This is a must stop on our way to/from Hana. This is the best food in Maui if you are looking for homemade local food. Their plate lunch is big enough for two people, their rice is poured with their homemade guava sauce (unbelievably good). They also sell a homemade raspberry limonada, homemade organic vegan coconut milk coffee and they also sell their homemade banana bread, which must be extremely amazing as it sold out early! They are typically around mile 8 in the Hana highway, and they open until supplies last which usually run out fast, so make sure you get there early! read more

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Lucky me! I found The Rustbucket on the Road to Hana. Not sure why Yelp posts that it's in Hana... it is def not. It's past mile marker 5 on the road to Hana as most people noted. If you're coming from Paia, the metal "shack" will be on your left side. Better make this your first stop... they are open from 7:30am until food runs out which today (Tuesday) was at 2pm. I was told that bbq isn't ready til 9am ish. Their $20 meal comes with rice, bbq chicken, curry, pineapple, and caramelized bananas for dessert. It's beautifully plated on a banana stem and served with hand cut chopsticks that the boss will make in front of you. Food was tasty and service was friendly! This is definitely a must try (if you can find them). read more

Rustbucket - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

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Cruising down the road to Hana, our simple request was to find great local bites to eat as we made our way along this iconic trek. We stopped at Rustbucket BBQ after a couple of signs promised a great plate lunch. I will say that I will forever be grateful that we stopped here... not only was the food amazing but this short stop provided memories that we will have forever. The actual lunch was phenomenal; curated carefully as we waited - every time the oven opened, a new meat was brought out and placed carefully on a large cut of bamboo. The final "plate" contained salad, cooked banana, pineapple, rice with a great curry sauce on top, and three types of meat! We ate our meal with chopsticks also freshly cut from bamboo, on the side of the road overlooking a part of the forest and a bit of ocean. The experience added to the meal and was just great overall. I wish I remembered the name of the owner, but she was so nice and welcoming; she definitely helped to round out this wonderful experience. Best of luck to you - you are really doing what you do well and we will tell everyone who will listen about you and your amazing plate lunch!! read more

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Our best meal in Maui was, without a question, at the Rustbucket food truck along the Road to Hana. Yes, I repeat: "Our best meal in Maui was at a food truck.". We accidentally stumbled upon this (freaking amazing) food truck during our drive to Hana. Wow, oh wow!!! You must, must, must eat at the Rustbucket if you visit Maui! Plan your stop accordingly so that you arrive with an appetite. My husband and I ordered the Hawaiian-styled plate lunch (to share) that included grilled BBQ chicken and slow roasted pork served over a bed of coconut and banana infused brown rice with a vegetable coconut curry sauce. Our massive platter also included a fresh green salad, grilled bananas, and fresh pineapple. The platter is $20 and can easily be split between two to three people. This mouthwatering meal is served in the most impressive presentation. The food is cooked over guava wood and is served on a banana leaf. No boring plastic utensils are given with this meal! Instead, the chef of the food truck will chop you a fresh pair of chopsticks from sugarcane!!!! What?!?!? Shut the front door!!! How much cooler does this meal get? If you aren't already impressed (and you should be) you get to enjoy this incredible meal amongst some of the most lush greenery that Maui has to offer. Talk about atmosphere! The Rustbucket continues to haunt me in my food daydreams and may be one of the best meals of my life. read more

If you're headed to Hana or any of the many delights along the Hana Highway, DO NOT MISS the Rustbucket! It's one of those food opportunities that delivers WAAAAAY beyond expectations. The Rustbucket is aptly named - a hobbled-together stub of a trailer with a smoker box and just the bare necessities for handing out absolutely wonderful, handcrafted, totally local BBQ in a stunningly appealing fashion. $20 gets you an 18-inch long boat cut from a banana stalk and filled with an abundance (amply serves 2-3 people) of succulent, smoky, kalua pork; deeply flavorful BBQ chicken; vegetable stew over a pile of rice; sliced-before-your-eyes fresh pineapple; and smoked banana. You eat with bamboo chopsticks cut to order for you from lengths of bamboo, and absolutely everything you don't eat ends up back in the forest from which it came. The proprietor is soft-spoken and friendly, and was happy to explain where things come from and how it's made. Rustbucket is a true labor of authentic love for Hawaii, the environment, and the art of real food. Thanks to Rustbucket for a unique highlight to our stay on Maui! read more

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I have to say I really love it, a place to stop by . I highly recommend it and the plate and utensils , Use from the nature . read more

