The Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa has opened Isolana, a new open-air dinner restaurant on Kāʻanapali Beach that blends Italian cooking with ingredients pulled straight from Maui farms and waters. The name means islander in Italian, and the menu leans on the concept of il dolce far niente — the sweetness of doing nothing — as a guiding philosophy for a resort trying to turn a quick beachfront meal into something guests linger over.
A Beachfront Menu Built on Local Sourcing
General Manager Kaleo Kenui said Isolana was designed to feel connected to both Maui and the Mediterranean, according to Maui Now. The menu is organized into shareables, crudos and salads, pasta, seafood, land dishes and sides, with handmade pasta positioned as the centerpiece. Produce comes from Waiheʻe Valley Plantation and Hua Momona Farms, alongside ʻulu and locally grown mushrooms, the outlet reports.
Signature dishes include lasagna made with Maui Nui venison Bolognese, garlic béchamel and Parmigiano Reggiano, plus cacio e pepe with lobster, chives and umami crumble. The kitchen also turns out pan-roasted kanpachi topped with Kamuela tomatoes from Kawamata Farms on Hawaiʻi Island, umami-crusted ahi with mushroom risotto and shiitake bacon, a Kurobuta pork chop finished with calamansi vinaigrette, citrus-brined half chicken, and a vegetarian chickpea panisse for guests skipping meat entirely.
Wild Venison Ties Menu to Island Ecology
The venison Bolognese draws on wild meat from Maui Nui Venison, which has operated for almost a decade and helps cull Maui's invasive axis deer population, estimated at 60,000 animals across Lānaʻi, Maui and Molokaʻi, which continues to damage local agriculture and ecosystems, according to The Guardian. Axis deer reproduce year-round in Hawaii because they have no natural predators on the islands. Putting that meat on a fine-dining menu links Isolana's Bolognese directly to an ongoing ecological management effort rather than a purely culinary choice.
The farm partnerships carry their own weight in West Maui's recovery story. Hua Momona Farms in Kapalua runs a non-profit foundation that has distributed more than 30 tons of produce and served over 100,000 hot meals to West Maui residents affected by the August 2023 Lahaina wildfires, per Maui Now's earlier reporting on the organization's community work. Waiheʻe Valley Plantation also supplies produce to the restaurant.
Cocktails and Coffee Nod to Resort History
Isolana's beverage list includes the Flight 1963 cocktail, made with Kupu whiskey, amaro, lemon and pineapple. The drink is named for the first nonstop commercial flight from the U.S. mainland to Kahului Airport. Coffee service rounds out the menu with French press coffee from Mālama Maui Kona Estate Coffee.
Honolulu-based architecture firm AHL designed the restaurant, with the look inspired by the surrounding reefs and coastline, per the resort. The 23-acre property sits near Puʻu Kekaʻa, also known as Black Rock, a sacred Native Hawaiian site where 18th-century Maui ruler King Kahekili II made legendary cliff leaps. That heritage is honored nightly through the resort's cliff-diving ceremony.
Part of a Wider Culinary Overhaul
Isolana is the resort’s newest restaurant, and its dining lineup also includes ʻUpena, The Sandbar lobby lounge and Teppan-yaki Dan. Executive Chef Mitchell Cooper, promoted to lead the resort’s culinary operations in October 2025, worked with Kenui on Isolana’s menu.
The Marriott International-operated resort has 508 rooms.
The new restaurant also arrives against the backdrop of a hospitality workforce still working through post-pandemic labor negotiations. In November 2024, hospitality workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 5 at Sheraton Maui prepared to vote on labor contract ratifications tied to broader union negotiations across Marriott's Hawaii hotel portfolio, addressing employee wages, workloads and staffing levels. More information and reservations for Isolana are available through sheratonmaui.com and isolanamaui.com.
