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Recommended Reviews - Manuela Malasada
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One of my must haves while in Hawaii is to find Malasadas. Luckily, when my family and I went to Costco, Manuela Malasadas was across the street with other food trucks. Of course, I ran over and ordered a bunch of different filled Malasadas. Manuela Malasadas did not disappoint my family and me. Lilikoi was my favorite. Everything is made to order and always so fresh! A few days later, my family and I had to come back again for seconds! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Amazing food truck. It's more of an atmosphere. The owner was just so gracious and helpful with our selection of malasadas. We had some choices that we selected but went with 6 of ours and 6 of her favorites and oh wow did they impress. Great conversation and hands down one of the best experiences. Yes they are just small treats but it makes a difference when you get a level of service that is out of this world. Mahalo nui loa. The best.
Love their take on Malasadas and how crunchy/tasty they are! I got the Ube and Bavarian cream for myself and definitely recommend those flavors! You can find them nearby costco and I'm excited to eventually try some of their drink options - Miguel Morales Photography
Delicious! We happened to stop right before close and were promptly helped. We ordered 6 with sugar, and 3 with filling (raspberry, passion fruit, coconut). When in Hawaii you need to have at least one good Malasada - and Manuela Malasada's are just that.
Hawaiian donuts were delicious. October 21, 2025 was our first time experiencing. When we stepped up to the food truck, Sabrina greeted us and helped us put together a selection of six donuts. They are made to order, so fresh and hot. They were so good, a few days later we made a second trip back for more. Thanks Sabrina for making our stay in Maui just a little bit more memorable! Tom and Flo
Being able to choose the fillings and coatings means you get to completely tailor your malasadas! Nutella is a great filling, as is PB&J. They're made to order, so super fresh. There are a few tables outside as well as a food truck park next door. Well worth a visit!
The highlight of this dessert truck is definitely their malasadas.They're made fresh and have a variety of flavors to choose from. Unfortunately, I found the staff to not be very informative about the menu options. It would have been nice to receive friendly and helpful service, especially when trying to decide which malasada flavor to choose. Despite the staff's demeanor, the desserts themselves are worth a try. Just be prepared to navigate the menu on your own or ask for recommendations from fellow customers.
Been to this place in the Big Island and glad to see it here in Maui. IMO this one is better than the one I had before. We got 3 malasada for $16 and didn't regret it. They were flavorful and super fresh. Crispy, warm and just delightful. A must get in Hawaii.
Nothing I love more than donuts on a Saturday, but these malasadas are so good they should be eaten every day. So fresh and warm. I love the raspberry and and Huapia filled (not pictured). The huapia is so subtle and perfectly sweet. You may be tempted to bring these to another spot to eat, since the food truck roundup by Costco (or gas station where it previously was located) aren't the best ambience, but eating them fresh is a must!
Finished lunch and was getting ready to leave but then saw the malasada truck and just had to get some! Didn't get the filled one, but chose the ling-hi and cinnamon sugar. They just hit my sweet tooth spot! Definitely would come back, maybe even try a filled one!
Made to order!! Hot and fresh. Good flavor selection. Find her truck across the street from costco. Favs: Haupia Guava Banana cream Hurry get yours
Happy to find this little donut shop on our way out of town to visit Hana. Setup is a bit confusing at first but we ordered and received food all from one window. There are two windows (one on each side) so some people started making a line on the other side before realizing that only one side was being used. There were so many choices but we decided to go simple and just get half a dozen coated in powdered sugar. The donuts were fresh and hot and looked delicious! They were a bit dense for our taste, but the kiddos didn't seem to mind at all! I would go back to try some of the fillings they have because I'm sure they would stand up to the density of the donuts here and probably be a delicious addition. However, I would say calling these malasadas is a stretch. read more
3 years ago
I don't want to leave a bad review for this highly sought after desert, but it wasn't for me. Actually it wasn't for my husband either. We had 6 with a mix of cinnamon and powdered sugar. The fillings were banana, Kona coffee, pineapple, apple, plain and strawberry. I appreciate that these are made fresh to order. Without the dusting and filling, the dough is rather yeasty and lacked any flavor. This is not a donut or Zeppole. Service was fine. Ambiance was chill and at a small food truck area; across from Costco. read more
Business owner information
Dr Kandi M.
