The Hawaiian islands have many wonderful things to offer, such as the beaches, the rainforests, the mai tais, and especially the poke.
When I arrive on Kauai or Maui, I quickly go to a local market, poke stand, or food truck to get my two scoops of raw, marinated ahi tuna over brown rice. The smooth chunks of freshly caught fish, sometimes topped with dried seaweed, melt in your mouth. The savory seasonings add just the right amount of kick to make these little bowls of joy “off da hook”, as the locals say.
Poke, which means “to cut” in native Hawaiian, is usually ahi, marinated and topped with a wide variety of flavors, from limu (seaweed) to California (with avocado, of course), shoyu, and spicy. Poke can also be made with other seafood, such as kimchee shrimp, furikake salmon, or miso tako (octopus).
Poke is usually served in bowls over white or brown rice or greens and topped with favorite toppings, but it can also take other forms: poke nachos, tacos, tostadas, and even poke musubi.
If you’re a fan of poke, consider heading to the islands soon for the fourth annual Kauai Poke Fest in June. The festival, which will take place at the Koloa Landing Resort on the island’s South Shore, was recognized as one of the top five food festivals in the U.S. last year by USA Today’s 10Best — and it’s a contender that honor among specialty food festivals again this year.
This popular one-day event invites professional and amateur chefs to showcase their favorite creations in a competition that prepares and serves over 500 pounds of fresh ahi. Hosted by James Beard award-winning chef Sam Choy, known as the Godfather of Poke, the festival honors Hawaii’s most famous dish with live entertainment, food and drinks, poke demonstrations, and the poke competition.
The poke fun runs from 3 to 7 p.m. on June 8, with a farmers marketplace opening at 2 p.m. All profits from the event will be donated to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund, which supports those affected by the devastating Maui wildfires last summer. You can find tickets ($90 to $115, ages 21 and up only) and more details at KauaiPokeFest.com.
Want to find the best year-round poke in Hawaii? Ask the locals about their favorite spots, then set your sails for a foodie quest that leads to authentic Hawaiian hole-in-the wall shops, friendly local markets, and family-run establishments with surprising poke offerings.
You may find plenty of recommendations below, but first, let’s discuss fish.
Two well-known types of tuna are bluefin and ahi, which is the species commonly used for poke bowls. Ahi is the common name for yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus). If you are interested in scientific names, there are three species of bluefin tuna – Atlantic (Thunnus thynnus), Southern (Thunnus maccoyii), and Pacific (Thunnus orientalis).
These tuna are one of the strongest fish in the ocean and have bodies shaped like torpedoes made for speed; some types can reach 47 mph. They are highly popular with sport fishing trips and a profitable catch for commercial fishermen — a bluefin tuna sold in Japan in January for nearly $800,000 and individual fish prices can reach into the millions for this valued fish.
A interesting way to observe ahi and other tuna fresh from the boat is to take a guided trip of the famous Honolulu Fish Auction — the only fresh tuna auction in the United States. You’ll see how Pacific tuna gets from the dock to restaurants and retail markets in the islands and back on the mainland, and you’ll find out what auction buyers look for in fish quality and the art of tuna grading.
The trip starts dockside with the fishing vessels and a discussion of how the fish are harvested and handled to maintain quality and safety. After learning about daily life on a fishing vessel, you’ll head for the auction floor to learn about how the fish are inspected to ensure seafood safety and how a fish auction works.
Tours ($25-$35) are held from 6 to 7:30 a.m. on select Saturday mornings by reservation. Find details and reserve your spot at hawaii-seafood.org/auctiontour.
Meanwhile, here are some insider tips on where to find some of the best poke in the islands:
Foodland, Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, Oahu
You’ll find 34 locations of this supermarket across the Hawaiian islands. It’s popular among locals for its no-frills poke counter, which serves up generous portions of ahi, mussel and octopus poke at very reasonable prices. Find Foodland locations at shop.foodland.com.
Ono Seafood, Oahu
This hole-in-the-wall spot in Honolulu is famous for its classic shoyu ahi and spicy ahi bowls. It’s very popular so be prepared for lines. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at 747 Kapahulu Ave. in Honolulu; onoseafood.site.
Off the Hook Poke Market, Oahu
Build your own ahi poke bowl with distinctive flavors like Japan Deluxe (miso sauce with ginger and shisho leaf), Kilauea Fire (chili miso sauce, jalapeño, crushed red pepper) and cold ginger poke. Their miso ginger tako (octopus) poke is also tasty — and popular. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday at 2908 E. Manoa Road in Honolulu; www.offthehookpokemarket.com
Tamashiro Market, Oahu
This fish market features a poke counter with incredible variety, including spicy kajiki scallop poke and limu poke. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday and until 5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday at 802 N. King St. in Honolulu; tamashiro-market.weeblyte.com.
Poke Fix Hawaii, Oahu
This tiny, off-the-beaten-path spot is known for its creative poke combinations and Instagram-worthy presentations. Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (closed Wednesdays) at 334 Seaside Ave. #108 in Honolulu; instagram.com/pokefixhawaii.
