Kō and Pilina Usher in an Exciting Era of Dining at Fairmont Kea Lani

Hawaiʻi’s vibrant flavors come alive in the resort’s fresh-caught seafood, inventive plant-based plates, creative cocktails and more.

From Kō, its signature and recently refreshed restaurant, to Pilina, its new lounge, Fairmont Kea Lani is creating a dining scene within its beautiful grounds.

Known for its spacious suites and luxe villas perched along Wailea’s golden sands, the resort continues to raise the restaurant bar by thoughtfully showcasing local ingredients in imaginative dishes and cocktails.

Whether it’s a celebratory dinner, holiday or Sunday brunch, Kō has long been a beloved gathering place for visitors and locals. Many folks, including my brother, make it a point to dine at the restaurant during their annual visits to Maui.

Envisioned by celebrated chef Tylun Pang in 2012, the place is an ode to history. Kō means sugar in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, and Pang, who died in 2022, led the restaurant in a way to honor the workers who immigrated here during the Islands’ plantation era and ultimately shaped its culture and cuisine.

During plantation days, recipes were shared among neighbors and ethnic camps, and passed down through generations. Those recipes gradually evolved and today they guide some of Hawaiʻi’s most iconic dishes.

While remaining rooted in its original inspiration, Kō recently underwent its own evolution. In late October 2025, the restaurant reopened following a refresh. And it did it with a reimagined menu that continues to honor the multicultural dishes of the plantation era.

Executive chef and Kauaʻi local Matt Dela Cruz helms Kō’s new chapter, and his personal connection to those sugarcane days deeply influences the menu.

“Hawaiʻi’s sugarcane era is an integral part of my family’s history,” Dela Cruz said in a news release leading up to the opening. “Everything I create comes from the heart, meant to stir memories for those who grew up here while introducing new friends to the local flavors and diverse cultures that shaped Hawaiʻi. At Kō, food has always been about more than flavor … it’s about carrying forward the tradition of sharing stories and memories through every bite.”

From pūpū to desserts, you can savor fresh and locally sourced ingredients in dishes inspired by Hawaiʻi’s diverse cultural tapestry. To start the ʻahi and poi hot rock, and the Kamuela tomato and Pohole fern salad are exciting iterations of staples in the Islands. Japanese influence is prominent in the Binchotan grilled octopus and exquisite tofu agedashi. The lumpia—a Filipino fried spring roll—contains deer meat from Maui Nui Venison, which is not only an ultrafresh ingredient but one that supports efforts to mitigate the impact of invasive deer on Maui.

For mains, the Korean kalbi wagyu ssam is served with Waipoli lettuce and kimchi pears. The ʻahi shokupan comes on a bed of chilled soba noodles, and the vegan laulau lauʻai comes with kalo laulau, luʻau leaf and lomilomi tomato.

If you’re still hungry, you can end with something sweet like kūlolo malasada, which brings together the Portuguese pastry and the traditional Hawaiian dessert made with kalo, coconut milk and sugar.

At Kō, diners can relish familiar flavors while experiencing the connection among farmers, fishermen and food producers who have long been vital in feeding local communities.

The same attention to ingredients, elegance and innovation carries into Pilina. Located in the resort’s lobby, it defies the typical lobby bar and opens a window into a new crop of Maui chefs and mixologists.

Overlooking the Pacific, Pilina provides a culinary experience that feels both sophisticated and simple. Even a humble bowl of miso soup is prepared with exceptional care—and somehow becomes one of the most memorable versions I’ve had.

Mark Bernisto, Pilina’s sushi chef, brings creativity and playfulness to the bar, and his specialty rolls reveal not only passion but the joy he brings to his craft. With so many sushi bars on the island, Bernisto says he strives to offer diners something distinct. From the Peʻahi roll, with spicy ʻahi, seared otoro, lavender and Thai basil to the “Mauka to Makai,” with A-5 Wagyu, lobster and garlic chips, the signature rolls are exciting as they are beautiful.

The cocktails are not to be missed either. The bold beverages are thoughtfully mixed with homemade infusions featuring local ingredients that offer real tastes of the Islands, from the Under the Mango Tree, made with Waikulu agave spirit, li hing mui pickled mango and chile pepper water, to the Oh Hello, ʻŌhelo, crafted with Koʻolau Distillery gin, hibiscus tea and Maui wild berries. And be sure to try the cocktail of the month, too.

4100 Wailea Alanui Drive, Wailea-Mākena, fairmont.com.

Grace Maeda is the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.