Growler USA has everything I need for a good pau hana experience: Good beer, decent food, discounts and a laid-back, comfortable atmosphere.

THE EXPERIENCE

This spot seems like a great place to go with friends. I was there on assignment, early in the afternoon, and my experience was pretty sedate. But with a long bar and dozens of taps along the back wall, TV screens for watching sports, dart boards as a diversion, tables of various sizes and plenty of space for either solo visitors or groups of buddies, I imagine it gets cheery on occasion.

You’ll find it where the former longstanding Hee Hing restaurant used to be, up the stairs on the second level of this midsized plaza.

The decor and set-up are not fancy, but Growler USA is clean and complete. And the bathrooms are spotless — this I appreciate.

I sat right near the entrance, near a sunny window that let me watch the sun lower in the sky. Move further back in the bar to avoid UV exposure or watch the tube.

There is parking right below; it is not validated before 6 p.m., but is only $2 an hour, so that shouldn’t stop you from stopping by.

Above all, there is beer, and plenty of it.

THE FOOD

Selected food items are discounted by 20 percent during happy hour. When I stopped in, there were several choices offered, including kalua pork or sausage sliders, three-cheese flatbread, a vegetable quesadilla, edamame and tater tots.

I went for the sausage sliders ($8.20, normally $10.25), served as a set of three on toasted rolls. I loved this — generic bar food, maybe, but perfect with beer.

The best bet on the happy hour menu, in my opinion, was the veggie quesadilla ($6.80, normally $8.50) — hefty in size, generously filled with cheese and vegetables, and with ramekins of sour cream, salsa and guacamole on the side. Easily a meal for one all by itself, and good to share with four generous triangles. This came slightly charred and should have been taken out of the heat just a few seconds sooner, but I actually like char, so enjoyed every bite.

I rounded out my meal with ahi poke (market price; $11 on my visit), because I wanted to see what Growler USA would do with it. I thought it tasted fresh, but salty and with a bite from jalapeno garnish. It was floating in a pool of shoyu, and garnished with small chunks of avocado, yellow and green onion, and sesame. This could certainly have been more lightly dressed — but I did eat it all.

THE DRINK

Select beers are $4 during happy hour. On my visit, the offer was available on Aloha Blonde Ale — a very good, relatively light beer brewed right here in Honolulu. Also offered were Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Sierra Nevada Celebration IPA, three types of pumpkin-related ales (it was just a few days past New Year’s Eve), and two Saint Archer varietals — Blonde Ale and a hefty IPA, which packed a punch at 7 percent alcohol.

Side note: Beer lovers who haven’t tried Saint Archer yet may want to give it a try; the San Diego-brewed beer has been showing up lately around Honolulu, at fine restaurants, supermarkets and pubs — and while it can be pungent and hoppy, I like it for those reasons.

Hawaii beers are well-represented; and so are other craft beers from around the country and the world.

THE VERDICT

It’s not fancy, but Growler USA is a great option for those in the Kapahulu neighborhood, with brews of many origins and basic plates to keep you from going hungry. As a stop with friends on your way back from the beach or a free afternoon, it fills the bill.