I am so sorry that you did not have an amazing experience here we…
2 years ago
Service was quick and owner was pretty nice. The malasadas were fresh and filled to the brim with filling. He doesn't skimp and he was pretty generous with the size and amount of filling in each malasada. We ordered banana cream, ube cheesecake and passion fruit fillings. Be prepared to sit outside at benches. I would recommend coming here for delicious malasadas. read more
If you want the best donut malasadas come here. It's located a few blocks away from Front street and you can smell the goodness of the fried batter from the street. Basically you place your order by: 1) choose quantity 2) select type of sugar or no sugar 3) choose fillings (optional) And it will be made fresh to order! We ended up choosing guava, ube and chocolate. All were hot out of the fryer and delicious. The only downside is that it can be a little pricy for such a small bite but we worth it in my opinion. read more
Fresh malasadas with all kinds of fillings from mango to chocolate and you choose the sugar topping as well! They are not the cheapest but I promise they are worth it. Minimum of 3 per order for 9$ and 1-2$ to fill each one. My personal favourite was the lilikoi filling. Currently there is one guy running the shop and the start time is more like 9-9:15 am rather than 8 but their goal is to hire more people to expand their hours. Located in a food truck lot so there are a few benches to sit and eat. They are made to order so so take about 10-15 minutes so yes you may have to wait a bit if there's a line but it's worth it for these fresh bites of deliciousness read more
After doing a search on Yelp on places to get some yummy malasadas, Manuela Malasada popped up and I couldn't resist a highly rated 4.5-star place. We were in Lahaina on a Sunday evening and decided to stop by, but at 6pm, the stand was already closed and sold out for the day. We came back the next day around 4pm and found a deceptively short line (about 5-6 people were ahead of us), but the line wasn't really moving. With such a short line, we thought it wouldn't be long... but we were wrong. We were in line for over an hour. It was a one-man show, taking the orders/payment (cash only) and making and filling the malasadas. Having a second person in there would really speed up the process. Everything is made to order. He takes an order, fries the malasadas, then dusts and fills them. It is a slow and meticulous process. Sure, it guarantees the malasadas are hot when you get them, but the wait is killer. Several people left the line after realizing that it was hardly moving. I think he also takes phone orders because he was on the phone periodically. After it was finally my turn and I placed the order, I stood to the side and was able to peek into the truck and watch him make everything. Kudos to the guy running the truck; he triple-checked the order regularly as he built each malasada to ensure accuracy. When the order was ready, he called my name and handed me a hefty box. It was finally time to dig in! I was ready to love Manuela Malasada after waiting an hour in line, but it's just not worth it... the wait or the price. We ordered six malasadas - five filled and one plain with sugar, which cost $20 even. A filled one costs about $4 a pop (though it is cheaper if you order by the dozen). They were bigger and heavier than I expected, which accounts for some of the price, but I wasn't a fan of the taste. I found all of the malasadas to be dense and coconutty, regardless of the sugar and fillings that we chose - this was not the texture or flavor that I was expecting in a malasada and therefore it was unwelcome. I think my expectations were too high, particularly for the fillings because despite the variety of options to choose from (chocolate, peanut butter, mango, Bavarian crème, Nutella, chocolate chips, strawberry, guava, lilikoi, etc.), this is not a bakery. The fillings are jarred and canned - nothing special and nothing to write home about. I like the concept of Manuela Malasada - hot and customizable malasadas - but the execution could use some work. read more
2 years ago
