CAA Market Place

Filipino food market that offers a large variety of prepared Filipino food and baked goods.

While visiting Maui I was in search of good Filipino food which I luckily found at CAA. A bit of a drive from where I was staying but definitely worth it.

While it is a market that offers some fresh vegetables and fruits along with other Filipino specialty canned goods, bottled sauces, cookies/crackers, the main attraction is their hot food selection and their freshly baked goods.

Tried a few of our favorites: longanisa, dinuguan, bbq, omlet, fried lechon. Loved everything except the fried lechon which was very hard to chew, not very fresh. Also bought some of their baked goods: fried mochiko balls - didn't catch the name of these but they were great; better to eat the day they're made or 1 day old only. Had to throw some away after day 2. Mango bread was moist and slightly sweet. Overall very good.

Came here to try out the ladyfingers but ended up buying more things.

Walked in and nana was not nice! I tried to ask little questions but she made like I was disturbing her.

The ladyfingers was not my thing. It was lacking filling. It's like they smeared butter on toast and topped with another bread kind of feeling. It was more pastry puff than filling.

Hopefully it changes. I think it would be much better in taste

My husband's blood sugar was low and he was feeling lightheaded. He asked if we can eat some Asian food and this location popped up on Yelp. It's a grocery store that also sells hot foods.

We got there at 10:30 am and they have lunch items available. 2-item combo is $16.99 which comes with rice and/or Pansit. I was hesitant to order because I can tell that majority of their foods are leftovers from yesterday or days ago. Take for example the longanisa I ordered and took a picture of - I was given 3 pieces but one of them is hard as a rock. The Lechon kawali is also hard as if they were refried. I shouldn't have ordered it but lechon is one of my favorites. The Pansit is too peppery. Some are too dry and some trays are only 1/4 full

My husband got freshly made adobo and igado and both were good. Those trays are filled to the brim.

Then I ordered Turon and Carioca- and those were awesome and addicting.

The people at the store are very nice. I would probably go back if I have to go grocery shopping but if I have to eat, I think I would pass.

Canceled travel plans and unforeseen life incidents which lead to my drop in Yelp reviews prompted me to get off my arse and try CAA Market Place.

ATMOSPHERE:
They're a Filipino food-stocked market sporting a hot line food counter.

FOOD:
2-Item Plate - $13.99
I was ecstatic that the foods I was wanting to try were all being served. Bihon pancit, chicken adobo and mungo beans! The pancit had a good natural flavor but a little black pepper and splash of shoyu didn't hurt. Three big cuts of fresh chicken (not frozen wings) were boldly flavored and tender. The mungo beans was more of a soup here (versus my favorite, thicker recipe found at Paradise Mart) and overly salty.

SERVICE:
Nothing good or bad to report.

OVERALL:
Tasty eats, a bit pricey.

If you are looking for Filipino fast food fix, this is your spot. Over a dozen pre-made hot lunch selections to make your favorite plate lunch. Too many choices, I couldn't decide! Ended up getting tripe soup, pancit, pumpkin, crispy pork, and pork adobo. All the dishes were super flavorful and well prepared. Think of a Filipino version of Panda Express but everything is homemade.

Good Filipino fast food. Their pinakbet and mongo has pork which I don't eat. But I got an okra vegetable dish, mixed vegetables dish (with bamboo shoots, green beans and bittermelon) and milkfish sinigang which was good. So they have some non-meat options.

The dinogoan is the best, reminds me back home in Ilocos. The pinakbet with pork is good as well. They have baked goods, banana bread with macadamia is so moist and delicious. If you're craving for Filipino food, stop by at CAA.

So I have only tried this place once years before and I forgot why I never went back. Decided to stop in recently for some lumpia and see what else looked good. When I walked in I almost slipped on some water or grease, so I told someone about it immediately. In any case, I saw the pork and veggie lumpia right away and it looked great. At 96 cents a piece, I got 4 and was happy they remembered the chili pepper water too. I also decided to try their pork and pumpkin, half and half pancit bihon and rice, pork and peas, and some kind of vinegar based steak and onions (not adobo though apparently).

Everything looked pretty good at first, somewhat greasy but not entirely a turn off. Unfortunately when I got home, as you can see from the pictures, there was a lot more grease included than I would have liked - so much that I had a massive stomach upset later. As much as I enjoyed the lumpia, I probably will never order from their hot line again. Not worth the time on the toilet honestly. If I go back it will only be for the lumpia. Be forewarned if you're like me and get sick from a lot of grease, check your items carefully before ordering.

So far I think Bistro Manila (sadly closed now, along with Max's), Tante's, and Originz have been in the lead for me for good Filipino food, followed by Paradise (when they're not greasy too), and Golden Coin/CAA are coming in dead last unfortunately (with the exception of the lumpia here and GC's Halo Halo).

If you're hankering for some Filipino food or snacks, CAA Market Place is one of a handful of shops in the central area to get your fix. They are located off of Lower Main St. and have a little parking lot in the back of their building.

Inside you'll find an array of baked goods, Filipino chichirya (junk food/snacks), and other imports from the Philippines like canned goods, shampoo, along with the ever popular skin whitening soaps and facial cleansers. Haha. It's a small, but good mix of Filipino products and they're all neatly displayed.

You'll also see a hot food line as they serve breakfast, lunch, and do catering as well. They also have a small selection of made to order local food kine plates.

What most people probably don't know is that upstairs they have a banquet room that they rent out for conferences and events. It comes with tables and chairs and can comfortably fit around 80 people, maybe a bit more. It's perfect for small parties and CAA can even do the catering for you. It's been a few years since I last inquired so the price may have gone up from $40/hr.

All that said, I really come here for the lady fingers. OMG, they are so freaking good. I picked up a dozen earlier this week with every intention to share with my co-workers the following day as an end of the year treat. I sat down with my husband and next thing we knew we only had 4 left.... LMAO! What the. We were bewitched by the simple, scrumptious, little bites of lady fingers! Even my husband was like, "I don't remember these being this delicious!" At least I had good intentions right? Haha.

They're $1 a pop so it's a quick, easy treat for yourself or to bring to the office or small get togethers. They provide a small bag in the fridge, but if you're looking to pick up a lot, just ask one of the workers behind the counter and they'll provide a box for you. Enjoy!

Delicious food. I had the adobo fried rice omelet. Its $12 and is massisive. Seriously huge portion. Maybe 4 big servings or 6 small. Also tried the vegetable lumpia. Kinda heavy for veggie i thought. Tried the small sweet sausages. They are sweet. Not my thing. But the omlette was so fantastic. Will definitely come back to. Try more
Also got an empanada but did get to taste it.