Fabiani's, Wailea Maui

A view from the bar.

Being Italian (Sicilian actually), moving to an island in the middle of the Pacific may not have been the best idea when my native food cravings occur. Aroma D'Italiano's may have been the go-to place up until two years ago, but since that restaurant closed there had been a dearth of reasonably palatable Italian food, to say nothing of the lack of edible pizza on Maui in general. That all began to change with the arrival of Fabiani's Pizza and Bakery a year and a half ago (as of this writing) in Kihei. Driven by the success of Fabiani's Kihei location, Fabiani's has opened a second location in Wailea, an area that is essentially the Beverly Hills of Maui.

Found at the north end of the Wailea Gateway Plaza building at the southernmost end of Piilani Highway, Fabiani’s Wailea is not usually busy. This may be due to the fact that the new location is still gaining traction amid stiff competition from Monkeypod Kitchen across the parking lot and Manoli’s Pizza a very short distance down the road. Although those restaurants are perfectly respectable, there is something about Fabiani’s that feels a little more like home.

Despite being located in Wailea, this Fabiani’s location does not go out of its way to wow its customers with expensive décor. This may seem like a negative given that this location does not have a view of the ocean (although Wailea Gateway Plaza is located on a hill), but what stikes me about this Fabiani’s is that it is clean; very, very clean. Granted, this may be because it is new, but having been in the military, I respect cleanliness.

“But what about the food?” you ask. Although the pizza menus differ slightly between locations, there is something for everyone on each menu. And, if you don’t see a pizza you like, you are given the option to build your own. Here at the Wailea location, my brood usually opts for the Real Hawaiian (Pineapple, Portuguese Sausage & Caramelized Onion) or the Makena Meaty (Portugese Sausage, Ground Beef & Applewood Bacon). It should be noted that the pizzas are basically personal-sized if you take into account what is a typical portion for most Americans. All of Fabiani's pizzas are thin-crusted, too. So, if you’re really hunger, a single pizza may not satisfy you. This is okay, however, as there are many other choices.

There is, of course, lasagna. I can’t say Fabiani’s lasagna will knock your socks off, but I do think it is the best I’ve had on Maui in the last two years. It’s not overly salty, though, which may displease some customers. If you would like a little seafood, there will be the catch of the day which is entirely dependent upon the fish market; you simply cannot expect that Today’s Catch will be a really good fish such as Mahi Mahi. There are always the crab cakes, too, but again, they’re not something that is going to bowl you over. If you’d like a little garlic bread for an appetizer, they come four to plate and are very buttery and garlicky. Overall, I cannot see anyone walking into this restaurant and saying there is nothing on the menu they would order. Even if they did, hopefully they saw the dessert display when they first walked in which is immediately to the left. All the desserts are made by the owner’s wife for both Fabiani’s locations. If the Red Velvet Cake and the various macaroons are any indication, everything else in the display case is magnificent.

Service-wise, you have to keep in mind that Maui’s population is transient to say the least, so you have to take any bad service with a grain of salt. This is not to say I’ve ever had bad service at either Fabiani’s, in fact, just the opposite. But, I have to keep this fact in mind about Maui service just in case the service ever does slip. Currently, there is an Irish girl waitressing whose voice I could listen to all day, but she is going back to Ireland at the end of summer. Then there is a new bartender, a “mixologist” by his own account, who should be able to step it up when it comes to devising incredible cocktails. This is good news to a Portland, OR transplant such as myself.

Lastly, the prices at Fabiani’s are more than reasonable given the location they are catering to (entrees will be anywhere between $13 to $25). This location also has an unlisted Happy Hour from 3-5pm which gives you half off the pizzas plus you do not have to sit at the bar to get Happy Hour prices, unlike their Kihei location (where Happy Hour is only at the bar).

Overall, Fabiani’s Wailea is a cozy-casual, family-run business that delivers on most accounts. My biggest complaint is that they do not have a view. On the other hand, here on Maui, you generally get what you pay for and the prices reflect a room without a view. However, if you have been at the beach all day, does that really matter?

Delicious Fabiani's pizza.

Deserts!