South Kīhei Got Hit. It's Still Standing. Go Show Up.
South Kīhei got hit.
It's still standing.
Go show up. Here's everywhere we love and why your dollars matter right now.
In March of 2026, the Kona low storms hit South Kīhei like something out of a nightmare. Nearly 20 inches of rain fell over South Maui in a matter of days. All of South Kīhei Road flooded on March 13. A massive sinkhole opened near Kamaole Beach Park II, tearing up the road, the sidewalk, uprooting trees. Business owners showed up to ankle-deep mud and worse. Some had spent years rebuilding after previous floods. Some had just opened.
And they're all still here.
That's South Kīhei for you. Scrappy, sun-soaked, a little rough around the edges in the best way, and full of people who love what they do and keep showing up no matter what. This isn't a tourist destination in the Wailea sense — there's no manicured resort strip here. What there is, is real. Local-owned, locally loved, built by people who chose this place. And right now, after everything they've weathered — fires, floods, a pandemic, another flood — showing up and spending your dollars here is one of the most direct things you can do for this community.
Here is everywhere we love in South Kīhei. Go eat. Go play. Go show up.
They showed up to ankle-deep mud and worse. Some had just opened. And they're all still here.
— Maui Makai
The Guide
Everywhere we love
in South Kīhei.
🌿 South Maui Gardens & The Triangle
South Maui Gardens
If you haven't been, stop what you're doing. This outdoor garden nursery on Auhana Road has become one of the most magical eating and gathering spots on the island — a lush, open-air collection of food trucks, restaurants, live music, and hula shows tucked among tropical plants and Buddha statues. It's the kind of place that makes you forget you're near a highway. Because you're not, really. You're somewhere entirely its own.
Kitoko
Chef Cole Hinueber, formerly of the Four Seasons, runs this Asian-inspired food truck with a precision you don't expect from an outdoor kitchen. Sustainably sourced seafood, local produce, reusable plates — because he refuses to do it any other way. The smoked tri-tip, the Kauaʻi shrimp, the crispy pork belly with Okinawa sweet potato gnocchi — this is food that deserves a Michelin star and happens to be served under the palms. The Lilikoi Meringue Pie alone is worth the drive.
Blue Door Bakery
Right next to Kitoko, the Blue Door Bread and Pizza Company is the bakery South Maui didn't know it needed. Fresh bread, pizza, pastries, all plastic-free. Everything here is made with care and it shows.
The Trucks
South Maui Gardens is also home to some of our favorite food trucks on the island: Alaska's Aloha, Myth, Burger Boys, Sweet Hula, Bacon + Blossom, Mexirican Mix, Reef's, and more. The lineup rotates and it's always worth seeing what's there. This is an afternoon destination, not just a lunch stop.
Maui's Best Massages
Right in the triangle near South Maui Gardens. When you need to melt into a table after too much beach and not enough sleep, this is where you go. Local, trusted, and exactly what it says on the label.
🏪 Rainbow Mall — The Underrated Anchor
Café O'Lei Kīhei
Fresh local specialties, a full sushi bar, and brick oven flatbreads with a Maui flair. The blackened mahi mahi is legendary. Save room for dessert. This is a properly good restaurant that consistently delivers — and one of the best lunch values in South Maui.
Maui Thai Bistro
Consistent, beloved, and a South Kīhei institution. The panko-fried mahi mahi with drunken coconut sauce is a standout. The green curry is exceptional. By 7:30pm there are people waiting. Go before then.
Coconut's Fish Cafe
Straightforward, fresh, unpretentious, and home to some of the best fish tacos on the island. This is the place locals take visiting family when they want something reliably good without overthinking it.
Tutu's Pantry
Our absolute favorite local gift shop. All Hawaiian-made hot sauces, BBQ rubs, jams, chocolates, and island goodies from makers across the Hawaiian Islands. If you haven't been in, go. You'll leave with a bag full of things you didn't know you needed. Also ships anywhere in the US at tutuspantry.com.
✨ New & Noteworthy
Maui Frozen
Kīhei's beloved local frozen treat spot opened their physical location and shortly after — yes, they flooded. They came back. Because of course they did. Go get something frozen and delicious and be glad they're still here.
The Frontroom
The new oceanfront coffee shop at 1993 South Kīhei Road in the Island Surf Building, right across from Kalama Park. Open from 6am daily — handcrafted focaccia sandwiches, artisan pastries baked fresh, specialty coffee done right. The view is everything and the wifi is solid. This is the best work-from-Maui spot on the South Shore, full stop.
🍣 The Regulars We Love
Koiso
Tiny, extraordinary, reservation-only sushi in South Kīhei. If you know, you know. If you don't — get on the reservation list immediately. This is one of the best sushi experiences in the state and one of the most special meals you can have on Maui.
Miso Phat
South Kīhei sushi that punches way above its strip mall location. Fresh, creative, always good. A local favorite for a reason.
OAO Sushi
Another South Kīhei sushi gem that locals love and visitors discover and immediately tell all their friends about.
Choice Health Bar
We love Choice Health Bar anywhere on the island and South Kīhei is no exception. Acai bowls, smoothies, fresh and healthy everything. The kind of spot you go to feel genuinely good about your morning.
Spoon and Key
A South Kīhei gem that locals love and visitors discover and immediately tell all their friends about. One of those spots that just gets it right every time.
Early Bird Coffee
Exactly what it sounds like. Early, good, local. The move before the beach.
Maui Matcha
For the matcha obsessed. This is the one.
That's a Wrap Café
Near Hawaiian Moons, casual, solid, good for a quick and genuinely satisfying bite.
Café at Hawaiian Moons
Our café, our people, our food. Hawaiian Moons is the beating heart of South Kīhei's natural and local food scene and the café inside is very much worth your time.
🏄 Body & Soul
HiTech Surf
South Kīhei surf shop with lessons too. If you haven't tried to surf yet or want to get back on a board, this is a solid place to start. Good people, good gear.
🎤 A Little Bit of Play
Haui's Life's a Beach
Karaoke. South Kīhei. Need we say more? This is the kind of place where you show up thinking you'll stay for one song and leave having made three new friends and closed down the bar. South Kīhei energy, distilled.
🎨 Just Nearby — Worth the Mention
Enchantress and Freeborne Gallery
Technically over in Wailea at The Shops at Wailea, but close enough to mention and far too good to leave out. Co-founded by Bootzie Alexandra and James Freeborne Welch, this gallery-boutique hybrid has been on Maui for 27 years — evolving from a beloved boutique into a stunning fine art gallery featuring local and international artists. Paintings, photography, bronze sculptures, glasswork, luxury jewelry, and one-of-a-kind fashion. Art Night is the first Saturday of every month, 5–8pm. A genuinely special place.
The ones who got hit hardest — and are still standing.
We'd be remiss not to mention Fred's Mexican Café and Moose McGillycuddy's — two South Kīhei institutions that took the absolute hardest hit from the March 2026 storms. The sinkhole that tore open South Kīhei Road did so right in front of them. Their staff showed up anyway. They reopened anyway. Road repair near Fred's is estimated to be completed by fall 2026. In the meantime they're open, they're accessible, and they could use your business. Go raise a glass. They've earned it.
The Bottom Line
South Kīhei isn't the Maui that ends up in glossy magazines. It's something better — it's the Maui that locals actually live in, eat in, play in, and love. It took a serious hit this year. The road is still being fixed. Some businesses are still recovering. All of them are still here.
Show up. Eat something. Stay for karaoke. Buy something local. That's how this community comes back — one table, one order, one song at a time. 🤙
"Built by people who chose this place.
Still here because they love it.
Show up for them."
