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Sake Bar Hagi evokes Tokyo far more than Times Square, starting with the primarily Japanese clientele seated at the long wooden bar, lined with bottles of shochu and topped by a refrigerated case brimming with cold sake. Classic jazz plays softly at the bar, which is flanked by flat-screen TVs. Revelers and the happy-hour crowd sit at nearby wooden tables, munching on skewered bites, small plates, and soups—typical izakaya, or Japanese pub, fare. Less cramped than downtown izakayas like Taisho, Hagi’s is a primo spot to down ice-cold mugs of Sapporo and watch a game. Small, savory dishes abound, like skewers of chicken skin with salt and sticks of grilled bacon-wrapped garlic or asparagus. Many munchies are decidedly Japanese, like the smelt: Each tiny fish is packed with blonde roe and broiled to crispy perfection. Heartier appetites can order a hefty plate of braised pork belly and garlic sprouts; tender pork, bathing in a peppery, pungent sauce, may be midtown’s best prep for Times Square in all its neon extravagance. — Joe DiStefano

Black edamame, $3; pork and garlic sprouts with miso, $7; smelt, $4