Overview
Olivine is the Grand Wailea’s oceanfront, open-air restaurant in Wailea on Maui. The current concept is an upscale coastal-Italian dining room with a strong resort setting, aimed at both lunch and dinner guests who want scenery as much as a meal. The restaurant is operational and the Google Places record lines up with the resort address and phone number provided in your baseline data. (grandwailea.com)
For travelers, Olivine matters less as a neighborhood stand-alone and more as part of a resort experience: it is the kind of place people choose for sunset views, a nicer hotel dinner, or a lunch stop during a Grand Wailea stay. The strongest draw is the setting; the food is positioned as a Maui-meets-Italy menu rather than a generic hotel menu. (travelweekly.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
Olivine’s lane is coastal Italian with Hawaiian ingredients layered in. The official menu and resort materials emphasize handmade pastas, wood-oven pizzas, seafood, and a mix of local produce and island-sourced seafood; this is not a pure Italian restaurant, but rather a resort interpretation that uses Maui ingredients to give familiar dishes a local identity. (grandwailea.com)
- Overall menu style: Lunch leans lighter and more casual; dinner shifts to seafood-forward plates, pastas, and richer mains. The menu includes starters, salads, wood-oven pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, mains, desserts, cocktails, wine, beer, and zero-proof drinks. (grandwailea.com)
- Notable dishes/specialties supported by the menu and coverage: fresh ʻahi salad, linguine alla vongole, salt-baked fresh catch of the day served family style, burrata-stuffed local squash blossom, Kula squash blossom pizza, Kona lobster pizza, Wagyu bolognese, crispy squash blossoms, ʻahi tuna tartare, Hawaiian hamachi, cacio e pepe / handmade pasta dishes, and the ʻahi burger. (grandwailea.com)
- Drinks and dessert: The beverage list includes cocktails like Mango di Capri, Hibiscus Spritz, and several zero-proof options; desserts include Kona coffee tiramisu, calamansi panna cotta, olive oil cake, and affogato. The wine list is broad and leans upscale. (grandwailea.com)
- Price expectation: This is a resort-priced restaurant. OpenTable’s traveler-facing summary places it in the $31–$50 range, but many guest reviews describe the real-world spend as high for the portion size or service level, especially at dinner. (opentable.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limitations: There are meaningful vegetarian and gluten-free options, and the menu clearly marks some dishes. That said, this is not a dedicated dietary-specialist kitchen; it is best for diners who can work comfortably within an upscale resort menu. (grandwailea.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
Olivine is designed as an al fresco, oceanfront resort restaurant with views over the pool area, gardens, and ocean. It was created in the oceanfront space that formerly housed Bistro Molokini, and the setting is a major part of the experience rather than just a backdrop. (mauinow.com)
- Service model and seating style: Open-air, resort-style seating with patio/outdoor dining; OpenTable notes valet parking, patio dining, a full bar, and wheelchair access. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are encouraged by the resort and repeated by booking platforms. (mauinow.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: The tone is casual-elegant by day and more atmospheric at night. Coverage describes a shift from a brighter lunch feel to a more sultry dinner mood, with ocean and sunset views doing a lot of the work. (mauinow.com)
- Amenities / practical features: Full beverage program, zero-proof cocktails, large shared plates, and a setting that is especially strong around sunset. The menu also suggests family-style elements for some dishes, which can help groups sharing a table. (grandwailea.com)
- Best fit: A scenic lunch, a sunset dinner, date night, or a resort stay meal where the setting is part of the reason to go. (opentable.com)
- Weaker fit: Travelers looking for a quiet, fast, value-driven, or highly refined food-first dinner may be less satisfied. Some reviews and booking summaries suggest the room can be busy, warm, noisy, or service-constrained at peak times. (opentable.com)
History & Background
