Cool Cat Cafe Opens in Kīhei
What’s ‘Old’ is New Again for the Former Front Street Eatery
by Todd A. Vines
Cool Cat Cafe reopened in Kīhei with the same ’50s diner nostalgia, cuisine and culture of the Front Street eatery – voted “Best Burger” by locals and guests for its hand-pressed, 6.5-ounce Angus beef burgers crafted 14 different ways. – Photo by Chris Amundson
For two decades, Cool Cat Cafe was an iconic Lāhainā Front Street restaurant. The old-time, 1950s diner at the Wharf Cinema Center was known for its award-winning hamburgers and elevated view of Lāhainā’s famous banyan tree.
The wildfires of August 2023 claimed the restaurant and changed the face of Front Street forever, but a new chapter in the Cool Cat Cafe story is being written in Kīhei. Founder Sean Corpuel reopened the cafe in South Maui this past June, barely 10 months after the fires.
“I kept in close contact with the team from the day after the fire,” Corpuel said. “I let them determine the pace. Within a few months, they told me they were ready to build something back. From that point, I wanted to reopen as quickly as possible.”
The new restaurant at Kukui Mall, most recently occupied by Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, has been fully updated and is appropriately awash in red and chrome – and nostalgia. Parking is considerably easier at the new locale. There’s more seating, a larger game room and space for private parties.
It’s also, well, notably cooler. The space is fully air-conditioned – a shift from the mostly open-air westside spot. Toward the rear of the restaurant, a large unadorned interior wall awaits a mural, likely a tribute to the cafe’s westside roots.
“It’ll be a nice vibe, a nod to our past,” said Tiffany Quilty, the restaurant group’s operations manager. “It’s a lot of pressure to reopen in a new space and keep the bar as high as we can. Even though we were established on Maui, we’re the new kid in Kīhei. But there’s lots of opportunity to connect with a new community.”
Cool Cat Cafe first opened on Maui in 2003. Corpuel and his father, Steve, owned a pair of successful ’50s-style diners in California and longed to bring the concept to the islands. At no point did Sean consider the loss of the Lāhainā restaurant the final chapter.
“We built something amazing. I couldn’t let it end like that,” he said.
In Kīhei, those familiar with the prior location will recognize plenty: photos of ’50s-era icons on the walls, bar seating at the shake counter and live music by West Maui musicians.
Many of the faces are familiar, too. Nearly half of the roughly 100-person team previously worked at the westside Cool Cat Cafe or Captain Jack’s Island Grill, a sister restaurant and Wharf Cinema Center neighbor also lost in the fires. A new Captain Jack’s recently opened at Sands of Kahana Resort with breakfast, lunch and dinner menus.
“We can replace equipment, buildings and product, but you can’t replace 21 years of culture and experience,” Corpuel said. “You can’t replace your ʻohana.”
The menu remains largely unchanged, with a few additions like a Philly cheesesteak, baja fish tacos and fish and chips, popular dishes formerly served at Captain Jack’s. The lineup of hand-pressed, 6.5-ounce Angus beef burgers is back, offered in more than a dozen ways, including favorites like the Don Ho with pineapple, bacon, jack cheese and homemade sweet Hawaiian sauce, and The Duke with bacon, cheese, onion rings and barbecue sauce.
The accolades are back, too. Cool Cat Cafe once again took gold as “Best Burger” in the 2023 ʻAipono Awards, Maui Nō Ka ʻOi Magazine’s annual readers’ choice competition. It’s an honor the restaurant has earned multiple times through the years.
“It makes all the hard work worth it,” Corpuel said. “My dad’s favorite thing to hear is, ‘That’s the best burger I’ve ever had.’ Being voted Best Burger by the readers is a hundred times better.”
In addition to the return of Captain Jack’s Island Grill, there’s talk about reintroducing Cool Cat on the west side. A “Cool Cat Express” is in the works, though the timeline and exact location remain undetermined.
“We’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to get both Cool Cat and Captain Jack’s up and running again,” Corpuel said. “We love serving great food, and we’re stoked to be able to put our work ʻohana back together. We’re just happy to be here.”
Sean Corpuel opened Cool Cat Cafe in 2003, bringing a ’50s-style diner to Front Street and now Kīhei. – Photo by Rachel Olsson