We found this food truck across from Costco. The guy we ordered from was nice. We got a few plain sugar malasadas, one filled with Nutella, and one filled with lemon. They were all tasty, but TIP: get them filled! They are much better filled with something than just plain. Don't get me wrong, the plain are good, but to me they're just a little too plain. Getting them filled with something gives you the whole experience. There was shaded seating in front of the food truck where we sat to wait and eat. Nothing too special, but that's the general setting when you're eating at a food truck. read more
Yes, I live here, but somehow discovered this one through tiktok of all places. It was a video of best malasadas in Hawaii & to my surprise the place was on Maui. So of course I had to go hunt it down & try. Located in the 76 gas station parking, you will spot this cute truck. Went there around 10 & there was no one in line, perfect. There are so many choices on the menu & they explain how to order which is good for first timers like me. I was really just down for anything, I ordered 3 & asked the girl at the window to make me her favorites. She looked at me & I asked if I was sure, they suggested that she'll make the 3 most popular flavors right now, which were ube, pumpkin cheesecake, & cookie butter. Those sounded good, so why not! They were ready very quick, nice & warm filling oozing out. Fair warning, if you decide to eat them there it will get messy, so make sure you have wipes or something to wipe your hands. I decided to take them back & when I got Wailuku they were still warm . A more dense, but crunchy outside malasada, I'm guessing you need that in order to hold all the filling inside. So if you're expecting/wanting the soft pillowy ones, this is not for you. Very generous filling & the flavors were right on point for what I expected them to be. All were very yummy, definitely come here if you're looking for filled malasadas, but know they are $1 each more. Even after they cooled down & filling became more on the thick side, they were still good. Check them out if you're on the west side! read more
This little food stand is located at the corner of 76 gas station. I've passed by it many times and have been curious as to how tasty their "world famous malasadas" really were. Their location is a little random, but do not let that deter you! I finally had the chance to drop by the other week. It was around 10am and the perfect timing as a line quickly formed behind me. Follow the steps below to get your order in: 1. Select quantity -- 3 for $7, 6 for $11, 12 for $17 2. Select sugar -- Plain, cinnamon, li hing mui, powdered sugar, no sugar 3. Add a filling (add $1 for each filling) -- Lilikoi, mango, haupia, guava, chocolate, nutella, strawberry, etc. I went with a 1/2 dozen filled malasadas. 5 plain (rolled in white sugar): filled with 2x lilikoi, haupia, lilikoi cream cheese, cookie butter. 1 li hing mui: filled with mango. I didn't realize at first that each filling cost $1 extra, so that upped the price to $17. It worked out to a little less than $3 each. Pricey, but I'm always down to try something new. Manuela's malasadas are hot and fresh and made-to-order so it did take about 10 minutes or less. We took our first bites and -- holy moly. Mind blown! They are rolled-in-sweetness, CRUNCHY outside, moist on the inside, and bursting with deliciousness. I've never had a crunchy malasada before. It is a game changer! Definitely the best malasadas I've had in what seems like forever (and I had a pretty dang good one a few days before too, lol). My favorite flavors were the lilikoi cream cheese and the cookie butter. I also really enjoyed the haupia, but it tasted less like a filling and more like a syrup; the Hawaiian Sun coconut syrup. The li hing mui filled with mango was also a really interesting twist and I could see it growing on me. If you do choose the li hing mui sugar, go with any of the fruit fillings. All in all, I think I've found my new favorite malasada place and will be back in the future. Check them out if you're on the west side. They also have a handful of other locations throughout the Big Island, Oahu, California, and Utah. read more
Business owner information
Dr Kandi M.
