Kihei Area Guide
Best South Maui Grocery Stores for Your Vacation Rental
The first real decision you make after the rental car and the check-in is where to stop for groceries. On your way south from the airport, somewhere around the Kihei turnoff, a calculation starts: how much to buy, which store to trust, whether to chase the cheaper chain or the better fish counter, how to avoid the midweek price shock at the convenience market three blocks from your rental. For anyone staying in a South Maui vacation rental — Kihei, Wailea, or Maʻalaea — that first grocery run sets the tone for the whole trip.
We help a lot of guests think through this, because stocking the kitchen well is one of the single biggest value advantages of a vacation rental over a resort. A good coffee setup on the lanai, poke from the right counter, a proper ice chest for beach days — these small moves make the week feel different. Here is where we send guests, in the order we actually send them, with the trade-offs spelled out.
The Big Three: Where to Do Your Main Shop
Most guests get 80% of what they need at one of these three stores in Kihei. Pick the one closest to your rental and you are set for the week.
Safeway (Piʻilani Village, Kihei)
The biggest conventional supermarket on the south side and the default for most guests, Safeway sits in Piʻilani Village Shopping Center at the Piʻikea Avenue / Piʻilani Highway intersection. Full produce, a respectable seafood counter, a Starbucks, a reasonable wine aisle, a deli with rotisserie chickens that more than one of our guests has eaten on the lanai with nothing but a cold beer and called it the best meal of the trip. Prices are on par with a mainland Safeway — not cheap by U.S. standards, but unsurprising once you accept that everything on Maui arrives by boat.
Sign up for the Safeway Club card (free at the register) before you check out — the member prices often knock 30% off the shelf tag on staples.
Local’s Tip: The Kihei Safeway gets slammed between 4 and 6 p.m. with locals and other visitors trying to hit it after the beach. Shop in the morning (before 10 a.m.) or after 7 p.m. and you will feel like you have the store to yourself.
Foodland Farms (Kihei)
On South Kihei Road at the Azeka Makai shopping center, Foodland Farms is the upgraded sibling of the regular Foodland chain. It is where we send guests who want a better fish counter, a wider selection of local produce, a dedicated sushi bar, and a deli with Hawaiian-style plate lunches worth eating. Prices run a touch higher than Safeway on staples, but the local section — Maui Gold pineapple, Upcountry greens, Kula tomatoes, Maui onions — is consistently excellent.
For grab-and-go meals, the poke bar is a Maui rite of passage. Their shoyu ahi is the benchmark most guests measure everything else against.
Local’s Tip: Their rotisserie huli-huli chicken (huli means “turn”) is sold from the deli in the late afternoon and sells out. Call ahead if you want one for dinner — it is the easiest excellent meal you will make all week.
Costco (Kahului — on the way in or out)
Technically in Kahului, not South Maui, but worth including because so many guests plan a stop on the drive from the airport. If you have a membership and a group of four or more for a full week, a Costco run can cut your grocery bill meaningfully — bulk snorkel gear, cases of water, fresh fish, macadamia nuts, and the usual Costco delights. Build in 45–60 minutes, then drive south and unpack.
Local’s Tip: Costco gas on Maui is typically $0.40–$0.80 cheaper per gallon than the stations in Kihei. If you are renting a car for a week, fill up on the way out of Kahului and again the night before you return.
Safeway in Piʻilani Village — the default first stop for most South Maui guests.
Smaller Stores & Specialty Counters Worth Knowing
Beyond the big three, South Maui has a handful of smaller stores that solve specific problems — a better wine selection, a late-night run, a walk-down-from-the-lanai convenience stop. These are the ones we mention when a guest asks “where do you actually shop?”
Tamura’s Fine Wine & Liquors (Kihei)
Do not let the name fool you. Yes, Tamura’s has one of the best wine and spirits selections in South Maui — a serious wall of Hawaiian craft beer, solid Napa and Oregon representation, excellent sake. But the real reason locals stop at Tamura’s is the poke counter in the back. Honestly? It is the best poke on the south side. Generous portions, local fish, a changing rotation of preparations. Grab a pound, some rice from the rice cooker, a bag of nori, and you have dinner.
Local’s Tip: The Tamura’s poke counter closes earlier than you expect, often before 7 p.m. Get there by 5 if you want first pick. Call ahead and they will hold it.
Whole Foods (Kahului)
A full Whole Foods in Kahului, which is technically a detour from South Maui but worth knowing if you have dietary preferences that benefit from the selection — gluten-free, organic, prepared hot bar, extensive supplement aisle. Not a weekly shop for most guests, but a useful one-time stop for specialty items you cannot find in Kihei.
Down to Earth Organic & Natural (Kahului)
Smaller, Hawaiʻi-based natural grocer with a loyal local following. Good for bulk bins, organic produce, and vegetarian prepared foods. Pair it with a Costco run and you have covered almost every base.
Island Gourmet Markets (The Shops at Wailea)
Honest truth: Island Gourmet is a convenience store with luxury packaging. It is located directly in The Shops at Wailea, which means if you are staying in a Wailea rental and you forgot milk, an onion, or a bottle of wine for dinner, you can walk there. Prices are high. Selection is limited. But for a forgotten ingredient or a same-day wine choice before a sunset on the lanai, it is the easy answer.
