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Star Noodle

Lahaina’s beloved noodle house, back on the north end of Front Street: garlic noodles, steamed pork buns, and a dining room whose reopening meant far more than dinner.

Type Asian noodle houseKnown for Garlic noodles and pork bunsFrom the bungalows 40 minute drive
Forest and Kim Starr / CC BY 2.0
TypeAsian noodle house
Known forGarlic noodles and pork buns
From the bungalows40 minute drive
Price$$
ReservationsRecommended, book online
AreaLahaina

Star Noodle has been Lahaina’s favorite noodle house since 2010, and its 2024 reopening was one of the happiest signals that the town is finding its feet after the August 2023 wildfire. The building at the far north end of Front Street came through, the garlic noodles are exactly as good as everyone remembers, and going for dinner is one of the most direct, respectful ways a visitor can support Lahaina right now.

What to order at Star Noodle

The garlic noodles are the dish people drive across the island for: a tangle of fresh noodles slicked with garlic butter that manages to be simple and unreasonable at the same time. Around them orbit the steamed pork buns, share plates from across Asia’s noodle traditions, and bowls of ramen and saimin-style comfort that go down easy after a beach day.

The menu is built for sharing, so bring people and order wide: a noodle dish each, buns for the table, and whatever the kitchen is running as specials. Prices sit in the moderate range, which keeps it a casual night out rather than a splurge, and the room’s energy is loud, happy and local.

Weekends add a dim sum brunch from 10 am to 1 pm, launched in late 2025, which is the move if you want Star Noodle without the dinner-hour demand. Fun trivia for your table: the kitchen’s opening chef back in 2010 was Sheldon Simeon, whose Kahului counter Tin Roof is now a legend of its own.

The harbor scene in 2019. Lahaina's waterfront businesses are steadily coming back to lifePhoto: Sharon Hahn Darlin / CC BY 2.0

Visiting Lahaina respectfully after the fire

The August 2023 wildfire destroyed most of Lahaina town and took more than a hundred lives; it remains the deadliest US wildfire in over a century. The blocks at the far north end of Front Street, near Mala Wharf, largely survived, and that is where Star Noodle stands. The restaurant closed for months and reopened in 2024 as the neighborhood came back to life around it.

Visit like a guest, not a sightseer. Drive directly to the restaurant, park nearby, and skip photographing burned lots or rebuilding zones; residents live with that view every day. Follow posted signs and detours, because access and construction change as the rebuild moves. Spending money at reopened Lahaina businesses is genuinely helpful; treating the town as an attraction is not.

Reservations are smart here. The dining room is popular with both West Maui visitors and returning locals, and tables book up, especially around sunset hours. Reserve online a few days ahead, or aim for the weekend dim sum window, then build the rest of your West Maui day around Kaanapali or Napili Bay to the north.

Looking past the breakwater toward Lana'i, before the fire. The north end of Front Street, where Star Noodle stands, survivedPhoto: Justin Ennis / CC BY 2.0

Making Star Noodle part of a West Maui day

From the bungalows it is about 40 minutes up Honoapiilani Highway, around the sea cliffs of the pali and along the coast. In winter, that drive doubles as a whale-watching cruise; pull over only at marked lookouts when the humpbacks are breaching in the channel. Hikers can earn their noodles first on the Lahaina Pali Trail, the old windswept route over the ridge.

An early dinner pairs perfectly with a Kaanapali or Napili beach afternoon: rinse off, drive ten minutes south, and be seated by 5:30 before the rush. Going the other way, a 4:30 seating right at opening leaves time to catch sunset from the seawall or Mala Wharf area afterward, where the light over Lana’i is something else.

If you are stacking a full West Maui food day, Star Noodle plays the casual, boisterous counterpart to a big night at Merriman’s Kapalua twenty minutes north. Our itineraries lay out a west-side day that hits beaches, noodles and sunset without backtracking.

Good to know

  • Book online a few days ahead; the room fills fast, especially around sunset.
  • Garlic noodles and steamed pork buns are the two orders the table will fight over.
  • Weekend dim sum brunch, 10 am to 1 pm, is the low-stress way to visit.
  • Everything is made for sharing, so come in a group and order across the menu.
  • Drive directly to the restaurant and follow posted signs; parts of Lahaina are still rebuilding.
  • Winter drives up Honoapiilani Highway come with free whale watching; use the marked pullouts.

Questions

Star Noodle FAQ

Yes. Star Noodle’s building at 1287 Front Street, at the north end near Mala Wharf, survived the August 2023 wildfire, and the restaurant reopened in 2024 after months of closure. As of 2026 it serves dinner daily from 4:30 pm plus a weekend dim sum brunch, and it is as busy as ever.

Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made through the restaurant’s website. The dining room draws visitors and locals alike, and prime dinner slots go quickly, especially in high season. Walk-ins can get lucky at the 4:30 opening or later in the evening, but booking a few days ahead is the safe play.

The garlic noodles, above all, plus steamed pork buns and a menu of Asian-inspired share plates, ramen and saimin-style bowls. It opened in 2010 with chef Sheldon Simeon in the kitchen and quickly became one of Maui’s most loved casual restaurants, a reputation the post-fire reopening has only deepened.

Yes, if you do it thoughtfully. Reopened businesses like Star Noodle depend on visitors, and spending there supports local jobs and the rebuild. Drive directly to where you are going, follow signs and closures, and do not photograph or wander burned areas. Come as a respectful guest and your visit genuinely helps.

Keep exploring

Restaurants

Merriman's Kapalua
Restaurants

Tin Roof Maui
Beaches

Ka’anapali Beach
Beaches

Napili Bay
Trails

Lahaina Pali Trail
Trails

Kapalua Coastal Trail

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