"Andaz Maui's open-kitchen Hawaiian room — Cariaga's Kona kampachi poke and a $195 tasting. Book it to close a deal."
Take the lift to the dining level at Andaz Maui at Wailea and Ka'ana Kitchen opens around its centre island, where the cooks plate within arm's reach of the tables. Executive chef Ritchard Cariaga and chef de cuisine Chance Savell build a market menu off Maui farms and Hawaiian waters: the Kona kampachi poke with local beets and Hawaiian chili pepper is the plate to start with, and the tasting runs $195 a head. It has cooked this way since the resort opened in 2013.
The kitchen is the room. Ka'ana means “to share,” and the menu is built to pass across the table: small and large plates rather than courses, ordered in waves. Executive chef Ritchard Cariaga and chef de cuisine Chance Savell source from Maui growers and the day boats, so the card moves with what lands. The Kona kampachi poke with local beets and Hawaiian chili pepper is the anchor, alongside seared kampachi, kalua-style pork, and a coconut sundae that has stayed on the menu by demand.
This is Hawaiian regional cooking with Asian technique rather than a luau plate. The tasting menu is $195 per person, with wine pairings at $125 and $250; ordering a la carte off the shared plates is the looser, cheaper way in. The room sits on the dining level of Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, 3550 Wailea Alanui Drive, and has run since the hotel opened in 2013. Breakfast here, an open-air spread, is its own draw and arguably the best reason to stay on property.
The space is open-air, looking west over the resort toward the water, and the centre kitchen sets the soundtrack: a steady working hum rather than a roar, easy enough to talk a deal across. Lighting drops warm at sunset, which is the slot to book. Tables are generously spaced, dress is resort-smart with no jacket rule, and the room seats roughly a hundred between the interior and the lanai. Aim for a table on the rail at golden hour.
Book Ka'ana Kitchen to close a deal because the shared-plate format keeps the table talking, the open kitchen gives you something to point at when the conversation needs a breather, and the sunset over Wailea does the soft-power work for you. Order a la carte so nobody is locked into a three-hour tasting, anchor it with the Kona kampachi poke, and request a rail table at golden hour. For more rooms that suit the work dinner, see our best restaurants to close a deal, or the wider Maui dining guide.
Not for a quick bite or a tight budget: this is resort dining at resort prices, built for a long shared meal, not a fast plate before the beach.
Yes, for the setting and the sourcing. Chef Ritchard Cariaga's open-island kitchen at Andaz Maui plates a genuinely local market menu, with the Kona kampachi poke and the breakfast spread the standouts. The $195 tasting is steep, so the value play is to order a la carte off the shared plates. Come for sunset and a long table, not a fast dinner. See more in our Maui dining guide.
Not hard, but plan for dinner in season. Ka'ana Kitchen takes reservations through OpenTable and the Andaz front desk on +1 808-573-1234, and the sunset slots and the open-air breakfast fill first during winter and summer peaks. Aim a week or two out for a dinner table on the rail at golden hour; midweek and shoulder season are walk-up easy. Specify a lanai table when you book.
Resort-smart, no jacket required. This is the signature restaurant of a luxury Maui resort, so think collared shirts, sundresses and sandals rather than swimwear straight off the beach. There is no formal dress code at dinner, but the room and the price point reward a step up from poolside. Daytime is relaxed; dinner is a touch more polished.
Plan on roughly $120 to $200 a head at dinner before drinks. The chef's tasting menu is $195 per person, with wine pairings at $125 and $250; ordering a la carte from the shared plates brings the spend down and is the smarter route for a group. Breakfast is a separate open-air offering. Factor Maui resort pricing and a service charge into the bill.
Start with the Kona kampachi poke with local beets and Hawaiian chili pepper, the dish the kitchen is known for, then build a spread of shared plates rather than committing to the full tasting. The seared kampachi and the kalua-style pork are reliable, and the coconut sundae closes it well. Sit at the rail for sunset and let the kitchen pace the table.
Book through OpenTable or the Andaz Maui front desk. Request a lanai rail table at sunset.
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Ka'ana Kitchen sits in our seafood guide as Wailea's open-island room for Hawaiian fish under chef Ritchard Cariaga.
Read the seafood guide →