We were threatening to turn the Gus’s Fried Chicken thread into a Poke thread. So I began to wonder… Where are the good Poke spots?
unfortunately I am not in your area, but Pokenometry in the Hollywood/Highland plaza is surprisingly great and cheap. $2 validated parking too, with Grom right downstairs.
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It’s not near you either but Ohana Poke in the spot that used to be Black Boar on Sunset/Parkman in Silver Lake is pretty solid as well.
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I second @Jemange’s endorsement of Ohana Poke Co. They have two locations: Silver Lake and DTLA. My go-to bowl is the Sweet Unagi Salmon, which I get with wakame, masago, and avocado. The crushed wasabi peas add nice textural contrast.
Silver Lake
2852 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
323.741.8211
DTLA
130 E 6th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
213.265.7561
Black Hogg
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Thanks for the correction. I confused an extant bar with a shuttered restaurant.
Looks great @MaladyNelson. We’re in DTLA more than Silver Lake.
Some places I’m willing to travel for. But for Poke, I was looking for a cool place to stop by after work or when we are out and about in our 'hood.
Feel free to move pertinent posts from the “Gus’s Fried Chicken” thread. Sorry for the thread drift.
Hi @TheCookie,
Thanks. 
Yah I’m not sure I get the whole Poke craze. In addition, I always thought authentic Poke’s strength was in really fresh fish (plentiful for Hawaii).
So for those concepts here in LA, opening more inland or even trying to go national chain, how are they going to really deliver fresh raw fish on a consistent basis?
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For $8 my standards are a little lower. That’s why poke works. I know I’m not getting legit Ono Seafood grindz, but hey it’s way less than what sushi costs and it tastes pretty damn good.
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[quote=“Ns1, post:22, topic:3587, full:true”]
For $8 my standards are a little lower. That’s why poke works. I know I’m not getting legit Ono Seafood grindz, but hey it’s way less than what sushi costs and it tastes pretty damn good.
[/quote] That’s a good point. I wonder then why Poke is not taking off as expected. Do you think Angelenos aren’t that familiar with it? I think I’ll try to have some Poke soon 
.
IMO poke pretty much boomed across LA in the span of 1 year. There’s no less than 5 poke places within 5 miles of me.
Whether the expansion is still happening, I’m not sure; I think the market will be saturated enough soon. Of course, I thought milk tea/boba would be dead by now too, but that trend seems to be pretty solidly in the second wave.
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Hi @Chowseeker1999 -
Those are good points about Poke. And my fried chicken resurgence comment was tongue in cheek. I’m thrilled about it 
.
Thanks again for the great seeking.
I think @Chowseeker1999 and @Ns1 hit upon critical elements of poke. This isn’t high end food in spirit - very humble - but has the potential to be premium, mostly by the simple fact that premium seafood (especially when demand is far from the sources) will draw similar prices.
Most raw seafood dishes are elevated by quality and freshness. IMHO, if these aspects are mediocre at best, the end product will be the same as well. The only differences will be seasoning and additional ingredients.
I’ve tried poke dishes from maybe six various places around LA. Some have seemed a little fresher than others, but nothing that screams fresh off the boat. The prices seem to be in the same ballpark for poke counters, and “by the pound” places like Bristol Farms and Costco are in the same range per pound as well.
Places like Sweet Fin are good enough for a quick reasonable meal with a wide array of options/add-on. Jus’ Poke in Redondo beach offers poke and sides that are in the spirit of the islands.
BF has been offering poke for years - decent straight up versions and good turnover. Costco’s version was pretty meh at first - probably had the flattest tasting ahi of all places. I think they’ve amped up the seasonings as the poke as a whole actually tastes like poke, but the ahi itself still tastes flat to me - the albacore seems better. Costco’s version suffers because the poke is actually made in Washington state and shipped overnight to its units. By the time it hits the shelves, it can at least two days old - who knows how old the sea-based ingredients are by the time of production prior to shipment.
Since Costco’s poke is about $14/lb and BF is (I think) around $15, either the mark-up is minimal or Costco is is making a lot of money on these products. And if Costco is offering poke, to me, this is a sign that poke is a widely accepted dish in the areas that Costco sells it.
The limiting factors of more poke places opening (besides price/availability of ingredients) are probably more to do with local tastes/preferences and location relative to other food options. Of course places like Costco and BF are almost direct competitors in this market as well, reducing potential risk entries into the poke game by their relatively large size.
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Literally none of the fish you eat at even the highest end local sushi bars was caught within 5000 miles of us.
It’s the same farmed hamachi and salmon and frozen Indonesian yellowfin they’re selling at every all-you-can-eat sushi bar, except they gussy it up with some sesame oil and soy sauce and charge 12 bucks for a handful of fish chunks.
It’s a total rip but like a lot of Californians sometimes I want something quick and tasty but healthy-ish. I think that’s the “rub,” many people in LA don’t mind spending 12 bucks for a lunch, and when it’s something tasty, light, satisfying, “gluten-free,” etc. it makes sense for us to have it.
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I should have stamped that post with the “just my .02…” @Eater15 added substantive info to my macro-post.
Yeah, Ohana Poke Co. isn’t really in your neighborhood. I drive there on weekends from the Westside. You might give PokiNometry a try. Haven’t been there myself, but they seem to be fairly well regarded. They’re at Hollywood and Highland.
Coral Fish Poke Shop and Mainland Poke Shop are more in your neighborhood, but I haven’t tried them either, as I’m pretty hooked on Ohana Poke Co. Good luck in your poke quest.
PokiNometry
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 645-7730
Coral Fish Poke Shop
6357 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 655-8060
Mainland Poke Shop
8318 1/2 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 452-9904
Coincidence @MaladyNelson. We researched and went to Mainland Poke Shop this eve.
We likey likey Poke Poke. I’ll try to change the OP to include a broader range. Would like to hear about more places. Up until now my Poke experiences have been one item on a menu. And if it wasn’t prepared correctly then… 
I think you’re right @Ns1. Poke may not be spreading fast, but it’s spreading. Mainland was crowded with every L.A. demographic represented. I don’t know what I expected, but “fast casual” is the perfect concept for Poke. The owner said they’re doing really well, and expanding to parts beyond.
Since it was our first time, the server insisted we do a “build your own”, which is a mistake for me. I always go too far.
My husband had no stake or interest and just said “I’ll have what she’s having.” Isn’t he easy? Anyway, we had the albacore splashed w/yuzu ponzu, brown rice, avocado, a little mango, sweet onions, seaweed, edamame, scallions, tobiko, a squirt of wasabi cream & sriracha mayo, red alaea sea salt & furikake. Okay, it sounds like a jumble. But the server protected me from myself and added just the right amount of everything. Hubby surprisingly loved it!
The fish is sustainable, fresh (not frozen) and undressed. The tobiko added a firm, salty burst of sea flavor, along w/the slight crunch of the sea salt, the smokey furikake and the avocado and mayos added a touch of creaminess. If this could be a complaint… maybe the fish was too fresh. It did not have a distinct flavor. I will try the regular tuna and the toro next time to compare. They also have octopus. I only like raw salmon in very small doses.
Our bowls aren’t as composed as yours Malady. But here they are.
This picture is before the refresh.
Some of you wrote, part of the joy of Poke is that it’s inexpensive. So I included the receipt. You can decide.
We also had a delicious lychee lemonade and a mint limeade.
Definitely a good dose of Omegas. I’ll just ignore the mercury issue 
.
Very pleasantly surprised!
Mainland Poke Shop
8318 1/2 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 452-9904