Best outdoor dining

Mala Ocean Tavern named #4 in the Top 20 Best Outdoor Dining in the States!

We are absolutely honored for being recognized by Toast for dining in the great outdoors! Residents and guests of Maui come to dine on delicious local cuisine, sip delectable culinary cocktails and exciting wine, oceanfront. Our open air eatery and oceanfront patio is excited to be recognized with the other exciting restaurants around the country. Check them all out!

We look forward to welcoming you to MALA. Reservations encouraged, walk-ins welcome! All you need is ALOHA!

Mala Ocean Tavern is open daily for Brunch 9a-2p, Live Music Happy Hour 2-4p, and Dinner 4-10p. Each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night from 10p-12a, join us for for MALA ‘Til Midnight with entertainment and the perfect late night menu by Chef Kalei.

Young, local, and hungry

By Kate Ducheneau

Local Flavor, Local Style, Local Chefs.

Maui’s favorite restaurants Mala Ocean Tavern, Down The Hatch and Duckine have an all star line-up of Chef’s and they are all local born and raised. Making their community proud as Executive Chefs, these Lahainaluna graduates are cultivating unique menus and putting an emphasis on young local professionals, promoting the local economy on Maui, Chef Alvin Savella, Chef Naiwi Teruya, and Chef Kalei Ducheneau, are creating a lot of buzz around the island. It was not planned, and through the last couple of years with many big changes, the stars aligned for the young restaurant group to have three up and coming Chef’s curate sensational menus that are making waves in the culinary scene on Maui.

The most recognized name, Chef Alvin Savella of Duckine, grew up in the same community that he now works professionally. Savella, now the Executive Chef and Co-owner of Maui’s newest hot spot, Asian Fusion restaurant Duckine (duck-kine) reflects on his family and the community he grew up in, “I always want to represent them well, it’s a small town and everyone knows everyone. I can only hope that what I do as a Chef or even just as a person for that matter can inspire and influence the next generation.” With food and family being some of Savella’s fondest childhood memories, he credits his parents, uncles, aunts, and community for the influence on his cuisine. “At an early age they taught us how to pick and clean vegetables, raise chickens, break down whole fish, pigs, cattle and goat to put on the family table.” This family style inspiration comes through in Savella’s recently opened west-side restaurant, Duckine, which features ‘family style meals’ with a big emphasis on Duck, along with a variety veggie and gluten free dishes, there is something for everyone. You will find Whole Duck, crispy and delicious, Dim Sum shareable items like Duck Bao Buns, house made Ube Noodles, and more. Chef Savella brings his unique style and elevates already beloved dishes within the Maui community.

Chef Naiwi Teruya is well known on Maui as a member of popular local band ‘3 Pounds of Kalo’ but this multi-talented local boy is a rising star in the Lahaina culinary scene. Chef Teruya found a home at Maui’s Best Bar Down The Hatch, and has already gained accolades for having the Best Poké on Maui (Maui No Ka Oi ‘Aipono Awards 2022). Chef Naiwi’s artful approach to life comes through in his dishes for the Southern Aloha cuisine at Down the Hatch. When asked what inspires him, he says, “When I think about creating a dish and combining flavors, I think about how “fun” it would be to do things that aren’t done normally. I like to always think about people and how they will enjoy my food. I have premonitions about food throughout my day.” Those premonitions lead to delicious and fresh food! Chef Naiwi prides himself on utilizing the fresh ingredients around him, especially with Down The Hatch’s location so close to Lahaina Harbor, he boasts, “We always support our local fishermen, I love purchasing fresh fish straight front Lahaina Harbor, our guests can even catch fish on charters, have their captain clean it and bring it to us and we’ll cook it for you, it even comes with a drink! That’s why we call ourselves the place to eat fish!” Chef Naiwi has made a name for himself in the local community for his talent, hard work, and craft. When asked who Chef Teruya owes his success to he credits his mother Mary Haunani Teruya for being his first culinary teacher and Uncle Willie K for raising him through his teenage years and inspiring greatness within him.

The youngest of the Executive Chefs for the West Maui restaurant group, Chef Kalei Ducheneau of Mala Ocean Tavern is up and coming on the Maui culinary scene. Born and raised on Maui Chef Kalei Ducheneau brings an interesting mix to his culinary approach, half Hawaiian and half French, Chef Kalei credits his culture and the food he grew up eating as his inspiration behind his culinary creations, “I grew up in this community, I understand the local ingredients and how they compliment each other”. Ducheneau shows his utilization of local ingredients and the influence local farmers in each dish he features at Mala Ocean Tavern. Recently stepping up from Sous Chef to Executive Chef at MALA, Chef Kalei mentions that he has had the opportunity to learn and grow from a multitude of talented local chefs, such as his most recent mentor Chef Alvin Savella. He has also worked at many local restaurants that put an emphasis on local produce and sourcing from our local community such as Merriman’s and Lahaina Fish Company. Chef Kalei is passionate about brining the best of Maui to each dish he presents, he proudly expresses, “I believe in supporting local and having local farming be present in the daily life of our local restaurants. When we support local, we will continue to uplift and support our community as a whole.” Chef Kalei sites being an alumnus of Lahainaluna High School promotes a sense of strength within him and roots him to his community, he is excited to watch the culinary community continue to prosper with the influx of emphasis on Hawaiian Cuisine and fresh local produce.

