kula lodge

the views the thing...... the reviews i read of the kula lodge were right on the money - go for the view, not the food. the food is ok (on an island with so many restaurants with fantastic food) but the view, especially at sunset, is amazing. my steak was correctly cooked, but was nothing spectacular and my husband's pizza was a bit lackluster. the veggies that came with the steak were oily and nearly unidentifiable. i ordered a mai tai (my only mai tai of the trip) which was pretty awful. but the view…..the view almost made up for the food. i'd recommend going on an off-night and ordering a beer or two and an appetizer.

like some others i found the service terrible but did notice that the other waiter working that night was much better. we had 'the young kid' who spent way more time bs'ing with kitchen staff than working. i found the food bland (shrimp on skewers) but my partners prime rib was ok. while it says you get a choice of starch and veggies we were offered neither choice and both had mushy eggplant and my partner received 6 very kuitems pieces of potato. i don't know how anyone can rate this place well for the price. i was so unhappy by the time we left bit no manager in sight to talk to.

breakfast was better than average. we had the raisin bread french toast (excellent) and the belgian waffles (just ok) and a side of potatoes (basically their hash browns... again just ok). the juices were not fresh... tasted more like a tang mix. the view was amazing of course. the waitress was slightly obnoxious and not particularly helpful. in fact, she vacuumed the floor all around our table as we were eating. it was almost as if we were just another customer. i know this place likely gets thousands of customers a month, but everyone still likes to be treated better than a fast food joint. i would still recommend this place because of the view and the overall experience.

kula lodge is a restaurant (and small lodge and gift shop) in kula, the farming area of upcountry, on the slopes of haleakala volcano. it's on the haleakala highway (route 377), at 3200 feet elevation, just before the start of route 378, the winding road up to the top of the volcano. phone 808-878-1535. the food and the view at kula lodge are very good. but there is often a wait to be seated, and service can be painfully s-l-o-w. see below for some menu items and photos. if you're not in a rush,

like nascar race. consider road noise when you pre book at this lodge, raymond the mananger clearly states no refunds, heres why, cabin # 2 is 7 yards from the road, the road noise starts around 3 a.m. and goes all day long as tourist race there way up the mountain road to watch the sunset, the the mid moring crowd, then all day long they head down the hill.finally around dark it get somewhat mellow.never pre-book a room at a place with a 30 non cancellation policy.i asked nicely for a 50% refund and told raymond i would eat the balance, just to get the hell out of there, no refunds was his responce, and he also had the nerve to tell me only four vans with bikes go up the road early in the a.m. what a kook, road noise was no stop from 3 am till dark.pizza sucked also, fully raw on the inside.stop but dont stay.aloha

our server melissa was wonderful to start everything off. grab this place at sunset and order up something with raw vegetables as they will be really fresh although the shrimp cocktail and mango ribs will make you happy too!

great food, incredible views.. went there for lunch. incredible views, nice cool breeze, great tasting food. our server was very nice and attentive. my burger was excellent. enjoy!!!

best view in maui. hike the crater all day long and just happened to stop at this place. wow, i was impressed. got the crab stuffed prawns and a glass of wine. the veggies were worth mentioning as they were perfectly done.

and then the view.... we sat down just before sunset and watched the end of the day. breathtaking. will go back again and again. tipped more than usual. thanks.

dreamy. hit and miss service (ours was great but there was a person in a manager-like position who was clearly angry with customers for being there!). gorgeous location and views. great food. will return for the pizza cooked in a really cool stone oven outside.

great location, service, and atmosphere. food was heavy but enjoyble. would come back for pizza on the back deck.

great food! pricey, but sharinga meal is the smart way to go. sunset is amazing!

heavenly breakfast. we stopped at the kula lodge for breakfast on our bike ride down from the haleakala summit. considering the amount of bike tourist traffic the kula lodge sees, i didn't expect a quality breakfast or happy service. we were ravenous so they could have shovelled food at us and we would have been satisfied.

we were in for an unexpected surprise. the breakfast was delicious, full of choices and made with quality. our party indulged in a range from the special chocolate chip pancakes to the old hawaiian breakfast standby, loco moco. it was all delicious!

the restaurant has gorgeous scenery and the service was fantastic. i look forward to getting back again soon.