Finding a hidden gem is great, but finding one that has a 10-stall parking lot and isn’t crowded? Even better. Back Alley Cafe in a beige brick building across from Sheridan Building Supply, between Kapiolani Boulevard and King Street, is unassuming and easy to miss. Keep an eye out for the small, lighted black-and-white sign.

The experience 

Sometimes it just takes one or two things to make a place special. At Back Alley Cafe the staff was extremely helpful and friendly. They were great to chat with and attentive but not overbearing. 

We walked into the dim, empty bar on a Thursday night at around 6 p.m. but didn’t feel out of place or uncomfortable among the eight empty tables. 

Beyonce, Eminem and other hip-hop artists softly kept the mood lively with the help of muted K-pop videos playing on four TV screens around the room. Handwritten lists of the specials graced the walls.

We were greeted cheerfully and told that we could sit anywhere. As we settled into our comfortable, padded booth seats, we asked our host what was popular on the menu. While chatting, we discovered that there are three karaoke rooms: one larger room that fits about 15 to 20 people and two smaller spots for eight to 10 guests. There is no fee to use the rooms, just the usual $1-per-song rate.

Drink specials change depending on availability, and there are daily food specials. 

The drinks 

On the night we visited, drink specials included $5 Kona Big Wave beer and Olmeca Altos tequila and $6 Ciroc vodka (berry or coconut). A few shots were offered for $4. There are also $3 basic beers available during all happy hours.

Back Alley Cafe has all the typical bar items, including wines. They have a variety of flavored sojus and flavored makkoli (rice wine) for $16 during happy hour (usually $20). 

I opted for the umeshu, a Japanese plum liqueur. It was very sweet, but I did enjoy eating the plum that came with it. 

The food 

The other thing that makes Back Alley Cafe special is its Mentaiko Pasta ($9, $12 regular). This delicious and simple Japanese dish surprised me and my friend because we thought it was a cheesy pasta, but there was no cheese in it at all — mentaiko is spicy cod eggs. That blew away my friend because she doesn’t eat fish. Well, the Back Alley Cafe Mentaiko Pasta is now the exception. It was so delicious we returned the next week and ordered it again at regular price — and we each ordered our own instead of sharing. 

However, the pasta didn’t taste the same. Our disappointment disturbed our hostess so much that she had the chef make another order of the pasta with less mentaiko. Voila, happy customers again. What did I say? Back Alley Cafe has a special staff. The chef even came out to make sure it tasted good and apologized for being too heavy on the mentaiko.

My friend enjoyed the hot Agedashi Tofu ($7), which was comforting in its heated soy broth. We also ordered the Spicy Chicken Wings ($11), which, although tasty, were too spicy for me — I’m a wuss when it comes to spicy food. 

I still want to try the sushi (the chef’s special hand-rolls are $7 during happy hour). Regular menu items, such as the deep-fried pork chops ($17), "loaded" fries ($13) and Back Alley Karaage Chicken with kalbi sauce ($9), are also tempting. 

The verdict 

I enjoyed Back Alley Cafe. My friend and I will probably take our karaoke friends there.