Although eating raw fish may not seem appetizing to some, when it’s sided with toppings like avocado and crab meat and further coated with a spicy mayo sauce, it becomes tempting.

Poke, a Hawaiian-Japanese fusion fish salad, includes scoops of fish ranging from salmon to octopus and is seasoned with toppings and sauces of your choice.

Oke Poke:

3277 Grand Ave #2, Chino Hills, CA 91709

Oke Poke offers a regular-sized bowl, which includes three scoops of fish, for $8.95 and a large sized bowl, with five scoops of fish, for $10.95.

Since the restaurant  didn’t offer as many topping choices, I was left with a rather simple bowl of brown rice containing cucumbers, fish eggs, oke crab, and avocado as my toppings with salmon, spicy tuna, and ahi tuna as my fish choices in oke sauce.

The employee mixed my fish and sauces in a separate metal bowl, so when she added them into my poke bowl, only my fish was  seasoned.

I found the sauces to be salty, and they masked the flavors of the fish. In addition, the fish mixture also felt soft and mushy. Furthermore, since my rice wasn’t dressed with any sauces, it was also quite bland. In comparison to the other stores, the bowl I received at Oke Poke was much smaller, so it wasn’t as filling.

However, once I thoroughly mixed my bowl, the flavors mixed together and I enjoyed my meal enough for a potential future visit. 

Poke Ave:

860 W Imperial Hwy, Brea, CA 9282

A bit more on the pricey side, Poke Ave offers three scoops of fish for $8.99 and five scoops for $11.99. I ordered a bowl with brown rice, avocado, mild crab meat, cucumber, seaweed salad, pineapple, edamame, and three scoops of fish.

Despite orderin
g a regular sized bowl, the employee mistakenly told me I could choose five scoops of fish. I was a bit overwhelmed, as I could barely recognize the choices of fish on display. In the end, I decided to get salmon, spicy salmon, tuna, spicy tuna, and cooked shrimp.

Overall, I found that this bowl was the most filling out of the three; not only because I received more choices of fish, but also because of the larger rice and topping portions.

I enjoyed my bowl without the need to mix it and found that the spicy mayo sauce definitely flavored things.

Furthermore, my toppings and fish tasted fresher than the ones I received from Oke Poke. With my Poke Ave stamp card, I will be visiting again. 

Poki Monster:

105 W  Lambert Rd, Brea, CA 92821

My bowl from Poki Monster was just as filling as my bowl from Poke Ave; however, taste-wise, it wasn’t as pleasant. Poki Monster offers three scoops of fish for $8.95 and five scoops of
fish for $11.95.

I ordered a brown rice bowl with crab meat, masago, avocado, pineapples, seaweed salad, and cucumber.

I chose salmon, spicy salmon, and tuna as my fish. I topped it off with sesame oil and spicy mayo with nori and sesame seeds.

The pineapple chunks given were too sweet, with hints of tartness, and gave me the impression that they were straight from a can. The cucumbers tasted too pickled.

However, I thoroughly enjoyed eating the rest of my poke bowl, although I was careful not to mix my toppings around so I could avoid spreading the tartness around.

I believe I’ve found a love for these new “DIY bowl” places; with their cheap prices, overall atmospheres, short lines, and free avocado, they’ve definitely become favorites  for me.