During our recent return to Maui, we made it a point to spend more time in the Upcountry of the island as well as spending more time along the north shore - primarily the small town of Paia. Paia has pockets of touristy areas, but it's nowhere near as bad as Lahaina on Maui's west side. We really felt we didn't give either Paia or the Upcountry much of a look over when we were on Maui six years ago. This time, we spent a considerable amount of time in Paia and we ended up having lunch at a place that my wife wanted to give a try - Paia Fish Market.
The Paia Fish Market opened in 1989 when Paia wasn't much more than a small plantation town on the way to Hana. It quickly became known for their fresh fish tacos and their fish burgers. Lines stretch out the door most days with people waiting to order food at the Paia Fish Market.
The owners of the place are DeWitt Lickle, who is also a local artist known as Kalani Lickle; Lickle's wife Moon Greene; and Yuri Soledade. It turns out that Soledade is a world class surfer with over 15 years experience as a professional surfer. Click here to check out Soledade riding the big waves (up to 80 feet tall) on the north shore of Maui at the World Surf League event at Pe'ahi Beach - also known as Jaws because of its massive wave breaks - in January of this year. The group also owns Nuka, a sushi restaurant in nearby Haiku.
The Paia Fish Market is located right in the heart of Paia at the corner of the Hana Highway and Baldwin Ave. that goes south into the Upcountry of Maui. (see map) Parking around the place can be pretty tight at times, but there is a municipal lot down and across the street that we used during our trips to Paia.
It's not really a fish market where you can go in and get fresh fish to take home, but a laid-back Hawaiian restaurant. The inside of the place isn't all that big and is populated with community-style picnic tables that can seat up to 8 people. It was after 2 p.m. so the crowd wasn't too bad, but interestingly while we were there, the crowds grew again and the legendary "line out the door" developed again.
The menu for Paia Fish Market is located on a board above the order counter with the open kitchen in the background. Of course, seafood is the main item with entrees, sandwiches, appetizers and their famous mahi mahi or ono fish burgers. A seafood pasta dish is available, as well as good old fashioned fish and chips. For people who aren't looking for seafood, Paia Fish Market also serves up a burger using beef from the Maui Cattle Co., or a grilled chicken sandwich or entree.
We were going out for a good dinner that evening and I didn't want a lot of food so I ended up getting the grilled fish tacos. They had a grilled fresh catch in soft corn tortillas topped with lettuce, tomatoes and a house-made salsa. Chopped cabbage was off to the side and a healthy portion of Cajun rice came with the tacos. The tacos were tasty - nice and light. I even shovled some of the Cajun rice onto the taco to give it more of a zippy taste. I washed my tacos back with a couple of the Maui Brewing Company's Bikini Blonde beers.
Cindy went with the mahi mahi sandwich. It was served open faced with chopped lettuce, a tomato slice and shredded cheese. It, too, came with the Cajun rice. She didn't eat it as a sandwich - she basically ate it as a knife and fork meal. She enjoyed a glass of pinot grigio with her fresh mahi mahi. She thought the fish was excellent.
We really enjoyed the lunch we had at the Paia Fish Market. This longtime local favorite serves up the freshest fish available in a setting that harkens back to the days of Paia being a plantation town on the north shore of Maui. It's not fancy, the food is very good, and it has a very laid back and fun attitude about the place.
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