We've tried many restaurants in all ranges on three trips to Maui, but Sansei is tops. Their Japanese calamari salad, rock shrimp cake, softshell crab salad, schichimi salmon, shrimp tempura, seafood pasta in black bean sauce, and other temptations are inventive without being over the top, as artful to the eye as to the palate, and above all delicious. For us it's a challenge to resist going every other night! Sushi is also great, but we foodies from Seattle (i.e., great Sushi country) think the most memorable action at Sansei is elsewhere on the menu. We like the casually sophisticated decor, the knowledgeable servers, and watching the masters at work at the sushi bar. Prices are quite reasonable given the quality and the Kapalua location -- and especially at the popular early diner hour. A winner!!

First I'll say this was one of the better sushi restaurants we've ever been to. Imaginative menu, interesting preparations and presentations and relatively decent pricing compared to other Hawaii restaurants. The atmosphere was nothing special...it felt more like a pub with neon beer signs over the bar, tv and loud groups of diners.

What I can't stand is when you kill yourself to be on time for a reservation and they still make you wait 45 minutes to be seated (saying 10 minutes more each time we asked...or we surely would have left). No apologies, no attempt at reparations (can we offer you a glass of wine while you wait... or maybe desert when you are done?) and then they squeezed our family of 5 on a square table for 4, saying the empty tables for 6 were for larger parties. The waiter passed us by for over 15 minutes and made no acknowlegment of his delay when he finally arrived. Then the timing of the food that arrived was completely off (appetizers arriving at the same time as entree's while some didn't come until later) made the for an anxious evening.

I understand when a restaurant is extremely busy but it's the attitude of the staff that can make the difference. What a shame because the cuisine coming out of the kitchen was surely masterful.

I was wondering a bit about this restaurant as it only got an average rating from some restaurant sites, but we were very impressed by the food and the service. In fact, this is the only restaurant we tipped extra, just for the excellent, friendly service. You MUST have reservations, though, especially for anytime after about 7:30pm. Most slots fill up by early afternoon for that evening, so be sure to call. It's a little tricky to find, follow 30 north until you see the sign for Kapalua pointing to the left (there's no stoplight). Follow the very dark road, through Kapalua which looks like it's deserted, until you see the sign for the Shops. Sensei is there. Another hint...try the Mango Crab Salad handroll. Wow!

We visited the Kapalua Sansei during our September visit to Maui and it was so yummy! I wish there was one in California! I can't recall the names of all the rolls we had, but we did have the famous mango crab roll, which was awesome, and sashimi including the best hamachi ever! I think one other roll we had was the Hawaiian roll. Anyway, all were delicious and unique! Definately a great spot to have a meal on Maui!