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The Ultimate Maui Food Truck Guide is for the food truck connoisseur to the person who wants a well-priced garlic shrimp plate.

Our goal is to lead you to the Maui food truck your stomach desires. Explore the Maui Food Truck Guide for the prices you should expect to pay, find the food truck parks, and the best Maui food trucks (the 2023 Best of Maui votes are in!).

Due to the devastating wildfires that swept through Lahaina, Maui lost some wonderful food trucks. We have updated the 2023 guide to reflect these changes. As Maui recovers from the wildfires, show your support to the food trucks that survived by visiting these local businesses during your vacation or if your keiki are starving and you don’t feel like cooking.

We have more Ultimate Maui Guides that may be right up your ally:
The Ultimate Maui Travel Guide has everything you need to know about Maui
Maui is the best island for whale watching, here’s your Ultimate Guide to Whale Watching on Maui
If watching the sunrise or sunset on top of a volcano sounds good, you’ll love Maui Volcanoes: The Ultimate Guide

Why Are Maui Food Trucks So Good?

Maui food trucks are the best in the Pacific because they have access to the best farms and they have the guts to experiment. You won’t find such a selection of cuisine or local talented chefs anywhere else.

For example, the sous chef of Mama’s Fish House broke off to start food trucks and he has continued to win awards. His Thai Mee Up won Best Food Truck on Maui and Best Food Truck Dinner in 2023.

Food trucks are the quintessential island vibe. They are not fancy. A Maui food truck must offer at least one lunch plate with a side of two scoops rice and mac salad or it won’t be in business for long.

Take a break from $25 pupus and freezing cold air conditioning. Get a little sweat in your Aloha Shirt and red dirt on your sandals. Maui food trucks will blow you away with their food selection, local island cuisine, fresh ingredients, and the ability to experiment. 

More Maui tips:

• 33 Things to Do on Maui: Leave the Crowds Behind
• The Ultimate Maui Travel Guide
• 10 Best Restaurants in Lahaina

If you’re planning a trip to Maui, or you are already here, use our Maui Food Truck Guide to know where to eat. We also love Kauai food trucks!

Maui Food Trucks: The Good and the Bad

Food truck owners have it figured out. They can make their own hours, work till the farm-fresh food runs out, or the surf is up. However, these reasons can make it hard to pin down a truck.

Be warned, Maui food truck hours and locations change frequently. Maui Fresh Streatery, by renowned local Chef Kyle can only be tracked through his Instagram account. Worth doing, by the way as he was runner-up for the 2023 Best Food Truck on Maui and was voted the Best Food Truck Instagram Account.

If you are about to drive across the island to satisfy a craving for oxtail katsu, I recommend you check their social media or give them a call to confirm they will be there for you.

Maui food trucks are made to order so you may have to wait 10 to 15 minutes for a fresh plate lunch. We recommend calling ahead if you’re in a hurry or wish to skip the line. We list phone numbers in the Best Maui Food Trucks section.

Thanks to the Plastic Free Maui County ordinance that went into effect in 2022, you won’t find plastic utensils or styrofoam containers handed out at food trucks. If you don’t like wooden forks or chopsticks, consider bringing your metal utensils. See our Hawaii packing list for more ideas!

Maui Food Truck Prices

Prices at Maui food trucks range between $14 to $20 a plate. They are typically a large portion of food as they come with sides. Splitting a plate is totally doable. Erica and I usually split a plate plus an additional side or small plates, like poke or a taco. 

$18 a plate is the average plate cost for Maui food trucks per my observations.

The cuisine type dictates if they will offer sides. The usual suspects are two scoops white rice and a scoop of macaroni (mac) salad for Hawaiian, shrimp, teppanyaki, Filipino, and BBQ trucks. 

Trucks like Thai, poke, acai bowl, and Mexican will offer different sides or no sides. Some trucks will serve a green salad in lieu of the mac salad. Truck cooks are friendly and will substitute upon request.

