Nashville Waikiki was one of the more unique places in Hawaii: a country-western bar in the midst of tiki-land. Forced to relocate from its original venue in the Ohana West Waikiki Hotel, it’s found a new home at the Aloha Tower Marketplace.

So that begs the questions: What’s the new venue like? How does it compare with the old?

The experience

The old Nashville Waikiki had the feel of a roadhouse bar. Ensconced in the basement, it was dark and felt rather enclosed — not at all unfriendly, but a bit removed. The beauty was in wandering in and discovering what a cool place it was.

The old bar also was showing the signs of wear and tear that one might expect from a 20-year-old tavern and dance hall. Distinctive features were its copper bar, inherited from a previous establishment, and the red brick walls.

The new Nashville Waikiki is like day to the previous establishment’s night. It’s on the water, so during pau hana hours, patrons can enjoy a beautiful view of Honolulu Harbor, especially from the outdoor seating area. The view fills the interior with natural light and gives it an airy feel.

Rather than brick, there’s a lot of wood everywhere, finely finished. Even the glossy stone counter is lined with wood trim, inviting you to rest your elbows there and hoist a few. The wood extends to the ceiling, with a series of vertical wooden slats lined up side by side. They seem like a pleasantly odd design feature, but in fact they are a soundproofing feature, designed to baffle noise that might leak up to the Hawaii Pacific University housing upstairs.

That being said, there’s plenty of character lingering from the old bar. The L-shaped space has three pool tables, a gaming area and a free blackjack table, as well as a dance floor where dance lessons are given daily starting at 7 p.m. Mirrors on the wall help you check out your moves, along with flat-screen TVs showing dance videos, country-music videos or sports.

The food

At the moment Nashville Waikiki’s food offerings are limited by the lack of a full kitchen.

There are plans to have a full menu, but for now Nashville Waikiki’s own offerings include sandwiches (turkey, tuna, roast beef), hot dogs (with either chili or cheese), a pastrami special served on a bagel, and garlic shrimp, all for $10.

I had the pastrami special, which came exactly as one would want — quality pastrami, sliced thin and served warm with cream cheese that was soft, but not melted. The shrimp also were tasty, cooked shell-on.

The drinks

Nashville has a long happy hour, from opening time at 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. every day. The old location had more traditional hours, so perhaps these extended hours are aimed at bringing customers to the new location, but you might as well take advantage now.

Happy hour prices range from $4 to $6 for mixed drinks and $4 for domestic beers, amounting to a $1-to-$3 discount, depending on what you order. There are also daily specials, such as “Mayhem Mondays” offering $3.50 Buds, $4.50 Jager and $5.50 Jager Bombs; “Twostep Tuesdays” with tequila, margarita, Corona and Dos Equis, all $4; or “Sixshooter Sundays,” which offers any domestic beer with a shot of liquor for $6.

It might be especially amusing to go on Wednesdays, which is women’s night. They’ll be holding a Buns of Steel Contest for hard-body guys, along with $3.50 Jack Daniel’s.

Thursdays is men’s night, with a Daisy Dukes contest planned for entertainment. For those interested in drink specials, they include $3.75 for Pabst and Primo beer, $4 for Captain Morgan rums and $5 Crown Royal Canadian whiskey.

The verdict

The new Nashville Waikiki is not so much an upgrade from the old one as an entirely different experience. Rather than a rough-and-ready tavern, this place brings to mind an elegant ranchhouse that J.R. Ewing of “Dallas” might have lived in, or the luxury hunting lodge where late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia stayed.

Given the location, it should be attractive to the downtown, after-work crowd, and apparently it’s retained its original customer base of military personnel and country-western fans. There will be tourists swinging by, too — it’s near the Star of Honolulu Cruises offices. With the congeniality of country line-dancing, it should make for an interesting, friendly mix of people. That hasn’t changed, and it’s just what Nashville is known for.