Mahalo for your kind review. We truly appreciate the detailed…
Fresh malasadas is where it's at! This place gets really busy and sells out! So be prepared to come back if you hit the end of a rush. My partner and I got three to share and it was just right. Lilikoi cream was our favorite! The guava was super bright and tasty. The maple bacon was a fun tasty treat on the specials menu. That lilikoi cream was everything though! I'd get the banana cream next time as well but that's just me. Got to try this place while you're here! read more
1 year ago
Drove almost an hour to get these malasadas and I would 100% do it again! So fresh, delicious, and unique. I'm not usually a donut person but these are completely different and so amazing!! We got the haupia, lilikoi, and guava. My favorite was the haupia and my husband's was the lilikoi. All 3 were great! read more
Fresh malasadas!!! These malasadas are like a fried bread rather than a pillowy donut. The fillings melt into the malasada since they're so hot and crispy which makes a pudding like texture with a crisp exterior. They're not like any other malasada I've ever had, which makes them unique and something you definitely have to try if you're in the area. There is a little wait depending on how many folks are in front of you. The shack is in the corner of a gas station so parking is limited. read more
5 years ago
Treat yourself!!!!! Every time I think of Hawaii I think of Malasadas. Manuela Malasada takes it to the next level!!! They are delicious and totally worth the wait. Now about that, you will have to wait. Don't come hangry and give the nice owners a bad review. Know that if you come here, they are making the Malasadas fresh and they take time. Plus the line gets long quick. The wait is worth it though! The donuts are made fresh and you can choose the base: plain (white sugar), cinnamon, powder and a couple more. Then you can choose to add a filling for $1 each. The filling is so worth it! It takes the donuts to another level. We got the following filling on our donuts: -Nutella 4/5 great taste but nothing special -Guava Cheese Cake 5/5 oh my! Not sure if this is a seasonal flavor but it was amazing! -Strawberry 5/5 we were surprised by this one. The flavor was amazing. My husband loved it. -Hahupia 5/5 my favorite one! Haupia is coconut milk base and every bite was perfection -Mango 4/5 it was good but nothing super special. Not sure if I would order again since I would like to try other flavors. If you are in Maui, take the time to stop by here! You won't regret it! read more
Business owner information
Dr Kandi M.
Kim, it’s customers like U - that motivate us everyday- there is so…
4 years ago
The first thing you notice about this mini food truck is its vibrant purple hue. As you get closer, the next thing you'll notice is the incredible smell of fried dough and sugar. The aroma alone will have you drooling. Manuela's is short-staffed, so there will be a wait. We found this to be the case whether right at opening or well into the evening, right before closing, but don't fret because it will be worth it! The desserts are priced so that there is a base price for the malasadas and then an additional cost tacked on depending on how many of those malasadas you want filled. It was $14 for 6 malasadas and then $9 to have all of them filled. We opted to have 4 of our 6 malasadas filled and went with Ube cheesecake, Lillikoi (passionfruit), Huapia, and Guava cheesecake. After paying, we waited with agonizing anticipation. There is a food truck park just down the street if waiting's not your forte and you need a distraction. I stayed behind to wait because I wanted to make sure I could devour those malasadas as soon as they were handed over to me. After ~30 min wait, we received our treats. We did remember to snap a few pics for Yelp before indulging in the sugary fried dough goodness. The fresh malasadas were warm, pillowy, and everything a donut fiend could dream of. Of all the fillings, the guava cheesecake was my favorite. It had the perfect amount of tartness from the passionfruit to balance out the sweetness everywhere else. If you're looking for a hot and fresh pastry to satisfy your sweet tooth, Manuela Malasada is your spot. I read that they have some locations on the mainland too, so I will definitely be scouting them out to get my fix! read more
Good, hot malasadas. Probably not super special if they were not hot. One MAJOR bone to pick. We got there at 9:40 and they were closed. Told me to come back in 15 minutes. Not acceptable if you open at 8:00 in my book. No way you can see it when you drive into the parking lot. There are probably 7 other food trucks there and this is almost directly behind another one. Somehow my wife spotted it eight as we had given up and were pulling out of the parking lot. Pretty annoying experience overall for some malasadas that weren't worth that much hassle. read more
