I will be flying from Kaui to Honolulu and then out of Honolulu at 10:45 PM on a Sunday. I figured maybe I would take an early afternoon flight out of Kaui and kill time in Honolulu before my flight out that night. Since I won't be spending any other time on Oahu this trip, I thought a good way to kill time would be a nice dinner before we leave. What is one of the better rated restaurants in Oahu that I can take a taxi from the airport and not have to be dressed up for?
I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

Taxi from the airport to Waikiki, will cost you $25.

Once you're in Waikiki, all of the restaurants are within mere blocks of each other.

What kind of food do you like?
What's your budget?
Is oceanfront a priority?

I was looking for one of the better rated restaurants. I am willing to pay more for better food and oceanfront is not a priority. I don't know if I want to spend $50 to get there and back though. In a nutshell, I am looking for the best rated restaurant that is closest to the airport.

You want something close to the airport, right?? Sam Choy's is always popular. It's on Nimitz Hwy. and is only a few minutes from the airport.

Given your specifications, Sam Choy's BL&C is probably your only option. The Aloha Tower Marketplace is just a bit further away with Chai's Bistro being the best of the choices there.

However, if you really want to go to some of the better rated restaurants on Oahu, you have to be willing to spend money on taxi fare to get there. Can't have it both ways.

Just make sure you tell the cab driver that you want Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch & Crab and not Sam Choy's Diamond Head.

From the airport, Sam Choy's BL&C sounds like the closest thing to what you're looking for - and it's practically downtown.

I agree that Chai's is a better choice - and not even maybe a mile further down the road. At that point you're already in the downtown area.

For comparison purposes, I would put Sam Choy's about halfway between the airport and Waikiki.

There are not a lot of "better rated restaurants" in the airport area that I can think of. Fast food, casual drive-in type places, yes - nice restaurants, no.

If you want something different, you may try La Mariana. It's only about 2 miles from the airport and is probably the last traditional South Pacific style restaurant. It is right on the water. Here us the Fodors restaurant link. http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...erty_id=355737

Thanks! I forgot to mention that there are 2 Sam Choy's! As everyone has mentioned, if you want nice places, there aren't very many at all near the airport. You would have to get closer to Waikiki or Honolulu. There are quite a few more casual places that are near the airport. There's also a Zippy's (a nice one) where the Sam Choy's is at.

Sam Choy's BL&C is a great idea -- sorry I forgot about it! Here's the website, complete with menus:
http://www.samchoy.com/restaurants/sc_blc.html