When you’re looking for that family-friendly place to go for pau hana, Gyotaku Japanese Restaurant is it. Get your fill of sushi, sashimi, noodles and nabe here for a reasonable price in a space that welcomes keiki and kupuna alike.

Windward families will appreciate the fact that now there’s a restaurant in Kailua, in addition to locations in Pearl City, McCully-Moiliili and Niu Valley. The latest addition to the family of Gyotaku is at the Aikahi Park Shopping Center, in the space formerly occupied by Sizzler.

The experience

The Kailua restaurant is in the shopping center anchored by Safeway in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Parking here is much easier than at the location in town, but there isn’t much in terms of ambience or views. Still, the former Sizzler’s space is spacious, offering plenty of casual seating in booths surrounded on all sides by windows. The restaurant’s namesake gyotaku (traditional Japanese art form of fish prints) adorns the walls.

The place wasn’t too crowded on a recent visit for this early bird special — while affordable drinks are available, the focus here is on discounted food — but it wasn’t empty, either.

From the time you enter, the staff is friendly, and efforts are made to welcome keiki, who get either crayons and a coloring page or origami to keep them occupied while you peruse the menu. At the end of the meal, keiki also get to pick out a toy from a basket, which seals the deal for any little one reluctant to go out for a meal. Gyotaku is particularly child-friendly: On Mondays and Tuesdays after 2 p.m., adults who purchase a meal at regular price get a free keiki meal for one child age 10 or under.

The food

This is not gourmet sashimi, but it’s standard fare that takes care of dinner for the family when you’re not in the mood to cook pau hana. Between 4 and 6 p.m. a $15.95 special offers seven different entrees to choose from: sashimi, karaage chicken, teriyaki salmon, teriyaki beef, teriyaki chicken, nishime and chicken katsu. The entree is served with miso soup, a California roll and three pieces of shrimp and vegetable tempura. It’s a full meal, and the tempura is consistently crisp, though I enjoyed the vegetables more than the shrimp because you could taste them more.

Keiki meals are also an affordable $8.95, with selections that include a bowl of udon with tempura and teriyaki chicken. They’re served on a kid-friendly plate and come with a drink and a dessert of shave ice or ice cream (which is perfect as a bribe to sit and eat nicely).

A 4 percent service charge will be added to the bill for the kitchen staff; that is explained on the menu as well as the receipt. Still, at these prices, it’s a great deal. You’ll probably have enough left in your budget to go for dessert ($3 for Dave’s ice cream, $5.50 for a slice of Okinawan sweet potato pie).

The drinks

Once again, nothing fancy here, but you can order a glass of wine from a limited selection that includes a William Hill chardonnay ($7.50 per glass), Edna Valley merlot ($8 per glass) and Bella Sera pinot grigio ($6.50 per glass). Beers include Budweiser, Bud and Coors Light ($3.95 per mug), Heineken ($4.95) or a little more for Japanese beers ($8.50 for tall bottles of Asahi Super Dry and Kirin Ichiban).

There’s sake, of course ($7 to $9 per glass).

The verdict

This is a place I’d gladly bring the family on days when I don’t have the time or inclination to cook. For a get-together with friends, I might prefer something more festive, but for the price, Gyotaku is a nice option.