Any Affordable Buffets on Maui? (Lahaina, Kaanapali: how much, hotel, home)

[joenorwood77]

In Minnesota we have buffets everywhere and many of them are actually pretty affordable. There we have Chinese lunch buffets for under $10. For days when I am super busy and have time for one big meal, is there a buffet that people suggest that is $15 or less? Is that possible on Maui? In Minnesota they also have this soup place called Eddingtons where you can choose from a variety of 10 different homemade soups every day until you are full and breadsticks are included for about $7. Any buffets or unlimited meals here like those here that are not so expensive? I prefer the Lahaina side. If these are not available then I may need to focus more on finding amazing happy hour deals for food and go that route instead...

[Futuremauian]

Originally Posted by joenorwood77

In Minnesota we have buffets everywhere and many of them are actually pretty affordable. There we have Chinese lunch buffets for under $10. For days when I am super busy and have time for one big meal, is there a buffet that people suggest that is $15 or less? Is that possible on Maui? In Minnesota they also have this soup place called Eddingtons where you can choose from a variety of 10 different homemade soups every day until you are full and breadsticks are included for about $7. Any buffets or unlimited meals here like those here that are not so expensive? I prefer the Lahaina side. If these are not available then I may need to focus more on finding amazing happy hour deals for food and go that route instead...

We just got home from Maui a few hours ago. I never had a single meal there or on Kauai, that I would consider a bargain. Not from shrimp trucks, plate lunch places, happy hours, etc. Some really good meals, though. Sensei Sushi in Kapalua gives you 25% off if you come in early. (Excellent, but still expensive.) Their butterfish is one of the best things I've ever tasted!
Costco rotisserie chickens are the same price as in Ca. Same with many of their food court items. (Okay, those are bargains!) They also have fresh poke' and sushi at reasonable rates.
I did notice one buffet in Kahana offering "all you can eat" crab for $35 pp. Gotta be a big eater to make that "affordable"!
Good luck, and let us know if you find a deal. I will probably be back around Christmas.

[joenorwood77]

Bubba Gump had some great happy hour deals for things like hushpuppies $4.95 and plate full of fish tacos for $4.95. So far that is the best affordable deal I have found. I am sure the deals are out there and as I stay here longer I will continue to discover them.

[Futuremauian]

Originally Posted by joenorwood77

Bubba Gump had some great happy hour deals for things like hushpuppies $4.95 and plate full of fish tacos for $4.95. So far that is the best affordable deal I have found. I am sure the deals are out there and as I stay here longer I will continue to discover them.

Safeway at the Cannery Mall has really tasty breakfast sandwiches, made to order, for $2.99. Fountain drinks, any size, are $1.00. We had breakfast there while shopping a couple of times.
If you get the urge for a pastrami or reuben sandwich, give Leoda's a try. Not cheap, but great! Aloha Mixed Plate has a nice atmosphere, and offers happy hour deals.
In the past, Kimo's on Front Street has offered good happy hour meal deals and the atmosphere is perfect for sunsets. It might also be a good place to make some new friends. We didn't eat there this trip, after having already dined at two of it's sister restaurants on Kauai. (Duke's & Keoki's Paradise.) All are highly recommended!
Regarding your original question, the only reasonable buffets I can recall in Hawaii were all on Oahu.

[davephan]

I tend to not eat out very much, especially buffets. If I eat out a lot, I gain weight, which is a very bad thing. Eating out in Minnesota really adds up to a lot of money if you do it a lot. Although, it sounds like it is much cheaper than Maui.

You can eat very inexpensively if you eat a lot of rice. Go to an asian food store and buy a 25 or 50 pound bag of rice. If it is only for 1 person, a 25 pound bag is enough. If you don't have an electric rice cooker, buy a rice cooker too. However, do not buy the rice cooker at the asian food stores, they are extremely expensive there. Instead, buy a medium sized electric rice cooker from Target, if have a store there or order on-line. The rice cooker at Target will cost about $25 and will last for about 15 years. Do not get a rice cooker with a hinge on the top, instead get the 3 piece design. The hinge top rice cookers are impossible to clean! I asked people, including my relatives, who own a hinge top rice cooker how often they clean it. The answer is always, never. That's pretty gross!