Local’s Tip: The Island Gourmet seafood counter actually sells solid pre-made poke. Not Tamura’s-level, but if you are staying in Wailea and dinner plans just collapsed, a pound of ahi poke and a Kula tomato from here will save the night.
7-Eleven & ABC Stores (throughout Kihei and Wailea)
For midnight ice cream, beach snacks, sunscreen you forgot, a cold beer on the walk back from the sunset. Not a grocery stop. But locals will tell you the 7-Elevens on Maui have surprisingly good mochi, Spam musubi, and manapua (local steamed buns) worth knowing about.
Tamura’s poke counter — arguably the best in South Maui.
Do Not Skip the Farmers Markets
Maui has some of the best small-scale agriculture anywhere in the U.S., and you can taste the difference at the weekly farmers markets. Upcountry tomatoes pulled that morning. Lilikoi (passion fruit) still warm from the vine. Rambutan, dragon fruit, sugar apple, star apple — fruits most mainlanders have never tried. Maui Gold pineapple that genuinely tastes like what you imagined pineapple was supposed to taste like before you moved to wherever you moved to.
For a vacation rental guest, the math is simple: buy your fruit, greens, and herbs at the farmers markets, buy your proteins and staples at Safeway or Foodland Farms, and you are eating like a local without effort. The full breakdown of markets, days, and what to buy at each is in our Maui farmers markets guide.
Local’s Tip: Bring cash in small bills. Many stands do not take cards and the ones that do often have a $10 minimum. An ATM pull before you go will save you from skipping a stand you wanted.
Maui’s farmers markets are the reason to keep a real kitchen on vacation.
What to Actually Buy: A Suggested First Shop
If you are staying in South Maui for 5–7 days with a couple or small family, this is a reasonable first grocery list that sets you up for breakfasts, beach days, and a few home-cooked dinners without overbuying.
Breakfast: eggs, local papaya, Maui Gold pineapple, Kona coffee, milk or oat milk, a loaf of Punalu’u sweet bread.
Beach & lunch: a fresh poke bowl from Tamura’s or Foodland Farms, rice, nori, avocado, a bag of Maui-style kettle chips, sparkling water, a six-pack of Maui Brewing Bikini Blonde.
Dinner (low-effort): rotisserie chicken, Kula greens, Kula tomato, Maui onion, a local goat cheese if you see it, good bread, a bottle of crisp white wine.
Pantry & cooking basics: sea salt, black pepper, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic (your rental kitchen likely has some, but check first).
Snacks & treats: macadamia nuts, mochi or ice cream mochi, local chocolate from Maui Ku’ia Estate if you see it.
For a rhythm-and-reservations view of how a week in South Maui actually flows — when to eat in, when to eat out — our guide to Maui food experiences pairs well with this list.
The moment the first grocery run is put away is the moment vacation actually starts.
A Few Things That Are Just More Expensive
A realistic note so no one is surprised. Maui groceries run roughly 30–45% higher than most mainland U.S. markets. Dairy, beef, and packaged snacks are the worst offenders. Local fish, local produce, and Hawaiian-grown staples like papaya and pineapple are competitive or cheaper than on the mainland. Factor an extra $200–$350 for groceries for a family of four for a week beyond what you would spend at home.
This is exactly why kitchen-equipped vacation rentals tend to come out ahead of resort dining for anyone staying more than a few days. One good dinner at a Wailea oceanfront restaurant will often run what three home-cooked dinners in your rental would cost. We walk through the full math in our vacation rental vs. resort comparison.
Local’s Tip: Avoid buying anything packaged that you can bring from home — favorite snacks, pantry items, specialty coffee. The suitcase space is worth more than the freight surcharge on the island.
Where to Stay: Rentals Close to the Right Stores
One of the quiet luxuries of a well-chosen South Maui rental is that the right grocery store is five to ten minutes away. Our Kihei condos sit near Safeway, Foodland Farms, Tamura’s, and two weekly farmers markets — you can truly walk to dinner ingredients. Our Wailea homes are short drives to the same stores, with Island Gourmet as a walkable backup. And our Maʻalaea rentals, while closer to the harbor, are an easy 10-minute drive into Kihei for a main shop.
For the full lay of the land on each area, the Kihei guide and Wailea guide walk through the feel, walkability, and best-fit travelers for each. And when you book with us, our welcome guide spells out the nearest grocery store, the current Safeway Club deals, and the poke pickup windows for the week you are there.
Even the small convenience stops on South Kihei Road have character worth noticing.
Quick-Reference Recap
Main shop: Safeway (biggest selection), Foodland Farms (better local + seafood), Costco (bulk, on the way from airport).
Best poke: Tamura’s Fine Wine & Liquors in Kihei — go before 5 p.m.
Farmers markets: Buy fruit, greens, and herbs weekly — it is why you have a kitchen.
Convenience in Wailea: Island Gourmet Markets at The Shops at Wailea (expensive but walkable).
Budget: Plan 30–45% above mainland prices on packaged goods; local produce and fish are fair value.
Pro move: Safeway Club card + Costco fuel + one Tamura’s poke pickup = the standard week.
Ready to plan your South Maui stay?