On Kauai, if you ask around for a good pizza joint, you might well be steered to Brick Oven Pizza in Kapaa. The operation expanded to Oahu a while back and recently added a fourth venue on the island at Ward Village.

Honolulu’s Brick Oven Pizza maintains its Kauai ties through part-owner Corey Aguano, who as a native and former police officer on Kauai has a lot of memories of the neighbor island operation. “It was fun but sometimes not so fun,” he says with a smile. He bought into the franchise in 2008 and is obviously proud of carrying on and expanding on something island-born and bred.

The experience

The original Kauai Brick Oven Pizza is an old-fashioned operation, with checked tablecloths and dozens of old license plates hanging from the ceiling rafters.

The Ward Village venue, to put it mildly, is entirely different. In keeping with the brand-spanking-new style of the South Shore Market, it’s shiny and modern, decked out in an industrial tech style with polished concrete floors and elegantly tiled walls. The tables come in two kinds, but neither is decorated with traditional tablecloths: Some are grey hardwood; others are polished metal with a shell-like design etched into them.

There are two sections to the place. Upon entry, from the second-floor garage, you’ll see the main dining room, but continue walking past the back wall and you’ll get to the bar. During my happy-hour visit I saw the advantages of that design: Early on, a group of youthful workers from a nearby business had dropped in for a snack before work and were reveling at the bar, but later on, a more mature crowd gathered in the dining area to have a meal after shopping. It was a comfortable fit for all.

The food

Happy hour at Brick Oven Pizza is from 2 to 6 p.m. daily and offers its entire pupu menu at a $2 discount. There’s a good variety of items, from wings to oysters to meatballs, and servings are ample, so bring an appetite or a friend. Two of us shared four dishes — Artichoke Dip, Kalaheo Smoked Meat, Steamed Clams and the Pupu Pizza — and there was plenty left over.

The Steamed Clams ($13.75 regular, $11.75 happy hour) were our favorites. It’s a common enough dish, but these seemed especially tasty, with the garlic and butter sauce blending perfectly, and the Parmesan garnish adding a bit of flair.

The Kalaheo Smoked Meat ($13.75 regular, $11.75 happy hour), a Kauai specialty, was also a treat. Smoked and then stir-fried with a homemade guava puree, it had a char siu-like flavor but with an extra sweetness. Just don’t expect tender, melt-in-your mouth texture — these are pretty solid chunks of pork.

Both the Artichoke Dip and the Pupu Pizza ($10 small, $12 medium during regular hours) were also satisfying, with the pizza’s three cheeses blending nicely with the bacon ($2 optional) and the thin crust cooked to perfection. The pizza comes with homemade marinara or ranch sauce for dipping, but it really didn’t need it.

The drink

Happy-hour drinks include half-price pints and bottles of beer, $2 off glasses of wine (regularly $7 to $10) and $5 off bottles (regularly $42 to $55). Tap beers include Coors, Heineken, Guinness (regularly $5 to $7) and beers from Aloha Brewing Co. (regularly $8 to $9).

There are also $2 discounts off specialty cocktails, which usually range from $9 to $10. I had the Pineapple and Mango Sangria, which features a pinot noir flash-infused with mango rum, pineapple and lime juice, and bruised cherry. It was a pleasant, light drink but with plenty of interesting flavors.

The verdict

On Oahu, Brick Oven Pizza also has operations in Kaneohe, Kapolei and in the Dillingham area. You can expect the same quality food at all, since all prep work is done at the Dillingham location. It’s nice to have that consistency wherever you go.

The Ward Village site is convenient for shoppers and moviegoers who would like an early meal at a fair price in a cool environment. Bring some friends to party at the bar, or relax at one of the small tables in the dining area, and it will hit the spot.