I find food trucks on the island to be well worth their value and a great value when calculating the cost of a family vacation to Hawaii.

Going to a Maui food truck park is a low-cost way for a family to eat while offering something for everyone’s taste.

Feeding and entertaining the family can be a challenge when on vacation, even on Maui. See our 68 things to do on Maui with kids for ideas!

Cash Only at Maui Food Trucks?

The vast majority of Maui food trucks take credit cards or Venmo. They make it easy and convenient to pay. I’d estimate 90% of Maui food trucks take credit cards.

But, come prepared for those cash-only Maui food trucks. As margins can be tight for these small businesses, some cooks prefer cash.

If you’re planning to go to an amazing Maui food truck park then it is smart to carry $50 in cash for the family. Then you won’t have to skip a truck that looks good because you didn’t bring a $20 bill for a plate.

Check out more places to eat on Maui, plus how to incorporate them into your days out, in our Maui itineraries.

Maui Food Truck Cleanliness

The Hawaii Department of Health Maui Food Safety Branch conducts food safety inspections of food trucks and all food establishments on Maui. You can also search for a truck inspection record at Hawaii Restaurant Inspection Portal.

Customers will see on the window of a food truck either a green “PASS” placard, a yellow “Conditional Pass” placard with checkmarks of those areas that had major food safety violations, or a red “Closed” placard if the food truck posed an imminent health hazard or was operating without proper permits. The best way to see the history of food safety for that food truck is to check the past inspection reports posted on the public portal.

Maui Food Truck Video

If you are a visual learner, here is our video on Maui food trucks by location (2022). We share our favorite food truck parks across the Valley Isle.

Related articles:

• 15 Best Restaurants in Kihei and Wailea
• Dinner on the Beach on Maui: Private Dining and Beachfront Restaurants
• 5 Best Luaus on Maui: our honest review

Maui Food Truck Parks

There are 4 main food truck parks in Maui. If you are traveling with a group or you don’t know what you want to eat, these food truck parks are the ideal places to go.

I’m focusing on the major food truck parks or pods. For smart business practices, you will rarely find a lone wolf Maui food truck. You will find them in clusters of three or more trucks.

I omit small Maui food truck parks such as those located at the Haiku Marketplace, Kula Upcountry Farmers Market area, behind Home Depot in Kahului, Makawao, Makena Beach (Big Beach), and others.

To be honest, food truck parks are popping up all over Maui by entrepreneurs. If you see some Maui food trucks in a parking lot, feel free to stop and explore.

Map of the Major Maui Food Truck Parks

Maui food truck parks in the major towns are shown for your convenience, Google map directions are also located in each Maui food truck park section.

Honoapiilani Food Truck Park in Kaanapali

A brilliant entrepreneur staked some land and the food trucks came. 8 or so food trucks are located across the street from the Times Market, between Kaanapali and Napili.

Food trucks line the perimeter with a few dozen picnic tables and lights strung up overhead, making for a casual and family-friendly vibe. Restrooms are port-a-johns and there is ample free parking.

Things to consider: The picnic tables could be cleaned off better. Chickens, common on Maui, will be around your table to your children’s delight. The eating area can feel a little dingy at times. You can eat here or take your plate to your resort or the nearby Kaanapali Beach or Airport Beach (Kahekili Beach Park).

This park is more of a dinner scene. We find the trucks are closed for breakfast and lunch but there has been a coffee trailer at this park that is open for morning coffee.

