This Restaurant in West Maui is a Hidden Gem You Don’t Want to Miss

Tucked in the Honokōwai Marketplace, about a 5-minute drive from Kāʻanapali Beach, Sergio’s Cantina is serving up satisfying family-style Mexican cuisine. And while it might be a little off the beaten path, it’s worth seeking out, whether you’re hungry after a day at the beach or just looking to mix up your restaurant rotation.

And because of its invitingly warm atmosphere, generous servings and delectable margaritas, it might just become your next go-to spot.

Inspired by his family recipes, the restaurant’s executive chef and co-founder, Sergio Perez, designed a menu celebrating traditional Mexican cuisine while also infusing creative and modern elements. A burrito so big that it feeds two, refreshing fish lettuce wraps and a decadent chocolate tres leches cake are just a few of the standout items on his menu.

Over at the bar, the shelves are lined with a beautiful array of tequila bottles, the keys to the cantina’s famous margaritas and star cocktails. Customers can choose from more than 70 kinds of tequila, and aficionados might even recognize a few celebrity-owned brands. Perez jokes he wants to make sure the restaurant is stocked with star-studded spirits, just in case a celebrity walks through his doors.

Sergio’s Cantina is stocked with more than 70 kind of tequila, keys to the cantina’s famous margaritas and star cocktails.
Photo: Courtesy of Sergio’s Cantina/Anna Kim

Sergio’s Cantina opened in January 2024, and while it has a solid base of regular customers, it’s also been flying a bit under the radar. But Perez is cooking up ways to create more excitement. The chef wants to help revive West Maui’s restaurant scene and make it the dining destination that he says it used to be. Doing so, he says, is one way to support his neighbors and the Lahaina community as a whole.

Perez and his partners already have plans to open a new food truck as well as a bar truck at the Lahaina Cannery Mall this spring. “As soon as there was an opportunity to go back to Lahaina, I wanted to do something,” says Perez.

“I know so many people from Lahaina. I want them to come to Honokōwai, but if they can’t, they can go to the cannery mall.” Even though Honokōwai looks to be just a 10-minute drive from Lahaina, traffic can easily turn that into 20 minutes, Perez says.

With so few dining options in Lahaina right now, his goal is to provide a new place for residents to come together to enjoy good food and drinks. “I know we call it a food truck, but our vision is to create a bar, a nice place to sit and a place for locals, too.”

Inspired by his family recipes, the restaurant’s executive chef and co-founder, Sergio Perez, designed a menu celebrating traditional Mexican cuisine while also infusing creative and modern elements.
Photo: Courtesy of Sergio’s Cantina/Anna Kim

Although Sergio’s Cantina is still new to Maui’s dining scene, Perez is a veteran chef with decades of experience on the island he calls home.

Perez moved to Maui close to 40 years ago and since then, he’s worked in and helped lead kitchens at some of the island’s most popular eateries, including Maui Tacos, Penne Pasta, Avalon Restaurant & Bar and Māla Ocean Tavern. Before opening Sergio’s, he was the executive chef at Frida’s Beach House, which closed in April 2023.

But Perez’s experience extends far beyond the Valley Isle.

Perez was born in Mazamitla, Mexico, and from an early age he would help his father in their family restaurant, making fresh carnitas and salsa. At 11 years old, Perez moved to Long Beach, California, to live with his uncle. Soon after, he started working at a local Greek restaurant as a dishwasher and busser, but soon turned his attention to baking and helping out in the kitchen. He worked there for a decade before moving to Maui in 1988 to help his cousin open the first Denny’s on the island.

Although Sergio’s Cantina is still new to Maui’s dining scene, Sergio Perez is a veteran chef with decades of experience on the island he calls home.
Photo: Courtesy of Sergio’s Cantina/Anna Kim

Maui has been Perez’s home ever since. Over the years, he’s built strong connections, and as Frida’s Beach House on Front Street was closing, he had an opportunity to team up with partners to start a new establishment.

Remaining on the island’s West Side, the team found a space in Honokōwai. They renovated the place, creating a bright and modern interior that still feels cozy and casual. A big part of the new look is a colorful mural that adorns the restaurant’s front wall, painted by local artist Jim Kingwell.

At Sergio’s, Perez created a menu of familiar Mexican dishes, many inspired by his own family recipes. And now he has license to experiment with the offerings. “At the cantina, I have more freedom. I can do things I haven’t done before,” he says.

The tight-knit team at Sergio’s Cantina has helped create a solid base of regulars since the restaurant opened at the start of 2024.
Photo: Courtesy of Sergio’s Cantina/Anna Kim

The restaurant was slated to open in the fall of 2023, but then came the Lahaina wildfires, right in the midst of renovations. Perez and many of his team members lost their homes.

But they didn’t flee. Instead, they returned to their work, intent on opening the restaurant and providing jobs and a place for the people of Lahaina. “The number one thing to us is taking care of the local community,” Perez says.

Since opening, Sergio’s Cantina has become a place where people laugh and talk-story while sharing a meal. Here, the atmosphere is joyful and easygoing—and perfect for turning first-time diners into loyal customers. And the food is phenomenal, too.

3350 Lower Honoapiʻilani Road, sergioscantinamaui.com, @sergioscantinamaui