Down the Hatch is the highest ranked Hawaiian restaurant on the Top 100 US Restaurants list.
All of the items I purchased were worth the price.
I'll probably go for drinks next time because the food line can get long and the dishes are heavy.
Down the Hatch is a seafood restaurant in my hometown of Lahaina, Maui.
I decided to go to Down the Hatch in Lahaina after hearing so much positive feedback.
It was ranked 28th on the Top 100 US Restaurants list. Down the Hatch is the top ranked restaurant in Hawaii.
The best Maui restaurants were voted on by residents and visitors at the Aipono Awards.
Down the Hatch won three awards: best restaurant poke, best bar and best late-night dining. It received an honorable mention for best handcrafted cocktails.
The establishment has been featured on a Food Network show. What is it like to eat there?
I arrived early and enjoyed a meal during happy hour.
I pass by Down the Hatch frequently because it is located down the street from my house. It doesn't accept reservations and the line to order food is long.
I usually eat at the bar because of that.
With a potential wait in mind, I opted for an early dinner and arrived during the restaurant's happy hour, which runs daily from 2p.m. to 5p.m.
During happy hour, I was able to take advantage of discounted food and drinks, such as 15% off select appetizers, $6 draft beers, $6 well cocktails, and $7 Hawaiian cocktails.
There was only one party in front of me when I ordered my food.
At the counter, guests take a number and seat themselves.
Guests at the front of the line order their food and drinks at the counter. A staff member gives them a number and tells them to sit in the open-air dining area.
They might need to be seated by an employee if there is more foot traffic.
Diners can order drinks from the bar if they want them. Extra plates, utensils, napkins, and condiments can be found at the self-service station.
I took advantage of the discounted food and drinks because I was there.
I ordered a Mai tai, which was made with passion- orange-guava juice. The price was $7.
Down the Hatch won the Aipono Award for best restaurant poke, so I wanted to try the special of the month, an $18 ahi poke.
The grilled cheese that was featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" was for $24.49.
Tax and tip made up the rest of my total.
There are water features, fish, and plants in the interior.
The restaurant has a pond that runs through it. I remember visiting it when I was a kid and feeding the fish.
The tiger-shark sculpture hangs above the bar. The artist used recycled materials to make the work. The shark is lit by a light.
There is a waterfall on the rock wall that is wrapped around the bar, but the leaves are missing. Maybe they were going to replace it with new foliage.
Plants were scattered around the dining room.
Within 5 minutes of leaving the counter, my order was on the table.
The mai tai I ordered arrived a couple of minutes later. Before I could take my first sip of the cocktail, I received food from a server.
I had my entire order in front of me five minutes later after I checked my receipt.
I wanted the ahi poke and grilled cheese to be my main courses, but I didn't mind that they came at the same time.
Both the ahi poke and the mai tai were well-matched.
The cashier was serious when they said it was strong. The POG made it a fruit-forward refreshment.
The ahi poke tasted fresh as the restaurant's fish comes from the Lahaina Harbor.
The special had influences from both Asian and Pacific Islanders. The ingredients were put on a bed of garlic rice.
The quintessential Hawaiian-style fare and drink complement each other nicely.
The grilled cheese is made with lobster and crab.
The sandwich is filled with lobster, lump crab, cheese, tomatoes, cabbage, creamy butter sauce, and the restaurant's signature spicy lava-lava sauce.
It was accompanied by a side of shoestring fries.
I expected the lobster and crab to be the main focus of the sandwich, but the bread's sweet taste and the sauce's spicy kick dominated my first bite. The seafood gave a different taste.
I decided to only order it if I was looking for comfort food as it was a bit heavy. I took a lot of my meal home.
The shave ice was spiked with alcohol.
Breakwall Shave Ice Co., which is under the same ownership as Down the Hatch, has a dessert menu.
Adult shave ice spiked with alcohol is available for those over the age of 21. This is the only place in Hawaii that serves something like this.
The server said the strawberry-guava daiquiri and pia colada were the last of the popular flavors and were featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."
I liked the pia colada more. The bottom had haupia, also known as coconut pudding, and the top had coconut shavings and a snow cap.
I enjoyed watching them make it in front of me.
I got a 15% discount when I ordered food from Down the Hatch. I got a total of $10.74 for a small spiked shave ice.
If I go back during happy hour, I could get a bigger discount.
Live music can be found at Down the Hatch.
Down the Hatch has live music every day during breakfast and happy hour.
On the day I ate, a contestant on the show sang to guests.
I spent 64 dollars on three courses and a cocktail, but I'll probably just go back for drinks next time.
My total was $63.88, including tax and tip, because of the happy-hour deals and my kamaina discount.
This price point is standard for Maui, and I knew I was paying for a lot of things.
I was able to stretch my order into two more meals because of the large portion. The ahi poke was a late night snack and I saved it for the next day.
Down the Hatch is a popular watering hole for locals and I will definitely return there.
I haven't tried the breakfast menu. It's calling my name with $12 carafes of bloody marys and dishes like ahi Benedict and mango bread-pudding French toast.
It is difficult to say if Down the Hatch is the best restaurant in Hawaii.
If you're willing to wait in line, Down the Hatch will definitely deliver, as long as you're willing to pay a reasonable price.
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