Address: 130 Kai Malina Pkwy, Lahaina, 96761

Food trucks that are the regulars include the following:

• Da Best Pho and Vietnamese Food – the most popular truck in this park, Da Best has good Vietnamese but beware of the long wait times 
• Hooked – seafood, poke bowls, fresh fish, and shrimp plates
• El Taco Borracho – serving up classic Mexican tacos, burritos, and the like
• Da Anchor – burgers, gyros, pastas, and more
• Paniolo – BBQ ribs, pulled pork, prime rib, and burgers
• Waikomo Shave Ice
• T’s Island Cafe – coffee trailer that opens early, serving 100% Maui coffee
• Thai Food by Suri – our favorite Thai food truck 
• Lahaina Gridz – classic plate lunches like katsu chicken, shoyu chicken, kalua pork, and huli huli chicken

Lahaina Food Truck Parks

Lahaina, in our opinion, was the place to go for food trucks on Maui. Trucks and pods were all over the town.

Until Lahaina reopens and the food trucks come back, I will leave this section available in our Ultimate Maui Food Truck Guide.

Maui Food Trucks Near Costco

The Maui food trucks near Costco are the most popular on the island. Some of the food trucks have won awards helping to elevate the game of the surrounding trucks. Due to the popularity of this area, there are now two Maui food truck parks near Costco.

Plate Lunch Marketplace won runner-up as the Best Food Truck Pod on Maui in 2023.

The original food truck park, Plate Lunch Marketplace, is located across from the Costco Gas Station (click for directions). The second food truck park opened on the corner of Dairy Road and Haleakala Hwy, directly across from Costco’s food court (click for directions).

The Maui food trucks near Costco are 5 minutes (1.6 miles) from Kahului Airport (OGG). Making the food truck parks a perfect place to kill time and get lunch or dinner before your flight.

Food Trucks Near Costco: Plate Lunch Marketplace

Skip the Costco hotdog and head across the street to the Plate Lunch Marketplace food truck park. This park is home to the best Maui food trucks. Oh, where to begin…

Thai Mee Up was voted the Best Food Truck on Maui by Maui Magazine’s ‘Aipono Awards in 2018 and 2022 and silver award for Best Noodles in 2022. Havens won Best Burger on Maui in 2022 and an honorable mention for the Best Food Truck by Maui Magazine. Havens won the Best Food Truck (New) in 2023.

Kalei’s Lunchbox was another honorable mention in 2022 (their last year with the truck). Chef Dino Zagouras left high-end culinary in France and New York to share his creations at Dino’s Gourmet.

The food trucks surround a dozen or more picnic tables under a tent. Gravel lines the parking lot and the tent area making it only a little dusty. You will find hand washing stations, lots of seating, parking, and rubbish bins. They keep it clean and casual. 

Address: 591 Haleakala Hwy, Kahului, HI 96732

You can find the following Maui food trucks here:

• Thai Mee Up – frequent award winner for Thai food and noodles, the former sous chef of Mama’s Fish House does not disappoint.
• Ono Teppanyaki – the sister truck to Thai Mee Up, enjoy freshly made teppanyaki and seafood served plate lunch style
• Like Poke? – Fresh poke at a good price, winner of the Best Food Truck Lunch 2023 by Maui Time’s Readers.
• Mo ’Ono Hawai’i Acai Bowls – a colorful truck serving up fresh acai bowls from a recipe that took three years to perfect.
• Havens (green truck) – After success with their Kihei take-out restaurant, Zach Sato opened a food truck near Costco to serve up his famous ramen and smash burgers.
• 8 Wonder Tacos – your chance to get tacos and burritos near Costco
• Dino’s Gourmet On-The-Go – Chef Dino will cut herbs from the garden surrounding his truck to make culinary treats worthy of dinner parties.
• Geste Shrimp – Oahu’s North Shore is famous for shrimp plates but people still fly to Maui to try Geste Shrimp’s garlic plate.

Food Trucks Near Costco: Corner of Dairy Road

This is the new kid on the block. Opening in February 2020, on Dairy Road in an old gas station but moved in early 2021 to the triangle-shaped field next to the Marriott Courtyard and Costco.

The owners fixed up this lot with covered picnic tables, palm trees, port-a-johns, and ample food trucks to choose from. A lot of the island’s favorite food trucks have opened their second trucks here, like Tsunami Burger, Kraken Coffee, and Da Nani Pirate.

