The Best Banana Bread on Maui in 2023
Banana bread on Maui is a hotly contested subject, and these five spots are considered the best of the best by our readers.
Our annual Readers’ Choice Awards has a few categories that residents and visitors truly go to bat for, and deciding which of the many amazing banana bread spots on Maui are the best of the best always ends up being a heated battle. The moist, sweet, nut-filled bread is held in high regard on the Valley Isle, as Maui is known for producing some of the best banana bread in the state. Check out our list below on who was voted as the best banana bread on Maui in 2023.
(If you have a problem with the order of the list—which I’m sure many people do—be sure to vote in our upcoming 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards here and earn yourself the chance to win a free trip to Hawaiʻi for two!)
1. Halfway to Hāna
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As the name implies, you can get a heavenly slice of this freshly baked banana bread once you make it to roughly the halfway point on The Road to Hāna. A much needed break on the winding road that leads you to the idyllic town of Hāna, you won’t want to miss these banana bread loaves. Open since 1982, Halfway to Hāna bakes its banana bread daily, meaning you’ll always get the freshest product around. It also uses locally grown bananas in its recipe, a simple addition that has allowed this small banana bread stand to rise above the rest in this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
13710 Hāna Hwy, Haiku, (808) 248-7037.
2. Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop
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Due to the tragic Lahaina wildfires, Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop is temporarily closed.
Not just known for its awesome pies, Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop has a wide array of baked goods that are among the best in the state. And its mini banana bread loaves proves the age old saying that sometimes less is more. With a nice crunchy exterior and an interior packed to the brim with nuts and oats, these mini loaves make for the perfect addition to a coffee or to pair with the rest of your meal. However, if you’re really nuts for banana bread, you can easily down an entire loaf yourself and pick up another to snack on at a later time.
3. Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread
Aunty Sandy’s roadside sign.
Photo: Tracy Chan
Serving the freshest banana bread on the Keʻanae peninsula since 1983, Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread has had decades to perfect its perfect banana bread recipe, and has become a favorite place to stop for visitors and locals. Started by Aunty Sandy Hueu, this little banana bread stand has received local acclaim for years, however it was thrust into the national spotlight when Gordon Ramsey dropped by on his National Geographic television show “Unchartered”. With her daughter Tammy at her side, Aunty Sandy’s has become a family affair, and will likely continue to operate for decades to come.
210 Keanae Rd, Ke‘anae, (808) 248-7448, auntysandys.com.
4. Maui Bread Co.
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Baked to perfection, the dense, moist loaves of banana bread the Maui Bread Company puts out is easily among the best in Hawaiʻi, and its dedication to quality is why the locally run and owned Kīhei company has made it to the fourth spot on this esteemed list. It’s also one of the only places in Hawaiʻi where you can get a loaf of gluten free banana bread, which tastes just as good as its gluten-based brethren.
2395 S Kīhei Rd #117, (808) 757-8740, mauibreadco.com.
5. Julia’s Best Banana Bread
Julia in her roadside banana bread stand.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
When people ask where the best banana bread is on Maui, Julia’s Best Banana Bread often comes up in discussion. And if Julia’s is in contention for being the best on Maui, then it’s also in contention for being the best in the world. Moist and soft in texture, but rich in flavor, Julia’s Best Banana Bread is really, really ʻono (delicious). The origin of this now world-famous banana bread recipe actually came from a teacher Julia worked with while she was a substitute. The bread was so good, she asked her for the recipe and has perfected it over the many years she’s now spent selling banana bread under her lime-green, roadside treehouse.
7465 Kahekili Highway (mile marker 13), Kahakuloa and a second location near Nakalele Blowhole, juliasbananabread.com.
