Eating out on a budget in central Maui

8. MAUI CULINARY ACADEMY

Price: $5 to $8.50

Scoping it out: Where on Maui do you find the best food for the lowest prices? The winner, hands down, is Maui Culinary Academy, which operates seven specialty kitchens and a high-end restaurant at Maui Community College. The restaurants are part of the school’s food service program and offer a terrific place to eat breakfast or lunch if you’re lucky enough to visit the island during the school season. Sushi, seafood, pasta, salads – all beautifully prepared and presented – are available in the Paina Food Court daily. (It’s near the airport and is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.) “A lot of people think we aren’t open to the public,” says longtime chef instructor Bobby Santos. “We embrace the public. The busier we are, the more the students are going to learn.”

We loved… the choice, the taste, the prices.

We didn’t love… that it’s not open for dinner.

Maui Culinary Academy, Maui Community College, 310 W. Kaahumanu Ave., Kahului; (808) 984-3225, www.mauiculinary.com.

9. DA KITCHEN CAFE

Price: $6.75 to $13.95

Scoping it out: Ask a Maui resident about his or her favorite budget restaurant and the name that keeps popping up is Da Kitchen, which has two strip mall locations. (The main cafe is in Central Maui near the airport; an express version is in Kihei.) Da Kitchen is known for its plate lunches. It’s also known for huge portions. The teriyaki chicken plate has about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken, the kalua pork has about a pound of meat. “And at least 75% of our customers have no problem eating it all,” says Mariah Brown, who owns the cafes with Les Tomita. “He’s a big guy who likes to eat,” says Mariah of her business partner, “and he thinks we should serve big food.” That’s why their motto is “Home of da world’s biggest plate lunch.”

We loved… the tempura mahi mahi.

We didn’t love… the 30- to 40-minute wait in line for lunch or dinner at the Central Maui location.

Da Kitchen, Triangle Square, 425 Koloa St., No. 104, Kahului; (808) 871-7782, www.da-kitchen.com. Da Kitchen Express, Rainbow Mall, 2439 S. Kihei Road, No. A107, Kihei; (808) 875-7782.

10. BANGKOK CUISINE

Price: $7.50 to $17.50

Scoping it out: In some ways, this 11-table strip mall restaurant is amazing. Given the low prices, it’s amazing that the restaurant has cloth napkins, colorful sari tablecloths and bright tapestries on the wall. And there’s amazing food too. In fact, that’s the dish you should try: “The Amazing, your choice of chicken, beef or pork simmered in peanut curry sauce and coconut milk and served over steamed veggies” ($10.50). We loved it. Visit Bangkok Cuisine on the way to or from the airport or bound for Kmart or Costco.

We loved… the speedy service and eye appeal of the food.

We didn’t love… long lines on weekends.

Bangkok Cuisine, 395 Dairy Road, Kahului; (808) 893-0026.

11. STILLWELL’S BAKERY & CAFE

Price: $5.45 to $12.45

Scoping it out: Planning a trip to beautiful Iao Valley? Stillwell’s is an easy stop for pastries and sandwiches. If the cream horns and macadamia nut muffins don’t tempt you, nothing will. Roy Stillwell’s Bakery & Cafe has a pastry case chock-full of wonderfully excessive treats. No surprise: He was once a pastry chef. Arrive early for the best variety of pastries; everything sells out fast. (He makes and sells about 200 cream horns a day.) Not into sweets? Try his sandwiches; the breads are 100% homemade, and some people swear the tuna sandwich is the best they’ve ever tasted. “Unique, fresh, fast and reasonable” is how Stillwell describes his restaurant. We agree.

We loved… the sweets and the Reuben sandwiches.

We didn’t love … that the restaurant closes at 3 p.m.

Stillwell’s Bakery & Cafe, 1740 Kaahumanu Ave., Wailuku; (808) 243-2243.

12. TOKYO TEI RESTAURANT

Price: $5 to $14.50

Scoping it out: A grainy black-and-white photo of John F. Kennedy hangs in Tokyo Tei. It was taken when he visited the restaurant in 1959. This Maui institution – about 75 years old and counting – is off the tourist routes, but well worth the trip if you’d like to hobnob with locals and try Japanese food with a Maui flair. Tokyo Tei opened in 1934 and has been a local favorite ever since, although during World War II the owners were forced to rename it Rainbow Inn for a time. The matriarch of the family, Betsy Cardoza, 83, still comes to work every day, but daughter Eunice Kitagawa does the heavy lifting now. Order the teriyaki steak ($14.50) or the ahi sashimi ($10).

We loved… that customers feel like part of the family.

We didn’t love… that it’s very hard to find. Call for directions.

Tokyo Tei, 1063 E. Lower Main St., Wailuku; (808) 242-9630.

13. DOWN TO EARTH

Price: $7.75 to $8.25

Scoping it out: Tofuand organic food fans, this is your place.Down to Earth, a Honolulu company, has two outposts in Maui; the main store is in Kahului on Dairy Road, near the airport, and a satellite store is Upcountry in Makawao. If you forgot to pack your ginseng, you can pick up some in the wellness center, which is packed with vitamins and elixirs. Or score lunch or dinner at the salad and food bars or the deli counter. (Try the Greek salad or the blackened tofu, both $7.59 a pound.) Other pluses: pastries, lots of fresh produce, ethnic foods and plenty of legumes, nuts and grains.

We loved… having healthy vegetarian choices.

We didn’t love… the staff’s lack of aloha spirit.

Down to Earth, 305 Dairy Road, Kahului; (808) 877-2661, or 1169 Makawao Ave., Makawao; (808) 572-1488, www.downtoearth.org.