Olivine opened in June 2023 as part of the Grand Wailea’s broader resort refresh, replacing the former Bistro Molokini space. The concept is tied to the mineral olivine, and the official backstory frames the name as a Maui-geology reference that fits the restaurant’s emphasis on island ingredients and renewal. Executive Chef Ryan Urig is the named culinary lead, and the menu was built with outside and local partners including Chef Michele di Bari of Sale Pepe and Blue Ocean Mariculture. (mauinow.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Guests most consistently praise the view, especially the ocean-and-sunset setting, and many also like the open-air resort atmosphere. On the food side, the most repeatedly praised items are the crispy squash blossoms, lobster pizza, handmade pastas, and several seafood dishes. Positive reviewers also mention generous portions and some standout servers. (opentable.com)
Common Gripes
The main recurring complaint is value: many diners feel the food is good but not good enough for the price. Service speed is the other common issue, with multiple recent reviews describing slow pacing, delayed check-ins, or a sense that the restaurant was understaffed at busy times. A smaller but still recurring complaint is that the view does not always match expectations if you are seated away from the perimeter or during a crowded lunch period. These downside signals are well-supported across review platforms, not just isolated complaints. (opentable.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Hours posture: Google Places currently lists daily service from 11:00 AM–9:00 PM; the official menu page breaks this into lunch, intermezzo, and dinner service, with lunch starting at 11 and dinner at 5. (grandwailea.com)
- Best time to go: If you want the setting at its best, book around sunset for dinner. If you want a calmer experience and potentially steadier service, lunch is often the safer bet. (opentable.com)
- Reservations: Reservations are encouraged, but walk-ins are accepted. For the best view, ask for a perimeter or window-side table when booking. (mauinow.com)
- Parking / access: The restaurant is inside the Grand Wailea with valet parking noted on OpenTable; it is not presented as a street-casual drop-in spot. (opentable.com)
- Ordering tip: Portions are often described as generous, so sharing appetizers plus a pizza or pasta can be enough for two to three people. That can help manage both price and excess. (opentable.com)
- Expectation-setting: This is best approached as a scenic resort meal rather than a budget or chef-driven destination with exceptional pacing. The value debate shows up often enough that it should shape planning. (opentable.com)
Verification Notes
- Official identity lines up with the baseline: Olivine, 3850 Wailea Alanui Dr, Wailea-Makena, HI 96753, (808) 875-1234, Grand Wailea website. (grandwailea.com)
- Operational status is currently shown as OPERATIONAL in Google Places. (grandwailea.com)
- No major verification issues found
Sources
- Grand Wailea official Olivine page —
https://www.grandwailea.com/dine/olivine-restaurant— Retrieved 2026-03-31 — Best source for identity, menu structure, named dishes, beverage program, chef name, sourcing claims, and official hours. - Maui Now, “Grand Wailea debuts newly reimagined dining venue, Olivine” —
https://mauinow.com/2023/06/20/grand-wailea-debuts-newly-reimagined-dining-venue-olivine/— Retrieved 2026-03-31 — Best source for opening context, location in the former Bistro Molokini space, launch timing, and early positioning. - Travel Weekly, “A new look and new eats for Grand Wailea diners” —
https://www.travelweekly.com/Hawaii-Travel/A-new-look-and-new-eats-for-Grand-Wailea-diners— Retrieved 2026-03-31 — Useful for ambiance description, resort renovation context, and traveler-oriented impressions of the setting and menu style. - OpenTable listing for Olivine —
https://www.opentable.com/r/olivine-wailea— Retrieved 2026-03-31 — Most useful for traveler-facing practical details like valet, patio dining, resort casual dress, open-air seating, and recurring review patterns about value and service. Some FAQ-style statements are editorial synthesis from reviews, so treat them as informed inference rather than hard fact. - Tripadvisor listing for Olivine —
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g609129-d26455242-Reviews-Olivine-Wailea_Maui_Hawaii.html— Retrieved 2026-03-31 — Useful as a secondary check on naming, location, and the recurring tension between ambiance and value. Review excerpts are mixed and should be read as sentiment signals, not definitive quality measures.
