About Us
Fresh Fish, Sushi, Island Cuisine
Owner John Arabatzis Jr., along with a few of his fishing buddies, bring you the freshest fish on Maui. What you will experience here at Isana is a combination of bold and adventurous flavors, fresh, world-class sushi, local offerings, ambiance, friendly service, and an ocean view second to none. You will get the chance to try classic sushi offerings, modern twists, as well as fresh-caught local fish you may not have tried—or even heard of before! Please stop in for a meal; we guarantee you will leave just as excited about the new Isana as we are.
Our Story
Isana has been a favorite dining destination in Kihei under Japanese and Korean ownership's for the past 29 years. The restaurant is a landmark and has been a favorite of the new owners, Christine and John Arabatzis for over 19 years.. They came here for the first time during the first ownership as a Japanese restaurant/sushi bar to celebrate John’s 16th birthday. Growing up in the restaurant business, John was amazed they used an exceeding amount of salt to spell out Happy Birthday on the Teppanyaki grill. ( His father taught him not to waste ingredients). “There was always something very special about this restaurant .. from the sweeping ocean views and good food, to the friendship we made with the owners Cindy and Andy.”- Christine. After closing in 2018, the Arabatzis’ saw an opportunity to revitalize and modernize a nostalgic Maui restaurant that would have been greatly missed in North Kihei. The restaurant reopened in February 2019 under their new ownership.
Isana re-opened with a new kitchen concept, while keeping the sushi bar that existed throughout 29 years. You won’t find yakiniku tables or an extensive Korean menu anymore, as we are now excited to offer fresh local fish, sushi, and island style cuisine, including local favorites, such as oxtail soup and kalbi ribs. The new interior renovation creates a modern, clean, open, and welcoming atmosphere with the addition of a full bar with specialty craft cocktails, draft beers, wine, and a variety of sake. We have a fish market style atmosphere featuring a fish display with whole fresh caught fish, warm and welcoming wood, bamboo and stone bringing the sea to table concept from the food to the ambiance. Also, a traditional Japanese “Great Wave of Kanagawa” picture is posted behind our sushi bar. This picture showcases fisherman in boats with huge capsizing waves, exemplifying what our fisherman do out there in the ocean every day; risking their lives to catch us fresh fish. Hence the name translation of Isana - Brave Fish.
