Five Palms Restaurant
Five Palms is in one of the best waterfront locations on the island. Anchoring the north end of Keawakapu Beach, the view stretches out the Wailea coast, over the water to little crescentshaped Molokini, and beyond to the majestic red mound of Kaho’olawe. Stunning.
Outdoor seating on the lanai is your best bet, and the best bet for food is breakfast. The garden Benedict — spinach and sun dried tomatoes — is a good choice. So is the banana foster pancakes (rum’s in that pineapple sauce), and we also like their egg breakfasts. Lunches, which are served along with the breakfast menu from morning to Happy Hour in the afternoon, consist of large sandwiches with well-prepared steak fries. The burger is good (order it a little rarer than you normally would). So is the spinach salad with blue cheese and bacon.
A couple of times a year — Mother’s Day and Easter — the restaurant puts on a really stupendous champagne brunch that we rarely miss.
We regularly meet friends for half-priced appetizers — sushi, ribs — and drink specials during Happy Hour, but we usually skip dinner, which doesn’t measure up to other meals. Service is halfhearted, but the view makes up for most of it during daylight hours. After dark, however, there is nothing to look at but the plate. One last thing about the view: during the winter months (peaking in January and February) Humpback whales come to calve just offshore here. Umm, like, right in front of you. Stupefying marine life shows are nearly guaranteed: the enormous animals leap out of the air, slap their tails, and blow off steam. Mama whales patiently teach their youngsters all the acrobatic tricks, demonstrating again and again exactly how to slap the water to achieve maximum effect. Grab a curbside seat for breakfast, order coffee or a mimosa, and keep your eyes trained on the horizon.
You may remember Canoes, Five Palms’ sister restaurant in Lahaina. When they reopened as Five Palms Lahaina about a month before publication, they sported a new menu, more in line with what’s on offer at the Wailea location.
Address: 2960 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, South Maui
Location: at the Mana Kai
Meals: Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner
Hours: Daily 8am-9pm
Parking: Lot
Phone: 808-879-2607
Website: www.fivepalmsrestaurant.com
Address: 1450 Front St., Lahaina, West Maui
Location: right on the corner where Front Street joins the highway.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hours: Daily 8am-11pm
Parking: Lot (look carefully as you drive by, the intersection is very close).
Phone: 808-661-0937
Website: www.5palmslahaina.com