Chef Lee Anne Wong's laid-back eatery at the historic Pioneer Inn serves innovative dishes like breakfast ramen and epic French toast, all featuring local ingredients.
"Papa‘aina’s wide veranda that overlooks Lahaina harbor is one of the best places to have brunch in Maui. While you can feel the history of the place (the restaurant is on the ground floor of Pioneer Inn, which was built in 1901), the menu is very much in the now, with dishes like mapo tofu loco moco and breakfast ramen topped with ham and bacon, american cheese, and miso coffee butter. Order the seasonal tropical fruit plate, which might include spiky rambutan or poha berries." - martha cheng, team infatuation
"Wong learned to cook Hawai‘i-style cuisine at Koko Head Café, her brunch spot in Honolulu’s Kaimukī, and perfected it at Papa‘aina, where she served breakfast ramen and mapo tofu loco mocos." - Shannon Wianecki
"Lee Anne Wong, whose restaurant, Papa‘aina, was housed in Lāhainā’s historic Pioneer Inn and burned to the ground."
"It’s the latter Maui, according to some of the locals I spoke with for this story, that turned the Lāhainā surrounds, once a lush wetland, into bone-dry fuel for the flames. 'Without placing specific blame, this whole thing is related to poor land management, water diversion, and climate change,' says Lee Anne Wong, whose restaurant, Papa‘aina, was housed in Lāhainā’s historic Pioneer Inn and burned to the ground." - ByAli Francis
"Enjoy an excellent brunch by chef Lee Anne Wong tucked away in a courtyard under a giant baobab tree in historic Lahaina. The menu includes macadamia nut pancakes, cornflake-crusted French toast, striped marlin Benedict with miso hollandaise, and ramen, made breakfast-ready with poached egg and bacon." - Chaney Kwak