Address: 520 Keolani Pl, Kahului, HI 96732

Maui food trucks you will find at this second food truck park near Costco include the following.

• Kraken Coffee – drive-thru coffee shop with friendly service
• Kahiau’s Poke Truck
• Pele’s and Gyro King
• Sushkochi – sushi
• Maui Burgers and Maui Shrimp
• Earth Aloha Eats (vegan)
• Poo Pulehu Maui – loco moco, kalua pork, tacos
• Da Nani Pirates – BBQ, fish tacos, ahi platters, fish n chips
• Umi – sushi
• Tsunami Burger
• 2 Cheesy Guys – grill cheese sandwiches
• Aloha Thai Fusion
• Sparky’s Food Company

I find this food truck park is still getting established so some trucks come and go. But, you will always find a lot of trucks to choose from which makes it a good place to stop.

Kihei Food Truck Park

Located in a parking lot behind Azeka Shopping Center in Kihei, is a well-designed food truck park. The trucks and trailers are in a semi-circle around covered and lighted picnic tables. The place isn’t too dusty during the summer thanks to the gravel ground.

Port-a-johns with handwashing stations are available. The place is well-lit at night and kept clean. 

This is one of my favorite food truck parks on the island as a truck is always open and they have a diverse selection of food options. From healthy, vegan food at Earth Aloha Eats to southern BBQ at Sol Brothers to refreshing iced coffees and smoothies at Kraken Coffee, you can find something for everyone in your car.

Head to one of the best snorkel spots on Maui, and then eat afterward at the Kihei Food Truck Park.

Address: 1 Pi’ikea Ave. Kihei, HI 96732 

Food trucks that are the regulars include:

• Kraken Coffee Maui
• Sol Brothers BBQ
• Da Nani Pirates
• Earth Aloha Eats (vegan)
• Tsunami Burger
• Oao Sushi Go – great poke bowls!
• Abiki’s Caribean Flavas
• Vidad’s Local Kine Grindz – Hawaiian/Asian fusion

South Maui Gardens is a small but popular food truck park in Kihei (click for directions). This is an ideal place to go for a date night as they are in a beautiful, lighted garden and feature live music. They even offer a free hula show one night a week. See their calendar of events for details.

South Maui Gardens won the Best Food Truck Pod of 2023 by Maui Times.

We showcase this unique Maui food truck experience in our Can’t-Miss Maui Food Experience video below.

Hana, Maui Food Truck Park

After a long morning of driving the Road to Hana, you deserve some Maui food trucks. Hana has two food truck parks located within walking distance of each other on the south side of town, just past the Hana-Maui Resort.

Both parks cater to the morning and lunch crowds so few trucks are open for dinner. The parks have picnic tables and shade spread amongst the food trucks.

Address to the first Hana food truck park: 5124 Hana Hwy, Hana, Maui 96713

• Harley’s Babs N’ Bowls – kebabs and salads
• Ae’s Thai Kitchen
• Makai Cafe – breakfast and lunch sandwiches
• Ae’s Sassy Tacos
• Island Latte’s
• Poke Bob’s

If you’re heading out on the Road to Hana, make sure you read these first:

• 5 Routes for the Road to Hana
• Is Driving the Road to Hana Worth It?
• Road to Hana Etiquette
• The Best Road to Hana Local Guided Tour – 10% off!

Address to the second Hana food truck park: 5260 Hana Highway, Hana, HI 96713

• Da Fish Shack
• Troy’s Plate Lunch
• Joel’s – plate lunches and burgers
• My Tita’s Cafe – coffee shop
• I Lava Tacos

10 Best Maui Food Trucks

Here is our best-of-the-best list of Maui food trucks. These trucks are our absolute favorite Maui food trucks. Our opinion is also backed up by top reviews on TripAdvisor and Yelp. 

If you are in the area of one of these trucks, for the sake of your Maui vacation, I recommend you stop to eat.

