Maui Boasts 6 Honorees on Top 100 Al Fresco Dining List

By Wendy Osher

Seventeen Hawaiʻi restaurants earned a spot on OpenTable’s Top 100 list of best Al Fresco Dining Restaurants in America, including six Maui eateries. Maui restaurants that made the cut included: Duke’s Beach House, Frida’s, the Hula Grill, and Pacific’O in the West Maui; and Ferraro’s and Gannon’s in Wailea.

The complete list of Hawaiʻi honorees are as follows:

• Blue Dragon Restaurant – Kamuela, Hawaiʻi
• Brown’s Beach House-The Fairmont Orchid – Kohala Coast, Hawaiʻi
• Blue Dragon Restaurant – Kamuela, Hawaiʻi
• CanoeHouse – Kohala Coast, Hawaiʻi
• Duke’s Beach House Maui – Lahaina, Maui, Hawaiʻi
• Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante Maui – Wailea, Maui, Hawaiʻi
• Frida’s – Lahaina, Maui, Hawaiʻi
• Gannon’s – Wailea, Maui, Hawaiʻi
• Hula Grill-Kāʻanapali – Lahaina, Maui, Hawaiʻi
• Island Lava Java Bistro – Kailua, Hawaiʻi
• Lava Lava Beach Club – Waikōloa, Hawaiʻi
• Oasis – Kapaʻa, Hawaiʻi
• Ola at Turtle Bay – Kahuku, Hawaiʻi
• Pacific’O – Lahaina, Maui, Hawaiʻi
• Plantation Gardens – Kōloa, Hawaiʻi
• Sam Choy’s Kai Lānai – Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi
• ʻUlu Ocean Grill and Sushi Lounge – Kaʻūpūlehu, Hawaiʻi

OpenTable, an online restaurant reservation company, released the 2015 list today saying the awards, “reflect the combined opinions of more than 5 million restaurant reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for more than 20,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.”

The list included 45 restaurants from California, 18 restaurants in Florid and 17 restaurants in Hawaiʻi.

“From beachfront eateries along the shores of Florida and Hawaii to restaurants highlighting Californian nature and those under expansive Arizona skies, the honorees on this year’s list are dining destinations where the setting is as Instagrammable as the food,” said Caroline Potter, OpenTable Chief Dining Officer in a company press release. “Diners will definitely want to share every aspect of these experiences with their followers,” she said.

In order to qualify for inclusion, the restaurants had to have a minimum number of qualifying reviews between May 1, 2014 and April 30, 2015.

Diners can also read more about the Top 100 Best Al Fresco Dining Restaurants in America by visiting the OpenTable blog.

Ernest Puaʻa is one of the many island entertainers at the Hula Grill. He is currently scheduled to perform on at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays. Other island entertainers include Kawika Lum Ho, Kapali Keahi, Kealii Lum, Jarrett Roback, Wili Pohaku, Peter De Aquino, Derick Sebastian, Damon Parrillo, Ma’a, Danyel Alana, and more. Photo courtesy BellaEva Photography via Ernest & Lisa Puaʻa. ***Hula Grill Kāʻanapali Barefoot Bar entertainment lineup.

Banana and Macnut pancakes at Duke’s. Photo by Vanessa Wolf

The Eggs Benedict boasts a heavy hand with the Tabasco. If that’s what you’re into. Photo at Duke’s by Vanessa Wolf

The entrance to Duke’s. Photo by Vanessa Wolf

Duke’s grounds. Photo by Vanessa Wolf

Hula Grill. Courtesy photo