Review of The Plantation House Restaurant in Kapalua Maui

I’ve had the pleasure of dining at The Plantation House Restaurant in Maui several times over the years. I always look forward to going there because the views are outstanding and the food is always wonderful. See the following video for a short glimpse of the commanding views from The Plantation House restaurant.

In my opinion, this is one of the best restaurants on Maui. When asked where to go to dinner to celebrate a special event, the first place I’d recommend is The Plantation House Restaurant.

The Plantation Restaurant is located in Kapalua in the midst of the award winning Kapalua Plantation Golf Course. The restaurant has a great vantage point for watching sunsets year round and whales in winter months. There are also great views of Lanai and Molokai.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All meals here are very good, but the restaurant really shines at dinner. Appetizers range from fresh sashimi to crab cakes to saute of Maui onions and seasonal mushrooms and more. There is also a nice selection of seven different salads. Appetizer prices range from $6 to $17. My husband had the sashimi and I had the beet salad with organic greens, baby tomatoes, and feta cheese. We were happy with our selections.

For entrees, you can have lamb, steak, duck, chicken or pork if you want, but their specialty is fresh fish from the Hawaiian waters. The chef offers at least two fresh fish each evening that can be cooked with five different preparations. My husband had the plantation Oscar presentation with asparagus, crab meat, lemon beurre blanc and garlic mashed potatoes. I chose the “taste of Maui” presentation with pistachio crusted fish on Maui onions, Kula tomatoes, Upcountry spinach on cous cous. These entrees were outstanding. Entree prices start at $20. The island fish entrees cost between $32 and $34.

We always have the bananas foster for dessert. It is a huge dessert big enough for two or more to share. (Hey! Cut us some slack, we were on vacation!)

I was a waitress at a fancy French restaurant in college, so I can be pretty fussy about service, but I have no complaints about the service at The Plantation House. The service is excellent without being stuffy or pretentious. The restaurant’s staff tend to stay for many years and they clearly take pride in the restaurant.

If you go, make your reservations a week or so in advance. If you have your heart set on a nice sunset view table, you’d be wise to make the reservation even further out. (See my tips on sunset dining in Hawaii.) If you don’t get the best table to see sunset, don’t worry. The wait staff don’t mind if you take your drink out to the patio in front of the restaurant to watch the sun sink into the ocean. Just let them know.

I have no hesitation in recommending The Plantation Restaurant to you. If you find yourself on Kauai, try their sister restaurant, The Beach House.