Well, well. There’s one choice above all others on the island for plate lunches. We went straight to Da Kitchen. There are at least two on the island – Da Kitchen in Kahului and Da Kitchen Express in Kiehi.

You can eat in or take your food to go. They have plate lunches, sandwiches, appetizers, and other treats. I usually always get a plate lunch – you get your entree of choice, rice, and either green or macaroni salad. And these portions are big! Many people share a plate lunch. Ordering a full meal for oneself, you often end up taking food home.

Today, I ordered the Teriyaki beef with green salad. Our friends ordered the Kalua pork with macaroni salad, some noodles (can’t remember the name), and a cheeseburger. Everything was fantastic.
 

I normally always order the Kalua pork or Teriyaki chicken. But the beef was outstanding today. And we’ve had the chicken katsu before, and it was also good. You pretty much can’t go wrong. I knew I could not finish a whole plate lunch once, and I ordered the Kalua sandwich – holy cow! That was good.

I’ve been to Kimo’s Restaurant in Lahaina, which is much more upscale than Da Kitchen. My pal ordered the Kalua pork at Kimo’s. We decided it was good (which it was), but the pork at Da Kitchen was much better, at a fraction of the price.

The ambiance at Da Kitchen is about as casual as you can get – in Kihei it is across the street from the beaches. Submitted by: John Stevens