The malasadas here are excellent - it's not overly sweet, and the dough has the perfect consistency and texture. They also stay fresh overnight in case you can't finish them all in one sitting. If they have the Ube flavor while you're there then I highly recommend it! read more
I really wanted to like this, but it honestly was not good. The service was also slow so that also didn't help. I've had Malasadas from Leonard's and also from Dot and Dough. The Malasadas from there are light and fluffy. The 3 that I ordered from here are dense. I would pass on these if you are in the area. There are better options read more
5 years ago
UHHMMM... YYYUUUUMMMMMMM!!!!! This place hit the spot! I was visting Maui and was struggling to find a malasada spot. Thankfully, I found this lil food truck on Yelp and actually passed by it on my way to get acai bowls at a nearby food truck. I ordered a dozen malasadas with different fillings and sugars. I tried Guava, Chocolate Strawberry, Lilikoi, Cookie Butter, Coconut, Bavarian Cream, and their daily specials Ube and Apricot covered in either Powdered Sugar, Li-Hing, Plain Sugar, or Cinnamon Sugar. My favorite ended up being Cookie Butter with Cinnamon Sugar and Lilikoi with Powdered Sugar. Guava was also a great one. One tip: CALL IN TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE OPEN! I had to stop here 3 times before I was successfully able to get malasadas. The first time, the worker was just about to go on a long break. The second time, they were randomly closed on a Sunday (even though they aren't usually closed on Sundays). They told me that they would be open at 8AM the following day (Monday). AND FINALLY ON MONDAY, I showed up at 8:50AM and they were closed. Something in my heart (or should I say my tummy) told me to wait in case they opened at 9AM...and sure enough, they did. Was it worth it? OH YES. THANKS MANUELA MALASADA FOR CURBING MY CRAVING read more
This place finally lived up to the hype I've been hearing about malasadas. So good!!! And the service was so great. This guy is a good guy and his positive energy shows in his food. These malasadas are krispier on the outside than what I've had before but soft on the inside and I loved them all! Would definitely recommend this place as i never really cared for the doughy malasadas I've tried at other businesses. REMEMBER ITS CASH ONLY. Give him a big tip from me! read more
I'm super surprised at how high the reviews are at this place because I was fairly disappointed. They are "famous" and "on tv" but it was not good. We came at around 830am and there was 3 people ahead of me. The stand only had 1 person working. When we finally placed our order, the guy said it was going to take 15-20 minutes. It took over 30 minutes!!!! What's worse was the malasada was not good at all. It was fresh and made to order, and we got one plain, one li hing mui powder and one guava filled. All of them were overcooked and super chewy and dense. The flavor wasn't there either. I wouldn't have known what I was eating if I wasn't the one who ordered it. We saved some for later to eat and it was slightly better after 5-6 hours as the oil was coming out making the dough softer but it was still pretty dense Overall, maybe it's a bad day but it was not good and I'm super disappointed. read more
4 years ago
I dont know if I would classify this as a donut - more like an elephant ear or frybread for my fellow PNW'ers. They are made to order which was very cool. Ours were warm and the filling was hot. Lots of filling options to choose from. I definitely understand why they come in 3's, but it does make it slightly inconvenient for 1 or 2 people. Not sure if I would make it a point to come here again, but I'm glad we went. It made for a good story for sure. read more
When it comes to these wonderfully fried donuts this place comes up short I had the best ones in Aloha Stadium from a gentleman who makes you feel like home these ones are over fried too crispy and barely any feeling more than the dough and being the fact that he has to wait till they rise you can only imagine how heavy they are this was quite a disappointment so if you're looking for that at home feel coming to Maui to this food truck you're not going to get it he might as well take a flight to Aloha Stadium in Oahu in Honolulu and get yourself the best tasting malasadas there read more
4 years ago
We came here after a full day at the beach in Kaaanapali. Dione was AMAZING! He helped me with the menu and gave us some good recommendations. This place is a hidden gem. We got: - Ube filling - Passionfruit "lilikoi" - Guava Cheesecake I highly recommend coming here during your visit to Lahaina. read more
4 years ago
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3 years ago
The gentleman that was working was very friendly and patient. We are not locals and I'm a fat kid so there were tons of questions and minds changed. However, he was awesome. We will definitely come back here on our next vacation. More pictures and reviews coming from me as soon as we try the product. Made to order btw CASH ONLY FYI!!! read more
