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Poke means “to cut” in Hawaiian. The dish, which traditionally uses raw fish and sushi rice topped with Asian marinades and pickles, originated in the Hawaiian islands as a marriage of Japanese influence and local ingredients.
Today, poke in the U.S. has become a casual-dining craze, thanks to its use of fresh, healthy ingredients and easily customizable format. In contrast to traditional poke, many poke chains offer a wide variety of creative toppings, sauces, and low-carb base options like salad.
Whether you’re seeking simple Hawaiian-style bowls or want to go crazy with every customizable option under the sun, here are some of the best restaurant chains to get your poke fix.
Poki Bowl
Northern California-born chain Poki Bowl has around 27 locations across the West Coast, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, serving up fresh build-your-own poke bowls. Each bowl is built with your choice of six bases and seven proteins, including the unique options of corn chips for a base (so you can build a poke nacho bowl) and octopus for a protein. The chain prioritizes quality over quantity, with only three topping options—miso dressing, Sriracha chili sauce, and Poki spicy sauce—and its signature poke dressing comes in a range of spice profiles. Along with poke, the chain sells macaron ice cream sandwiches at select locations.
Just Poké
Just Poké is a Washington State-based chain with around 30 locations throughout Puget Sound. Considering that the Pacific Northwest is known for its salmon, tuna, and abundance of seafood, it’s no surprise that Just Poké has built its brand on serving up some of the freshest fish around. The shops offer a huge variety of proteins, bases, and toppings, including creamy scallops, sweet potato, Hawaiian mac salad, and a diverse selection of sauces such as truffle garlic aioli and wasabi shoyu. You can build your bowl or choose one of the customizable signature bowls, such as the popular Hawaiian Classic Bowl with ahi tuna, sweet onion hijiki (seaweed), scallion, house shoyu seaweed salad, and sesame seeds.
Poke Bros
Poke Bros is one of the few poke chains to originate in the Midwest. The founders discovered poke on a trip to California and brought the Hawaiian delicacy back to their hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Today, there are 80 stores around the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. Poke Bros offers standard protein and base options, including brown rice and spicy chicken. Where the chain stands out is the toppings, such as the fluffy, crispy tempura flakes and fragrant toasted coconut. Along with build-your-own and signature bowls, the chain offers mochi ice cream in a huge range of flavors and cup-sized kids bowls.
Island Fin Poké
Since its inception in 2017, Island Fin Poké has expanded to more than 25 locations across the U.S. The chain offers nine protein options and three bases (brown rice, spring mix, and white rice). Customers can also choose from 25 different toppings and unique sauces, such as Wicked Wahine, made with coconut palm sugar, lime juice, Sambal Oelek chili garlic paste, and shoyu. All of its marinating sauces are ponzu-based and gluten-free, and the company claims to source its fish responsibly. The chain also offers creamy whipped frozen bananas known on the islands as Dole Whip, which one Tripadvisor reviewer says is “delicious, as good as the one on the Dole plantation in Hawaii!” For those looking to bring the Ohana spirit to your next event, the chain also has catering packages.
Pokémoto
New England is known for its amazing seafood but didn’t have much in the way of poke until the last decade or so. One arbiter of the Hawaiian delicacy was Pokémoto founder Thomas Nguyen, who opened his first store in 2017 in New Haven, Conn. Today, there are more than 35 locations across 18 states. You can get your poke in a seaweed wrap as well as on a base like sushi rice or salad. The chain offers lobster seafood salad as a homage to its New England roots alongside more standard protein options. If you’re feeling especially luxurious, top your bowl or wrap off with black caviar. Along with poke, the chain sells miso soup and a variety of boba teas.
Sweetfin
Like the similarly named (but separately owned) fast-casual concept Sweetgreen, Sweetfin targets the health-conscious office worker crowd with responsibly sourced, California-style poke bowls and wraps packed with healthy ingredients like kale, shimeji mushrooms, and bean sprouts. The chain has 18 locations across major California hubs serving up elevated power bowls, such as its popular truffled yuzu albacore poke bowl or Brain Booster Bowl with salmon, tofu, avocado, kale, bean sprouts, and kelp noodle slaw. It also has plant-based options for vegetarians like the miso eggplant and mushroom poke bowl. The Health Goal bowls include a superfood bowl with yellowfin tuna, a keto bowl with salmon and avocado over cauliflower rice, and a high-protein plant-based bowl of sweet potato and edamame.
Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar
Founded by Chinese entrepreneur Fen Reyes and her husband, Hawaiian native Richard Reyes, Uncle Sharkii currently has 14 locations across California, Hawaii, Texas, and Utah and recently partnered with Walmart to open at least 10 more locations in the chain’s stores. The chain offers six prebuilt Hawaiian poke bowls, including spicy scallops, ahi tuna, salmon, and seasoned tofu. Customers can choose either (or both) white rice or salad as their base, a spicy or non-spicy protein marinade, and three different sauces. According to its website, Uncle Sharkii “crafted a quick and easy ordering process” to prioritize efficiency, which is why options are more limited. It also offers a small selection of boba milk teas, which reviews often praise, along with the large portions and reasonable prices.
Poke Poke
Proudly part of the revitalization of the Motor City, this small Detroit-born chain has 13 locations and counting, concentrated in Michigan and Florida. Poke Poke offers nine signature bowls, including a chicken teriyaki bowl, as well as build-your-own-bowl options. The Yelp reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with several reviewers complimenting the freshness of the fish. As one reviewer raves, “This was one of the best poke bowls I’ve had. The price was great, the ingredients were fresh, and it was soo tasty.” One of the more popular bowls is the California Crunch bowl with shrimp, crab, cucumber, and tempura flakes. Sides include miso soup and ginger salad. Certain locations also feature a boba bar that serves a variety of boba milk teas and ice cream.
Poké Bar
With 69 franchises that stretch from coast to coast, Poké Bar is a fast-growing poke chain. Its beginnings reach back to 1989 with the opening of the California sushi restaurant Yanagi Sushi. The founders took traditional sushi in a modern, fast-casual direction to start Poke Bar in 2015, serving fresh-daily fish over rice, greens, noodles, or tortilla chips. The chain sticks to simple sauces like sesame oil, sweet chili, shoyu, and ponzu to highlight the taste of its prime-quality fish and also offers catering options. Its bowls come in three sizes with plenty of choices, including base, protein, mix-ins, sauces, sides, and toppings. Reviewers on Yelp often point out its generous portion sizes and fresh-tasting fish.
Big Fin Poke
Locally owned family restaurant Big Fin Poke has three locations in Maine and Massachusetts with a fourth coming soon, but the small chain has the chops to keep up with the big leagues, offering high-quality fish and sauces made in-house. You can get your poke on white or brown rice, on a salad, or in a “pokirrito” (white rice and nori wrap). Its eight protein offerings include cooked beef, fried chicken, and raw yellowtail, and there are also cooked bowls like torched salmon, gyudon beef, and kailani chicken. If you’re looking for a quick grab-and-go bite, another unique offering is the teriyaki musubi.
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