This culinary program at the Maui College is top notch. It's hard to get a reservation because the food and service are impeccable. It's set in a beautiful room with ocean views and its fine dining service turned up a notch. read more

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Wow, this was an awesome experience for Maui. Run by the culinary students of Maui College, we enjoyed a prix fixe 4 course dinner that had a French theme. For the price, the food and service was unbeatable. Came with 3 friends and would do this again in heartbeat. read more

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Almost afraid to provide rave review because it's mostly sold out as is. But it's great if you can get in!

Class Act is the name of the dining room of the Maui Culinary Academy, the culinary program at the University of Hawaii Maui College campus. The students learn both back and front-of-the-house skills over 16 weeks, and also get to experience working in a real world restaurant setting with paying guests, which is Class Act. We attended their December 2016 semester finale 6-course dinner complete with wine pairings. It started with a tour and mingling of the garde manger kitchen where the students were preparing and serving hors d'oeuvres from five different stations, which included chicken satay, deviled eggs, beef tataki, pate grand-mere, and smoked salmon pizza. I had to contain myself as I was starting to get full off of these delicious starters alone! ATMOSPHERE: The dining room and kitchen are located on the second level of the Pa'ina Building on the UHMC campus, which also houses the school's diverse cafeteria on the lower level. The dining room is modeled like a traditional restaurant with host stand, configurable table seating, bar, and kitchen. High ceilings and big windows bestow airiness. BEVERAGE: Not being a fan of wine, I brought a cooler of beer. Sorry, no wine review. COURSE 1: Salmon Tartar - Sliced discs of raw salmon were paired with blinis (tiny, thin pancakes) and served with a dollop of sour cream, American caviar, and a side mixture of diced herbs and hard boiled eggs for sprinkling. Subtle, smooth, and very fresh & light. COURSE 2: Seared Diver Scallop & Kauai Prawns - Holy bageezuz, the saffron seafood broth with melted leeks and confit tomatoes it sat in was simply divine. The scallop was perfectly seared and the shrimp cooked perfect. I almost did the bowl to lip thing. COURSE 3: Hickory Smoked Duck Breast - The slices of breast were super moist with a texture similar to filet and sprinkled with a little sea salt. A half wreath of diced butternut squash, greens, and cranberries in a bacon maple dressing garnished the plate. Very nice mixture of savory and sweet flavors. COURSE 4: Herb & Mustard Crusted Lamb Rack - The 2 chops were cooked to medium rare perfection with zero gaminess, over a red wine demi glace with sides of scalloped potatoes, fresh green beans, and baby carrots. Magnific! COURSE 5: Morbier & Compressed Persimmon - Two things I've never tried before have been conquered lol. The morbier cheese tasted similar to gouda with with its smoky and mildly sharp flavors. Yes, I've never eaten a persimmon before as I'm not a big fan of fruits, however, I really liked its light sweetness and almost pear-like flavor and low acidity. Feeling stuffed from the previous 4 dishes and hors d'oeuvers, I didn't eat the slices of ficelle bread that accompanied it. COURSE 6: Dessert - A trio platter of desserts was our reward for consuming all this wonderful food. A half scoop of velvety smooth tiramisu gelato sat over cookie crumbles, and was my favorite as I love ice cream. Standing next to it was a solid chocolate tower filled with a mocha creme anglaise that tasted like melted coffee ice cream. And last but not least was a super moist chocolate souffle dusted in powdered sugar which I couldn't finish more than 1/4 of. SERVICE: The front-of-house students looked sharp in their black uniforms, and provided excellent and professional table service. Our waters and wines were always filled, and dishes explained when placed. The kitchen students did a great job during the garde manger kitchen mingling and hors d'oeuvers, answering questions and kept up with our demanding appetites. Dinner food was amazingly prepared and expertly presented. Dining Room Instructor Mark did an outstanding job of warmly greeting us before the doors opened, and explained what we were going to experience that night. He also went around the dining room conversing with patrons, helped with food and beverage service, emceed throughout the evening, and thanked us as we exited. You can tell that his teachings have rubbed off on the students. Chef Instructor Tom obviously molded the students well, with the delicious food and presentation as proof. All the dishes were perfectly cooked and seasoned. He also helped emcee the evening and mingled with diners. The sommelier, sorry I forgot his name, was friendly, knowledgable and introduced each course's pairing with a little bit of the wine area's history. OVERALL: World-class food and service, and a great start for the chef's and restaurant proprietors of tomorrow. Highly recommended! read more

