Chez Kenzo Bar amd Grill is a sensible Japanese-American pub — and that’s a very good thing. You’d be sensible to try it.

Nestled right in the middle of Moiliili, it’s an unassuming house of refreshment with accomplished delivery. You’ll feel welcome at this spot. And you’ll also likely love the food.

The experience

You’ll find Chez Kenzo beside the Bank of Hawaii in Moiliili. Keep your eyes peeled: It’s a plain storefront outside, so it’s easy to overlook. Kenzo shares a parking lot with the bank, and spaces near the pub are free for Kenzo customers, as a sign informs you at the door. That’s a good tip; as a first-time visitor, I didn’t know this and paid the whopping $2 it would otherwise cost.

Inside, the pub is divided into two spaces: a darker bar area with round, wooden pedestal tables, and a dining room. Windows overlooking the parking lot line one wall. So, classic local setup — not fancy, by any means and no extra money wasted on design or frills — but cozy, and functional.

The manager and servers are informative and right there, smiling, when you need them. With the small rooms, they can see you if you need something, but they don’t hover. It’s easy to feel well taken care of from the start.

The food

Kenzo has a special menu for happy hour, which runs a convenient 5 to 7 p.m. The dishes are all $7, so it’s fairly hard to spend much money. We ordered the Sizzling Omurice, pork kakuni and ginger pork. All were savory and quite satisfying, in a home-cooked, comfort-food fashion.

The pork kakuni, or braised pork belly, made us groan in appreciation. As served here, it has deep flavor, and it’s rich and fatty, but the portion is not huge, so you should savor the bites.

The ginger pork, loaded with stir-fried onion and ginger, was practically healthy.

The Sizzling Omurice was the big winner, in my book: an omelet over lightly flavored fried rice, with a savory brown gravy — omelet moco! This one was big enough to serve two with big appetites. It probably goes better with beer or a juice-based drink than with a sweet cocktail, but definitely hits the spot.

Kenzo splits its menu between Italian-style food and homey Japanese-influenced dishes, and this carries through on the pau hana menu with offerings such as four-cheese pizza and pasta with pesto sauce. I didn’t go there, but it’s an option.

The drinks

There is a dedicated happy hour menu for drinks, too, with $4 specialty cocktails. Quite a bargain. I had a $4 Momo — lychee and peach liqueurs with OJ. It was sweetly refreshing.

Beer during happy hour is a good price, too: just $3.50 for Kirin or Bud Light on tap.

On the regular drinks menu, Kenzo has a long list of specialties, along the lines of a Royal Flush: Crown Royal with peach schnapps, cranberry and pineapple juice. All are $7. There is also a full bar and sake menu.

The verdict

Chez Kenzo is a steady bet, with flavorful comfort food, cheap drinks and a friendly atmosphere, without putting a major pothole in your wallet. For town residents, it’s hard to go wrong here.