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Poke (pronounced “poh-kay”) is a quintessential Hawaiian food and a dish I always recommend to visitors of Maui (or Hawaii in general). While you can get poke elsewhere in the world, nothing compares to poke in Hawaii! It’s a dish I always crave and one that I fill up on every time I’m home visiting the islands.
I’ve taste tested my fair share of poke on the island and put together this list of some of the best poke spots on Maui.
What is Poke?
If you’ve never had poke before, it is a dish consisting of diced raw fish (most commonly ahi tuna) marinated in various sauces with a variety of ingredients such as fresh onions, limu (seaweed), chili pepper, wasabi, fish eggs, etc. There are countless ways to make poke, and every establishment has their own variety of recipes!
Poke is typically a fish dish, but you will likely also come across tako poke, made from cooked octopus. While “he’e” is the Hawaiian word for octopus, the Japanese form of “tako” is more commonly used. It’s delicious and I highly recommend you give it a try!
Best Places to Get Poke on Maui
There are so many places to get good poke on Maui, it’s really hard to go wrong. However, having had my fair share of this delectable island dish, I put together this post of where I think you can find some of the best poke on Maui.
Like Poke
70 Lono Ave, Kahului, HI
https://www.instagram.com/likepoke
Like Poke is a little treasure of a food truck located in Central Maui in Kahului. They have really developed some incredible flavor combos and their fish is cut into nice big chunks! I highly recommend either the Wasabi Shoyu Poke or their Kimchee (Kimchi) Poke if you like a little spice in your life.
I typically get the double poke plate, which includes two scoops of poke of choice plus two scoops of rice. It’s a lot of food with generous portions of fish!
Tamura’s Fine Wine & Liquors
Multiple Locations (Lahaina, Kihei and Wailuku)
https://www.tamurasfinewine.com/
Tamura’s is, indeed, a liquor store but they surprisingly have some of the best poke on Maui! This is my go-to stop when I’m on the island. Quality is top notch and flavors are always consistent.
This is also a good place to pick up a bag of ice if you have a cooler. Pack all your poke goodies in to keep them fresh! Bonus is that you can also grab anything to fulfill your boozy needs here too.
My favorite pokes from Tamura’s are the Ahi Shoyu and Kimchi Tako (octopus). They also have really tasty kimchi cucumbers!
There are several locations on the island, including in Lahaina, Kihei and Wailuku (which is a market location with a bit more than liquor). The Kahului location is no longer open, so you’ll have to settle for the trek to Wailuku if you’re in Central Maui. I prefer the Lahaina and Kihei locations best.
Tobi’s Shave Ice
127 Hana Highway, Paia, Hawaii 96779
https://www.tobismaui.com/
Tobi’s Shave Ice in the North Shore town of Paia makes my absolute favorite Ahi Shoyu Poke. I’m not kidding when I say I sat down and devoured a half pound all to myself in a matter of minutes. The fish was incredibly fresh and the flavors were just on point. If you find yourself wandering this little hippie surf town, make sure you stop here and try the poke!
Tobi’s is also known for their shave ice, which I haven’t had the pleasure of trying yet. However, I can vouch for their chili and rice (a Hawaii staple) which is also one of the best I’ve ever had!
Pukalani Superette
15 Makawao Ave, Makawao, HI 96768
https://www.pukalanisuperette.com/
Pukalani Superette is a little convenience store located in Upcountry Maui. I’ve only had their Ahi Shoyu Poke, but I definitely think it’s worth the stop if you are in the area!
They also have a variety of other ready-to-eat goodies like chow fun and musubi. If you’re headed up to Haleakala Crater or are just exploring Upcountry Maui, put this stop on your list to stock up on poke and snacks for your trip.
Foodland
Multiple Locations (Kihei, Lahaina, Wailuku, Pukalani)
https://www.foodland.com/
Not only does Foodland exist for all your regular grocery store needs, they also have a giant selection of poke to choose from! There are several locations on the island, so a store will always be close by.
Foodland comes through with their delicious shoyu poke, tako poke and spicy poke, and you can also get rice bowls if you’re looking for a more filling lunch.
There are Foodland locations on all the other major Hawaiian islands as well, so if you are in search of poke beyond Maui, Foodland will serve you all over the state!
Times Market
Multiple locations (Kihei and Lahaina/Honokowai)
https://www.timessupermarkets.com/
Like Foodland, you’ll find multiple locations of Times Market throughout the island (and on neighboring islands for that matter). I personally haven’t been to the Lahaina location (only the Kihei location) but they have lots of delicious poke to choose from!
We like to stay at condos within walking distance of the Kihei Times Market so we can pay frequent visits just to get poke. We are addicted!
Island Gourmet Market
3750 Wailea Alanui Dr, Wailea, HI 96753
https://www.islandgourmethawaii.com/wailea/
If you’re staying the Wailea area, you definitely want to try the poke at Island Gourmet Market in the Shops at Wailea. Not only is it delicious, we also found it to be a lot cheaper than Tamura’s!
We tried the Oyster Sauce Poke and the Spicy Jalapeno Poke and I highly recommend both (the jalapeno poke was actually really spicy!).
Kaohu Store
1833 Kaohu St, Wailuku, HI 96793
https://www.instagram.com/kaohustore/
Last but not least, we have little Kaohu store tucked away in Wailuku. This place was recommended to me by multiple people and I finally got a chance to try them out. Their chili pepper poke was some of the freshest poke I’ve ever tasted! It was also some of the most expensive.
This is a tiny store with limited parking and a 5-minute time limit, so make sure you bring a cooler with ice because you can’t sit around and eat it at the store.
Where to Next?
Have you had good poke on Maui at any other locations? Drop me a note below if you have any suggestions for me to try, or if you try any of these places on my guide!
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