When you think of island cuisine, the first things that come to mind may be fresh seafood or our wonderful array of fruit and produce. But the island has a sweet secret. We love pie, and so do visitors! Although there are many places to find dessert treats, we have rounded up three of the very best places to find crusty, delicious pie.
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Kimos
Pie good enough for sailors to swim to shore for? Yup. At Kimo’s oceanfront restaurant in Lahaina, Hula Pie also has a landlubber following among visitors and residents. This wavelike mass of gooey goodness with a portion big enough for sharing has been building fame and accolades for decades, including national coverage on the Food Network. If you have not yet dug into a Hula pie, it includes a generous layer of macadamia nut ice cream on a chocolate cookie crust, topped with chocolate fudge, whipped cream, and more macadamia nuts.
While originating at Kimo’s restaurant on Front street in Lahaina, a Hula Pie fix can also be had at sister TS Restaurants on Maui’s west side, including Leilani’s, Hula Grill and Dukes.
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Leoda’s
There is a strange occurrence on an otherwise desolate stretch of highway between Kihei and Lahaina that can cause a mid-afternoon traffic jam. It’s not the nearby stretch of beaches or stunning ocean view. On the mauka (mountain) side of the highway in Olowalu, a lone plantation style restaurant has a crowd of cars and people lined up out the door for Leoda’s creamy, sweet pies. There are traditional favorites like Apple Crumb, Banana Cream, Berry and Pumpkin. But if you are visiting you must try some island inspired flavors like Macnut Chocolate Praline, Coconut Cream or Oluwalu Lime. The Pineapple-Lemon or Strawberry Cream tarts are perfect size for an after-beach treat.
Leoda’s pies, and other tempting menu items, are made fresh daily using only Maui’s freshest ingredients. It’s self-proclaimed “Grandma’s comfort food” with an island twist.
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Maui Pie
Featured on Buzzfeed as the best place to get pie in Hawaii, Maui Pie in Kihei is a must try! The newest entry in the top pie pack, Maui Pie was a hit from the beginning, being named Best New Restaurant on Maui by Hawaii Magazine in 2017. Once you dig your fork into a pie filled with fresh fruit and crumbling buttery goodness you’ll know why. Focused almost exclusively on pie- both sweet and savory, Maui Pie
Owners Ryan and Kellee Houghtaling inherited their pie knowledge from Kellee’s parents, who own an operate a pie shop on the mainland. Favorites at Maui Pie include Mango Strawberry, Island Berry and Key Lime, but the savory chicken pot pie might be the delicious treat you come back for.
Fortunately, on Maui we have many recreation opportunities and miles of sugar-sand beach to work off our obsession with pie!