Rustbucket - Best lunch ever If you are in road and see it please stop by is the best ever - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

Amazinggg! One of the most creatively presented meals I've ever eaten. We stopped at Rustbuckets on the Road to Hana. It's an awesome little food trailer. Appears homemade which makes it even cooler! We were almost too late, just after noon, as we got the last two meals of the day. We got the chicken meals for $20/each but HUGE! I split one and we still had leftovers. The meal is served on a giant leaf and the owner made chopsticks out of a stick/stem right in front of us. No plates, no plastic cutlery, no drinks, essentially no garbage! The food was delicious and really unexpected! Curry "gravy" over brown rice, smoked chicken, a salad with homemade dressing and topped with freshly cut pineapple! He was all sold out of pork when we arrived but also has a vegetarian option! Bring a box/container for leftovers on the Road to Hana, you'll use it. read more

Rustbucket - Lunch in a leaf! Check out those chopsticks. - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

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This place was an amazing stop along the Road to Hana. His pork is probably the best I tasted on Maui. He served the pork alongside Huli Huli chicken, rice, salad, and banana foster. You can easily share this with a group of people - you get a lot of food for your money. Even better, he serves the food on a eco friendly dish and you eat with bamboo chopsticks. Stop here if you are driving the Road to Hana. read more

Rustbucket - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

Delicious Hawaiian BBQ!! Authentic and out of this world! It's served on a sugar cane boat and banana leaves, topped with brown rice, coconut curry, pulled pork and BBQ chicken with roasted banana. OMG!!! This was to die for!!! Huge portions, 1 meal is more than enough for 3. This place is on the road to Hana. You will see signs on the side of the road and it will be on the right hand side as your headed towards Hana. You must stop! The owner is super friendly! Oh and you get bamboo chopsticks as utensils. No forks or spoons available. read more

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We are so lucky to have found Rustbucket. In reading the Yelp reviews were, I was extremely confused about where this was located. On the day we encountered Rustbucket, we reached mile marker 7.5 at 9am and found it there. We celebrated as if we had discovered a treasure. As we walked up, the owner told us about his banana bread and coffee and said that the BBQ would be done in 20 minutes. Without hesitation, we said we'd wait until the BBQ was done. In the meantime, we chowed down on the dense and fresh banana bread. Once the meats were ready, he assembled the $20 meal on a bamboo plate. There was some salad, fruit, rice, chicken, and pork. All was great and I think my favorite part was the chicken. I also loved how he made utensils out of bamboo right in front of us. This is worth a stop for the novelty alone and the food was really tasty. I'm so glad we found it! read more

A little hard to find but absolutely worth it! Stopped by on our way back from a night in Hana, after seeing all the great yelp reviews. On this particular day it was between mile markers 7 and 8, but it could change from day to day I'm not sure. This guy makes plate lunches with pork chicken, caramalized bananas, rice, fresh pineapple. The flavors were incredible and it's all served on this giant bamboo banana leaf thingy with homemade bamboo chopsticks. Not sure if this is done for novelty or to reduce his carbon footprint, but regardless of motive it adds to the fun! 20 dollars for the plate lunch and my boyfriend and I shared one and left stuffed. My boyfriend is a chef in NY and he literally said, "the road to Hana was beautiful, but this pork is the most beautiful thing I've seen today" definitely worth the journey!! read more

Rustbucket - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

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Probably the most authentic plate lunch you can get! This was by far my favorite meal I've had in Maui. Brown rice with curry type sauce, kalua pork, chicken, plantains glazed in amazement sauce or something. A little salad and fresh cut pineapple. Everything was fresh, hot, and delicious! Cuts you chopsticks fresh from bamboo. Don't bother asking for a fork, or napkins. They don't want that trash ending up on the beautiful island. $20 for the plate and worth every dollar. We passed this place up because there wasn't any parking, but stoped by on the way back and very happy we did! Didn't even finish the road to Hana. read more

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This might be one of your first stops on the Road to Hana and in my options, might be the best. It is so cute with the most hawaiian owner. The coconut coffee is amazing. He also had chicken with banana infused rice and some pork as well. I didn't try it because it was really earlier. But a few other folks ate it and said it was amazing. Either way please stop here. Might be my best stop on the Road to Hana. read more