4 years ago
Spoiled food made us sick within 40 minutes. Went a couple days ago just before 5pm. There was no line. We were the only customers the whole time during our order. Ordered 6. 3 plain and 3 filled with ube, haupia (coconut) and bavarian creme. Came to $18. Dough on all 6 was crunchy on the outside and half cooked on the inside of each one. The flavor of just the dough itself was also bitter after taste and bland. The filling of all three were spoiled tasting. Tasted them. Ube was sour, not ube flavored, didn't eat. Haupia was bitter and spoiled tasting. Bavarian creme tasted okay. Tossed the ube, haupia and the half eaten rest, which were raw inside the very crunchy exterior. Within 30 minutes or so, our little one ran to me saying she had to use the toilet badly. My own stomach and partner's stomach both felt grumbly and off after eating just the plain ones, but our child's young belly couldn't handle the bavarian creme one and unfortunately almost didn't make it to the public park restroom. Waste of $18. Bacteria multiplies in hot and warm environments and this trailer was the perfect environment during our visit. In the smell and taste of the cooked dough, the fillings and with this Hawaiian heat you can tell the flavors of the dough and fillings were off and were spoiled. Will not try this place again or recommend this spot to anyone. Hopefully these issues can be remedied for the future success of the owner. Maybe they'd be be better earlier in the day while everything was fresher, but maybe later in the day when we went after everything sitting in that hot trailer all day everything we had was spoiled smelling and tasting. Our little one is very hesitant to try malasadas again. read more
4 years ago
Malasadas were a hot topic during our vacation because they're not donuts but are very similar? Not entirely sure, but they're great. We got both plain and guava. Both were fantastic. Definitely make the stop, even if the line is super long - so worth it! read more
Business owner information
Dr Kandi M.
Thank you so much for your kind review and support - my staff work…
4 years ago
This place is overpriced and they are out of a lot of the fillings. It's probably covid supply chain related so that's fine and understandable. But after saying 4 different flavors we want and the worker just saying "none" it would've been helpful for them to say what was out or what they did have. The feelings were Uber all pretty good. The malasadas were a little over cooked too. Overall happy to support a small business and it hit the spot I wanted it too. read more
4 years ago
Delicious! Don't expect to run in and out, it isn't fast food! So many choices it can be daunting so better to check out the menu beforehand. Bring cash, chill and be prepared for a special treat. read more
Really delicious and conveniently located near the main downtown of Lahaina. After strolling Front St and picking up some shaved ice, we strolled up to the small stand (not much sidewalk though) for some tasty Malasadas! Be sure to get there early. They ran out of guava. read more
5 years ago
I'm no malasada connoisseur but I've tasted many malasadas, even from Oahu as well. I'm going to be completely honest, I was very disappointed. Whenever we head to the west side, there is always a line so I've always thought "man, it must be good". As we arrived, we wouldn't find parking closer to the trailer so we had to park on the other side of the gas station. That was no issue tho. It was raining so everyone who was waiting for their order and wanting to order had to cram under the covering. Again, no issue. I ordered 3 plain and 3 filled, Ube (which I had to pick another flavor when my order was ready so I picked Peanut Butter Chocolate), Haupia and Bavarian Cream (so good). I thought the fillings were going to be more of a custard like consistency but it wasn't. Haupia I'm assuming it was just coconut syrup, the Bavarian Cream was runny and the Peanut Butter Chocolate was literally peanut butter and chocolate syrup. The dough itself had no taste at all and it was very dense. Malasadas are meant to be light and fluffy. All 6 were stuffed into a small togo container and the lid couldn't close. read more
Business owner information
Dr Kandi M.
You need to get your money back - we will give you double what you…
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Ask the Community - Manuela Malasada
Came by twice and not open? Missed our malasada!!
Yes. We are not gonna be able to open until we are staffed properly.
What is your location Tuesday June 1st and hours of operation? , Mahalo
We don’t leave the Maui location?
What time will you be open tomorrow, 4/21/22? We went by today at 9:45 am and again around 1:30 pm and the truck was closed both times.
830. Our staff member had a family emergency today. I am so sorry.
What are the hours?
We usually spotted the truck between 10 ish am to 2/3 ish in the afternoon. We had seen it as late as 5 pm.
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