Quick – name the ONLY state of the United States that grows and produces coffee?  Hawaii of course.  When we visit Maui we drink Maui/Hawaiian coffee.  So which coffee-houses on Maui are the best?  Here’s the winners:

• 1st Place – Aina at the Honua Kai Resort & Spa
• 2nd Place – Starbucks
• 3rd  Place – Maui Coffee Roasters

Aina Coffee House in the Honua Kai Resort & Spa

Aina at the Honua Kai Resort & Spa

You would expect nothing less – Maui’s premier 5-star resort, the Honua Kai Resort & Spa,  is going to have the #1 coffee house on Maui.  For all the guests and owners at the Honua Kai this is a great way to support your 1st class resort and keep Aina busy and healthy.

Aina is about to start room service and you won’t even have to put on shorts and an Aloha shirt to enjoy their fine coffee products and pastries.

If you’re like me our first morning in Maui has my stomach 4 hours ahead of Maui time.  So at 7 am Maui time my stomach tells me its 11 am back in St. Louis and I’m ready for espresso and a latte and a cappuccino all rolled up into one huge coffee and head to Aina to wake up.  Of course you can’t drink coffee without a huge blueberry muffin and I’m ready to sit out in the open air lobby of the Honua Kai and enjoy our first morning on Maui.

Funny thing is every morning at the Honua Kai starts out that way…
Located at Honua Kai Resort and Spa
130 Kai Malina Parkway
Lahaina, HI 96761
808-662-2832

www.ainagourmet.com

Hours of Operation 7:0oAM to 9:00PM

Starbucks

Starbucks in Lahaina Cannery Mal

Who can argue with Starbucks being the #1 coffee-house?  Well there are 6 Starbucks on Maui and 2 are a 12 minute drive from the Honua Kai.  Here are the Starbucks on Maui:

Lahaina

878 Front Street
Lahaina, HI 96761
808-667-6974

Queen Kaahumanu Center

275 West Kaahuman Avenue #1200 F5
Kahului, HI 96732
808-871-6290

OGG Kahului Main Concourse

New Terminal Bldg @ Bldg 340
Kahului Airport, HI 96732
808-877-5858

Maui Marketplace

270 Dairy Road
Kahului, HI 96732
808-871-7884

OGG Baggage Claim (Maui)

1 Kahului Airport Road Unit 9
Kahului, HI 96732
(808) 877-5858

(OGG is the big Kahului Airport location)

Website: Starbucks.com

Maui Coffee Roasters

Real Maui Coffee-House!

Now this is a REAL Maui Coffee-House and available ONLY in the Hawaiian Islands!  Sadly this coffee-house is on the Road to Hana up by the airport; its a 30 minute drive from the Honua Kai.  But, if you plan to drive the Road to Hana then this is a great place to get some Java.

We have stopped at the coffee-house and it feels like a Hawaiian coffee-house – its a fun place to visit.

Maui Coffee Roasters
444 Hana Hwy
Kahului, Maui, Hawaii 97669

808-877-2877
Mauicoffeeroasters.com

5-star market/bistro/cafe in a 5-star resort

808-662-2832

Hours of Operation 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM

The tacky little store found in most resorts, the ones that sell a pack of gum for $5, just doesn’t exist at the Honua Kai – of course we have a 5-star store/market/cafe to go along with a 5-star resort.

Aina Gourmet Market proudly serves and sells only 100% Maui Coffee.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks are served throughout the day, as well as a fresh juice and smoothie bar.  Aina’s wine selection is full of organic and biodynamic choices to pair with any dish.  Aina is a great place to find local and organic produce for sale and included in the extensive deli menu.  The market is filled with local and gourmet foods and gift items, also all the fixings for that perfect custom gift basket.

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Click here to visit their own website.

Believe it or not the Aina Gourmet Market ranks #43 out of 148 of restaurants in Lahaina – and it’s just a small place located in our lobby.  I’m going to recap some of the reviews I’ve found for the place:

`Aina, the latest in the I`O and Pacific`O franchise, breathes life and aloha into Honua Kai, Maui’s newest full ownership oceanfront resort. Those few entitled souls who are among the first to settle in are finding their every wish is `Aina’s command. From attentive poolside service to inclusive in-room dining; from stocking pantries to catering parties; from breakfast, lunch and dinner service to freshly made desserts and handcrafted gelato, `Aina has it all covered.

With a beautiful, spanking-new setting, good food, joie de vivre, `Aina quivers with good vibes. The market/café/coffee shop/ice cream parlor/produce vendor/wine shop, seems to have it all, including locally crafted hand churned gelato that tempts all who enter with flavors such as apple banana and limoncello. Need a dozen flavors of sea salt? Searching for an extensive wine selection at reasonable prices, like a half bottle of Rombauer for $20? Crackers, cheese, vinegars, seasoning, spices, fresh garden produce from O`O Farms – all here and priced equivalently to what you’d expect to pay in a chain store – if only they had such fine provisions or `Aina’s appealing and helpful servers.

Reviews:

“Great selection of healthy and organic foods. A nice way to eat in your condo without cooking is to pick up prepared items here and take them to your condo to eat on the lanai while overlooking the pool and ocean. What a relaxing option!!! Do not miss their fish taco’s on Tuesday’s – they are amazing !!! more”

“Love the organic & local grown options… really yummy food…keep up the good work!”

“This is one of those shops that has something different everywhere you look. Sandwiches and paninni’s, pasta’s, home baked cupcakes and muffins, gelato, huge variety of drinks, Wines, gifts, sundries, fruit… You can’t believe everything they have.
Everything is organic, all natural and locally grown.”

“Everyday my husband and I looked forward to lunch because we knew exactly where we were going….Aina Gourmet.

Aina Gourmet uses only the freshest, farm-to-table ingredients in all of their menu items and it is immediately evident once you taste any of these items. They are associated with a couple of well-known establishments in Maui: Pacific’O, IO Restuarant, and D’o Farm which specialize in farm to table menu products. As a quasi restaurant, they mainly specialize in gourmet sandwiches, wraps, paninis and salads. The also have smoothies, gelato, desserts, muffins, and the best coffee I have ever had as well as some breakfast items. They also have a gourmet market which carries practically every gourmet product you can think of.

We absolutely loved their sandwiches… Our favorites were the Local Beast ($8) made with roast free range beef, lettuce, tomato, Maui onion and horseradish parsley dill cream on whole grain bread, Cabo Chicken panini ($10) made with organic grilled chicken, tomato, pepper jack cheese and cilantro ailo grilled served on ciabata bread, Turkey Avocado wrap ($9) made with turkey, lettuce, tomato, avocado, roasted Maui onion, remoulade sauce in a tomato wrap and the Fish Wrap ($13) made with fresh fish, roasted Maui onion, tomato and remoulade sauce.

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With each sandwich you are given the choice of chips, side salad or fruit. I highly suggest choosing the side salad. You have the choice of any gourmet salad that is available. Our favorite side salads were orzo with smoked salmon and capers, fish ceviche, pasta salad and potato/mac salad.

For desserts they have great homemade carrot cake, chocolate chip and macadamia nut cookies and gelato. The also have some other side dishes that we tasted which were great: homemade salsa with avocado chips and hummus and chips.

The setting of the restaurant is on the grounds of the beautiful Honua Kai Resort and Spa. If you would like to eat there they have a granite bar with seating for about six. There are also tables that you could use right by the koi pond. Everyone at Aina Gourmet is so friendly.”

Drop by and find out for yourselves.