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I am a fan of culinary schools and the experience they provide to the students and to the customer who is able to get top notch food at a reduced price. UH-Maui (formerly known at MCC), has a top quality culinary institute. I was able to go to one of the end of semester dinners around Christmas at MCC when I was in high school, and I remembered it being excellent, and for a teenager, it was very impressive to see what they did. Today, I visited on a French inspired menu day. The food remains excellent, and the service is attentive. I'm glad this exists for the students to hone their skills. It is receiving 4 stars because of the price. In similar culinary institutes, the prices have been very fair for a student run dining experience, and the food has been excellent, and the price is about 1/3-1/2 less than what I paid today (especially at lunchtime where it is around 2/3 less than what I paid today at other institutes). Leis Family Class Act is expensive for a student run experience. I could have paid what I did and received a similar meal at a fine dining restaurant on Maui for about the same price. read more

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This restaurant is a remarkable expression of students learning their craft. Many students go on as featured chefs around the island, state and off island. Those of us who dine here are honored to witness their development. read more

We went for the lunch at the Class Act culinary school at Maui Community College. Today they had a Moroccan theme. The menu changes very frequently so you will rarely find the same menu here twice. Food is served in several courses. Our server Brianna was outstanding. She was knowledgeable about the menu and was very accommodating for my special orders. The class act is student run so they are up for the challenge that special orders such as non dairy for example, brings. I had the best octopus of my life today. It was so tender and flavorful. The decor is lovely too. You will never be disappointed by your five star dining experience here. Double highly recommend. read more

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I have been wanting to write a review for Class Act for years but never found this listing until new Yelp friend Dennis S. pointed the way. Mahalo Dennis. Lunch is only twice a week on Wed and Fri when school is in session so Jan-Apr and Sept-Dec with changing menus every week allowing you to travel through your palate. I have been coming here ever since it was $25 per person, the ice tea with mango syrup was free and mainly only the locals knew about this spot. It still is a bit of a hidden gem but the price has steadily increased each year to a now varied pricing based on what entree you choose but the thing that has not changed is the friendly and exceptional service you receive and the phenomenal food that they serve. I have been here twice for their French influenced menu, Latin, Moroccan, Asian, and finally last year the elusive Italian menu which never seemed to rotate around during the two weeks I am on island. Grab those napkins to wipe the drool off your keyboard after reading what's to come as after an amuse bouche of a spoonful of caprese, the culinary artwork begins. Appetizer of Ahi Carpaccio with Olive Relish, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Brioche & Sea Salt where you literally grab a little of everything and pile it on the brioche toast points for a party that just melts in your mouth. My husband got the hot appetizer Zucchini Saltimbocca, Gazpacho Sauce & Fried Sage while I got the Acorn Squash soup. I'm not normally a big fan of acorn squash but he should be happy he sampled the soup before I did as after my first spoonful of soup, he never saw the bowl again as it was that good. For the entrée, I got the Pine Nut Crusted Kampachi & Lemon Caper Basil Butter with the fish cooked perfectly but was never a big fan of capers or butter sauce so that part of my plate was left untouched. My husband got the Pork Braciole with Roasted Tomatoes & Creamy Polenta. Now if only I could get the kampachi with the roasted tomato sauce instead, it would have been perfection. The pistachio semi-freddo was hazelnut that day but since I was so full, I had my husband take 1/3 of my semi-freddo before starting which I immediately regretted after my first bite. If I say delicious or so good one more time, this paragraph alone will turn into a drinking game soon. To top it off, since we were celebrating my b-day and they forgot to put a candle on my semi-freddo, they brought me out a second dessert of lilikoi sorbet with a candle on top which is above and beyond. If they have this menu again next year, I would be there in a heartbeat as I was so close to returning 2 days later for the same menu!! Okay, grab that drink as it was SO GOOD!! read more

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WOW is all I can say, I was very impressed!!! We are here visiting some friends of ours and they have been here many times and wanted us to experience this amazing student run restaurant. Logan was our server, he was very competent, very attentive, fun to talk to and the food...OMG, to die for!!! We choose the Filet Mignon, it came with a yummy scalloped au gratin appetizer, amazing tomato bisque soup and then the filet... the filet was melt in your mouth yummy goodness, cooked perfectly to my liking. Dessert was a class in itself, a chocolate mousse cake with raspberries, crunchy praline topping all beautifully prepared as seen in my pictures. Another must have is the iced tea, it came with a mango sweet simple syrup that was delicious!!! Run, don't walk, I 100% recommend this restaurant, you won't be disappointed. read more