To echo another reviewer, this may have been the best meal we had in Maui. We stopped along our road to Hana trek after hiking waterfalls and the food was amazing. My boyfriend initially stopped to get a coconut or something as a snack and he came back to the car with a huge leaf filled with deliciousness--the plate lunch. Smoked meat, coconut rice with delicious green sauce, salad with a dressing and some (smoked?) bananas and fresh pineapple wedges. We ate it with bamboo chopsticks on a rock overlooking a valley. It was only $20 and more than enough to feed 2 hungry people. I can't remember exactly where it was along the Hana highway (somewhere between mile marker 5 and 10?) but there were some signs coming from the east advertising the best bbq. Definitely worth the stop! read more

Rustbucket - Best lunch ever! Delicious plate lunch with smoked chicken and pork - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

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An absolute must stop on the "Road to Hana!" The owner of the stand was a super cool dude, who definitely supplied the Hawaiian vibe. His food was out of this world. Smoked pulled pork, chicken, delicious rice topped with curry, and a salad accompanied with sweet and decadent bananas. For only $20, you can get a true Hawaiian meal and get the full Hana experience. In summary, my cheapest and best meal on the island... Stop by!!! read more

This food is the best food available on the road or in Hana! The "banana stalk" of food must have weighed 5 lbs complete with rainforest bamboo chopsticks, what could be more sustainable? No litter, no plastic forks or cups, the BBQ chicken was super tender, tasty and moist as well as the kaluha pork all on a bed of perfectly cooked brown rice, salad, and delicious cooked bananas! Super Ono, beats paying $40 for a small portion at Hana Ranch. A definite stop for the hungry traveler with the munchies!! Do it! Its delicious! read more

Rustbucket - Love the Authentic Banana Stalk Plates but the real treat is the ono goodness and flavor of this authentic Jungle Hawaiian food! - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

Amazing food after hiking through the water falls on the road to Hana! Refreshing drinks along with the best local food we have had yet! read more

Rustbucket - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

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Stopped here on a very wet & rainy day into Hana. Amazing meal. Pulled pork, BBQ chicken, rice + curry, plantains, pineapple, and a salad. All presented perfectly on a banana leaf. A must stop on the road to Hana. read more

Rustbucket - a food cart on a rainy day - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

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Welcoming surprise! Tasty banana bread and fresh coconut. It was really fun to watch him cut the coconut. read more

Rustbucket - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

Easily the best food truck on Hana Rd and some of the best Hawaiian Pork I've ever had. Extremely reasonably priced and very friendly to top it off. Home made smoking oven using actual young wood rather than pellets. Banana bread was pretty solid too. Definitely recommended if you're driving the Road to Hana. If not, still recommended if you're in the vicinity. read more

We were lucky enough to stumble on this place early on in our drive the Hana. It was absolutely AMAZING! The bbq plate was perfection... the pork, chicken, bananas, rice, everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The owner was also really kind and friendly. I can't recommend this spot enough! read more

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What a wonderful unexpected surprise between waterfall stops. Nice guy and earth conscious (all plates, eating utensils and straws are biodegradeable and handmade right in front of you from bamboo, leaves etc. Hawaiian BBQ plate for $20 feeds 2 people. Everything on this plate is authentic and pallet pleasing. Slow roasted pork, smoked chicken, banana coconut rice, roasted banana salad and pineapples. Whole cut coconut for $7. 1,000 times better than the $100 dinner we had last night at the Westin's Relish Oceanside. With the stop! read more

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The guy who runs this truck is legit. He hunts, cooks and serves the most authentic Hawaiian food in the most sustainable way. The coconut coffee was out of this world too and unlike anything I've tried. read more

Rustbucket - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

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We knew we had a long drive ahead and needed a meal- randomly stopped here and wow was it yummy! The brown rice, salad, and fresh fruit were outstanding and the meat was very tender. Just what we needed to fuel our day, and only $20 to feed us both!! Highly recommend! read more

Rustbucket - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

Best food we have had on the island and we just happened to find it by accident! If you are going to take the Road to Hana you have to find this food truck!!!! Amazing food! No waste! Bamboo utensils. Shave ice served in a bamboo leaf. The food and the experience was WORTH THE DRIVE read more

Rustbucket - Shave ice served in a banana leaf with a bamboo spoon and bamboo straw... the kids loved this! - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

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This was very authentic and so very delicious!!!! Very original.... Best food I had while in Maui!!!!! read more

Rustbucket - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

I almost died getting there but hey. We got banana bread. It was one of the best. My mom would be disappointed that I said that since she makes lackluster banana bread. I recommend going here if you are up for a super stressful drive to Hana. I was so sore from this drive. Banana bread was good. It took us 5 days to finish it. My wife finished it but didn't leave me any. read more