With such amazing young, local and hungry Chefs, there is no question why Mala Ocean Tavern, Down The Hatch and Duckine are making such an impact on the West Maui dining scene. The culinary creations coming from the kitchens of Chef Savella, Chef Teruya and Chef Ducheneau highlight their values and the community that they were raised in. The emphasis that these chefs bring to their ingredients and their guests’ dining experience, brings a deeper meaning to the expression “cooked with love”… and aloha.

The results are in! 2022 ‘aipono restaurant awards

We are proud to have been a part of this past weekend’s Maui Mag 'Aipono Awards at the Old Lahaina Luau! Mahalos to all the people who took the time to vote and show the aloha for so many of Maui's local restaurants and small businesses. Mahalo nui loa to Maui No Ka Oi Magazine for hosting this event for nearly 20 Years!

We extend our gratitude to our staff for all their hard work, to everyone who continues to support our businesses, and to everyone who voted for us! It is wonderful to be among all of the talent on the island of Maui and in Hawaii. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners.  All of the great restaurants on Maui encourage us to strive to always be our absolute best! 

We are honored to have taken home the following awards:

MĀLA OCEAN TAVERN
GOLD  - BEST OCEANFRONT DINING
GOLD - BEST BUSINESS LUNCH
SILVER - MOST MAUI-EST
SILVER - BEST LATE NIGHT DINING
SILVER - BEST SERVICE
SILVER - BEST WINE LIST

Mala Ocean Tavern FEATURED ON "MOVE WITH MARICRIS!" TRAVEL VLOG!

Mala Ocean Tavern is host to guests from all over the world, and we appreciate those who share their oceanfront dining experience with others. Maricris Lapaix documented her experience at MALA during her travels to Maui featured them on her Travel Vlog. Check out her video and get travel tips for when you are on the island. We hope you join us for Brunch, Happy Hour, Dinner, or Late Night soon at MALA. All you need is aloha!

Maricris Lapaix is a fitness entrepreneur, trainer & traveler. She believes movement is the catalyst to living a life rich in experiences. Through her work as a trainer, and travel experiences she has received inspiration for her show, Move with Maricris. Her mission is to inspire others to move to be "Strong in Life," and to enjoy all that life has to offer. As she travels to beautiful destinations, her ultimate goal is to immerse herself in different cultures through movement, food and active experiences.

By immersing herself in different cultures, Maricris wants to shift the mindset of one's fitness journey. It is not about aesthetics, but the gifts that the commitment to health provides – time with loved ones, and a strong and able body ready for action and anything desired. Travel is what opens our minds and hearts to the beauty that surrounds us. It is a reminder that there is an entire world out there full of beautiful cultures, food, and experiences. A reminder that happiness comes in many forms. Movement and travel reignite a passion for life, and all that is possible within our individual lifetime. These experiences serve as life’s checks and balances to remind us what truly matters in this lifetime.

MALA OCEAN TAVERN GETTING RECOGNIZED IN 2022

We’ve made it to March and it feels like we are getting back into the groove after a couple of years of ups and downs on Maui. Here at Mala Ocean Tavern, we are excited and thrilled to announce some recognitions. The staff at MALA is one of a kind and we are proud to be recognized for the accomplishments of our hard working team. Under the direction of General Manager Rob Farrell and Executive Chef Alvin Savella, MALA is being launched onto a national platform, and we are humbled and honored.

From the Kitchen to the Bar, every person that works at our oceanfront eatery contributes to the whole, and it’s all about Aloha! Food and drinks thoughtfully created and prepared with Aloha, served with Aloha, and enjoyed with Aloha only perpetuates the feelings and way of Aloha. We hope you can experience MALA for yourself and join us oceanfront on Front Street in Lahaina for a one of a kind dining experience, and continue to the spread the Aloha.

Most recently, MALA’s Cocktail served at Brunch (daily 9a-2p) made Restaurant Hospitality’s list for “The 10 Best Cocktails at Independent Restaurants Across America”. A big congratulations to Graham Schamberg, MALA Bartender & Mixologist, for crafting this award wining cocktail for Maui’s best brunch.

At MALA, we pride ourselves on sourcing the freshest possible products and supporting other local small businesses along the way. We are lucky to have local farms and local fisherman helping us bring you quality cuisine on Maui. Along with several notable Maui Restaurants (one being our sister restaurant Down The Hatch), Mala Ocean Tavern was listed on RestaurantClicks.com’s “Ultimate Guide to Maui’s Seafood Restaurants”. Mahalos to all those working hard to bring fresh seafood to Maui’s restaurants, we could not do it without you. Fresh seafood is served daily during Brunch (Breakfast + Lunch), Happy Hour, Dinner, and during our Friday and Saturday Late Night Raw Fish & Wagyu Menu by Chef Savella.

A few year’s ago MALA brought Brunch to the Westside of Maui seven days a week and there was no looking back. MALA is the perfect spot, situated right next to a turtle conservation area on Lahaina’s shores for a sunny, ocean breeze, brunch. Serving MALA Brunch daily 9a-2p, and featuring the culinary creations by our Executive Chef Alvin Savella (you might know him at The Kitchen Assassin), it is wonderful to see Mala Ocean Tavern making it onto RestaurantClicks.com’s list for “Maui’s Brunch Guide: Where to Go This Weekend”… or in our case, any day of the week!

We hope that you join us for Brunch, Happy Hour, Dinner or Late Night. Reservations are encouraged, but we welcome walk-ins and hope you try to stop by when you are in Lahaina. Reservations can be made online or by calling MALA at (808) 667-9394.