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    AhiPoki

    4.1 (281 reviews)
    ModerateSeafood, Hawaiian, Poke
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Order AhiPoki Takeout or Delivery

    AhiPoki Photos

    AHIPOKI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Reviews With Photos

    Gem R.

    For poki bowl eateries in SD, I would say my favorite is Poki 1 & 1/2, then this comes second, and SD poki Co. comes last. Pros: they have more variety in fish meat to choose from, as well as other types of plates with meat proteins like chicken and eel and spam musubi. Fresh. Portions are good. They have tasty sauces to choose from to put on your poki bowl. I like their passion fruit mango drink. Con: slightly pricier than Poki 1 & 1/2 (ahi poki has $10 for choice of 2 fish meat bowls, and avocado costs extra, whereas Poki 1 & 1/2 is $8.00, avocado included).

    What I ordered for takeout online.
    Trang T.

    I ordered the Large poke online- they gave me the regular size bowl instead of large. Room temperature fish with no flavor whatsoever, ordered their house sauce and needed to add some soy sauce when I got home to somehow enjoy the bland food. Spam musubi- taste straight like fish, disgusting. Guava drink- taste like sugar no guava, had to dump the entire drink. I do not recommend this place whatsoever. What a waste of $25

    Carmen M.

    Delicious POKe. I ordered the small bowl. You can pick what you want on your bowl. And the sauces you want in it. I tried it for the first time and the gentlemen that was there helped me out service is good. Very clean spot. I liked it a lot and will try again soon. They also have a macaroons ice cream sandwiches YuMmmmmm!!! Love them

    Large bowl to go with tuna and half salad half brown rice
    Leslie B.

    I love poke. In fact, I could probably eat it almost everyday without getting sick of it. Ahipoki is the closest place to my home to get fresh poke. It is decent, but not my favorite. I have been there three times so far. Like most poke places, you pick your base (salad or rice), your fish, your sauces and your toppings. They do have a lot of choices here, including mango, which is nice. However, here they give you two scoops of fish for a regular size and three for a large. Most places give you three scoops for a regular and five for a large. Well, I love fish and always order a large at this place in order to have my usual three scoops, which makes it more expensive, and gives me a lot of other toppings I really don't want. Also, here, things like yellowtail and avocado cost extra. Some other places they do not charge extra. Finally, as this is a relatively new poke spot for me, I was asking questions about the sauces. The worker did not seem terribly interested and also said she didn't know what some of the sauces were. I thought it was odd that she expected me to just play a guessing game. Anyway, this place is A-OK, but not great...so 3 stars it is!

    Tuna bowl with rice. A few toppings but I put them on the side so they don't mess the flavor.
    Gloria L.

    After living in Hawaii for a while, I may be a bit picky about poke. But sometimes you have to love the one you're with-so I went in to Ahi Poke. The restaurant is In the front of a shopping center on Rosecrans at Sports Arena. It is next to a Noodle & Company and there is a Petsmart in the back. When I walked in I noticed the tables and floor was very clean. I entered and immediately noticed that the floor and tables were very clean. The order line is to the right as you come in. The counters with the fish and toppings also looked really clean and very neat. The menu board gives many choices. You pick your protein, then rice (white or brown) or salad, sauce and then toppings. They were nice and let me taste the tuna before ordering. I asked for the sauce on the side so I could really check it out. It smelled fresh and had a good taste. So I selected the tuna for my protein with steamed rice with a sauce of soy, garlic and sesame oil (?) and toppings of seaweed salad, crab salad, pickled red onions and then a good sprinkling of black sesame seeds. The tuna was delicious. Again, I asked for the sauce on the side to control how much was used. It was good for a touch on the tuna and made the rice more tasty too. The crab was delicious and the pickled onions were also good. My favorite was the seaweed salad. It was crunchy and had a great flavor. The sesame seeds on top added a wonderful crunch and flavor. I highly recommend Ahi Poke. The food is fresh and flavor is very good.

    Large poke bowl with half brown rice and half salad
    Jen M.

