lots of celery, lots of potato... but where were the abalone and the clams??? At $30, there BETTER be abalone and clams in this chowder. We did not just order some flavored soup. We spooned faster and did not stop eating until we cleaned everything in our bowls. In the end, we were truly disappointed, as there was not a morsel of abalone or clam in the chowder.

Our main courses arrived not long after. My chicken dish looked fine, but it was executed poorly. The chicken was not seasoned; it was dry. To mask the dryness, mango BBQ sauce was doused all over it. The mango BBQ sauce did not make the chicken taste any better. I could not eat more than a few bites of it. Thankfully, the few pieces of fried smashed potatoes were good. I ate all of them.

The fact that the restaurant felt confident enough to put chicken on their menu, charges $48 for it, and failed to deliver is embarrassing. Chicken is not just an afterthought. If you are not skilled to make chicken, then you should not be putting it on the menu.

My husband thought his Chilean sea bass was fine. The side of mushrooms were not great, they were watery.

After we finished eating, a middle-aged staff member came to clear our plates. He looked less than pleased that my dish was unfinished.

Larry then came by to ask if we were interested in desserts. My husband felt bad that I did not enjoy my chicken dish and thought I might still be hungry, so asked to see the dessert menus, which Larry happily brought over.

Meanwhile, the same middle-aged staff member comes back again, this time to wipe our table. He throws the dessert menus out of his way, and sweeps all the scraps off the table, on to my husband's lap. Clearly, food and service are not Humuhumunukunukuapua'a's strong points. It is clear the people working there do not care about customer service, with the exception of Larry and a younger female staff member who was extremely nice and helped direct me to the restroom on site.

Fellow vacationer, please do not eat here. You will NOT REGRET not coming here and spending $$$$ eating less than mediocre food and be treated poorly. Trust me, there are plenty of good restaurants nearby that are well...

My wife and I booked our 1st anniversary dinner here a few months prior to arriving through open table reservations. I specifically called out that it was our 1st anniversary and that we would like a sunset view table if possible. I received a few notifications about 'upgrades' and special 'packages' that were suggested to us for a small $150-200 fee. We just wanted restaurant seating so it was an unnecessary upgrade.

Upon arriving on our anniversary the hostess confirmed our reservation and asked if we were grand wailea guests. No mention of our anniversary or seating request. Several others checked in with us citing special experiences. After waiting 15 minutes past our reservation time we were seated in the very back of the restaurant next to a crying baby. Still no mention of our anniversary.

We requested a better table from our waitress explaining the situation, and were responded to with an attitude that it is likely not possible but that they would look into it.

Some time later we were moved, but after waiting some time yet again with no staff checking on us. We decided to leave. The time was 6:50pm at this point and we had been completely let down.

My wife spent many years working in the industry, and spoke very transparently with the manager about how much the experience needed improvement and we left to enjoy our anniversary elsewhere. It was a very disappointing experience from a restaurant and hotel that is supposed to be top tier.

IMPORTANT Now, after looking into this I do not blame the staff. After looking into the hotel private equity owner BLACKSTONE and the way they run their properties and businesses, I believe they are entirely to blame. They are well known for using borrowed money to purchase properties and flip them for profit. Is well known how these types of practices are done, by forcing the local staff to work more for less and with less staff. Less than 3 weeks prior to our visit, the staff was protesting how overwhelmed they are with their workloads and how it is affecting the cleanliness of the hotel and this restaurant! It is taking tolls on them physically from being forced to work fast enough to keep up with what needs to be done. The grand wailea has not staffed accordingly for the amount of restaurants like this one and rooms that are full right now.

The grand wailea and this restaurant are even under a class action lawsuit from the spa workers that are not being paid.

It is very obvious now that they are only giving seating to those that pay hundreds of dollars more for special packages and completely ignored our request. This is directly due to the way Blackstone is trying to squeeze every last dollar out of this resort and restaurant at the expense of the overall experience they provide, let alone the health and well being of those native to Hawaii.

There is something very wrong with the forced profit focus of this property to be so money hungry that they disregard the true point of what makes Hawaii so great and what has attracted visitors for generations.

We will be taking into account which private equity firms own what properties when visiting in the future and will be sure to spread the word. Especially the owners of this restaurant -...

If you're looking for a dining experience that combines outstanding service with delicious food, look no further than ( I may butcher this name ) Humuhumunukunuapua’a . Coming from Las Vegas Nevada have to say hospitality and phenomenal food is all around everywhere with some of the best chefs from around the world my bar is set a little high. I was recommended this restaurant when I was planning my trip to Maui and I have to say my recent visit left me thoroughly impressed, largely due to the impeccable service provided by our server, Bryan.

From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was warm and inviting, but it was Bryan who truly elevated our experience. He greeted us with a bright smile and an infectious energy that set the tone for the evening. It was clear from the start that he was not only knowledgeable about the menu but also genuinely passionate about the food being served.

Bryan took the time to walk us through the menu, highlighting his personal favorites and offering suggestions tailored to our tastes. His recommendations were spot-on, and it was evident that he had an intimate understanding of the ingredients and preparation methods behind each dish. It’s rare to find a server who can articulate the intricacies of a menu with such enthusiasm and clarity. I went with the oysters and the Spiny Lobster coconut curry which was absolutely astonishing.

What really stood out, however, was Bryan's sense of humor. He had us laughing throughout our meal, making the experience feel more like dining with a friend than simply being served. His wit was perfectly balanced with professionalism, ensuring that while we were entertained, we also received prompt and attentive service.

Each dish that arrived at our table was not only beautifully presented but also bursting with flavor. Thanks to Bryan's recommendations, we tried several appetizers, entrees, and even a dessert that we might not have otherwise chosen. Each bite was a delight, and we could tell that the kitchen shared the same commitment to excellence that Bryan did.

In a world where service can often feel transactional, Bryan reminded us how impactful a great server can be. His dedication to making our meal enjoyable didn’t go unnoticed, and it truly made all the difference.

Overall, I cannot recommend Humuhumunukkuapua’a highly enough, especially if you have the chance to be served by Bryan. If you’re in the area and looking for a meal that delights both the palate and the spirit, make sure to stop by. You won't be...