Cane & Taro

Simply incredible! Prices are right in line but the service was exemplary. Our waitress, Erica, was very attentive. The food was fantastic! All around the best breakfast we had on Maui!

Wonderful service. Lovely presentation with the meals. Mahi was great! Dragonfruit daiquiri delicious!

Got to 50% happy hour at 5:05 on a Tuesday and there was a line of about 20. We were offered immediate bar seating and didn’t have to wait. Salmon sashimi was better than the ahi. Had most of the rolls and they were good too.
On the 2^nd visit, Rather than wait 1 hr for Hula Grill, we waited 15 min here. We started out with the local tomato salad and the calamari salad. For dinner, we shared the whole roasted which was delicious and plenty for 2.

Worst $ 100 I’ve ever spent! We gaged this place on their location and that was a mistake. When my boyfriend and I walked in we were ignored for a good 5 minutes, when the hostess finally arrived she muttered something about 15 minutes when I asked her to repeat what she said she look annoyed, she never once greeted us, there were several open tables, having worked in a restaurant I understand not full staffing sections, but it was 8 on a Friday night!
When our buzzer went off the manager seated us and was friendly, our waitress was very nice but as we started getting frustrated with our food she looked at us sympathetically, probably knowing it was awful.
I ordered white wine that looked like it had sips taken out of it, and he ordered a margarita based on the waitress suggestion, that turned out to be all mix.
We ordered the monster shrimp cocktail for an appetizer, although it was large shrimp there were only three pieces of shrimp the cocktail sauce tasted like all ketchup, I understand that is the base but when done correctly it shouldn’t taste like I squeezed a packet of ketchup on my shrimp. For $ 12 I expected more.
I ordered the mahi mahi, it was dry and hard to choke down, the pineapple salsa was very good but the rice was dry and undercooked. My boyfriend got a chicken pasta and it was greasy and tasteless. He announced several times we’ve made meals 100% from Costco products and they tasted better.
Not worth the money or time when you’re surrounded by great restaurants.

Right in Whaler’s Village on Ka’anapoli Beach.
August 2011:
My first visit, I didn’t try a lot.
BUT I did have some very few good things! I had ordered an Oriental Salad with Iced Tea. It was actually the best salad I had ever had at the time, NOT being overly dramatic. I also had nachos, which was also delicious. I have a small stomache, so I didn’t have much. It was still all very delicious and good though!
August 2012:
I just came back from Maui! My mom, grandma, and I had so much there this time around! Last year it was called ‘Cane & Taro,’ but now it’s called ‘Maui’s Fish and Pasta.’ I was disappointed that they changed the menu, but I ventured out, and I am so glad I did!
Overall, I loved: the Green Mesclun Salad (candied walnuts, vinaigrette & crumbed blue cheese), Flash Fried Kale (crispy & delicious!), Crispy Chinese Fried Chicken Wings (sweet sauce), Crostinis, and their Crème Brulee.
I think my family would agree with me on this choice of favorites!

Amazing breakfast. Huevos rancheros were very good. My friend got swordfish with his breakfast and I don’t think he will ever stop talking about how good it is (and he isn’t a big fish person).
Open air restaurant overlooking the water, watch whales and dolphins at breakfast. Fast and friendly service.

Spent a day at the beach in Ka’anapali and ended up having lunch at Cane&Taro. The location is nice across from the beach (that is of course true of almost all the restaurants here) and we got a perfect table towards the ocean (we even managed to see whales from the table). I did get the feeling that they strive to be slightly better than the average restaurant and I do as many other reviewers think that they could try to do more with the ambiance and the design of the furniture etc.
The service was however prompt, attentive and we had no complaints whatsoever in that department. The restaurant was fairly busy (would estimate that at least 75−80% of the tables were occupied) and they still kept the service at a good level and the food arrived quickly.
The food itself was nothing to write home about. We had some sushi and a salad and a burger. The sushi was fresh but nothing special. Burger the standard type (nothing wrong with it but nothing to remember) and the salad was very good. I can recommend the smoothies (or at least that is what they call it — I would say it is closer to a milkshake as they contain ice cream), very tasty and perfect to enjoy in the heat.

