Maui Restaurants Guide: Cafe O'Lei in Kihei Review

Aloha! Welcome to the next installment of our Hawaii travel guide. This issue will focus on Maui restaurants. First, we willhighlight Cafe O'Lei, a laid-back eatery directly across from the ocean with nice ambiance, good food and decent prices.

In South Maui, in the Kihei-Wailea-Makena area, Cafe O'Lei is a great alternative to a pricy dinner at Maui resorts and hotels such as The Four Seasons, The Fairmont Kea Lani or The Marriot Beach Resort. A short ten minute drive from any of these properties, and other Maui resorts and hotels along Wailea Analui Drive, Cafe O'Lei is located at 2439 S. Kihei Rd. A quick internet search or call to the concierge can provide you easy directions to S. Kihei Road from the resorts.

Maui Restaurants: Cafe O'Lei Review and Menu

Of the many restaurants on S. Kihei, Cafe O'Lei is on the nicer side. Though it doesn't look like much from the road, with a simple storefront on the second level of a strip mall, when you step inside, warm tones and darker colors keep it elegant. Cafe O'Lei reviews online sparked our visit, and we weren't disappointed. We did not inform our sever we would be reviewing the restaurant, and were served as though we were completely typical guests.

Cafe O'Lei in Kihei offers a sushi bar, raw oyster selections, good bread as well as an extensive menu of lunch and dinner items. Cafe O'Lei is not open for breakfast. We recommend the Fried Calamari with the Chili Aioli dipping sauce, for a very reasonable $8.95. Other affordable appetizers include Baked Mussels for $7.95 and a sampler tower of Coconut Shrimp, Tempura Ahi and Calamari for the table to share for just $16.95.

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Entrees at Cafe O'Lei are also appealing, and in most cases, surprisingly well-priced. We recommend splurging at this point, just a bit, for the Australian Lobster ($38.95). The lobster comes with buttermilk mashed potatoes, drawn butter and lemon. The lobster was cooked nicely, still moist and with a juicy firmness that exploded with flavor with the help of the butter and lemon. The potatoes were adequate, though not exceptional. The Baked Pacific Seafood Zarzuella, featuring clams, mussels calamari and jumbo shrimp in a garlic saffron sauce, is a feast of flavor in a bowl at just $21.95.

Find a menu for Cafe O'Lei in Kihei on Maui here at Urban Spoon. Subscribe to this writer's updates or check back soon for additional, unbiasedreviews of Maui restaurants!

Sources:

Personal Experience

UrbanSpoon.com for menu