Sam Sato's Inc

"If you spent the morning hiking and swimming at Iao Valley State Park, then what you really did was spend the morning thinking about when you could have lunch at Sam Sato’s. This family-owned restaurant that’s about a 10-minute drive from the park opened in 1933 and only does breakfast and lunch. The main draw is the dry mein, a combination of wavy saimin noodles, char siu pork, and bean sprouts served with a side of dashi for dipping. Make sure you finish with some homemade manju, a traditional Japanese pastry filled with sweetened bean and starch pastes made from the same original recipe created by Sam Sato’s wife in the ‘30s." - martha cheng, team infatuation

"The originator of dry mein, Maui's soup-less interpretation of saimin, is now in the third generation of family ownership. The thin noodles are simply tossed with sweet char siu (roast pork), scallions, and a sweet-and-salty secret sauce and are well worth the detour to an industrial part of Wailuku, the non-touristy county seat of colorful wooden storefronts." - Chaney Kwak

"If you spent the morning hiking and swimming at Iao Valley State Park, then what you really did was spend the morning thinking about when you could have lunch at Sam Sato’s. This family-owned restaurant that’s about a 10-minute drive from the park opened in 1933 and only does breakfast and lunch. The main draw is the dry mein, a combination of wavy saimin noodles, char siu pork, and bean sprouts served with a side of dashi for dipping. Make sure you finish with some homemade manju, a traditional Japanese pastry filled with sweetened bean and starch pastes made from the same original recipe created by Sam Sato’s wife in the ‘30s." - Team Infatuation

"At first glance, Sam Sato's looks like any old, hole-in-the wall, old-timey diner: ceiling fans, tables topped with ketchup and mustard, plastic-covered menus, little booths. But one look at the full house and bonkers line, and it's clear this isn't just your average greasy spoon. The signature dish is the dry mein: a twist on traditional saimin, a Hawaiian noodle soup flavored with dashi broth. Sato's tosses dry noodles in a special seasoning mixture, garnishes them with green onions, char siu pork, and bean sprouts, and serves that concoction with a side of dashi broth." - Juliana Shallcross, Kris Fordham