The Poke Place

I’ve never had a poke bowl, this was nearby my eyebrow place so I gave it a shot! It is definitely worth the hype, they are always busy for a reason! The fish tastes good, their topping options are great. They have a good range of sauces! Their portions are definitely reasonable! If you look up other poke places you won’t find the same portions for this price! This is perfect to eat on a hot day.

I'll start by saying the food was good; however, I waited awhile to share my real thoughts until I knew how I'd feel physically the following day. Since I'm fine, I'll share. The food WAS good, but when I'm coming to consume raw seafood it would help me feel a little more secure if the restaurant is clean. This one was not. Tables dirty, bathroom shameful, and the people behind the counter are just teenagers who don't care about their jobs. One guy who wasn't with us had a macaron, he bit into it and found something foreign in it. I saw him go up to ask for another, and thankfully he was given one without resistance. Overall, try this place if you're not close to anything else but don't make it a staple.

A small poke in the middle of the plaza. Walking in, there’s hand sanitizer for you to use. Mask are a must inside. The staffs are very generous with the portions and are super nice. The price is also very reasonable. I’d highly recommend this spot if you’re in the area craving poke. You can sit outside and parking is easy since the plaza is huge.

Few restaurants of the serve-as-you-order type ever register on my radar as good food. In fact, the serve-as-you-order model conjures up images of questionable Chinese fast food and the mediocrity that is Chipotle (sorry not sorry, it’s overrated and you’re overpaying if you eat there regularly). The Poke Place, on the other hand, is a much needed relief in freshness and quality that always satisfies the palate. To be fair (and honest while I’m at it) I usually order pick up, although I have ordered in store before, but the service has always been excellent and I’ve never had any significant issue with my orders. Most times when I’ve ordered for pick up there is never a delay in receiving my order (unless I show up early) and they’ll usually let you know they’ll be right with you the moment they notice you waiting if they’re extraordinarily busy. This kind of acknowledgement and courtesy goes a long way. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to other establishments and many of the employees feel burdened by your presence in their restaurant. This is not the case at The Poke Place. They seem to train and hire excellent individuals with customer oriented attitudes that dutifully fulfill their orders without delay and this kind of due diligence translates to the quality of food provided. I usually order a large bowl (half salad, half rice) with shrimp, spicy Hawaiian tuna cubes, scallops, crab meat, spicy ground tuna, and salmon mixed with spicy house sauce, spicy Korean chili, and Yuzu Ponzu sauce. It’s spicy, it’s sweet, it’s crisp and refreshing - it’s everything I’ve ever loved about poke and literally no other place I’ve ever been to has ever been able to recreate this deliciousness. In fact, working as an EMT, my partner and I found ourselves in West Los Angeles on an impromptu lunch break (mandated by the corporate powers that be) and we were craving poke so we hit up what we believed was the most reputable spot in town. Needless to say, they tried to pass off chunk-light tuna with spicy mayo as spicy tuna - this is not the way. No, when you order spicy tuna from The Poke Place, it’s a dark red ground tuna spiced to perfection, but be forewarned. It is actually spicy albeit extremely delicious. The Poke Place is my poke place because they just know how to do poke right. Yes, it is pricey (I paid about $22 with all my upgrades) but if you’re going to pay $15 these days at a mediocre fast food place anyways (looking at you Chipotle), then you may as well pay the extra $7 and get delicious quality food.

Masks are mandated. The employees changed gloves between customers. I ordered before entering and my food was kept in a fridge. The fish tastes really good and fresh. You get a small cookie scoop of everything but it's a lot of food. I got the sauce on the side so that I can eat this over a couple of meals. I think it's a good value and would get it again.