Hea & Lou’s Cafe

Drove by on our last day on the way to the airport. Wish we found it sooner. We got the gumbo that comes with a homemade biscuit. The grilled chicken sandwich and the turkey & hummus wrap. Food was awesome. Portions were huge. They came out and gave everyone a full cup of a cherry-​cream Italian soda. They were testing the flavors.
Don’t go if your in a rush as there is a bit of a wait, but well worth it!

Was driving down the street and a 6.00 lunches sign caught my attention. Nice graphic design indicating modern local food. Parking was scarce but i found a spot at side of building where another hand drawn sign for 6.50 plate lunch sign from a sausage place was located too that pointed towards the café. Never saw entrance to the sausage place but walked into the café which was more like a small deli counter where i was overcome by the heat of the cooler display case. I noticed homemade baking, not fancy but indicative of hand made food not large scale factory produced. Brownies were just 1.00 and were sinful and rich. Not cheaped out with too much sugar, large chunks of chocolate were hiding inside waiting to reward me. A crazy deal.
I ordered the 6.00 veggie sandwhich and was overwhelmed wih how much local veggie they crammed in there. The 1 napkin was woefully inadequate as bits of cubed tomato and onions splayed everywhere yeilding to the quarter sections of roasted red bell peppers and slices of eggplant that held their ground in the toasted foccacia. A mustard sauce was on both sides of bread so it was mushy on 1 side and crunchy in outside. Bread was rich and had a texture like it had been deepfried. Was decadent and definitely not a light fare sandwhich. Filling and wonderful. The fireslaw was a bit too hot at first because i didnt note it was spicy. Tated like kimchee. Then became addictive, each bite adding intensity to the tangy, peppery, sweet and juicy taste.
Normally wouldnt eat that much salt but i couldnt stop, i told myself this was healthy as it was a veggie sandwhich.
For 7.00 for lunch and brownie i couldnt be happier, but when my daughter was fussy do to cessation of chocolate portions from mom, the chef most generously gave her a toasted choc chip cookie with whip cream and chocolate dusting. Wow what Maui generosity! To be passed along and hence the journal of the serendipitous unscheduled lunch stop.
Very simple surroundings where locals were observed eating and its off the beaten track of glitz and glamour of resorts in the heart of blue collar Kahului. A great place for lunch when in town for business.
Thanks Hea and Lou!

Service was really slow, basically a one man show. Waited 45 minutes for our food even when we were first in line. Very small, not much seating. Was looking for something different to eat, this didn’t satisfy…

I went with the boyfriend the other day. We ordered a large gumbo, the jerk swine, and the pirate pita? The gumbo came first and was very yummy, it was a little more soupy then I expected –but the flavor was great. My boyfriend had the pirate pita and that tasted delicious! The pork was seasoned nice, and the fireslaw was good. I usually dont like coleslaw, but this was okay. The jerk swine, wasn’t that great, there was way to much fat and not enough meat but it did have good seasoning. The potatoes were yucky — dried and over seasoned. The menu is different from what other places offer.
Today I went and tried the Honey Lime BBQ bird with rice, and fire slaw with a large gumbo! Still loving the gumbo, but the honey lime chicken wasn’t what I expected. I taste bbq, but no honey, no lime… in fact its a lot like L&Ls bbq chicken, just with more grill marks.
Sticking with the 3 stars.

Always like to give a new business a fair shot, such is the case here. Old saying is; «You seldom get a second chance to make a first impression,» such is the case here. Ribs were too salty to eat, potatoes were soggy, and the cole slaw was a joke. This was the case with all the orders each of us tried to eat. We seriously ended up disposing of them. If your experience was good, we’re happy for you, wish we could say the same.

We had the jerk swine and countryman steak. The pork was seasoned very well and charred on the grill. My only grip was that it was tough to chew thru. I enjoyed the jasmine rice pilaf as well as the fireslaw (tangy coleslaw). The hubby tried the countryman steak. The cumin dusted steak is grilled and then tossed w/​onions, tomatoes, lettuce and jalepenos and served slightly chilled. The steak could’ve used more salt/​pepper. The red potatoes do nothing to enhance the overall flavor of the dish and were bland and very under seasoned. Boiling in salted water would have probably remedied the lack of taste.
The owner/​chef is very nice and laid back. He created this hodgepodge menu (greek/​caribbean/​local). I’m not sure about the odd variety, but I kind of like it.
The atmosphere is simple. 4 stools and tables along the corner wall and 2 picnic tables outside. Although this trip wasn’t a homerun, I AM curious as to how the other dishes will fare. I will be back.