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Maui Grille

15529 W. Bell Rd.

Surprise, AZ 85374

623-546-9939
Website

Cuisine(s): Hawaiian / Polynesian
Price: $$, $$$
Serving: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Reservations: Not Necessary
Parking: Lot Available

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Overall:

Where to start? My wife and I had high hopes for this place. We had driven by it several times and the tiki torches outside had this hypnotic beckoning. . . .

The Staff: Service was great! We went there on a Friday around 7pm, which anywhere in Phoenix at a chain restaurant means 80 minute wait. We waited about 5 minutes for a table and were seated. The atmosphere was very nice and the staff was attentive and pleasant. We didn’t wait too long for menus or drink orders (a major pet peeve of mine) and our water was filled in a timely manner.

Atmosphere: The place is Hawaiian themed and the décor was nice. It reminded me of a Polynesian Red Lobster. It definitely has a chain-like feel to it, but not bad. The night we were there the clientele was mostly senior citizens and there were a few, very well behaved children which is always a plus when there kids out.

The Food: We started off with Onion Rings for an appetizer. They were great! Big fat rings of onion with a light batter. Not too greasy and piping hot. For entrees, I had the Kalaua Pork, my wife had the Macadamia Encrusted Mahi-Mahi and my son had the cheeseburger kid’s meal. It all arrived promptly and hot. I cut up my son’s burger into manageable pieces and had a bite. In retrospect, I should have gotten the burger myself. It was the best thing on the menu. The pork was tasteless and greasy; no hint of seasoning and even the sticky, overly sweet, special sauce on the side couldn’t help. It tasted like boiled meat and texture and that’s about it. The fish wasn’t any better. It looked like a VanDeCamps patty and was totally devoid of any flavor what so ever, the two mystery sauces that came with it only masked the blandness. Our vegetables were overcooked and mushy. I eyed my son’s burger with a tinge of jealousy the entire meal.

It seems to me that if you want both service and good food you have to pay through the nose for it. Most restaurants we have tried lately provide one or the other, but not both. Maui Grille provides excellent service but the food is lacking. I don’t think we will be going back.
Review by The Dinglepuss
Overall:

Where to start? My wife and I had high hopes for this place. We had driven by it several times and the tiki torches outside had this hypnotic beckoning. . . .

The Staff: Service was great! We went there on a Friday around 7pm, which anywhere in Phoenix at a chain restaurant means 80 minute wait. We waited about 5 minutes for a table and were seated. The atmosphere was very nice and the staff was attentive and pleasant. We didn’t wait too long for menus or drink orders (a major pet peeve of mine) and our water was filled in a timely manner.

Atmosphere: The place is Hawaiian themed and the décor was nice. It reminded me of a Polynesian Red Lobster. It definitely has a chain-like feel to it, but not bad. The night we were there the clientele was mostly senior citizens and there were a few, very well behaved children which is always a plus when there kids out.

The Food: We started off with Onion Rings for an appetizer. They were great! Big fat rings of onion with a light batter. Not too greasy and piping hot. For entrees, I had the Kalaua Pork, my wife had the Macadamia Encrusted Mahi-Mahi and my son had the cheeseburger kid’s meal. It all arrived promptly and hot. I cut up my son’s burger into manageable pieces and had a bite. In retrospect, I should have gotten the burger myself. It was the best thing on the menu. The pork was tasteless and greasy; no hint of seasoning and even the sticky, overly sweet, special sauce on the side couldn’t help. It tasted like boiled meat and texture and that’s about it. The fish wasn’t any better. It looked like a VanDeCamps patty and was totally devoid of any flavor what so ever, the two mystery sauces that came with it only masked the blandness. Our vegetables were overcooked and mushy. I eyed my son’s burger with a tinge of jealousy the entire meal.

It seems to me that if you want both service and good food you have to pay through the nose for it. Most restaurants we have tried lately provide one or the other, but not both. Maui Grill provides excellent service but the food is lacking. I don’t think we will be going back.
Review by The Dinglepuss
Overall:

My experience was very nice. I had Mahi Mahi and loved it. My friend had the Hawaiian Ribs glazed with the Maui BBQ sauce, she told me they were the best around.

The atmosphere is wounderful, have seen nothing like it in the valley.
Review by Bob Brown