Havens Kahului Food Truck

Located in the food trucks near Costco, Plate Lunch Market Place, cook Zach Sato found success with his Maui-made ramen noodle dishes and smash burgers in his Kihei take-out restaurant. Thankfully for all of us, he opened up a food truck serving his smash burgers.

Havens won the Best Burger on Maui award and won Best Food Truck (New) of the Year by readers of Maui Times.

$$ Accepts Credit Cards

591 Haleakala Hwy, Kahului Costco Food Truck Park

Wed-Sat: 11:00-8:00 pm Sun: 11:000-6:30pm

Mexican

(808) 369-5610

Oao Sushi Go

Gourmet sushi out of a food truck in Kihei. When visiting the food truck park in Kihei at 1 Piikea Avenue, make sure to hit up this one for the lava rock roll, baked Haleakala Roll, and their most popular firecracker roll. The also offer bowls, nigiri, and sashimi.

Oao Sushi Go was a finalist for the Best Food Truck on Maui 2023 award (Maui Times Readers).

Aoa is pronounced “wow.” The truck is named after their founder Chef JR Oao.

$$ $ Accepts Credit Cards

1 Piikea Ave., Kihei Kihei Food Truck Park

11:30 am – 8:00 pm daily

Sushi

(808) 699-4622

Geste Shrimp Truck

This is the place people fly to Maui to get garlic shrimp since 2007. Oahu’s north shore shrimp food trucks can’t compete with Geste. Either make a drive there, go directly from the plane, or grab lunch before your flight.

Don’t make an excuse not to try the Hawaiian Shrimp Scampi or the Spicy Pineapple Shrimp. It is hard to go wrong. Get 12 shrimps, two scoops of rice and imitation crab mac salad or go big with 3 scoops of rice. The garlic butter complements the rice and should be bottled. 

Geste Shrimp Truck is located in Lunch Plate Market Place, the Maui food truck park near Costco. This is a family-run establishment. They get busy so orders can take 20 to 30 minutes to serve. 

$$

591 Haleakala Hwy, Kahului, HI 96732 Costco Food Truck Park

Mon – Sat: 10:30-7:30 Sun: 10:30 – 6 PM

Hawaiian Shrimp

(808) 298-7109 gesteshrimp.com

Thai Mee Up

After 20 years working at Mama’s Fish House, Chef Tom Sribura opened Thai Mee Up, and the critics like his work. Thai Mee Up won Maui Magazine’s Aipono Gold award for the best food truck and MauiTime 2017 best food truck, a reader’s vote. Sitting in the food truck park near Costco, look for the long trailer with a line. People flock here, like we did, to try the famous Thai food. They have all the noodles and curry classics on the menu. 

Erica tried the pad thai noodles. As the Yelp reviews also say, it was good, but we have other favorites for Thai on the island. We will be back to try more on their menu as it is the best Thai near Costco. The wait was 25 minutes during the dinner rush, so I recommend that you call ahead to place an order if you are in a hurry to hit up Costco or hungry. 

$$ Credit Cards Accepted

591 Haleakala Hwy Kahului, HI 96732 Costco Food Truck Park

Daily: 10:00 – 8:00

Thai

(808) 214-3369

South Maui Fish Company Food Truck

If you are visiting Maui for fresh, locally caught fish then this is your place. Personally, I have a hard time trusting resorts when they say it is local. How do I know South Maui is locally caught? Because they run out every day, well before their posted hours.

They have also been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

South Maui Fish Company specializes in poke bowls and fish tacos. The rice comes well seasoned and the pineapple coleslaw with the poke bowls is refreshing. $20 on your 1/2 lb. poke bowl and $16 on fish tacos with sides makes for well-priced local fish.

$$$ Credit Cards Accepted , Cash Not Accepted

1794 S. Kihei Road, Kihei Aloha Open Marketplace

Monday – Saturday:  11:30 am – 2:30 pm 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Sunday: Closed

Hawaiian

(808) 419-8980

Kitoko Maui

Located in the beautiful Kihei oasis of South Maui Gardens, Chef Cole makes high-end culinary delights from his food truck. Enjoy braised beef loco moco, tofu bento (plant-based meals available!), and lilikoi pie are some of the favorites.

