Nomu a happy hour hideaway at Waikiki Yokocho

Nomu, the bar at Waikiki Yokocho, is an entree to all of the possibilities that this underground “gourmet alley” provides.

During happy hour, the bar offers basic pleasures — pupu, beer and cocktails — and serves as a good first stop before exploring Yokocho’s collection of eateries.

THE EXPERIENCE

Eating and drinking at Waikiki Yokocho can be an entertaining challenge — in the best sense of the term. It can feel kind of like playing a board game or video game where you choose a path, parcel out your coins and reap the reward, leaping to the finish line or backing up to try another route.

In Japan, a “yokocho” is a district full of alley restaurants, typically tiny hideaways that vie to make the most delicious food to lure in wanderers. Waikiki Yokocho CEO Frank Clark conceived of this spot as a similar venture, with a 23,000-square-foot space divided into three sections: Ramen Road for noodles; Noren Street for tempura, sushi and other savory options; and Engawa Terrace for sweets. Each section hosts Japanese-originated eateries that have brought their first Hawaii outlets here.

To get there, go down to the below-ground level of Waikiki Shopping Plaza, home to Top of Waikiki and Sky nightclub up top, and outlets including Sephora and Armani Exchange on the ground floor. (You may prefer to discover Yokocho on foot or by Biki, the shared bike service; there is parking in the building, but the ramps are steep and narrow, parking is $2.50 for each half-hour and there is no parking validation.)

Yokocho is colorful and enticing, and while I haven’t yet eaten at every outlet, I have enjoyed ramen, sushi and tempura here.

Meanwhile, the Yokocho bar occupies the center of all of this action, offering a wide selection of spirits, including beer, sake and a notable range of liquors. Whiskey, Japanese and otherwise, is a specialty.

You can sit at the bar or at a selection of tables nearby. During daytime hours, it tends to be quiet here, but your bartender will be friendly, and so are the tourists who drop in to cool off and rest their feet. Beginning at about 4, the vibe becomes more energetic, and seats at the bar are more likely to fill up.

THE FOOD

Happy hour specials at the Yokocho bar are standard items that go well with a tall, cold beer.

The best of the offerings is the Hotate Fry, $7 (regularly $10): four sweet scallops, breaded and deep-fried, and served with a creamy dipping sauce.

Also good: Salmon Katsu, $7 (regularly $10), served as breaded strips that can be eaten with your hands, as is appropriate for bar food.

Edamame, chicken karaage and fries, all $5 (regularly $7), round out the happy hour menu. Of these, the Okonomiyaki Fries deserve notice for the unusual presentation, topped with a spiced mayo and twisting flakes of bonito as okonomiyaki is.

THE DRINK

Beer is the attraction during happy hour. Discounted options are Kona Longboard and Big Wave at $3.99, Maui Bikini Blonde at $3.99 and Kirin Ichiban at $1.99 on tap, all regularly $7. There are craft beers on tap, too.

If you want to try something else, whiskey is a good bet. Nomu prides itself on its whiskey selection, and serves a Matcha Old Fashioned made with whiskey and matcha, the green, fine-ground powder made from tea leaves. It’s topped with a gold flake for luxe flair.

Any other liquor you might want is likely here, too, along with shochu and wine.

THE VERDICT

Yokocho aims for the feel of a backstreet alley where delicious food is a discovery, and Nomu is a central spot to take it all in. It’s an entertaining destination for diners and drinkers on the hunt for a Waikiki pau hana.