The Napili Kai Beach Resort’s signature restaurant of course overlooks the sand and Pacific Ocean. The open air dining room contains kitschy pineapple chairs and a stone wall with living elements. Chef Craig Erickson presides over three meals daily, and we recommend two key time periods: breakfast, and happy hour, which runs from 2 – 5 p.m. and touts plenty of pupus for $7 and under.

This Lahaina pancake specialist, which also has locations in Portland, Singapore, and Malaysia, sports white and orange color scheme, cartoon paintings on the walls of pancakes and mix-ins, and tabletop griddles in booths for DIY prep. If you prefer full-service, sit at a speckled black bar. To make DIY Pancakes, choose a batter (buttermilk, chocolate, seasonal, gluten-free, whole grain), pick some fixins (sweet or savory) and add toppings like coconut peanut butter, lavender honey, or lemon curd. Prescribed combos include Savory Cakes, buttermilk Pancakes, crumbled bacon, jalapeño, cheddar cheese, avocado and Mornay sauce. You’ll also find specials from From the Kitchen, possibly lemon poppy seed pancakes with lemon curd and poppy seed whipped cream.

Drive past an industrial district and dead end at a barren hillside to reach one of Lahaina’s hottest restaurants, Star Noodle. The contemporary Asian concept has a long communal table, rattan-backed chairs, and boxy lanterns that belie the staid surroundings. House-made noodles and seafood are predominant. Some dishes, you won’t find anywhere else. For instance, Lahaina fried soup stars smoky wok-fried rice cake rectangles. Pohole salad is also wonderful, combining Hana fiddlehead ferns, sweet Maui onion, ebi, and kombu. Roasted mushrooms and pan-seared ahi belly might not be unique, but local Hawaiian ingredients are excellent. The restaurant also has house-made sauces and sodas, in keeping with their ethos.

Thomas and Eva Kafsack, originally from Germany, began clearing 42 acres in central Maui in 1999 and now have a delicious haven devoted to goat byproducts. No, the goats don’t surf, but the farm does have plenty of charm, including decorative surfboards and sails, a dining room that resides under a corrugated tin roof, and a kitschy gift shop with goat figurines, goat’s milk soap and more. Still, goat cheese remains the draw, whether it’s cream cheese-like Udderly Delicious, a drained chevre called Maui Secret, or a Fruit Quark with yogurt-like consistency.

David Yamashiro honored his wife Ululani with a shave ice stand, and the couple now has six locations throughout Maui. This premium version of an island classic features local fruit purees, pure cane syrup and natural colors, unlike lesser interpretations. Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice also utilizes brilliant engineering, punching holes in the airy mound of ice to allow for maximum puree penetration. They have dozens of flavors, including creamy coconut and punchy pickled mango. Pe’Ahi combines three island essentials: mango, lilikoi and coconut. Party in the Mouth unites passion fruit, calamansi and tamarind. I’ve enjoyed Ululani’s location in a brick courtyard in central Lahaina, and highly recommend the Hyatt Regency outpost with candy colored picnic tables and ocean views.