Hali'imaile General Store

"Hali'imaile General Store is housed in a historic 1920s building that once served the workers of the surrounding pineapple fields. In 1988, the space was transformed into this charming, airy general store–cum-restaurant, which has a warm and inviting vibe. Hali'imaile was serving up farm-to-table cuisine before it was even a thing and, 30 years later, it's still doing that well. The menu probably hasn't changed much over time, with classics like roast chicken with Molokai sweet potato mash, scallop risotto with Kula corn, and roast duck with pineapple chutney." - Juliana Shallcross, Kris Fordham

"Beloved farm-to-table restaurant The vibe Warm and inviting The crowd Older locals and visitors The drinks Crowd-pleasing all around The food Classic soups, roasts, and salads" - Kris Fordham

"Bev and Joe Gannon’s story sounds more like something you’d daydream from a cubicle than reality—they were producers and managers in Los Angeles when Bev decided to go to cooking school and they both made the move to Maui to start their catering business. They opened Hali’imaile General Store in the ‘80s, and while their restaurant group has continued to grow, the store is still the local favorite. You’ll find the restaurant among the pineapple fields in a historic building that was built in the 1920s to serve camp workers—the décor is subtle and light, with big wide windows at the front. As for the food, Bev does her best to source all of her ingredients on the islands, rather than importing them from the mainland—she relies heavily on local specialties like Kalua pork, fresh island fish, and coconut."

"The Hali’imaile General Store building is a piece of Hawaiian history, dating back to the 1920s, and while the restaurant opened in 1988, it holds onto the original name and old-timey exterior. Like many places in Hawaii, the menu is a bit all over the place, but our favorite dishes are Bev’s Famous Crab Pizza and the crispy roast half-duck. The restaurant is in Makawao, a historically “paniolo” (cowboy) town that’s now a small artist community full of unique shops and boutiques, so come here for lunch or dinner after an afternoon spent buying blown-glass whale tails and diagramming out how you’ll fit them into your suitcase." - Leah Ponichtera