Food Review: The Grand Luau

Grand Wailea Resort

Our family recently visited from the mainland and treated us to a night at the Grand Wailea Luau. I hadn’t been to this luau in years and was blown away at how much better it’s gotten. This Maui luau delivers an elevated experience – especially when it comes to the food and service.

But before I start raving about the dining, I want to share some praise about the overall experience.

The Grounds

The Grand Wailea Luau is held on the resort’s oceanfront lawn. It’s a stunning venue overlooking Wailea Beach and a great place to be at sunset.

Pre-Show

Each guest is given a lei and a welcome drink when they arrive at the luau. It’s an excellent way to start the evening. You can also partake in fun activities (like Hawaiian bowling), shop local vendors, and watch the Imu unveiling ceremony before the performances kick-off.

The Show

The performances are great! They showcase dances from around the Pacific, not just Hawaii. The show also has some really unique elements, like a silk dancer suspended in a palm tree.

The Grand Wailea Luau also features fire dancers. This luau takes things to the next level and has some of their dancers spin fire on top of a roof/wall. It’s definitely one of the most impressive aspects of the show.

And Finally, The Dining

Luau dining has changed a lot since the pandemic. In this case, I think it’s a great thing.

The Grand Wailea Luau shifted to become a more intimate experience. They scaled down their guest count, and instead of communal dining, each party gets a private table. (This is reflected in the ticket price, which has noticeably increased. But I think it’s a trade-off for a more elevated experience.)

The luau offers table service instead of a buffet, so each party gets personalized attention. I really enjoyed having a server rather than waiting in line at the buffet. Dishes are served in courses, family style, and the food was plentiful. We definitely didn’t leave hungry.

The server explained each dish to us and answered any food-related questions we had, which was a benefit to some of my family members who weren’t as familiar with local dishes.

The first course was a round of appetizers – mostly traditional Hawaiian dishes with some contemporary fare thrown in. We gorged on poke, ‘ulu (breadfruit) mac salad, pipikaula (dried beef), taro rolls, poi, and salad. It was hard to save room for the next course of entrees.

The entrees included lots of protein options, like steak, chicken, kalua pork, and mahi mahi. There was also chow fun, Molokai sweet potatoes, and rice (it wouldn’t be a Hawaiian feast without rice, after all!).

My favorites were the mahi mahi and chow fun. I’m a big lover of noodles, so naturally, the chow fun was a favorite. The mahi mahi was served in a delicious curry sauce with mixed veggies. Was it a Hawaiian (or “local”) dish? No. Was it delicious? Absolutely.

There were six of us, and we couldn’t finish everything on the table. There was so much food. And we still had one more course to go. I don’t know how we did it, but we dove right in when dessert arrived.

Dessert was nothing short of divine. We tried it all: haupia, sweet potato pie, gooey fudge brownies, pineapple upside-down cake, coconut macaroons, and tangy pineapple.

We all left absolutely stuffed – even the vegetarian in our group. We weren’t sure if they would be able to indulge as much as the rest of us, but they had plenty of delicious options.

As far as luau food goes, I think the Grand Wailea does a great job. When I was growing up, luau food was notorious for being sub-par. That is certainly not the case at the Grand Wailea Luau. This luau has stepped up its dining game, and now the experience is just as much about the food as it is about the show. While it is pricey, I would return for a special occasion.

Grand Wailea Luau
Grand Wailea Resort
3850 Wailea Alanui Drive
Wailea, HI 96753

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