Pokey Okey (Burnaby): Need to Mix Things Up

Earlier this year, Pokey Okey opened up on Kingsway, near Metrotown so I decided to give them a visit in March. When I first walked inside this small little shop, I immediately noticed the large chalk board wall that’s adorned with messages from previous clients. I also noticed that they don’t have anywhere to sit to eat in here (this was before the whole coronapocalypse shut down dine-in eating). They did have some counter area along the wall where you can stand and eat however.

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Riz Sushi Bar & Catering: Aburi Salmon Bowl

Riz has been on my list for a long time… I mean, a really long time. Known specifically for their poke bowls, I had actually wanted to try some of their other menu items such as udon or katsu curry but, for some reason, they only had poke bowls available when I visited.

Pokérrito (Marine Way): Poké in Burnaby

Recently, Pokérrito opened up a new location in the Marine Way area of Burnaby. While it’s true that most poke places in the Vancouver area have very little resemblances with the poke places in Hawaii, it’s probably unfair to compare the two. In Hawaii, the best poke spots focus mainly on the freshness of the seafood and the various marinades that they use to accompany them. At most, you’d enjoy the poke in Hawaii with some plain rice to really savour the flavours. In Hawaii, you’d rarely find all of various toppings that accompany “poke bowls” in Vancouver.

Tamura’s Market – Wahiawa (Hawaii 2019): Deli-Store Poke

One of the things that we discovered on our previous trips to Oahu is that you can get quality poke (diced raw fish) in just about any place. We found that out when we popped into a local grocery/liquor store called Tamura’s. Since that time, we’ve stopped by a few more of the Tamura’s locations whenever we’re on a road trip and needing something to eat.

Steve’s Poke Bar (Lougheed): Simple and Tasty Poke

Our first experience with Steve’s Poke Bar was with their location up at SFU. While we were quite impressed with their poke, we’re hardly ever up in the SFU area. So I was quite pleased that they opened up a brand new spot in the new food court area of Lougheed Town Centre.

Maguro Brothers Waikiki (Hawaii 2018): Sashimi and Poke

Maguro Brothers has a well known location in Chinatown in Honolulu but they’ve recently reopened a take-out shop in Waikiki along Nahua Street between Kuhio and Ala Wai Blvd. They only open in the evening so make sure you check out their hours before you head on over.

Coco Cove (Hawaii 2018): It’s Always Time for Poke

Coco Cove is one of the many grocery stores that dot the Waikiki area. Inside, you can find everything from hot prepared foods to frozen ice cream mochi. But the reason why we came here (3 times during our last trip to Waikiki) was because they also have a large selection of poke available within walking distance to our hotel and the beach.

Da Hawaiian Poke Co (Hawaii 2018): Da Works!

Located just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Ono Seafood, Da Hawaiian Poke Co is a more modern poke establishment that’s right in front of the Safeway on Kapahulu.

Ono Seafood (Hawaii 2018): Ahi Poke

No trip to Honolulu would be complete without a healthy dose of poke. One of the best places to find fresh quality poke is Ono Seafood. Ever since our first visit to this hole-in-the-wall poke shop, we make a point to coming back whenever we’re in Waikiki.

Steve’s Poké Bar (SFU): Build Your Own Bowls

As someone who’s always enjoyed the fresh and tasty poke that we’ve had in Hawaii, we were glad when the poke craze started to take root in Vancouver a couple of years ago. Steve’s Poké Bar, located in the SFU campus on top of Burnaby Mountain was one of the first dedicated poke places to open up in the area but it wasn’t until recently that we’ve tried them out.

Da Hawaiian Poke Company (Hawaii 2017): Da Works!

As I mentioned previously, we were really looking forward to our trip to Hawaii because there’s really no substitute for Hawaiian poke. So it’s really no surprise that, after our visit to Ono Seafood, we headed over to another nearby poke place.

Ono Seafood (Hawaii 2017): Classic Hawaiian Poke

Ono Seafood is well named – “ono” in Hawaiian means “delicious” and everything about the fresh seafood poke here screams deliciousness. This little hole-in-the-wall place has been on our must visit list since we first tried them out.