apa Izakaya should be Japanese for “make a reservation,” especially if you’re hitting the hottest hapa (Japanese tapas) house in town. This place looks pretty indiscreet in the left atria of downtown at the corner of Robson and Nicola, so bring a map.

There’s something cool about the speak-easy secrecy surrounding this hapa house; aside from dark black letters that adorn an already dark black and gray building, it’s nothing less than a miracle to even notice the hideaway if you’ve never heard of it before. Walkers-by walk on by a corner construct that looks like nothing special or irregular. There are no windows to show-off an architecturally modern Japanese eatery, no bright lights to grab the attention of tourists looking to rest their arches, and no menu plastered to the door to entice people to come inside. Yet they do, and they are.

A slow night at Hapa Izakaya means the wait for a table is under an hour. So, if you’re looking to check it out, it's best that you make a reservation, even if it’s only for two (my wife and I learned this the very hard way, the very hard way).

Seating options vary, from old wooden tables varnished in a glossy finish with traditional wooden chairs, to black-black-black booths that allow room only for the cross-legged or the kneeler in you, to a cozy bar-front seating area that puts you in the kitchen action should you choose to observe.

The space is incredibly intimate without feeling the slightest bit claustrophobic, even with its black walls, black ceiling, black-almost-everything design. Golden lights add warmth to the black space and, being windowless, an exceptional hideaway mood.