We got the special of the day, lobster bisque. It made for a lovely day date as the South Maui Gardens has a coffee shop, butterfly garden, live music, and a plant nursery.

$$$ Credit Cards Accepted

35 Auhana Rd, Kihei South Kihei Gardens

Monday – Saturday:  11:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Hawaiian Asian Fusion

(808) 214-7582

Nui’s Garden Kitchen Thai

Located in Upcountry Maui, this lone food truck hasn’t won awards like other Thai trucks but we find their farm-fresh ingredients, flavorful cooking, and Thai recipes to be perfect when exploring Upcountry Maui. Many of their ingredients come from their family farm behind the food truck.

$$ Credit Cards Accepted

Lower Kula Road to Pukalani Upcountry Maui

Daily: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Thai

Maui Nui Farm

Kinaole Grill Food Truck

This is not a food truck you can miss when in Kihei. Plus, it is hard to miss the vibrant blue mural on the truck. Kinaole Grill is on many best of Maui Food Truck lists and for good reason. 

Favorites are seared ahi, crispy calamari, and garlic shrimp with capers, but really, you can’t go wrong. The food is presented like it is coming out of a Wailea resort kitchen. Plates are served with fresh salad and herb rice. This truck emphasizes quality over quantity, but you won’t leave hungry.

$$ Note: Cash Only

77 Alanui Ke’ali’i Dr Kihei, HI 96753

Mon-Sun: 12:00-8:30

Hawaiian

(808) 280-9048 Facebook Page

Maui Fresh Streatery

Chef Kyle is a true local chef with a cult following. Born and raised in Kula and trained in Maui kitchens before being formally taught at Maui Community College, he has won awards and acclaim with his fine dining from a food truck. He has even been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

He took a break from teaching in 2013 to open the Maui Fresh Streatery food truck. His food truck offers a new menu daily based on the farm-fresh ingredients he sources. He also prides himself on providing diverse cuisine from across the world.

The menu changes but my favorites are the buns and katsu plates.

His hard work and dedication to Maui paid off with winning the 2019 Maui Magazine ‘Aipono Gold Award for best food truck.

$$ Credit Cards Accepted

Check Instagram @mauifreshstreatery

Mon-Wed-Friday 11AM – 1PM Days and time of operation subject to change @mauifreshstreatery

Hawaiian Asian Fusion

(808) 344-7929 http://mauifreshstreatery.com

Kraken Coffee Maui

Now with food truck coffee shops all over Maui, Kraken Coffee Maui continues to make freshly roasted iced coffees, warm lattes, smoothies, and a host of other drinks. You can find them in all the food truck parks mentioned above.

Kraken Coffee won the Best Coffee Food Truck in the 2023 Maui Time Reader’s Poll.

Kraken Coffee Maui is one of Erica’s favorite Maui coffee shops. Their drive-thru makes it super convenient to grab drinks as you catch a snorkel tour or head out whale watching.

$ Credit Cards Accepted

See the food truck parks above

Mon-Sun: 6:00am- 7:30pm

Coffee & Tea

(808) 495-1885 https://www.krakencoffeemaui.com

Erica and I love exploring Maui. We are always on the hunt for the best food truck, happy hour, or activity for our family. Food trucks may come and go but we will continue to share our favorites and where you should go for Maui cheap eats.

If you enjoyed one of these food truck recommendations, check out our other recommendations while you are visiting the Hawaiian Islands.

• Ultimate Maui Travel Guide
• Our favorite vetted Maui tours
• Guide to Maui Whale Watching (December-March)
• and don’t forget our Maui itinerary below!