I had heard about Mama's before our trip to Maui and was intrigued. Our experience far exceeded our expectations. We decided to beat the crowd and go for lunch (also thinking that may be a little cheaper) and we still made a reservation. This is a must if you want the best table. The complimentary valet parks the car and leads to where to go. The grounds are absolutely beautiful!!! Palm trees and the raked sand grounds, private walkways, exotic plants, trees and flowers, and the most spectacular view of the ocean. They have their own private beach where you can watch the windsurfers.
Our table was next to the window. The windows all pull up, so there is no glass between you and the amazing scenery.
The service was excellent! The food was the best we've ever had. In fact, our trip to Mama's was probably the highlight of our trip. Mama's has their own fishermen that catch the fish and they serve the fish daily. So it is always fresh, never frozen. There is a different lunch and dinner menu daily, and the presentation was just beautiful!!! It began to rain while we were dining, and were pleased to know that they provide umbrellas for all coming and going, so we didn't have to be in the rain. The prices were quite a bit higher than we expected them to be for lunch, but upon finding that out, we just decided to go for it. Drinks, appetizers, lunch, dessert and coffee. It came to $200 with the tip. But it was a complete, delicious meal that we will never forget. We would highly recommend this restaurant. But plan on spending at least $135.

Driving thru the cute town of Paia, there are galleries, shops and a gas station, but the real draw is the food at Mama’s Fish House. Don’t fret if you don’t see it right away... you have to drive completely thru the town, up a hill, then you will see a boat with the name written on it, on the left hand side.

Mama’s is set on a beautiful stretch of beach that is breathtaking at sunset. The window seats are literally 50 feet away from the ocean. The bartender told us that the restaurant works with about 30 local fishermen that they get their fresh fish from and they never know what the daily catch will be, until the fishermen show up in the morning. They also change the menu twice a day to reflect the freshest fish. This particular day, the Ahi was only 2 hours old, so we ordered the sashimi and an order of the Maui onion soup to start off with.

To our amazement, we were brought an amuse’ of lobster bisque. Now THAT was good... It was both creamy and sweet. Our sashimi came out next and it absolutely melted in our mouths. The only other time I’ve had fish that fresh, was when I caught it myself in Key West.

My onion soup was really good as well. It’s their version of French onion soup, but the crouton is topped with Vermont cheddar. It was really, really good. The sweetness of the onions, mixed with the saltiness of the broth were a perfect combination.

On to the Piece de resistance, our entrées. Hubby had the signature dish of Macadamia nut encrusted, stuffed Mahi mahi. It was served with a side of steamed asparagus and was out of this world. The lobster and crab stuffing was never too salty or overbearing, it let the sweetness of the lobster shine thru. Yummy!

I took a risk and ordered the sugar cane grilled Ahi with a green papaya salad. When my plate came out, it looked like grilled pork chops because the sugar cane was skewered right thru the tuna (see my picture, below). Wow this was good! Cooked to rare, of course, it was wonderful. The papaya salad was excellent as well, really complimenting the tuna.

I was stuffed, but knew I had to have dessert, so we chose the Kuau pie, which is a chocolate pie, baked in a caramel crust. To die for! The sunset was awesome, as was the food and the atmosphere.

It was a really long drive back to Lahaina and had we not been on that side of the island, I can’t say that I would have driven all the way over there, just for dinner, but it was really good.

It cost us $170 before the tip and really was an event for us.

Mama's has traditional Hawaiian cuisine such as poi (taro root) and local seafood. Under each seafood plate, it will say which fisherman the fish was caught by. The poi is interesting to try, but I wouldn't say it's delicious. The dishes my family and I ordered were all great, though. Also, the ambience of the restaurant was very nice because the decor was a very traditional Hawaiian-style, with tiki torches, wooden sculptures, and large windows right next to the beach. The service is very good too. This is not the place for budget travellers, but for those who are willing to spend a little more, it's worth the money!

I have had fish in New York, Vegas, California, and Florida, and this fish was the best ever. I am not a huge seafood person, but you can't beat Mama's.

Whenever I mentioned to anybody that I was going to Maui, they said, "You MUST eat at Mama's Fish House!" Well, I gotta tell you that if you have to choose only one restaurant in Maui, make it Mama's. I made reservations for 4:30pm, so it was quiet and still daylight out. It's a beautiful setting on the beach, and they light tiki torches as the sun is setting. Exceptional views, food, service, and DESSERTS! It's pricey, but worth it for the whole experience. THIS is what Maui is all about!