Ai Ono Cafe

I ordered the beef, chicken, and shrimp platters, and every single protein had the same texture — tough, rubbery, and overcooked. It was like chewing on kitchen erasers instead of meat. For almost $20 per plate, this was a complete rip-off. At that price point you expect fresh, juicy, well-seasoned food, not something that tastes like it was reheated for the tenth time. The beef was dry, the chicken was stiff, and the shrimp had that weird bouncy texture that tells you it’s been sitting too long. Nothing on the plate justified the cost. Portions were mediocre, flavors were flat, and the quality was fast-food level at sit-down restaurant prices. I left still hungry and genuinely annoyed that I wasted so much money. I won’t be coming back, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone who actually enjoys good food. Save your money and go somewhere that respects both your taste buds and your wallet.

The food was not very good. My teriyaki chicken tasted like it had been sitting in a crock-pot for hours, and the sandwich was pretty boring. We were not very impressed. The fries were good though.

A bunch of the reviews I saw were complaining about how expensive the beer is and plates being 20 bucks…womp womp maybe sober up and grab yourself a diet Dr Pepper. Look, coming from a half pinto bean boy Mexican man who has been cultured by the fellow Hawaiians this place is good. For the plates I recommend either the shrimp (it’s fresh) or the Katsu chicken. My lil Bro even said it’s the top 3 foods he has had this trip..idk abt that but for airport food it’s pretty good. You get meat, rice and some mac salad. Teryaki chicken was good too just a tad bit try but overall bussin. Stay breezy out there steezys

We had a 10am flight out of Lihue and the only two food options open were Starbucks and Ai Ono. We chose Ai Ono and went with the Local Boys breakfast. They were out of Portuguese sausage, so we had it with bacon instead. Overall, it was a solid choice—tasty, filling, and gave me the protein I needed before a long Southwest flight (where only snacks are offered). Like most airports, drinks are pricey—$7 for a Smartwater isn’t fun, but that seems to be the norm everywhere. All in all, I was happy with the breakfast and glad we skipped the Starbucks line. Ai Ono is a good option if you want something more substantial before your flight.

This is inside the Lihue Airport. We were early for our flight so we dined here for lunch. The prices were competitive to the prices around the island for similar plates. We liked our orders and we bought spam musubi to eat on the plane. Staff were friendly, service was fast and efficient and place was clean.