Tamura’s, Oahu and Maui
A well-liked place for local poke enthusiasts, this chain has three locations on Oahu and Maui. For nine years in a row, Tamura's has been recognized as the top spot for poke in Hawaii Magazine's readers choice awards. The markets — in Wailuku on Maui and Wahiawa and Hau'ula on Oahu — open at 8 a.m., but poke hours differ by location; tamurasmarket.com.
Kahuku Superette, Oahu
Situated a short distance from Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu's famous North Shore, this small local market offers some of the finest shoyu and limu poke bowls on the island. Portions are generous and the prices are reasonable. The market is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends at 56-505 Kamehameha Highway in Kahuku.
Fort Ruger Market, Oahu
This deli/market close to Honolulu's Kapiolani Community College has been in operation since 1935. It's recognized for its delicious, sashimi-grade poke and other Hawaiian-style snacks. The market is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at 3585 Alohea Ave. in Honolulu.
Alicia's Market, Oahu
This market provides a wide range of poke bowls, including wasabi masago, sweet onion shoyu and limu ahi. Open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Saturday at 267 Mokauea St. in Honolulu; aliciasmarket.com.
Redfish Poke Bar by Foodland, Oahu
This poke bar has two Honolulu locations, both offering sizable signature bowls and custom poke bowls with 10 styles of ahi, two of hamachi and three of salmon. The Kaka'ako location at 685 Auahi St. opens at 11 a.m. daily, while the poke bar at the Wayfinder Waikiki, 2375 Ala Wai Blvd., opens at 6 a.m.; redfishpoke.com.
Nico's Pier 38, Oahu
The fish market's restaurant, which is open for breakfast and lunch only, offers ahi poke “nachos” with kabayaki, green onions and spicy aioli. Marlin is the featured fish in the au poke bowl (shoyu or spicy), in addition to more than a dozen different poke selections. The poke counter opens at 9 a.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday at 1129 N. Nimitz Highway in Honolulu; nicospier38.com.
Poke on da Run, Oahu
The “mauka to makai” (mountain to sea) nachos combine freshly fried won ton chips topped with twin scoops of kalua pig and ahi poke topped with spicy aioli and green onions. Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays at 909Lehua Ave. in Pearl City.
Kaohu Store, Maui
This small convenience store offers possibly the best poke on Maui. Buy poke by the pound or get a bowl of their poke specialties, like chili pepper poke or lipoa poke, made with a local seaweed that tastes like cucumber. Opens at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays at 1833 Kaohu St. in Wailuku; instagram.com/kaohustore.
Like Poke?, Maui
This popular food truck — so popular, you’ll want to arrive early, before they sell out — is in a new location in Wailuku. Opens at 10:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday; facebook.com/like.poke.1.
Kilauea Market, Kauai
Poke is just one of the variety of offerings at this fresh fish eatery and fish market. Choose from sesame or spicy ahi, tako poke and sesame aku or brown or jasmine rice. Open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday at 4270 Kilauea Road in Kilauea; kilaueafishmarket.com.
Koloa Fish Market, Kauai
This very popular market on the South Shore is well-known for poke bowls and has more than six types, from wasabi ahi to smoked marlin. Arrive early and expect to wait in line for a great lunch. It's open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday at 3390 Poipu Road in Koloa. koloafishmarket.com.
Hanalei and Kealia Poke, Kauai
This poke shop is situated in the historic Ching Young Village in the quirky surf town of Hanalei on Kauai’s North Shore. They also run the Kealia poke food truck next to the town’s Big Save market, which was featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” TV show. The Hanalei poke shop opens at 11:30 a.m. from Sunday to Friday and at noon on Saturday at 5-5190 Kuhio Highway in Hanalei.
Da Poke Shack, Island of Hawaii
This shack, approved by Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern, offers a wide range of poke flavors from spicy garlic sesame to sweet miso and honey with roasted seaweed. It's open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day at 76-6246 Ali‘i Drive in Kailua-Kona; https://dapokeshack.com/
Poke Market, Island of Hawaii
This Hilo poke shop offers high-end poke bowls with non-traditional poke ingredients, such as salmon poke with unagi truffle sauce, and sides that include sweet potato salad. It's open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday at 41 Waianuenue Ave. in Hilo; pokemarkethi.com.
Suisan Fish Market, Island of Hawaii
A long-standing Hilo fish market, Suisan serves traditional Hawaiian poke, kimchee tako poke, and lemon shoyu scallop poke. Open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday at 93 Lihiwai St. in Hilo; www.suisan.com/our-services/fish-market-fish/.
Umekes Fish Market Bar & Grill, Island of Hawaii
This popular eatery offers poke flights, poke nachos, and poke lettuce cups with avocado poke and a unagi drizzle. Or you can opt for the Makai platter with three poke choices, four ahi cakes, four raw oysters, sashimi, furikake sashimi, ahi katsu, and four shrimp with garlic or spicy aioli with unagi. Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily at 74-5599 Pawai Place in Kailua-Kona; umekesrestaurants.com.
