Waikiki Brewing Company, South Side
Casual brewpub in Wailea’s Shops at Wailea with craft beer, tropical drinks, and a broad all-day menu. Best for an easy lunch, happy hour, or relaxed dinner rather than a destination tasting experience.
- full bar
- happy hour
- breakfast served
- open-air seating
Waikiki Brewing Company, South Side is a casual brewpub in The Shops at Wailea that works especially well when the priority is an easy, comfortable meal rather than a culinary pilgrimage. It stands out for its broad appeal: craft beer, tropical cocktails, breakfast, happy hour, and a menu that ranges from burgers and fish to poke and island-style comfort food. In a resort area where many places feel either too formal or too precious, this is a practical sit-down option with a relaxed, social rhythm.
What it does best
The strongest draw here is flexibility. Waikiki Brewing Company, South Side covers a lot of bases without feeling overly narrow: burgers, sandwiches, seafood, salads, poke, and breakfast plates all share the menu with beer-friendly appetizers and tropical drinks. That makes it a useful stop for mixed groups, especially when not everyone wants the same thing.
The food leans into familiar favorites with Maui accents. Dishes like poke nachos, a pineapple-and-avocado burger, luau pork sandwich, mahi tacos, and loco moco signal the style clearly: casual, island-leaning, and designed for easygoing dining. It is the kind of place that makes sense for lunch, a late-afternoon bite, or an uncomplicated early dinner after time at the beach or the shops.
The feel of the place
Set inside The Shops at Wailea, the restaurant has a polished resort-area convenience that makes it easy to fold into a day in South Maui. The setting is more breezy brewpub than destination restaurant, with open-air seating and a full bar giving it an approachable, come-as-you-are energy. It is comfortable, lively, and built for lingering over a beer or a cocktail without feeling rushed.
That broader brewery identity matters. Waikiki Brewing Company began in Waikiki in 2015 and expanded from there, bringing a brewery-first personality to Maui rather than trying to imitate a white-tablecloth resort dining room. The result is a place with plenty of drink appeal and enough food range to keep a table happy.
Tradeoffs to keep in mind
This is not the spot for a highly refined meal or a deeply memorable chef-driven experience. The menu is broad, but breadth comes with a certain predictability, and the food can read as more dependable than exciting. For travelers who care most about standout cuisine, that may feel like a compromise.
Value is another consideration. The pricing fits a mid-range Wailea meal rather than a bargain stop, and the experience can feel more worthwhile when the focus is drinks, happy hour, or a casual social lunch than when it is framed as a full destination dinner. It is best approached with the right expectations: solid, relaxed, and convenient rather than revelatory.
Who it suits
Waikiki Brewing Company, South Side is a strong fit for families, groups, and travelers who want a broad menu in a polished but unfussy setting. It also makes sense for anyone who wants to pair shopping or resort-area plans with beer, cocktails, and an easy meal.
Those seeking a quiet romantic dinner, a highly distinctive tasting experience, or the most refined use of a Maui dining budget may want to look elsewhere. But for a dependable, casual stop in Wailea, this brewpub delivers exactly what it promises.
