It’s all about the drinks, grinds and good times at Thank Q Pocha, though not necessarily pau hana specials. The restaurant is a hot destination because the best things about the restaurant can be enjoyed at any time.
THE EXPERIENCE
One step into the restaurant and we knew Halloween was right around the corner. Faux cobwebs hung from the ceiling, and yellow crime-scene tape covered some of the windows. The staff did a great job decorating for the October celebration; if K-pop wasn’t emanating from the speakers, the restaurant truly would have seemed a bit scary.
We arrived at 5:15 p.m. on a Sunday, 15 minutes after the restaurant opened, and already there were three groups of people sitting in booths. By 5:30 p.m. there were seven parties, including us, taking up a little less than half of the restaurant.
A waiter quickly served us water and checked for questions before informing us that a little button on the wall could be used to call for service.
We hardly needed it, since attentive staffers made it a point to stop frequently at our table, refilling our water glasses and checking our progress.
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THANK Q POCHA
1411 Kapiolani Blvd.
744-1029
Happy hour:
5-8 p.m. daily
>> Spicy pork plate, $12
>> Kalbi plate, $14
>> Fried chicken plate, $11
>> Bulgogi plate, $13
>> Seafood ramen, $11
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THE FOOD
Happy hour specials consist of four plates that come with fried rice or fried noodles, and a bowl of ramen. Although the spicy pork ($12) was tasty and the garlic chicken ($11) was OK, the prices are comparable to plate lunches at many other establishments. In addition, though, Thank Q Pocha has a pupu menu that consists of 10 items under $10, and you don’t have to keep checking your watch to make sure you order them on time.
The pupu menu has the standards — french fries and edamame ($5 each) — but it also lists mandoo ($6), kim chee ($8) or seafood ($9) pancake and two types of Thank Q Balls ($6), among other items. Curiosity caused us to try the curry and kim chee Thank Q Ball, which is flavored rice with bits of kim chee rolled into a ball and deepfried. I wasn’t crazy for it because the curry taste wasn’t prominent.
THE DRINKS
The coolest thing about Thank Q Pocha is the drinks. Although there are no drink specials during happy hour, beer lovers can enjoy a 20-ounce tower of Stella, Kirin or Budweiser for $16. The tower’s ice chamber kept our beer chilled until the last glass was poured, over an hour later.
The cocktails may be pricey to some, but they’re cute and come in 16-ounce glasses. We tried the Beach & Peach Magic Cloud ($8), which comes with a ball of grape-flavored cotton candy on top. It was very girlylooking and yummy.
There are also Thank Q Ritas ($10) that come with various bottles of beer inverted over their version of a margarita, and other signature and premium cocktails such as the Shark Attack ($9), which comes with a toy shark.
The liquor menu is extensive and includes a variety of flavored sojus, wines and more. Thank Q Pocha offers two soju flights: pineapple, orange, apple and lemon ($12) or pomegranate, yogurt, lemon and strawberry ($9).
THE VERDICT
In a sense, Thank Q Pocha’s happy hour runs all night long, with its bargain pupu menu. I thought the happy hour specials were underwhelming because by the time happy hour comes around, I’m not really in the mood for plate lunch-style fare. But the bar itself is a lot of fun.
If you’re looking for inexpensive pupu and creative cocktails, visit Thank Q Pocha and you can be happy anytime.