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What an amazing experience! I am so truly appreciative for UH Maui having this opportunity on the island - not just for the students, but for us as customers too. From the moment you walk in you can rest assured you are in good hands. The host/hostess is very personable and truly makes you feel welcome. The tables are set perfectly and the waitstaff truly know how to take care of their guests. And then the food... Oh my gosh, the Latin menu is to die for. What an amazing starter of tamale with shrimp. The black bean soup is creamy and seasoned very well. The scallops dish is cooked to perfection and pairs very well with the sauce. And finally dessert...what a dance on ones pallet of mint pesto with fresh and cool sorbets. I will definitely be a return customer and I encourage anyone who has not had the opportunity to visit to go check it out. read more

Still a great experience. I won't bother with a detailed review of the food, since it'll be different each week going forward. I still stand by my review of two years ago. We go each year, booking as soon as they start taking reservations. (For reference, on February 4th when we were there for lunch we were told there are still a few openings at the end of the season in April.) Service is both professional and friendly (sorry, same adjectives as 2013's review), with the opportunity to talk with your student waitstaff. They're nervous but have been well taught. We even got to the point of discussing what we liked and didn't like about a dish and what our waitperson liked and didn't. Lots of fun. Check out their website for each week's planned menu throughout their season. You'll have a couple choices for entres as well as for appetizers. Modest portions, but fine for lunch and for a four course meal. read more

We had a fantastic lunch at Lei's Class Act. The students were so eager to please and the professors went from table to table to chat and answer questions from the guests. The French menu was wonderful with a beautiful view of the harbor. Very reasonable price for a great experience. We'll do this again! read more

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Super high end it made me feel like I was rich the food was amazing it just melted in you're mouth

Fantastic food and service. It was cool to taste quality, creative food made by students and support their development. Every dish was unique and tasty. Highly recommend. read more

This is the restaurant run by the students of the Maui Culinary Academy at the University of Hawaii - Maui. Lunch is served only two days per week with a different theme each week and seating is limited. Be sure to make a reservation well in advance. We dined here for the first time yesterday. It was fabulous. At $33 per person for a gourmet four course meal, it is not cheap, but it is a memorable meal. The theme for our meal was Italian. Ahi Carpaccio appetizer (5*), Zucchini Saltimbocca (4*), Acorn Squash soup (5 *), Pine Nut Crusted Fish with Wild Risotto Cake (5*), Panna Cotta with Dark Chocolate Crisp Pearls & Blood Orange Sorbetto (4*) For the entree, there were three other choices- pork, lamb, and vegetarian. (but we both had the fish) If you are a foodie, you need to eat here. read more

friends invited us to join them. They are regulars, always speak very highly of the quality of food here. We're always looking for a new place to try. We were NOT disappointed. Yes, it's a teaching restaurant, so be patient and expect mistakes (though our service was fantastic, very comparable to a high-end establishment). Four course gourmet meal (prix fixe menu), bring your own wine (or have some of their fantastic iced tea for $1/person). As another reviewer mentioned, there were a lot of seniors here enjoying their meals. We will definitely come back for a treat. Make reservations through Open Table in advance. read more

As soon as you book your plane ticket to Maui, you need to book a reservation at Lei's Family Class Act! It is entirely run by culinary students, who rotate through the different shifts so they have a full range of restaurant experiences. The service was exceptional. They were extremely accommodating of the baby we had with us and rearranged the tables so our large party could sit together. read more

When into Class Act to try their Chef's Table Tasting. It was unbelievable. 9 Courses of highly complex food all made by UH students. Up to par in flavor composition as other high-end restaurants on Maui. Our server was professional and courteous. The atmosphere was relaxing and unpretentious. It was beautiful to see students take so much pride in their work. Great job! I'll be back! read more

It was a great dinning experience to have lunch at Leis Family Class Act restaurant during our recent vacation in Maui. The students were top notch! The food was fabulous in all respects. My wife and I hope to return again soon. Tony M., Watsonville, CA read more

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omg! this place beyond met my expectations. its only opened a few days a week so calling a few months in advance is key. or make friends with one of the guys who can get you in. todays menu was latin flavor. all the dishes left you full but not bloated or stuffed. had corn/goat cheese tamale was the best tamale ive ever eaten. the guy was chill and even gave my friend a free cook book. the mango syrup ice tea was great as well. i would soo come back and i would deffinitely reccomend it read more

5 stars to the fabulous instructors, students, and institute that make up leis family class act! everything from welcome to service to close was a fine dining experience (but it's okay to wear shorts). read more