The farm to table concept is very cool and very local. I like places who make use of what the land provides and cook it with passion that you can taste. The blackened ahi sashimi along with the tomato salad was a nice presentation and amazingly delicious. The fresh vegetables taste like it literally was picked minutes ago from the fresh garden. The olive oil drizzled lightly over the neatly sliced tomatoes and fresh basil to freshen up the pallet made me want to moan in excitement. Too graphic?
The tempura meatloaf dish was interesting, but so damn juicy and delicious. I was stuffed to the rim, but kept adding a bite to my ever stuffed stomach. I know anything fried is good, but tempura meatloaf was awesome. The meal was far from greasy and you can see the vegetable chucks that was blended in the loaf.
The service was okay, but the meal was something to rave about. Dinner can be a long wait, but don’t come during peak hours and I know you’ll have a pleasant time. It was a lovely evening in Maui even with the strong breeze than I’m used to at Oahu.
The chefs deserve pecks on the cheeks and big aloha hugs for preparing such an excellent meal =)

Best spot in Whalers Village HANDS DOWN! The bartenders here are some of the most friendly helpful people I met on my trip. One of the best things is that their happy hour starts early (2PM) with $ 3 beers and pupus ranging from $ 5-​$ 3.50 (loved the chicken wings and the fish tacos). They also started a late night happy hour on Friday and Saturday nights (9:30PM). For a happy hour hunter, a $ 3 beer in Maui is like discovering El Dorado! My guess is there stellar deals are to compensate for the lack of the water views that the other restaurants in the village are able to offer. After spending all day on the water, I was happy to watch sports in their bar and chat with the bartenders about the Maui-​must-​do activities.
Pros
Early happy hour
Good beers on tap (Deschutes, Maui Brewing Co)
AWESOME bartenders
TVs for sports
Cons
Touristy
Expect a healthy wait if you have a larger group

When we walked in the hostess didn’t smile or welcome us, just said ‘One second.’ in a really deadpan way and walked away. Right away I didn’t appreciate the vibe in this place– the manager who was nice enough directed us to the bar (all we wanted was a Mai Tai after a day at the beach) and I asked the bartender with the ear plugs what his favorite drink to make was. He proceeded to talk to me like I was an idiot, to the point that I lost all desire to order a drink from him. The two bartenders just spoke amongst themselves the whole time, and in general I just felt like another annoying tourist and felt super small. Not how I want to feel when I’m dropping a lot of money on drinks at a place.
Eventually I ordered I drink (I waited until the OTHER bartender was available). The drinks we’re decently made but service means everything to me and over the course of two hours two of the staff at this place made me feel really unwelcome. There are plenty of other wonderful restaurants and bars in this area with NICE staff– I’ll be going to them next time.

Food, decent. Service, horrible!
I won’t go into details because I believe that it may have just been our server. The other servers seemed to check in with their tables, ask their customers if they wanted a second drink, clear the dirty dishes… well I guess I did go into details.
Sucks that this place didn’t work out because the happy hour specials are good but the server was just really bad.
We didn’t go back. Save your good mood, wanna relax and drink mojo for another place. I liked the Hula Grill alot.

Cane & Taro is a solid casual dining option versus the upscale establishments that naturally seem to congest the Kaanapali-​Lahaina area. While it isn’t directly on the beach, it’s a stone’s throw away, so you will still get some ocean views if that’s what you are into. The service here was also the quickest I experienced during my stay, which was much appreciated after a shopping lap at Whaler’s Village, the outdoor mall in which the restaurant is located.
The food pretty much tastes like what you’d order at a franchised bar and grill, but given what mood may be strikin’ you, that isn’t always a bad thing. The Crispy Chicken Wings were hot and falling off the bone, slathered in a tasty Asian vinaigrette sauce, and could be great to take down while watching some football on Hawaiian time (there’s a nice bar to the front of the house if you’re looking to do just that). The edamame, on the other hand, was average at best.
For my main course, «Mom Kodama’s» Meatloaf succeeded more on novelty than execution. It spoke to me because it was tempura-​style and who I am not to order the deep-​fried ground animal entrée? Anyway, the breading dried out the meat a bit, and while the two slices is a heavy order, I still managed to enjoy it. I might even get it again if I find myself back here when I’m older and wiser and richer and can actually afford the trip (I am now broke — thanks, Hawaii), but I will know what to expect and prepare myself accordingly with a growling, empty stomach.
With its wooden deck patio digs and comfort cuisine, Cane & Taro isn’t looking for any culinary accolades. Still, it serves its purpose for sure — a quick, ample bite to eat in Maui that for once wasn’t about the break the bank.

