Balai Pata - Kahului, Hawaii

Jennifer Chan

Incredible food! Absolutely would recommend. We love exploring Filipino restaurants everywhere we visit and this was definitely one of the best we have found. The service was excellent and the food was delicious. Each dish was very fresh and had wonderful presentation. We would love to be back

We would highly recommend the Garlic Malungay, crispy Pata, and halo halo. All of the portions were great for sharing! Definitely check out this gem if you are in Maui

Kayli Rhoads

We had the best time tonight! All of our food came out piping hot and fresh. We loved the garlic green noodles, ribeye, Brussels sprouts and clams! I think we will be talking about the meal in years to come. We loved learning about chef Joey and how he has supported the island in the wake of the Lahaina fires. Also special shout out to our waiter who was so kind and welcoming. Our group of 7 was well fed and appreciated the high value of food with really affordable prices. Cant wait to return one day!

Abhishek Ravikiran

We stopped by Maui just for this.
The best crispy pata I’ve ever had!
Would recommend anyone flying in to try it out!
And Lance out here is an MVP of a kind for sure, really made us feel at home and well taken care of!

Kahli Grantz

Wow! The food at Balai Pata is spectacular! We also felt like it was a really cool designed restaurant with great vibes. Loved the garlicky malungay noodles. Lumpia was delicious. The bao buns were so soft and flavorful, the pork belly was incredibly tender. Someone in our party had the ramen and said it was very good. We also had a couple of specials — if the whole fried fish is available, definitely get it! We were blown away with the food here.

Jhonelyn Arcangel

1st time into this establishment, and we enjoyed the food. I ordered their small plate, Crispy pork (lechon) laing. Side order of garlic (bawang) rice. If you enjoy squid luau, their crispy pork laing is a must try. Their Crispy duck pata is also delicious. Save your tummy's for their delicious halo halo.

Of course, now we are frequent guests to this location. Food, atmosphere, and service outstanding.

Great atmosphere!

Although this is the only Filipino dine-in restaurant in Central Maui, management needs to train their staff to better maintain their customer services.

Ry Sedrick

Balai Pata presents itself as a Filipino-Spanish fusion restaurant, a concept that is reflected in its vibrant decor. The interior features bold red accents, a mural of a bull, and Filipino touches like a “walis tingting,” creating a unique, if slightly disjointed, ambiance.

The food presentation, however, raises concerns. Rice is served in small, shallow wooden plates with peeling varnish—an odd and possibly unsafe choice. It’s accompanied by Chinese soup spoons, which felt out of place, especially since the soup itself wasn’t served with them.

As for the food, the pinakbet was decent but lacked the punch of shrimp paste, though the pork was tender. The fish soup was fine overall, with a fresh fish head, but the eggplant was unpleasantly chewy. The real standout, as expected, was the crispy pata, which was cooked to perfection and rightly the star of the menu.

Regarding the name, the font design could use improvement. The “i” is easily mistaken for a decorative element, leading unfamiliar diners to misread the name as “Balapata.”

Overall, the food was good and stayed true to Filipino flavors, especially those from the northern regions. However, Filipino cuisine is already an eclectic fusion of Spanish and Chinese influences by nature. For a restaurant claiming to be a Filipino-Spanish fusion, it would have been exciting to see more distinctly Spanish dishes that aren’t traditionally associated with Filipino cuisine. While it offers a solid Filipino dining experience, it misses the mark in delivering the “fusion” aspect it promises.

Ning Yip

They say stop by Maui for the poke, lau lau etc but never say Balai Pata’s Crispy Pata. We chanced upon this gem on our last stopover and thank the heavens we decided to travel out of the airport for this meal. Our waiter, Lance, was amazing, super friendly. The green garlic malungay noodles and pork adobo rice took me straight back to the days when I was a kid. Crispy pork - best I’ve ever had. Meat fell off the bone, skin was super crispy. Cherry on top was the Halo Halo - they did NOT skimp on the toppings: fresh coconut, sweet potato, jellies, sago, ube ice cream you name it! Definitely coming back again!!!

Sophia Atanasoff

This place is so good!! We were looking for a Filipino place to eat at for our last day on Maui and couldn’t have found a better place! The pork adobo fried rice was fantastic, and the pancit was really good. Our service was also great, with a friendly and attentive server. I would reccomend this place to anyone! The halo halo was also AMAZING. My only recommendation is they add the sweet beans but that’s a personal thing! This place is so awesome and anyone should come check it out. Thank you all for the wonderful food and service!