Lima Cocina + Cantina — Restaurant in Maui

A good friend texted that she and some girlfriends were headed back to Lima Cocina & Cantina and asked if I wanted to go. A new eatery and another review to add to my belt? Yes, please.

ATMOSPHERE: This space has changed hands quite a bit, the most recent being Bap Paia. The inside still looks great and is one of the few air conditioned eateries in the area. An oversized bar sits in the middle of the dining room with low tops surrounding. Overhead music was loud which in turn makes people speak louder so the place is full of fun calamity. For take away orders, head into the small room left of the main entry door.

MENU: Six styles of ceviche, veggie & seafood apps, beef, poultry and noodle entrees, desserts. Cocktails, beer, wine.

BEVERAGE: Pisco Sour - $15.00 Brandy-based with a tequila-like note, it's smooth, a little sweet, a bit creamy, with a hint of tart and very refreshing.

Prisma (Sauvignon Blanc) - $14.00 Fruity, light-bodied and not overly tart.

FOOD: Corn Nuts This is the real deal and is their version of the "house bread". Roasted kernels and salt. Crunchy and the perfect, light accompaniment to any cocktail.

Ensalada de Sandia - $18.00 Watermelon salad. The combo of flavors were really good; sweetness from watermelon, saltiness from the feta, herbiness from the basil, and crunchy from the watercress. Very refreshing.

Lomo Saltado - $35.00 Similar to a local-style chop steak but better. Made with slices of tender beef tenderloin, this gravy-heavy dish was amazingly flavorful. I was apprehensive about French fries sitting in the gravy but damn, they held up well and was a perfect poutine-like homage. Big enough for two. Highly recommended!

Arroz Chaufa - $22.00 I had my eyes set on this dish over everything else. A mound of well-seasoned carbs were topped with a beret-like scrambled egg hat and crunchy won tun strips. Chunks of chicken were there but more would've been nice. Another winning selection.

Two creamy sauces, one mild and the other spicy, can be added to the above entrees but weren't needed as the dishes were so full of flavor to begin with.

RESERVATIONS: Recommended as it's a hot spot. Call in the old-school way.

SERVICE: Host greeting was immediate and friendly.

Our female server was on top of everything and checked on us often.

TIP: If the cocktails look and taste familiar, one half of the founders of Ester's Fair Prospect in Wailuku designed the expansive drink menu.

OVERALL: Nice addition to the rock. I think I had better food here than I...

Only positives were our waiter (who’s name I cannot remember) and the atmosphere (for the most part). My friend and I ordered a salad, a lemonade, and a ginger ale. Super simple, non-alcoholic drinks. Our waiter was very kind and positive towards us. However, then came in another group (no problems with them whatsoever) who sat down next to us. Our drinks were delivered to them so we thought maybe they had ordered the same thing. It didn’t make sense that they got their order first, but we didn’t want to start anything. The worst part of our experience was the bartender, Tuesday. She was extremely rude to us for absolutely no reason the entire time, but when she made and delivered the drinks to our restaurant neighbors, she was all chatty and happy. Our waiter noticed that they had our drinks and handled the situation very well, however when we got our drinks (after another 10 minutes of waiting, mind you) we get the most lazy effort of our drinks. Where Tuesday made her friends’ drinks with a slice of lemon and some mint, ours were not even filled to the top and had nothing but a few small cubes of ice. The worst was her attitude. When she delivered our drinks, we both smiled and said thank you and to that she audibly scoffed along with rolling her eyes. Fast forward to about 20 minutes later when she what started to close the blinds, she came up to us and rudely said “move, you’re in my way.” Of course we both were a bit shocked but out of politeness, we did move aside. Again, she scoffed and rolled her eyes at us. Finally, as we were leaving, we felt daggers on our backs and sure enough, when we turn around she is death staring us. We just smiled at her and left, contemplating what we had just experienced. I guess Wednesday just might not be Tuesday’s lucky day. I do not recommend Lima if Tuesday is...

After looking at the online menu and reviews, we were very excited to try this restaurant, however we were pretty disappointed with our experience. What we wanted to order plus our backups for food were all 'out for the day' at 6pm. No seafood, no oysters, no empanadas, and no food that was on their online menu either, as it was completely different.

The staff was very kind, and apologized, and then we were told that the bar was fully stocked. Then ordered drinks and told they were out of the drinks we wanted to order as well. Restroom was out of order. We were a little upset that we weren't told when we were seated that they were out of 75% of their menu, and then had to wait after looking at the menu for 20 minutes to be told that they're out of most things. Unfortunately the experience was not a Peruvian one we were looking for. After our orders were placed, another group next to us was told they could order fish as they started preparing fish for tomorrow and were no longer out.

The seco de carne was really good and the causa/papa dish was pretty disappointing for what you pay for, and looked like something you make at a deli mart. Again, the servers were great and had a great attitude and apologized, but I can't fathom being open for full service and serving customers when you can't accommodate anything on your menu. Hope to come back another time to be able to write a better review, as it seems people do enjoy this place. The vibe of the restaurant is very nice and would be a perfect spot for...