Mama's Knows Best | A Foodie Experience in Maui
Indulge in fresh, locally caught fish and decadent desserts at Mama's Fish House on the island of Maui.
Take a seat (or a stand) on this cute little bench to watch the waves crash in as you wait for your table.
Mama's Fish House is nestled on a gorgeous beach on the coast of Northern Maui.
Last month I went on a four-day trip to Maui with a group of friends and had the most incredible experience. Maui is a gorgeous Hawaiian island best known for the beaches of Kihei, Lahaina, and the scenic Road to Hana. I had never been to Hawaii before, but now that I live on the west coast, it's just about a five hour flight from San Francisco!
I did some research before I went and knew two things:
1. I must drive the Road to Hana. (post coming soon)
2. I must eat a meal at the famous Mama's Fish House!
No matter where I travel, I always treat myself to at least one "foodie experience" while I'm there. A foodie, by definition, is a person with a particular interest in food. I'm surprised my picture isn't in the dictionary with that as a caption!
Mama's is a family-owned restaurant with a reputation for having the freshest fish, caught daily by local fishermen. It's listed as the second most popular restaurant in the entire United States, according to Open Table!
In this post, I'll share my Mama's experience in hopes of inspiring you to make a reservation if you find yourself on this beautiful island in Maui.
xxA
#napkinart
Cheers to the beginning of an incredible meal.
This is the Tropical Fruit Colada with extra guava.
First, order some drinks! The drink menu is full of fruity and refreshing cocktails, topped with festive umbrellas. We tried everything from Plantation Punch to our own rendition of the Tropical Fruit Colada, with extra guava. The drinks can be ordered with or without alcohol.
This was a cold asparagus bisque that was brought out as a "gift" from Mama without us ordering it.
While sipping your drink, it's time to start deciding what to order. The service at Mama's was top notch, and we were surprised with the free bisque shown above.
I read this menu with pure excitement, unsure of what I would order.
Our group ordered appetizers to share, starting with Mama's ceviche. The fish tasted insanely fresh and paired perfectly with crunchy chips and avocado chunks.
Fresh ceviche to share!
We also shared the Wild Fish Collar. I'm a strong believer that anything fried usually tastes good, but this was the best fried fish I've ever had. Even the fins were edible and our waiter encouraged us to eat them like they were potato chips.
Wild Fish Collar Appetizer
Drumroll for the entrées please...
Mahimahi with a side of veggies.
All of the fish is caught fresh each day!
I ordered the Mahi-Mahi stuffed with King Crab. As soon as I pressed my fork into the dish, the fish separated like butter and the combination of mahi-mahi and crab was truly mouthwatering.
We also shared bites of each others food to get the full experience.
Simply grilled fish was the pick by one of the members in our group. Even something so simple looks so appetizing when Mama makes it.
If you haven't yet, it's time to order another drink. Ask for you're favorite color umbrella this time and then stick it behind your ear.
Opah!
The Traditional Hawaiian includes Mahimahi and Wild Boar.
The sides on this dish were mouth-watering.
If you ask me what my favorite part of any meal is, 9/10 times I'll say dessert. I highly recommend saving room and ordering a few options to share at the table.
The Polynesian Black Pearl consists of chocolate mousse in a pastry shell. Yes, it tasted as good as it looks.
We ordered the Black Pearl, Coconut cake (off menu), Kona Coffee ice cream (also off menu) and Crème Brûlée.
This Kona Coffee Ice Cream was on special. The oar was made of white chocolate!
While the Black Pearl had my vote on presentation, the Coconut cake wins the overall prize for tastiest.
This was an off-menu coconut cake.
As we finished the desserts, we added in some coffee orders and our waiter brought out a final gift from Mama. This time, it was a small coconut candy bite. It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.
Another treat from Mama, this was a bite-sized coconut dessert.
My trip to Maui was exactly the mini-vacation I needed. I went for Road to Hana and the beaches, but I would go again and again to sit by the crashing waves, nibble on coconut cake, and sip Maui Margaritas at Mama's
The ultimate road trip on Maui.