Sheik's Restaurant — Restaurant in Maui

Mention the name Sheik's to any local resident, and you'll more than likely see their face turn into a look of shock, a bit of disgust, and maybe even followed up with a chuckle.

ATMOSPHERE: The best way to describe this place to a "t" is simply to say it's like a truck stop diner but minus the big rigs and waitresses that call you "honey" and "sweetie." It's older but well maintained and clean from a visual standpoint. The word-of-mouth comments about the "smell" that this place has was truthful, but it wasn't as bad as I had expected. I guess the carpet that used to line the floors were finally removed, leaving a more sanitary floor of exposed & smooth concrete, and eliminated most of the infamous "smell."

Seating is a mix of booths and regular seats. There is a fountain-style counter but it doesn't look like they use it any longer. It was pretty frigid inside with 2 big ductless a/c's working hard. All-around windows let in lots of light during the day and makes the place feel more airy at night. The liquor store to the side closed years ago. The man in there would sell cigarettes to underage kids, like myself, years ago. Thanks eh! I hope he didn't get into trouble lol.

MENU: Breakfast, shakes & floats, local plate lunches, sandwiches, burgers, salads, noodles, ice cream. No alcohol.

FOOD: French Fries They serve the thick, krinkle-cut variety, which came out hot & crispy. The local-style dipping sauce is always ketchup, mayo & mustard. Delish!

Hamburger Steak The two good-sized homemade patties were pretty tender with a nice grilled char to the outside, and lathered in a medium-colored brown gravy. The two big scoops of rice probably came from the bottom of the pot because some grains were overcooked and crunchy. The macaroni salad was weak - needed more salt and mayo. Not bad, but definitely not the best I've had.

Saimin My quest to find Maui's best saimin continues. On a positive note, the broth was searing hot, the noodles eggy and chewy, and the cubes of pork topping tender and fresh. The only downfall, and a big one to boot, the broth's flavor was very low in sodium. It wasn't tasteless but could've used a bit more salt. Still, I refused to add in shoyu or table salt as it was still palatable and better for my blood pressure.

Banana Pancake This was listed on their menu specials board which I didn't notice it but my friend did. The single flapjack was huge! The batter was very moist and tasty with that creamy flavor that delicious pancakes are known for. Fresh bananas were mixed in which made my tastebuds dance even more. Up and up with Tasty Crust's version. Highly recommended!

SERVICE: Our young female server and young buss boy were both smiley, professional, and checked on us often.

TIP: Cash only.

OVERALL: Nice local menu, surprisingly cleaner than I expected, good prices & portion sizes,...

I haven’t gone to your restaurant in over a year. I know the food is great, but my favorite was your saimin. I decided to go today and bring a friend along with two little boys who have never been there. I am well aware by now of the pandemic rules and restrictions which is prevalent in every restaurant. Some restaurants have sign-up sheets and some do not. When I walked inside, there was no sign-up sheet or anyone to greet us or further instruct us where to sit or whatever the case may be. We saw a vacant table and was walking towards it when a server intervened. She said there was a half- hour wait, but we “had to wait outside”. It was odd, because there was no one waiting outside… unless they were waiting in the car, which is unlikely because when I told her we were willing to wait, she didn’t even ask for a number. She just said to sign in which, again, was not possible because there was no sign-in sheet. We waited near the table by the entrance, thinking she might bring the sign-in sheet in question. Instead she coldly told us we “had to wait outside”. We asked if we could just wait in the long padded bench which had only 2 people there. She said “no”. We waited outside by the door since she did not even take down our phone number. I didn’t think she would go out of her way to look for us in every parked car. It was hot outside, and after a few minutes, we left and went to Tasty Crust. When we got there, I signed in and In less than 5 minutes we were seated. I am happy to say that their saimin was equally tasty. I should have gone to TC at the start instead of wasting my time. Bottom line is your employee needs to learn to be a server who is friendly and accommodating. She made us feel third-rate. It may be awhile before I decide to come...

We needed dinner before our flight on a Sunday and other places had a long wait or were closed (lots of restaurants are closed Sundays). Ended up here because they were open and not busy, and we were pleasantly surprised considering it's unassuming appearance from the outside. Really decent prices (I certainly didn't see anywhere else on the island you can get a BLT for $6.50!). Our fried rice with sausage for $15 was the most expensive thing I think, and was a huge portion and delicious! While it's a basic diner without a lot of flair, Sheik's was just what we needed! Fast and friendly service. My only issue was the cleanliness of the washrooms. The windowsill was black with dirt and things like that make you wonder about the cleanliness of other areas...