Best Gluten Free Casual Dining on Maui - HOP to it

(UPDATED JUNE, 2019)

Being gluten free on Maui does not need to be a burden. Over the last five years, we've seen an influx of gluten-free options entering our restaurants. While the fine dining options are plentiful, there are also many casual restaurants and markets that cater to gluten-free diets. Here are our choices, listed alphabetically, for the best gluten free casual shops on Maui.

Choice Health Bar (Lahaina)
Fully vegan and organic, Choice Health Bar serves light breakfast and lunch, as well as smoothies, juices and snacks. Nearly everything on the menu is gluten free. They even have gluten-free granola for their popular acai bowls. (Choice Health Bar)

Down to Earth (Kahului)
Open on Maui since 1997, Down to Earth is a bit like a local version of Whole Foods, offering a wide selection of natural and organic foods and groceries. Located less than 10 minutes from the airport, it features a fantastic hot food and cold salad bar, as well as made-to-order sandwiches, smoothies and juices. It's a great place to pick up gluten-free snacks for the long plane ride home... or the drive out to Lahaina, which can sometimes feel longer than a flight to Seattle. (Down to Earth)

Kamana Kitchen (Kihei)
With two popular Big Island restaurants, Kamana Kitchen opened on Maui in 2017 and dishes out, if not the best, one of the best Indian meals on Maui. Unfortunately, they no longer offer the lunch buffet, but lunch prices are generally under $10 a plate and are an excellent value. The delicious naan isn't GF, but most of the other food options are. We can eat the rice pudding dessert for days. (Kamana Kitchen)

Moku Roots (Lahaina)
Open for just over a year, Moku Roots has changed the game for vegan/vegetarian/gluten free dining in West Maui. Located in the Lahaina Gateway Center (across street from the Cannery Mall), Moku Roots creates farm-to-table meals and sandwiches that leave us coming back for more. It's a large menu, but if you want to start with a local favorite, try the jack fruit taco. Like all their foods, it uses only locally sourced fruit and veggies. (Moku Roots)

Pi Artisan Pizzeria (Kihei)
Located at the outlet mall in Lahaina, just off of Front Street, if you're looking for delicious gluten-free pizza, Pi is your place. The friendly staff staff will serve you a fresh pizza using their house-made mozzarella, sausage and sauces. Oh, and Pi is located across the street from the ocean with an amazing view! (Pi Artisan Pizzeria)

By the way, did you know that you can now save $10/person on our Maui Princess Dinner Cruise or a Snorkel Adventure to the island of Lanai? Well you can! Just use the promo code VIP20 after clicking on this link: Hawaii Ocean Project Adventures.

Best Places for Food Near the Maui Airport - HOP to it

(UPDATED JUNE, 2019)

Whether you're just arriving on Maui or if you're headed off the island to destinations near or far, some of the best food on Maui is available near the airport. For this article, we tried to choose places with foods that can be enjoyed on the plane, but we didn't fully succeed. Still, we think this list provides something for every type of eater.

Tin Roof
If you're a fan of Top Chef, you're probably familiar with 2010 and 2014 Finalist and Fan Favorite (both years!), chef Sheldon Simeon. Well, Tin Roof is his little lunch joint located less than five minutes from the airport. Serving up local food with his signature twists, this is easily one of our favorite places to eat on Maui. We recommend you visit their website and pre-order your food because the lines can be pretty long around noon. Nearly everything on the menu is served carry-out making it perfect for the airport and is priced under $10. As an added bonus, Chef Sheldon is there nearly every day. Tell him we say hello! (Tin Roof)
Maui Specialty Chocolates-- While at Tin Roof you can order up a nice plate of food, Maui Specialty Chocolates is all about dessert. If you've never tried peanut butter mochi, this is the place to do it. These hearty, sweet little balls of goodness are perfect for the plane. We know, pounded rice filled with peanut butter does not sound appetizing. But trust us, they are amazing. Their chocolates, which are all homemade, are also a nice treat to enjoy on the plane or to deliver to friends back home. (Maui Specialty Chocolates)
Ba-Le-- Ba-Le is a local chain featuring fresh, takeout Vietnamese food. If you're just arriving, a nice, fragrant bowl of pho will help you make the transition from the airplane to Maui and quench your hunger, without making you feel overly full. Headed off the island, we don't recommend attempting to take pho through security, but the banh mi sandwiches are fantastic and are easy to pack. As an added bonus, they won't really stink up the plane. (Ba-Le)
Da Kitchen-- OK, we're kind of cheating here. While you can order takeout, Da Kitchen is best eaten sitting in the restaurant. So maybe it's not great to take to the airport, but if you give yourself an extra hour before your flight, you'll be flying away with a nice, full belly. As it's less than five minutes from the airport, it's an ideal place to immediately eat local food when you arrive on Maui. The chicken katsu is some of the best on the island. Or, if you're seriously hungry after a long flight, you can splurge on the Hawaiian Plate, which includes pork lau lau, kalua pork, chicken long rice and lomi salmon.
Poke!-- OK, this isn't one location, rather it's a few places near the airport where you can pick up a pound of poke for the skies. Our recommendations for poke, all located within 10 minutes of the airport, include the Like Poke? food truck, Foodland, Poi by the Pound and Tamura's.

Located near Costco, there's also a food truck round-up that depending on the day, you may find poke, garlic shrimp, Thai food, tacos, barbecue, local foods and more.