= the baby brother of Sansei…
— How can Linda S. compare this to Leilani’s on-​the-​beach? –looks like she & hubby dint order real food. Sequestered on Kaanapali Beach/​GMAB/​
–located front & (dead) center of Whalers Village along the premium strip of Kaanapali Beach, replacing the touristy Rusty Harpoon. — Unavoidably blatant after you stroll the paths of the shops topside.
+Great staff & EXCELLENT grinds.. . [great manager]
+get the unique crab cake, tender, succulent timbale suspended in a web of deep fried squiggles of noodle. Did it have a green onion mango salsa garni? It should. –and a light sprinkling of ssme seeds!
–and that was the most LARGEASST (perfect) Lamb Shank I ever encountered! The bone (off-​the) BRIDGED the edges of the dinner plate.
.. .then we went to Sansei on Wednesday! (OMG UNdiminished– review updated as such)
Extreme ONO, da Kine
Added plus– They offer Early Bird 50% discount BEFORE 6!

This review is for their bar only, as the restaurant is very fish/​seafood based. Neither my husband nor I eat seafood.
Popped in here for an after dinner drink (dined at Ono Bar & Grill, see separate review) and had a nice time. The bartender wasn’t too pushy in trying to force us to order food or anything, and pretty much just let us be — which was great! (Was a bit of a problem when he was MIA when we needed the cheque. but nevermind.)
I ordered a lava flow and my other half ordered a Disarrono and Coke.
The lava flow was pretty tasty; nice and strong on the rum, that’s for sure. Could have used a bit more strawberry, but eh — to each his own.
Out of the Whaler’s Village restaurants, Cane and Taro’s Lava Flow would come in second, only to be beaten by Hula Grill’s. Cane and Taro’s surpasses that of the Lava Flows at Leilani’s.

Ok guys, we gave this place 2 tries & here’s our story.
First time we ate here, I made a reservation even though there was no wait. Well we were just early I thought. We had the most akward waiter ever who didn’t even explain anything off the menu to us. He basically read off the paper and said if you need me to explain anything just let me know. Ok that’s a cool attitude I guess because we’re in Maui? Then he comes over and drops our water on the table loudly, I mean in Hawaii that can be translated into a more casual & careless attitude? (But we got great service next door at Hula Grill…)
Throughout the night he pops in and out to check on us, my honey was not happy with his service or his attitude. I kept reasurring him that it was fine and that our waiter’s personality probably just wasn’t what we were used to.
Then we overheard the tables next to us talking to the manager and how they got their dessert on the house, next thing we know another table of 3 were seated next to us. They ordered and argued softly with the waiter about how she was able to order this salad without certain things last time without a problem. This waiter first said it was premade then he said ok. Then this lady asked for straws and never got one so she finally had to get up themselves to get it from the bar, I saw them shaking their heads. I felt so bad that I wanted to give them a hug because she seemed so upset.
Before leaving we ended up conversating with the table of 3 next to us because we could both hear the first table who got their dessert for free asking for the manager… our conclusion was: there are 3 tables of tourists here trying to have a good time but we have a rude waiter :(she asked us to complain but we decided to just let it go…
Review of the food on our 1^st try:
1. Crispy Ahi Roll– honey thought it was ok. I thought it was cheap to wrap lettuce veggies in and the sauce was way too salty!
2. Dragon Fly roll– this was good
3. Granny Smith Apple Tart– THE BESTTTT!!! Puff Pastry topped with Granny Smith Apple slices, baked to order and served with Lappert’s Hawaii Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, over homemade warm Caramel Sauce. YUMMY. MY FAV:)
2ND TRY:
I convinced honey to come back since this is the closest Sushi place near our hotel. This time we requested a female waiter but had to wait about 15 mins for them to re-​seat us even though I had called for a reservation… then finally our buzzers came on. (Oh and when I called to reserve a table, she couldn’t get my name right and my cell reception was just fine. «My name is Kelly, K as in Kite». She was silent, then she finally said ok. When we got there I saw that she wrote Telley– uh… what?)
Our 2^nd visit was much better, our female waitress was attentive (they must’ve told her) but we are the most pleasant diners ever, serious! She offered to take photos of us since I had my camera out, and she even took the time to open and hand us our chopsticks :) She was so sweet! However, our Rainbow & Sunset sushi rolls were just ok… I ordered their Granny Smith Apple Tart again since that was my fav!
Overall, their food was ok. I think I’d only go back for their dessert :)

