Take an all-star group of Maui restaurant professionals—young, energetic, and innovative. Add a young chef who is one of Hawaii’s rising stars. Put them in one of the island’s best locations—Kapalua’s Pineapple Hill overlooking the golf greens, the groves of Norfolk pines, and the shimmering blue of West Maui’s sea channel. Combine two intentions—a menu to delight the senses of the most jaded gourmand, and an easy-going atmosphere where everyone can feel at home. The result? Pineapple Grill at Kapalua Resort, a new generation in the tradition of great Maui dining experiences.

“We’re creating a fun atmosphere without sacrificing a sense of elegance,” says Pineapple Grill’s Managing Partner Chris Kaiwi. “We want a ‘locals’ favorite’ place, relaxed but upscale. You’ll want to dress up, but you won’t have to pay over-the-top prices.” Kaiwi and his management team have years of experience in the Maui dining world. Kaiwi himself hails from Kailua, O‘ahu, and he learned the business by working for many years with the Chart House Restaurant and the TS Restaurant chains both in Hawai‘i and in California.

The Pineapple Grill team has designed a sense of theater, of excitement, into the wholly renovated restaurant. Guests enter past the huge bar, a black-marble island with plenty of stools for bar-top dining. On the right is the exhibition kitchen, sizzling with action and savory with aromas. The dining area, floored with antique teak and ornamented with original murals by Maui artist Fred Lorenzo, is completely air-conditioned and captures breathtaking views at every turn. (What a place for watching West Maui’s top golf tournaments—on plasma TVs in AC comfort under slowly turning fans next to a panoramic view of Kapalua’s verdant greens!)

Noted San Diego interior designer JLorene Gage contributed the ingenious layout plan, which subdivides the split-level dining room into numerous themed mini-rooms. For example, the Honu Room, with its sea turtle motif, offers cozy small-table dining. The Aloha Room features a huge teak-inlaid koa table capable of seating a single group of 14 guests, ideal for family gatherings or small wine parties. Venues both indoors and out are perfect for private parties and cocktail receptions. The large lanai, capable of seating 80 - 100 guests, features sensational views over the golf greens, the glittering sea, and West Maui’s inspiring sunsets. The design plan creates choice and diversity.

At the heart of this dining environment, a glass-walled, temperature-controlled wine room proclaims its bounty of carefully selected wines by the bottle. Kaiwi and staff have assembled a truly global wines-by-the-glass selection. The wines-by-the-glass program is dispensed by a state-of-the-art 24-spigot wine cruvinet system. Their selections reflect two great priorities of the house. The first is range of price, to ensure that this particular fine-dining experience will be as affordable as the house can possibly make it. The second is food-friendliness, to ensure that the wines complement the dishes coming from the kitchen. After all, it’s the menu and the unique creativity of Chef Ryan Luckey that Pineapple Grill is really all about.

Every item on the menu contains a surprise, an innovation, and a new taste experience. Nearly every ingredient Chef Ryan works with comes fresh from a high-quality locally raised source. For beef, the chef goes to the all-natural, Maui-raised meat of Maui Cattle Company. His produce is all locally grown, including greens and poha berries (goat cheese, too) from Kula, pohole ferns from Hana, and exotic mushrooms from the Big Island.

“What I’m most excited about is sharing the wonderful flavors, produce and other ingredients that are grown here on Maui and throughout Hawai`i,” says Luckey.   “For residents and visitors alike, Pacific Island Cuisine created with only the best and most flavorful ingredients, always makes for a memorable meal.”

The driving force behind Pineapple Grill is David and Lesley Cohn, the San Diego entrepreneurs who created the Cohn Restaurant Group. This collection of nearly a dozen eclectic fine-dining houses has earned numerous awards not only for its superb cuisine but also for its efforts in community service and industry enhancement.

By combining the Cohn’s business genius and Chris Kaiwi’s intimate knowledge of the Maui restaurant world, the Pineapple Grill partnership has assembled the best combination of local island talent. And it has fired them up with the ambition to create the next generation in a tradition of outstanding Maui dining establishments.

The Pineapple Grill at Kapalua Resort, casual but elegant, is introducing the next generation in Maui-style Pacific Island cuisine. Overlooking the golf greens of The Bay Course and conveniently close to the resort’s tennis club, the Pineapple Grill is now open daily for lunch, and dinner.

For reservations, call (808) 669–9600

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