Santa Monica Poke?

Neither.

It’s on Westwood, just south of Wilshire (and the Hammer), and next to the Crest Theater.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/poke-me-los-angeles-2

https://www.instagram.com/pokeme.la/

Wow, they’re just two weeks old.

I am not a Sweetfin fan. To me, while the fish is good quality, it does not come together. The rice is mealy and the texture is inconsistent. It also does not absorb the sauce well. Speaking of the sauce–the poke is oversauced. Also, standing in line behind idiots customizing their bowl is a nightmare.

I think the best poke going in LA is at Jus’Poke in Redondo Beach. Great portion, one of the best seaweed salads in town, excellent rice–it is a treat getting a bowl from there. And it’s like 9.95 for way more food than you get for 13 from Sweetfin.

Is there anywhere in LA proper doing traditional poke justice?

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Thanks for the heads up. Looks good but parking is kinda a bitch. Luckily for me, mom has long banking visits at
Union Bank across the street.

No, and I have recently re-affirmed that fish king is also a poor replacement.

I haven’t tried all the places in LA proper yet, but in South OC, all the poke I’ve tried at Kawamata Seafood are mighty, mighty tasty…





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Don’t know how legit it is but seems like North Shore Poke has your real Hawaiian seaweed @Ns1

https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/north-shore-poke-co-huntington-beach?select=6Dam-XmC0C4AjT5e41O1kw

omg that 2nd pic, seaweed looks LEGIT.

@Porthos thanks for the link. Those pictures also look very legit, similar to the stuff I saw in HI. I’ll have to check it out when I’m in HB next month.

Not gonna lie, JL’s pictures of Kawamata Seafood looks like it’s the better product.

Looking forward to your side by side comparison! :wink:

Kawamata hands down

And awesome SPAM musubi

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I went once based on J_L’s rec and thought it was absolutely lovely. I’ve never been to Hawaii, though…

ns1, have you weighed in on costco poke yet?
inquiring minds want to know.

thanks.

I have not but visually the chunks are way too big. def on my list though cuz QPR and all.

i await your verdict. yes, some chunks are big. clearly you are no size queen.

It is actually $18-19/lb at Costco.

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Costco poke is no bargain and it has no mana. If there is a life force in poke, their versions are semi-comatose. The stuff is mass-produced in Washington and Fedexed to the stores. One would think that being from Costco, QPR would play into the product. If you have no other decent options, I guess Costco’s will do.

thanks for the intel; that is unfortunate.

how much is it a pound in other places around l.a.?

as one point of reference, it’s $18-22 for tuna poke @ Fish King.

Pretty sure it was only $12-$14/pound for higher quality retail poke in Oahu, with a low of $6-8 at the supermarkets.

Santa Monica seafood has a pretty good version, but their prices are crazy, I want to say around $30/lbs. I got to have someone once and liked it a lot but was glad someone else was buying.

Poke-Poke in Venice, which seems pretty traditional to me but probably still not enough so for the purists, sell their “Big Poke” (16 oz) Hawaiian style (no rice) for $14. It’s pretty good pricing but a pain to get to, parking-wise.