Although there were empty tables beside the big front windows in the quiet hour just before 5 p.m., the maitre d’ at Restaurant Epic, dressed in crisp black like the rest of the friendly staff, steered us to an interior table. “It’s cooler,” he said with a nod to the sun-filled street, “and you can always move.”

It had been more than two years since we’d last enjoyed Epic’s happy hour, and we’d been meaning to come back and try different dishes. We were pleased to see that prices hadn’t risen a whit on the pau hana menu, available from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and that servings of both pupu and drinks remained generous.

The experience

Epic, with its orange-lettered sign and unassuming dinerlike exterior, occupies the corner of Nuuanu Avenue and Pauahi Street in the belly of hip, historic Chinatown. It’s welcoming and low key, and the warm-hued, Italianate interior, complete with gleaming gold pillars, is romantic and, well, epic, in a faded-grandeur sort of way.

The fare, however, looks and tastes bright and fresh.

On a recent Thursday night, we sat with other happy-hour patrons in a windowed wing divided from the main dining room by a long, tall bar.

In the restaurant, three or four tables held local families, eating early dinner in the high-ceilinged space lit from overhead by large, circular white lanterns that enhanced the apricot glow of faux-marble patterned walls.

In our windowed enclave, dark wood tables with lightly padded wood chairs were set at well-spaced intervals; along with pop music played at a civilized decibel level, this made for a happy hour in which you could hear your companions and no one had to shout.

By 5:30 three couples ranging from young to middle-age were having drinks and pupu. Service was attentive but not too familiar — professional, in a word.

The food

A blend of Mediterranean, contemporary American, Hawaiian, Japanese and Korean tastes, with an emphasis on American (fried protein) prevails on Epic’s happy-hour menu. Nine dishes priced at $7 and under were accompanied by daily pupu specials.

Our favorites from the regular menu were the short-rib sliders and the fish tacos, each $6 for two good-size pieces that we divided among the four of us with a sharp knife. The former Asian fish tacos had been updated with Cajun-style, dry-rubbed pieces of grilled ahi.

Four small kalua pork spring rolls ($5) were deemed “kind of interesting,” “more like an egg roll” and “bathed a little too long in the hot oil.” Sentiments were divided over the five pieces of butterflied fried shrimp ($7), glistening with oil but crunchy and sweet. I snagged the fifth shrimp.

We also shared a melt-in-your-mouth, spicy ahi roll ($10).

One of our young guests ordered roasted Brussels sprouts ($7), a special that arrived in a good-size crock; they quickly vanished and were proclaimed “one of my favorite things.”

The Brussels sprouts went nicely with a pork chop special ($8), presented sliced in a smoky sauce, and another special, four delicious, creamy, crab-stuffed mushrooms ($8).

My companion craved bread, so the waiter brought some clove-studded garlic bread ($2.50) from the main dinner menu.

There’s also a rotating half-price happy-hour menu item: Today’s was the apple walnut quesadilla ($3, normally $6), and we got two orders for dessert. They came four to an order, so we had to take some home.

There was so much food that we forgot to order the Korean steak tacos ($6).

The drinks

All wine and beer on the happy-hour menu is $4, including the clean-tasting Coastal Ridge Chardonnay that I tasted and a Snap Dragon Pinot Noir that was pronounced “good” and “really nice.”

My companion tried that day’s signature half-price cocktail: a Strawberry Fields ($5), made with strawberry Smirnoff, muddled strawberries and a Riesling floater. “It’s fast-acting,” he said. A different cocktail is offered at half-price every happy hour from Monday to Friday.

Beers include Alley Cat ale, Peroni lager and Deschutes porter; well drinks and well martinis are $5.

The verdict

Our other young guest, a connoisseur of metropolitan watering holes, spoke for us all when she said, “I feel like this is one of the better happy hours I’ve been to.”

We resolved to come back soon to try those Korean steak tacos and whatever specials the chef would have on offer then.

Best of all, we relaxed and hung out, getting so comfortable in our spacious nook at Epic that we didn’t budge for two hours. We weren’t next to the windows, but we had been reminded that the purpose of pau hana is to enjoy the view of each other.