I’o Restaurant

Perfect!!! The best place on Maui!!! Try Othree, that’s perfect. And deserts are very good, no, I can tell very very very good. So overall place is the best

Amazing food, service and concept. Our server (Sara) was friendly, knowledgeable, and incredibly helpful. All six members of our party consisting of one vegan, one vegetarian, and four discerning omnivores loved every morsel of food we experienced. After paying top dollar on our vacation at several «upscale» restaurants from Oahu to Maui and receiving far from stellar service and mediocre food, I’o was a breath of fresh air. We loved I’o and our server so much that we booked a reservation for the following night! I wish I could pack I’o in my suitcase and bring it home with me!

Wonderful experience. As upscale feel as
Maui gets.
Crispy Ahi and oyster Bruschetta were excellent appetizers. My wife had the Crab Cakes appetizer as an entrée and loved it. I had the Rainbow Catch with Mahi Mahi and shred a Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut Tart which was very good. Hard to go wrong with Macadamia Nuts and chocolate.
Our server, Pauli, was great. Very engaging and knowledgeable.

Went for my husband and my birthday while on maui. Beautiful view, awesome service, but most importantly delicious food. We liked it so much we went to the sister restaurant pacifico the next night.
If you are building your own meal get your own entrees, but the sides are large enough to share. Especially if you also, get an appetizer.

My husband and I live on Maui decided to come here on a whim. We were seated on the patio and had a fantastic view of the sunset. Our waiter was efficient and very professional. The night was starting off beautifully.
We ordered the oyster app. It was served with a spicy butter sauce that was a bit over salted but tasty and I enjoyed dipping extra bread in it. After this, things went down hill.
I ordered the «pesto risotto» from their Risotto Bar. And the roasted beets. If you are going to have a section of the menu dedicated to risotto then I would expect that you make excellent risotto. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The dish was soupy, the rice was way over cooked and the flavor just wasn’t good. It was also extremely oily. There is a difference between creamy and oily and this was oily.
My beets were fresh and roasted beautifully. The presentation was creative and I liked the addition of mac nuts and raisins. What I didn’t like was the giant pool of oil that the beets sat in. It was gross and unnecessary.
My husband ordered a fish entrée. It looked beautiful and the fish was very fresh however the dish as a whole just wasn’t very good.
Finally, even though dinner wasn’t great we decided to order dessert. I ordered the raw coconut lime pie and my husband ordered the dessert special — dragon fruit panna cotta. My dessert was featured at the top of the dessert menu and was the most expensive at $ 13. I had high hopes. It was salty and bitter. Yes. Salty and bitter. How is that even possible? My husband’s «panna cotta» was gummy and lacked flavor.
What started out as a lovely night out turned into a disappointment. The location and the servers and spot on but the food needs a lot of work. Whoever was in charge in the kitchen the night we were there needs to be replaced.

The best dining experience we had in Maui (and that I’ve had in a while!).
I booked our reservation through Unilocal/​Open Table. I saw the great reviews for I’o on Unilocal and they also had an offer for 50% off a second entrée. We were celebrating my birthday and it was our last night in Maui, so I figured it would be a great place to go. I put that information in the notes when I booked through Open Table.
It was a fun day to dine at I’o because it was Halloween. All the employees were dressed up. We were immediately greeted by the manager (unfortunately I didn’t get her name, but she was dressed as Black Swan) and seated at a beautiful table outside.
When I mentioned the Unilocal offer, we were told we may not be able to use it because we weren’t ordering full entrees. However, the manager came over and said she would take care of something on our bill. I was really impressed with the hospitality and customer service! Our waiter, Steve (I believe that was his name) was equally wonderful and quite funny!
The food was incredible. Everything we ate was top-​notch. We are foodies and were pleasantly surprised at how good everything was. From the bread and dipping oil, to the Beet Risotto, to the Scallops, every bite was amazing. They remembered it was my birthday and brought me a luscious dark chocolate cake with a candle. We also ordered another dessert — Carmel Crème Brulee with was sweet and rich — delish!
We will definitely be back next time we are in Hawaii. Thank you I’o for the wonderful experience!

We completed our farm to table experience by celebrating our anniversary at I’o, earlier in the week my husband and I volunteered at O’o farm who supplies all their vegetables. The food was terrific, the service was delightful and the setting beautiful. It was a wonderful experience, we will come back again!

When I visited in Lahaina in 2005, Pacific’O seemed to be all the rage compared to it’s sister restaurant I’o. That visit I chose to eat at Pacific’O and I loved it very much. This time around, the recent Unilocal reviews seem to say that the tables have turned, so this time I chose to eat at I’o with my wife. We came on Wednesday night at 8 and the place had plenty of room. I imagine that it would be busy a little earlier, as this place has a great location, basically on the beach, next to the Feast At Lele. You can get a great view of the sunset here as well as enjoy some of the music from the Feast next door, just like you can get at Pacific’o, which is literally right next door.
They bill themselves as a farm to table restaurant and you can even take a lunch tour of their farm in Kula. I ordered one of the set dinners, the «Road to Hana», which was fish (monchong) grilled and served over rice with fruit with dressing. My wife went the ala carte route, ordering scallops with a side of green beans and the mushroom risotto.
My fish was cooked well (nice and flaky, not too dry) and was tasty. There was a good variety of different kinds of fruit as well, but I have to say I am not a huge fan of brown rice. My wife really enjoyed her scallops, they were cooked well and not badly priced at 4 good sized scallops for $ 14. The green beans were nice and crisp, and the risotto was good, although the rice was still a bit crunchy (undercooked?) on a portion of the dish.
I’d definitely recommend going a la carte like my wife did. A couple can order two entrees and the sides (veggies and starch) are definitely big enough to share between two people. The prices are in line with a nicer restaurant, but a great location, good service, and good food!