My husband and I ate breakfast here while on our honeymoon. We just happened to walk by one morning and they were open earlier than everyone else so we went in. We had such great food, that we went back one more time before we left. Both times we went we had the stuffed french toast… MOUTH WATERING! Huge slice of sweet bread, stuffed with blueberry cream cheese, covered in macnut and panko crust, deep fried and served coconut syrup!!! Enough said bitches! Amazing.
While there we also split the crab cake eggs benedict. Delicious. Crab cake was tasty and soft, eggs poached perfectly, and yummy hollandaise.
The other meal we split during our second trip was the Local Moco (loco moco… which translates to «crazy booger» in Spanish if anyone was wondering). This was also delicious. Rice and eggs were cooked well, the meatloaf was tasty, as was the gravy.
Service was wonderful, and there is not a bad view in the house. Definitely recommend it!

Breakfast of Champions = Huevos Rancheros!!!
Service was great, scenery was beautiful, food was ono!
I was deciding between the Local Moco and Huevos Rancheros. Our server highly recommended the HR with a scoop of rice. I took his recommendation and am so glad I did. It was DELICIOUS! I normally don’t like beans, but their black beans was tasty… almost like a bbq baked beans with bacon, avocado, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, 2 crispy corn tortilla, 2 eggs, sour cream… this wasn’t the healthiest breakfast, but it was soooo good!
One drawback… the flies! So many flies were out this morning. I guess they wanted some HR, too. I don’t blame them…
Definite do over!

Had a fabulous breakfast at Cane & Taro this past weekend. My two girlfriends and I sat in a spot that overlooked the ocean and we shared a stack of banana macadamia nut pancakes, huevos rancheros, a side of portuguese sausage, and a side of fried rice. Service was friendly, coffee and water were regularly refilled, and the food was awesome. They also have kim chee portuguese sausage that’s supposed to be really tasty.
The pancakes were delicious with the haupia/​coconut syrup. I thought it was kind of stingy that only had a handful of sliced bananas were sprinkled on top of the stack (isn’t it called BANANA macadamia nut pancakes?)…but, regardless of that, I still thought it was good. I sampled the sweet bread french toast and it had lots of flavor! It’s not your ordinary french toast that you get at Denny’s. This one was fried with a macadamia nut crust and the flavored cream cheese in middle tasted similar to guava. I’m astonished that this restaurant has «average» reviews because my party really enjoyed ourselves. I’d go back again if I lived on Maui. Maybe one day ;)