I hope the owner is still going strong because this was the best meal we had on entire trip to Maui hands down, we went to some incredible restaurants during our trip but this place is a true treasure that you have to experience if you are on Maui. I am so sorry that my original review did not get posted, just found out I never posted it I guess back in 2017. Owner was so friendly and willing to answer all my questions. Food is amazing but it is even a better location that just adds to the experience. Its like when you go to Maine and eat your food on a dock where it just came off the lobster boat. At the rust bucket you are in the middle of a rainforest with mango trees and waterfalls all around you. I am a former chef that has eaten in over a thousand restaurants in my lifetime, this place is in my top 5 places to eat all time. Actually when we were there a couple that worked for Michelin had just stopped by and told the owner that they could not rate him because it wasn't a restaurant and they were actually on vacation, but they said that it was one of their favorite stops on Maui. read more

Kapono and his shack is a must on the road to Hana! DO NOT pass the opportunity to taste his food! Best tasting and presentation is just superb! Mahalo Kapono! Will definitely stop again next time. read more

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Wow wow wow and amazing!!!! Best food in Hawaii hands down!!!$ of on the road to Hana this is a must stop. All food was picked by this man and made by him. The presentation was amazing eating out of all things that come from Mother Earth. read more

Rustbucket - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

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As if Maui isn't cool enough, I drove bye this food cart on the Hana Highway and decided to stop at the last second because there was a crowd around this bend with a great view. It was a food cart called Rustbuckets. I was blown away, I ordered the main lunch that was served in a banana leaf that fed 2 ( I ate it all ). It was a combo of chicken, pork, rice, pineapple and a green sauce to die for. As if that was not enough I bought a banana bread to have as my afternoon snack. The best food I've had on Maui , all from this cool cart and the owner and his girlfriend were great!! I will be back no doubt. read more

Excellent! Super fun Traditional Hawaiian experience! Food was great! As was the people running it! Will be trying to find it again soon!

New stop for us on the Road to Hana. You can already see the pictures in other reviews. This is a Hawaiin food truck (famous for them in Hawai'i). So don't plan on anything more than that! But it is a Hawaiin food truck-and if you don't eat at at least one of these you are missing out!! Served on a banana leaf plate, generous portions. A little costly (but it takes time and money to get everything out this far). Worth it. So why? The cool things. They cut bamboo chip sticks in front if you. My wife doesn't do chop sticks. So they made a broad bamboo spoon and put a point on I.T to "stick" the food. Your table is the hood of your car (it's cool, think Hawaiin tailgate!). But banana bread for desert. read more

Stumbled upon it on the road to Hana at the most opportune time (we hadn't seen any food for miles) and saw a sign for BBQ and saw the cutest little food truck. Legit home cooked food (pork, chicken, curry coconut, brown rice, stewed bananas (so deelish) and fresh pineapple). More than enough for 2 people, it was environmentally friendly from the plant plates to the bamboo chopsticks. One of the best meals we had in Maui, lucky find for us! Thank you Rust buckets! read more

Seriously you won't want to miss this. The plate is amazing the coffee is even better! I love everything about their set up. All recycled repurposed equipment to make their food truck. They even use bamboo and leaves to make your plate and chop sticks. Zero waste. Excellent food and seriously the coffee is ssssooooo good. Hawaii coffee, Coconut milk they harvested, local honey and vanilla. I want to drive back just for this stop alone! read more

They are at the 8 mile marker. This place was worth the stop they were super friendly and had awesome food and coffee.

Unbelievable! Best Hawaiian BBQ on Maui! Very friendly and a must stop on the road to Hana!!

Such an amazing authentic plate.... all handmade included the utensils and serving platter. Worth the "pull over". AND the most bestest banana bread, there is some secret ingredient that made it s but different... Cinnamon? Ginger?? I don't know, but it's awesome. read more

Rustbucket - Hawaiian Near Me - Hana, Hawaii

We arrived late and missed out on all the BBQ meats but got a veggie platter and coconuts. The curry and rice were amazing. Loved how both the plate and utensils were both straight from nature. Be prepared to eat standing or sitting in your car. Look forward to our next stop and hopefully making it here before all the meat is sold out. read more

This is great place to pop by for a quick bite, the guys are amazing the way they greeting you and the taste of their food is amazing don't ever doubt about asking for a plate of the chicken and BBQ pork they have is really good. read more