After a little experimentation, you will know how much rice and water to put in the rice cooker. Just turn it on, and it automatically goes to warming mode when it is done. A batch of rice lasts me about a week. I just re-heat small amounts in the microwave throughout the week. Several years ago I switched to Minnesota wild rice grown near the Mississippi headwaters. The Minnesota wild rice tastes much better than California wild rice, but may not be as good as Canadian wild rice, which is much more expensive. Wild rice can also be cooked in a rice cooker, but takes about 3 to 4 times the water and at least twice the time. Once you cook rice with an electric rice cooker, you will never cook rice on a stove top again.

You can supplement the rice with produce from the local farmer's markets. Produce is very expensive in Minnesota and much cheaper in California. It may also be cheaper in Hawaii at the farmer's markets.

You can then save a lot of money, eat better, avoid gaining a lot of weight along with all the other problems that go along with being overweight, and only go out to eat on those very rare special occasions.

[MitchTempo]

Originally Posted by joenorwood77

In Minnesota we have buffets everywhere and many of them are actually pretty affordable. There we have Chinese lunch buffets for under $10. For days when I am super busy and have time for one big meal, is there a buffet that people suggest that is $15 or less? Is that possible on Maui? In Minnesota they also have this soup place called Eddingtons where you can choose from a variety of 10 different homemade soups every day until you are full and breadsticks are included for about $7. Any buffets or unlimited meals here like those here that are not so expensive? I prefer the Lahaina side. If these are not available then I may need to focus more on finding amazing happy hour deals for food and go that route instead...

Kalihi Restaurant in Waikapu has lunch buffets for 12.95 i believe. Wed/Thur/Fri. 11-2pm.
http://www.kahilirestaurant.com/pdf-...ffet-Flyer.pdf

I heard Kaanapali Beach hotel has one for lunch around $14 at I believe its called Kaanapali Mixed Plate. I don't know if its still there, or of how good/bad it is.

Closest I get to a buffet is a plate lunch from an okazuya type thing like L&L, aloha mixed plate, or if your in Honokowai, Honokowai Okazuya.

[TwoByFour]

Buy a loaf of bread ($5), a jar of peanut butter ($4) and a jar of jam ($4). You can eat all the PBJ's you want for $13. You will get about six or seven sandwiches. Enjoy.

A little more healthy - buy a quart of yogurt ($4), 2-3 pounds of apple bananas ($1 total), a quart of Kula strawberries ($5), a quart of milk ($3) and make fruit smoothies. You will get about six 16 oz. smoothies for about $13.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by joenorwood77

Any buffets or unlimited meals here like those here that are not so expensive? I prefer the Lahaina side. If these are not available then I may need to focus more on finding amazing happy hour deals for food and go that route instead...

I've lived all over the country, and found that buffets tend to be a regional thing... much more popular in some places than in others. In NYC they're very popular for quick grab and go meals, but priced by the pound. Las Vegas, they're part of the draw to certain casinos. Texans love their fixed price, all-you-can-eat buffets. My stock joke about them was that the food wasn't very good, but you sure got a lot of it.

In Hawai'i? Not so much. I think there are enough really BIG eaters in Hawai'i that it's tough to run an all-you-can-eat at a profit.

[MauiPartTimer]

Originally Posted by OpenD

I've lived all over the country, and found that buffets tend to be a regional thing... much more popular in some places than in others. In NYC they're very popular for quick grab and go meals, but priced by the pound. Las Vegas, they're part of the draw to certain casinos. Texans love their fixed price, all-you-can-eat buffets. My stock joke about them was that the food wasn't very good, but you sure got a lot of it.

In Hawai'i? Not so much. I think there are enough really BIG eaters in Hawai'i that it's tough to run an all-you-can-eat at a profit.

I agree. Seems to be a very regional "heartland of America" thing. Other than some Chinese places, you don't see the "Home Town Buffet" type places in the areas within spitting distance of the Pacific Ocean.

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by MauiPartTimer

I agree. Seems to be a very regional "heartland of America" thing. Other than some Chinese places, you don't see the "Home Town Buffet" type places in the areas within spitting distance of the Pacific Ocean.

Apparently, someone hasn't spent much time in Southern California. The Hometown Buffets in Torrance, Oceanside, Westchester (L.A. neighborhood near LAX), Oxnard, Clairemont (San Diego), and Chula Vista are all less than ten minutes from the Pacific Ocean.
Local HomeTown Buffet Locations and Hours

As for "affordable, all-you-can-eat buffets" on Maui, I haven't seen any yet that manage to stay in business longer than a few months.