Mama’s Fish House: Is it the Best Restaurant on Maui?

Summary

You can't go wrong at Mama's Fish House! Mama's Fish House gets the top spot, without question in our minds.

Service

If you've been to Mama's Fish House before, you know that you will get treated like royalty. There have been people working here for twenty years, so chances are if you've been here before or if you come back, you'll recognize some of the staff. Just about every staff member greets you with a smile, whether that are directly involved in your meal or not.

The waiting staff are very attentive, waters are always full and you're treated to all sorts of extras, such as housemade bread, a complementary soup sampler while you're waiting for your entree, a special treat if you notify them of any special occasions and, at the end of it all, you'll receive a farewell coconut haupia dessert along with a hot scented towel to clean your hands off.

Summed up: Impeccable service.

Ambience

Beautifully designed, Mama's Fish House makes you feel as if you're in the heart of a Hawaiian palace. During the day, you'll get views of ocean and possibly the windsurfers and kiteboarders honing their craft on the water. If you come for dinner, you'll get to look out on the stars through the ambient light of the tiki torches lit out on the beach and the just-dim-enough lighting to complement a romantic evening.

Food

Most come to Mama's Fish House to experience some of the freshest seafood Maui has to offer. On their menus which are printed daily are the names of the fishermen who caught the day's catch. Every day, new menus are printed with the updated catch.

Appetizers

There's an array of delicious both-seafood-based and other Hawaiian pupus or appetizers available for order. Whatever you end up choosing, however, you'll be happy with. One of our favorites is the Beef Polynesian, which isn't always labeled as such on the menus, however they always seem to offer it under one name or another. The Beef Polynesian is a stir-fry of beef served inside a fresh, local papaya with various other locally grown produce. They give you a lime to squeeze over it, which adds a slight citrus-y taste and the sweet from the papaya complements the sour from the lime and the savory from the beef.

Entree

While Mama's Fish House does offer non-seafood entree options, your best bet is something along the lines of seafood. You won't find fresher seafood anywhere other than on the end of your own fishing pole. You won't get better preparation anywhere, either.

One of our favorites is the curry.

Dessert

Again, you can't go wrong picking any of the dessert options. They have a lilikoi (passion fruit) creme brulee and homemade ice cream. Our favorite, however, is the beautifully prepared Polynesian Black Pearl, which is a chocolate-covered chocolate mousse, served inside a housemade pasty clam shell and drizzled with a sweet lilikoi syrup. Possibly the perfect ending to an incredible meal.

Presentation

Mama's does not skimp on presentation for anything. Whether its the food, the table, the wait staff; everything is planned, trimmed and picked down to the tiniest detail.

Freshness

You won't find fresher fish anywhere on island in a restaurant and Mama's even tells you the names of the fishermen who caught the fish in their daily printed menu.

Cost

This is the only fault at all we can find with Mama's Fish House. Everything here tends to be pretty expensive. It's not uncommon for drinks to cost around $20 each and it adds up quick. That being said, you pay for what you get and eating at Mama's Fish House is totally worth it.

Overall Experience

You may have noticed that despite the Cost rating receiving a 2/5 stars, that the overall rating is still a 5/5 stars. That's because we modified our system this one time to give the Overall Experience rating an 8/5 stars! Mama's is so good that, despite the high cost, everything is still just about perfect. You will love Mama's Fish House, even if your wallet is a little light afterwards. Just make sure to book your reservation ahead of time, or you may miss your chance to eat here, as it books up months in advance.