Nalu's South Shore Grill — Restaurant in Maui

Nalu’s is a must try if you’re in south Maui! Had one of the best meals here and the ambiance at night brings Hawaiian charm 🌺

Food: Of all the places I tried while staying in Kihei for a week Nalu’s has to be one of my favorite food stops. I ordered Pake’s Chicken Salad and it did not disappoint. I’m not usually one to order salads at a restaurant as my main entree, but it this salad sounded too good to pass up. A bed of kale and finely shredded Napa cabbage with thinly shaved carrots and a crispy wonton topping. All of this is tossed in a light citrusy-ginger dressing that is also made rich with a little addition of soy. Then topped off with skewers of a Hawaiian style barbecued chicken that is covered in a very lightly sweet sauce. The word that comes to mind for this dish is: balance. As a whole this dish works super well and all the flavors together balance each other. I do think they could add a touch of heat to the dish, though. The chicken melts in your mouth and incredibly juicy. The salad greens must be massaged into submission because they’re tender but very fresh. The dressing is simple but feels authentic to Hawaiian food and lifts this salad to be something not only enjoyable but almost indulgent feeling.

I also ordered the drink special for the night which was a $10 lilikoi (passion fruit) cocktail. Made with a base of gin and mixed with lemon, passion fruit, and a few other things this cocktail tasted like a spiked lemonade. It was very refreshing and for $10 (not during happy hour) that is a hard bargain to pass up.

Service: The service experience was overall great. You first order at the front desk area before entering the restaurant. It helps if you know what you’d like before getting to the front. The hostess fielded a few questions from my partner and was very helpful in describing the dishes. After you pay, you get a number and pick your own seat.

Note: The food is brought out to your table, but if you order drinks you need to go get them yourself at the bar!

The food came out quickly and all of the servers making their rounds checked on our table to see if we needed anything. Everyone working on the night we visited were super friendly.

Atmosphere: This place, at least at night when they have live music, was a vibe. And a very welcomed one at that. This was not planned, but I got very lucky and we had some native Hawaiian singers performing. This made the whole evening for me! I got dinner and a free concert. The entire restaurant felt open air due to the doors all being open and a lovely cross breeze at night. Tiki torches and palms along with a backdrop of Hawaiian singers gave me an experience that felt authentic and it was a privilege to be there.

Note: if you’re planning on going for dinner make sure to check out their list of performers!

Cleanliness: Despite being a busy restaurant with a high table turnover, the staff kept this place very clean. Everyone on the floor was making their rounds to clear tables, tend to the drink station, and sweep the floors. I was very impressed at how the staff all stayed in sync and kept this place managed the whole evening.

Overall: Loved my experience dining at Nalu’s and would absolutely go back again to try more of their menu. If you’re looking for a casual, low-key vibe that brings an experience that feels very authentic to Maui (and some great food) then I’d recommend you give...

Referred to this place by a local and we were so impressed we came back twice during our short visit to Maui for both breakfast and dinner. Nice casual vibes and very affordable prices for Hawaii. No reservations. Don't be intimidated by the line as they work it well and it moves very fast. You walk up and order your meal, then you are seated. While we were in line, they passed out waters diffused with pineapple, lemongrass and ginger. Deliciously refreshing. Service was excellent and all staff were very friendly, and constantly checking in even though you didn't have designated server. We ordered the french toast and breakfast special( trip tip with egg bowl) for breakfast. French toast was absolute perfection; best I've ever had. I wanted to go back for another our last day but couldn't swing it with our flight time. I normally am not a sweet breakfast dish person and lean towards savory dishes but the lilikoi and pineapple combo gave just right amount of tartness. The Trip Tip breakfast specialty was very good, but French toast was knockout in comparison. For dinner we had the crab cake salad and the Friday night special Aloha ribs with fries. Huge portions and decent price for both.The fresh greens salad had a mango salsa with a delicious light dressing and carrots/ beets strings. The crab cakes went went with the flavors, overall ok but not lump crab and tarted to get little soggy from the dressing after few minutes. Think it'd be fire if switched out crab cakes with some grilled shrimp with this dish. Aloha ribs were well seasoned with a unique BBQ sauce. Fall off the bone tender. Fries were crispy and delicious with a nice seasoning. Came with kale slaw and a ube pudding as well. Overall service was again, great and they had some live music during dinner service. We sat on outside patio which was actually fine as we could hear each other talk over the music but still enjoy :) Overall worth the drive to come experience Nalu's...

Outstanding.

We stumbled across Nalu's because it's walking distance from where we were staying. Turned out to be an excellent choice for dinner.

As we approached, the line at the host stand was outside the entrance, making the appearance of a highly sought-after place to eat. It appeared every table was taken. We thought we didn't want to wait this long to eat, but the bar seatting was less than half full. I walked in and asked the bartender if the bar was open seating or if we had to wait in line to sit at the bar. He said we could seat ourselves at the bar, so we did.

The bartender was outstanding. He was quick with service and with his descriptions of the menu as if he were born to do this. While we were eating, another customer asked the bartender how long he had been working here. Bartender said, not long at all. The customer asked, "Okay, then you've been bartender a long time," as were my thoughts. Bartender said, "No, this is my first bar job." I used to do construction. If that's true and he wasn't just messing with us, he's got a future in this business. He was very good, seemed very intelligent with what he was doing, and very quick.

I had an Old Fashioned and the Islad Style Ribs w/ Respect. The wife had a Coconut Girl in an Old Fashoned Word with Crab Cakes & Greens.

I thought the old fashoned was great. The ribs were amazing so much so that I ate the whole plate and over stuffed myself.

My wife loved her drink but was disappointed with her meal. She said she wasn't expecting to get a salad. She thought she was going to get crab cakes with veggies on the side. But, she did say it was a good salad.

Overall, we really enjoyed this local bar experience eating at Nalu's as our first...