monkeypod kitchen by merriman

we happened upon this by accident, just arrived without a map and wanted a bite to eat. the decor and ambiance with the live music made me feel like i was finally in hawaii. the staff friendly, courteous and attentive. we decided upon the fresh catch as fish tacos, mahi mahi, fresh ingredients and a cold refreshment was just perfect. very high quality fresh food with great flavours. don't happen upon thisplaceby accident search it out.
decided to try for a night out for dinner. the macadamia nut mahi and the grey snapper catch of the day were amazing. topped off with the best banana cream pie i've ever had, the dinner was outstanding. merci shay

an excellentplaceto visit especially during happy hour. after a day at big beach, we were hungry and good food and cold drinks were calling to us. monkeypod was just the place.
the 1/2 price appys, $10 wood fired pizzas, and $5 draft beers at happy hour are a great deal. mmmm maui bikini blonde lager! we ordered a medley of dishes including shrimp potstickers and wild mushroom pizza and the coconut milk corn chowder stood out as my favourite. service was top notch.

if you ever want to see a live example of absolute a grade customer service to accompany a plethora of quality food options, take a flight to maui and hit up monkeypod.

thisplacewas vibrant and was full of atmosphere from the word go, and was a highlight of our trip. we were lucky to be hosted by the incredible shay who - this lady was loaded with personality, a big smile, endless food knowledge (oh and cannot forget the jokes!)

give her a pay rise guys - those types of people make a restaurant.

pizzas are amazing - light base and confidently presented with minimal toppings, tacos were beautiful and the mocha cheesecake dessert was an incredible way to top off the night. what an experience - might even be back this trip!

thisplaceis legit! food was amazing and wait staff was friendly. a tip is make a reservation and go early to take advantage of the happy hour specials!

delicious food and good pies. good vegetarian options including salads, pastas and pizzas. the pizza with the roasted red pepper sauce and ricotta salata was crave-worthy.  theplacecan get noisy on a saturday night.

on the recommendation that thisplacehad amazing dessert pies, we decided to go see what the fuss was about. i personally love the idea of eating what is normally a savoury food item as dessert. there was aplacein newtown, sydney called the pie tin where i used to get late night oreo pie when the craving struck, and this was the first time since then i’d heard of somewhere known for its pies. i have no idea why, but every time i see this view – i think african safari, not hawaii. it was at least a mile’s walk from the resort, but i like to walk, especially with this view and knowing that i was walking towards my dinner. this is the road that leads into the wailea resort strip, and a lot of thought has obviously been put into the landscaping. the entire stretch of road is absolutely gorgeous and the weather was perfect. the road to monkeypod. maui florals. the place was packed when we got there, as it is most nights, but we got a table inside after a short wait.  it had a great vibe – most people were visiting maui so everybody was in high spirits. note: they make a killer maui papaya banana greek yoghurt smoothie. poke tacos and garlic truffle oil fries it is no mystery why every second yelp review on this restaurant raves about the truffle fries. i would come here for the appetizers alone, if not for the pie. the poke tacos are also one of their signature menu items if you’re a fan of raw fish. wood-fired hamakua wild mushroom pizza good crust and plenty of cheese, but pizza is pizza, and nothing has surpassed roberta’s and its four hour wait-time in brooklyn new york.i did really enjoy this one though. caramel/pecan and coconut cream pie the long-awaited pie. they have a daily special, and on that particular day it was caramel and pecan. yes, they were amazing. and yes, the three separate groups of people who had recommended thisplacewere right. we ended up coming back to thisplaceanother night – i don’t usually go back to places when i’m travelling so i ca

great organic fresh and excitingplaceto dine! highly recommend

minus 2. just ate at thisplaceand it was the worstplacei have eaten at in a very long time. 35 dollars for a 2 inch square piece of fish sitting on top of a pile of rice and shaved carrot is beyond belief. we waited for an hour for. table which was outside on a very cold night. we asked for a different table but were told too bad. i think the waiter was embarrassed serving my meal. i didn't eat it and went and bought another dinner elsewhere. don't go there!

niceplacewith good, fun, vibrant atmosphere. food was a bit bland with strong emphasis on local catches. portions were small and very overpriced.

fish tacos were dry and tasted nothing like fish. i questioned whether or not the square dry meat pieces in them were even fish. thisplaceis trying too hard to be trendy, with their fruity-flavored iced tea, and hippy "sustainable" this and "sustainable" that on the menu. if you are impressed by trendiness you will love this place; if you are just looking for some simple good eats you should look elsewhere.

great meal last night. we enjoyed a lovely meal sitting on the patio. there was live music inside which was quite good, but theplacewas packed so the noise level was louder than we were looking for, on another occasion it would be fun and entertaining.

i had the sangria as a cocktail which was flavorful, citrus but maintained the red wine and grand marnier flavours as well.

i started with a squash ravioli with chèvre and fresh spinach on top. this was followed by the pork tacos which were spicy with kimchee and sliced fresh jalepenos but they didn't overwhelm the taste of the pork. it was paired with a sauvignon blanc at the recommendation of our server. she was knowledgeable about the menu and the wine list and great at engaging everyone at the table. the french press coffee was an exceptional finish to the meal and went really well with the in house made banana cream pie.

best meal we've had so far in hawaii. we are considering going back even though there are somany choices! i had the vegan portuguese bean soup and the beet salad. both were excellent vegan choices! my hubby had the panko and herb crusted mahi with lobster mashed potatoes and sautéed lobster! also sautéed local veggies. this dish was heaven! every bite made you oh an ah and mmmm! service was friendly and timely. we had a wonderful time. it's a livelyplaceand we were there on a saturday night and there was live music. just a girl and her guitar but she was fantastic! enjoy!

two for two. second time here, and very impressed again, with both food and service. last time remarked about ahi taco appetizer being too salty, but this time it was perfect as were all of our other dishes. along with sansei in kihea, this is our top spot in south maui. both places are always busy, which indicates we are not alone in this opinion.


-----21 mar, 2011-----

great new restaurant. this is a great new addition to the wailea dining scene. we had a 9:00pm reservation on a sunday night, and theplacewas hopping. food and service were both exceptional. only minor complaint was ahi poke taco appetizer shell was too salty. beet, goat cheese & maui onion salad, as well as our mahi and ahi entrees were fabulous. definitely put this restaurant on your list as a "must" when in the area.

since it was a merriman, we decided to try thisplaceout. it is a pretty good casual chicplaceto hang out. the mixed drinks are creative & strong. i like very much how merrimans support the local farmers in such a delicious way. we started with the raw bar trio - poke, scallops & taro (octopus). surprisingly the octopus was tasty, not fishy or rubbery at all. i enjoyed a black angus burger & my husband enjoyed the pork dry rubbed ribs. slowly roasted, not too fatty and the meat pulled so easily off the bone. the meals are moderated proportioned so that you have a chance to get to the next course. we were not rushed & enjoyed dinner listening to a live band. overall a good experience.

very well run, excellent service. drinks were very good and food was superb. a greatplaceto get away from hotel fare and prices. get the truffle fries, fish tacos and the maui burger( the wings were very good too)