I don’t particularly like food on Maui. Maybe the locals have their own special places to gather and eat, but as a tourist, I have only experienced eateries around touristy parts of the island, and let’s just say that the only time I had a «well, this is tasty» moment came from gnawing on a piece of pineapple bread on the road to Hana. (As it turns out, it wasn’t even hand made by the smiley food stand lady in leopard print leggings and chunky heels, but made somewhere else and then distributed throughout the island.)
Anyway, so food has been underwhelming and like 50% more expensive than mainland, but you still gotta try to enjoy your last meal of your vacation, right? So I find Cane and Taro on Unilocal and made a reservation.
The place is adorable, like many establishments in Lahaina. You can see the water if you sit by the window, which we did.
Though the menu is vast and overwhelming with the different symbols, my husband and I managed to find four dishes to share. The rock shrimp dynamite, our waiter’s favorite, was like a deep fried calamari dish often appearing in American breweries meant to be enjoyed along side a beer. It’s deep fried, oily, and shrimp is tender, and comes with this sweet mayo sauce with a hint of chili. The first bites weren’t bad.
Then we went onto the lemongrass chicken wraps. You construct your own wraps by assembling lettuce with chicken, pickled cucumber, rice vermicelli, etc. It’s definitely a play on Vietnamese cuisine. The cilantro and Thai basil add some authenticity and richness to the flavor, but the chicken itself was more teriyaki than lemongrass. And the sauce was again, sweet and slightly spicy. (Didn’t I already have that taste in my mouth from the shrimps?)
I then had the crab and mango sushi roll. I can’t tell you if the crab was fresh or not, because it’s sitting in a sweet and chili sauce. And the mango was also sweetened to an artificial level.
My husband had the panko-​crusted ahi sushi, which was also sitting a plate of sauce, presumably sweet and chili. I didn’t try it.
At this point, I have to wonder, why is everything covered with this sickening sauce that’s probably okay if you have two bites of but definitely not for your whole meal!
And then I remembered that this is a restaurant sitting on the beachfront of Lahaina, catering to mainland customers whose idea of Chinese food is synonymous with Orange Chicken or General Tso and Japanese food with Teriyaki chicken.

It’s like a ‘best of’ hits collection here at Cane & Taro: «NOW that’s what I call DK Food 31». Choose from the most popular items of every theme restaurant in its mini empire. C&T is supposed to validate for three hours at the parking garage so that’s convenient to anyone not staying at the beach hotels.
Menu is vast, and offerings include Sansei faves Panko Crusted Ahi and Shrimp Dynamite. I’m a sucker for ahi, and it’s delicious. Tangy sweet and hot rock shrimp dish is just okay and kind of sparse. Chicken Wok was plentiful and good.
Pork pot sticker appetizer is tasty. And what’s a contemporary and populist menu these days without mini-​burgers? C&T has that brilliant concept down. Sliders with bleu cheese, provolone and cheddar plus caramelised onions are spot on. Can’t wait to try the truffle ramen breakfast specials– if we can ever get out the hotel early enough.
Drinks are quality and fresh but for the price, could be more generous sized. No question though, everything at C&T is better than the previous bar here.
In a rut from the Whaler’s Village eateries or hotel food and slightly Hula and Leilani fatigued? Hit up Cane & Taro. It’s a refreshing option and welcome addition to the beach walk.
*****
} :-[[[ BOOOOO-​ooooooooo; MY ORIGINAL REVIEW FROM MAY 2009!!! FLAGGED AND REMOVED!!! } :[[
DUE TO «ABSENCE OF FIRST-​HAND EXPERIENCE» (per Unilocal’s Theodore and Marvin as of 9 Feb 2010):
Review: Aaaaaahgrrrggghhhhh! Missed it, by THAT much!
So y’all, this eatery is taking over the old Rusty Harpoon space right near the beach entrance of Whaler’s Shopping Mall. It’s scheduled to open in June 2009. That’s what the sign said.
WHY did I not have the prescience to book a Maui holiday for then… whyyyyyyyyy?!! But noooo, we were there in mid-​May. D’oh!
I have no freaking idea if it’s on schedule, but I’m sorry to miss the opening. I do know it is another eatery in the DK Kodama mini-​empire.
Hawaiians and many visitors know this restaurateur’s track record already: Sansei Seafood & Sushi, d.k. Steak House and The Counter. I’m guessing Cane & Taro is to be a mash-​up of all three.
Mr. Kodama is keeping details under wraps, but he has shared some basics. Cane & Taro will have a plantation-​era theme, and will dish up home-​style island favorites.
It’s supposed to be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I wonder how that’s going to impact the rijickulously over-​priced breakfast scene along the Kaanapali beach hotels.
I betcha there’s room for it though, because there are few alternatives at the moment. The main thing of course, is, the food, and judging by his other places, it will likely be better than average.
Cane & Taro will offer fare such as fresh fish, sandwiches, burgers. You can probably expect loco moco and taro goodies too.
OK Unilocal-​ies, you better review this place so I know what to expect when I hit Maui again.
And now, I’ll go off and whine to other people now.
;P