There are so many things to love about the Hawaiian islands — the beaches, the rainforests, the mai tais and food. And especially the poke.
As soon as I arrive on Kauai or Maui, I hightail it to a local market, poke stand or food truck to get my two scoops of raw, marinated ahi tuna over brown rice. The velvety smooth chunks of freshly caught fish, sometimes topped with strands of dried seaweed, melt in your mouth. And 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 be made with other seafood too, such as kimchee shrimp, furikake salmon or miso tako (octopus).
The 2024 Kauai Poke Fest will be held on June 8 at the Koloa Landing Resort. (Courtesy Kauai Poke Fest)
It’s typically served in bowls over white or brown rice or greens and dashed with favorite toppings, but poke can assume other forms too: poke nachos, tacos, tostadas, even poke musubi.
If you’re hooked on poke like me, make plans to head to the islands soon for the fourth annual Kauai Poke Fest in June. The festival, held at the Koloa Landing Resort on the island’s South Shore, was named one of the top five food festivals in the U.S. last year by USA Today’s 10Best — and it’s up for that honor among specialty food festivals again this year.
This popular one-day event invites professional and amateur chefs to dish out their favorite creations in a competition that seasons and serves more than 500 pounds of fresh ahi. Hosted by James Beard award-winning chef Sam Choy, the so-called Godfather of Poke, the festival celebrates Hawaii’s most famous dish with live entertainment, food and drinks and poke demonstrations, in addition to the poke competition.
The poke fun runs from 3 to 7 p.m. on June 8, with a farmers marketplace that opens at 2 p.m. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund, which
supports the needs of those displaced by the devastating Maui wildfires last summer. 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 outfits whose quality poke offerings will surprise you.
You’ll find plenty of suggestions below, but before we get to that, let’s talk fish.
Two of the best-known types of tuna are bluefin and ahi, which is the species typically used for poke bowls. Ahi is the common name for yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus). If you love scientific names, there are three species of bluefin tuna – Atlantic (Thunnus thynnus), Southern (Thunnus maccoyii), and Pacific (Thunnus orientalis).
A fascinating way to see ahi and other tuna fresh off the boat is to take a guided tour of the world-famous Honolulu Fish Auction, which takes you from dockside to auction floor. (Ben Davidson Photography)
These tuna are among the most powerful fish in the ocean and have torpedo-shaped bodies built for speed; some species can even reach 47 miles per hour. They are hugely popular with sport fishing charters and a lucrative 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 prized fish.
A fascinating way to see ahi and other tuna fresh off the boat is to take a guided tour of the world-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 tour begins dockside with the fishing vessels and a discussion of how the fish are harvested and handled to preserve 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 insure seafood safety and how a fish auction works.
A fascinating way to see ahi and other tuna fresh off the boat is to take a guided tour of the world-famous Honolulu Fish Auction, which takes you from dockside to auction floor. (Ben Davidson Photography)
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
Honolulu’s Off the Hook Poke Market is wildly popular. (Courtesy Off the Hook)
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 popular spot for local poke-lovers, this chain has three markets on Oahu and Maui. For nine
years running, Tamura’s has been named the best 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 vary by location; tamurasmarket.com.
Honolulu’s Off the Hook Poke Market is wildly popular. (Courtesy Off the Hook)
Kahuku Superette, Oahu
Located a few miles from Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s famous North Shore, this little local market serves up some of the best shoyu and limu poke bowls on the island. Portions are hefty and the prices are reasonable. The market is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekends at 56-505 Kamehameha Highway in Kahuku.
Fort Ruger Market, Oahu
This deli/market near Honolulu’s Kapiolani Community College has been around since 1935. It’s known 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 offers a wide variety 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. weekdays at 909
Lehua Ave. in Pearl City.
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Kaohu Store, Maui
This small convenience store serves up arguably the best poke on Maui. Buy poke by the pound or grab 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. 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 rainbow of offerings at this fresh fish eatery and fish market. Chose 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 South Shore market is famous for poke bowls and offers more than half a dozen varieties, from wasabi ahi to smoked marlin. Get here early and be prepared to wait in line for a great lunch. Open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday at 3390 Poipu Road in Koloa; koloafishmarket.com.
Kauai’s Hanalei Poke shop is located in the historic Ching Young Village. (Ben Davidson Photography)
Hanalei and Kealia Poke, Kauai
This poke shop is located in the historic Ching Young Village in the funky surf town of Hanalei on Kauai’s North Shore. They also operate the Kealia poke food truck next to the town’s Big Save market, featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” TV show. The Hanalei poke shop opens at 11:30 a.m. Sunday-Friday and noon on Saturday at 5-5190 Kuhio Highway in Hanalei.
Da Poke Shack, Island of Hawaii
This Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern-approved shack offers a wide selection of poke flavors from spicy garlic sesame to sweet miso and honey with roasted seaweed. Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at 76-6246 Ali‘i Drive in Kailua-Kona; https://dapokeshack.com/
Poke Market, Island of Hawaii
This Hilo poke shop offers upscale poke bowls with untraditional poke ingredients, such as salmon poke with unagi truffle sauce, and sides that include sweet potato salad. 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 longtime Hilo fish market, Suisan serves up 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 restaurant offers poke flights, poke nachos and poke lettuce cups with avocado poke and a unagi drizzle. Or you can go all in with a 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.
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