A wonderful dining experience. Our waitress, Sarah, was a nice balance of personable and knowledgeable. The food was coursed well allowing intervals to enjoy the view and savor our delicious drinks. I had a chocolate martini!
We started with the oyster bruschetta and a Thai green curry and asparagus soup. I would highly recommend both. The oyster bruschetta had a creamy element that really added to the traditional savory qualities of a bruschetta. The soup had such a complex flavor profile. Sarah mentioned that it had been featured in Bön Appetit magazine and I could see why.
For our entrees we enjoyed opah prepared in the style of «rainbow catch» and the trio. My opah was juicy and flavorful. The goat cheese fondue and truffle oil accents were perfect! My only complaint was that the fresh tomato slices seemed to detract from the dish instead of complete it.
The trio was an excellent choice for our first visit. I love trying a little but of everything, which is the only real draw on this plate (for me). In the future, I would come back and order the risotto ala carte and the lamb entrée from the trio.
The «Feast at Lele» luau was going on while we dined. I appreciated the background noise. We had the lovely sunset and live music:) however, I could see how others might not see that as an annoying distraction.
Final note: our server recommended that we each order one thing from each of the tree categories on the ala carte menu. Although we didn’t take her up on this suggestion, I thought it was worth sharing. I would imagine there would be plenty of food and a good smattering of what they have to offer on the table.
I look forward to returning here for our one year anniversary trip next year:)

Richard is the worst bartender ever. Don’t expect anything but surly and haughty service.
Came here on 4^th of July with a party of 5. Restaurant was completely empty, due to them reserving EVERY SINGLE TABLE. No walk-​ins, really? Even at 5:30? Not cool.
We were instructed to eat at the bar if we wanted to stay, so we did. After being irritated that we weren’t really drinking but eating instead, Richard, maybe he was bitter about working on a holiday, treated us with complete disrespect. It took us 3 times to ask him for menus, FOOD menus, and he would refer us to the drink menu again and again. Finally, 25 minutes after getting our initial drinks, he gave us menus. We got to order 15 minutes after that (restaurant still empty, bartender leaving constantly and not working, doing who knows what). After deciding to split our checks, party of 2 and party of 3, we ordered appetizers and entrees. 30 minutes later party of 2 gets 4 out of 5 of our dishes all at once, no appetizer first, no bread that everyone else was getting. 30 minutes after that, the other half of our party who ordered at the exact same time as us finally gets their food. We inquire about the missing dish, apparently «forgotten»… the chef brings it out to us 10 minutes after that. By then, everything else was cold and/​or soggy.
I had the oyster bruschetta, expecting a cooked oyster, but got a verrrryy slightly broiled one, set on top of crostini with some type of yellow sauce. It needed lemon or something to cut the fishiness of it. I didn’t really understand this dish. ²⁄₅ stars.
The Super Bowl Salad was meager, but came in a super sized bowl. I also had the Three Little Pigs which were three little pork cheeks served with a thickened stock. It was pretty bland, but maybe I didn’t enjoy it as much since I waited 30 minutes to eat it for the other half of my party to get their food.
The only thing worth mentioning about this place is the fact that their risottos are VERY VERY good. My other half ordered the carrot risotto, enough to share for two, and even though I hate carrots, I was eating my fair share of this dish. Very well made and super cheesy.
I would go back for their risotto, but honestly the treatment we got from Richard was so awful, I just keep having to mention his name again and again. You shouldn’t be working there. He was beyond rude, and extremely haughty. We were talking about how we read that the Feast at Lele didn’t have fire knife dancers and he was so offended he was talking back at us, telling us we don’t know anything and that his restaurant doesn’t need guide book recommendations because they sell out every night anyway. Wow, with that attitude, I’ll make sure to tell everyone I know not to come to your establishments. And by your, I mean the place you work at, not the place you own. What was up with your attitude man? Seriously. WORST SERVICE EVER.

AMAZING! Wonderful farm to table food meets great service. The view of the sunset made the trip!
The scallops and risotto were AMAZING! Our best meal on Maui was at I’o.

Fresh fish catches, prepared various ways, island fusion. Yum

I treated my BF to dinner on our last night in Maui and it was a delicious meal! I made reservations through my OpenTable app (of course!) and we walked over from our hotel which was a couple of blocks away.
We first arrived and stood at the front of the restaurant for a few minutes until we were greeted (I really hate that — especially when restaurants are NOT busy). We had a nice table inside right by the window; overlooking the outside eating area — which I didn’t mind, especially since that Luau show is right next door and all that noise kind of ruins the ambiance.
Our waiter was nice, we had a hard time deciding what to eat and he was very patient with us! We started off with their I’o Crab Cakes which were very tasty — not all bread! I ordered ala carte and had one of their risottos — the Kula Green, because it has Pesto and I love Pesto! For protein, I got the My Shorty — Braised Maui Cattle beef short rib — excellent and soo delicious! Oh, and green beans! Those were some really good green beans — perfectly cooked, crisp, and tender. The servings were big and I couldn’t finish it all… luckily whatever I can’t finish — my BF does! Speaking of; he got the I’o Trio which had their fresh catch, petit file mignon, and lamb chop — it was nicely presented and very good also!
I really liked this restaurant and am happy I chose this place over another restaurant I had in mind.

We had been here twice before and so we knew what to expect. We previously sat outside but this time sat inside at a table closest to the window, which was a pleasant surprise as it was a better view.
The crab cakes were phenomenal. All crab mostly with what tasted like some sort of LIGHT goat cheese spread underneath. Even if you don’t like goat cheese, the flavors worked well together.
We both ordered the «shorty» with mashed potatoes and mushrooms. Again. The flavors worked well together and according to my wife, these are expensive mushrooms! The short ribs were a bit on the dry side but mgt. gracefully handled the matter.
Our server was EXCELLENT. She genuinely seemed to enjoy her job and brought out wine tasters without hesitation.
Good job io!

Great place for a romantic sunset dinner!
Had the Mahi and Shutome, cooked rainbow style and crabby style, respectfully. Both were amazing dishes! Not too crowded, best dinner in Maui thus far.

I liked the value and the food better here than Merriman’s. The ocean views are nice and the waitresses are personable. Loved the farm to table freshness of our greens. Loved the garlic in their earthy kale dish as it was tender and almost sweet. We enjoyed our dishes but not what I would consider gourmet. Still I plan to make this a place I will return to on my next visit to Maui.
We tried to use the Unilocal offer of 50% off the second meal if we get there before 6:30. We went early to use this offer but they told us that Halloween is a holiday and therefore wouldn’t redeem this offer. Unilocalers, please remember that Halloween is now a national Holiday.

We were looking for a great spot for our celebratory dinner and as we wandered around Lahaina, this little gem popped up on my phone.
We’re both fans of the organic, farm-​to-​table style that a lot of restaurants have adopted, and finding I’o was perfect for just that. Most of their food comes from their own farm not too far away, and everything else is sustainably raised or caught. They also have a great selection of raw food items — for instance, the incredible key lime raw tart I had. OMG.
You really can’t go wrong with anything on their menu but we both went gaga over their Super Bowl salad. The risotto was also dynamite.
Aside from that, the service was exceptional and the atmosphere was beautiful. We sat down to dine just as the sun set over the water!
If you’re looking for a locally run and eco-​friendly place for your next dinner, stop in here.

Came for a wedding and reception… and it was awesome! The place sits literally 20 feet from the water and has an open patio area. Décor was nice, upscale beach lounge feel, and hot bartenders!
The parking lot is up the street for $ 6/​night which isn’t bad at all! The food was a pre fixe menu as it was a wedding (DUH!).
The appetizers during open bar included assortments or cheese, fresh fruits, tuna poke, and ahi sashimi served with balsamic/​EVOO crostinis and wasabi sculptures. yes wasabi sculptures.
The dinner moved onto crab cakes that were crisp and tasty. Followed by a leafy spring salad topped with savory pink peppercorn vinaigrette. Then came a lobster tail and succulent fillet Mignon over mashed potato garnished with a plantain chip. The Lobster and Fillet were incredibly tender, the mash was decent, but unfortunately my plantain was burned. «/​oh well!
The staff was definitely accommodating and friendly (got myself a kiss XD)
Overall the nice was filled with good food, friends, and fun, definitely a great spot on the beach.

My cousin had his wedding on the beach front of this restaurant and the reception following at the restaurant. They closed the restaurant for the wedding, and many outsiders were sad to be turned away. There were 77 people at the party, but I believe they originally were suppose to have 110 people.
We had the I’O crab cake — panko crusted crab and goat cheese with roasted bell pepper, maui onion miso aioli, and green papaya slaw. It tasted delicious and the papaya slaw only enhanced the flavors of the dish.
We also had a ribbon salad and roasted lobster tail and hawaii filet but I don’t know if they were catered from elsewhere.
Servers were all friendly as well as the bartenders.
I’d like to go back and try out the restaurant again. The scenery is amazing.

I got food poisoning on my honeymoon here. The lamb was not cooked properly. They do not care about their customers. The staff perform driveby serving where they drop off plates and pick up plates as they rush by. The best worker there is the Latino man serving water.
2012 Jan 19 — [I included a photo of I’O letter to me regarding food poisoning… it was actually SERP #2 on Google, but Unilocal decided to take down the photo. You can message me directly and I can send you the picture if you are interested.]