    Having been away from home for 10 days and not having poke for 10 days, I was craving some really bad!!! Luckily we came across this place bc it did not disappoint. Service was great! I got to sample the spicy tuna and the tuna luau and both were really good. I decided on those for my large poke bowl (which included 3 scoops. So I got 2 scoops of their tuna luau which also had some avocado, onion, and their house sauce), and 1 scoop of the spicy tuna. I opted for half brown rice and half salad as my base. The toppings are great, as you can choose all if you would like! I got edamame, green onions, red onion, crab, hard boiled egg, furikake, wasabi, and crispy onions. The large poke bowl was $11.95 which was a good deal for the amount of food I got. My husband had a salmon bowl which he enjoyed and I didn't get a picture of because he dug in to it too fast, lol!! Would def come back again when we're in San Diego!

    Out of product
    Veronica B.

    Hey Yelpers! Visit: May 31st 6:30 pm I am extremely disappointed in this place. I was excited since this place had 4 stars at least... Sadly this place is no where near 4 stars. Staff/Cleanliness: First off this place was not busy when we came in and there was TWO workers. I've been to poke shops that have only had one person working the whole place and I received cleaner and better service at those other poke shops. This place had a dirty food preparation space, unorganized, unprepared, and careless customer service. Please hire new employees, that care and respect their job. Food Issues: Second they were out of three different proteins, out of WHITE RICE, out of masago, one half of an avocado left over. OVERCHARGED: Third since they were out of majority of their menu, it would've been nice to received avocado with no charge... Instead they double charged me for two orders off avocado. Clearly, I only received one order of avocado. Overly Priced: This place is the absolute worst poke place I've ever been too. Way over priced, a large bowl only contains 3 scoops of protein. Containers are very small. Food Taste: I was excited because besides all of that, the food looked good in the to go containers.... Wow, the crab meat tasted expired. The organic salad tasted like they did not prewash it before serving. I ended up throwing it out, I could not handle the taste anymore. Parking:Yes Staff: Horrible Recommend: NO, Will not be going back.

    That's the establishment. Look at the menu
    Nando D.

    I love poki!!! Decided to stop at this spot before even seeing the reviews which I loved to see what I saw from the get go! Didn't know exactly how the process was l, but encountered 2 friendly ladies more than willing to explain the building process. Once I had chosen my fish, it was time for the toppings, they stack the plates nicely and I like the way they help each other. The bowl looked and tasted fantastic!! The place is clean and it's simply great! This was my first time here and it will not be the last. Eating healthy and delicious food is the idea. Really liked all the options for my bowl and also. Thanks for the great job you guys are doing :)

    Jessica S.

    I'm not sure whether the perceived fishy, mushy character of their fish was enhanced by the very pungent smell of wet, rotting fish emanating throughout the restaurant. In fact, the odor was prevalent upon walking in and throughout dinner itself. The boyfriend and I noticed that they were cooking their whole salmon and eel dishes out in the open, however, the smell of wet fish and cooked fish are different and should not be that noticeable. I happened to pick at my boyfriend's bowl only, but his large poke bowl with 3 scoops of protein at $11.95 was rather small; more a size of a regular at another poke joint. As mentioned, it seemed too fishy to me. One interesting selection for their fish was their *Tuna Luau*. I guess this is their prepped poke selection which already includes slices of avocado. If you don't want to pay $1 extra for a side of avocado, get this to cheat the system. In addition to the bowl, a Thai tea ($3.50) was also forced upon me by the ever too kind boyfriend. I did not like how the worker encouraged it even though I said I did not want one after sampling it and noticing how watery and tasteless it was. A big maybe 22oz cup of this was just as bland and watered down.

    Inside
    Kantong K.

    It was our first time there. The stuff with glasses was very aggressive and bad attitude with us. My friend was order large order but she got regular size it's seem like she doesn't want to serve us a food !!!! BAD EXPERIENCES!!!!!!

    Tuna & Salmon
    Jack M.

    I like Poke, and I am one of those who is really pleased that many poke shops continue to open up around town. I decided on the regular two scoop bowl featuring tuna and salmon as my protein with a variety of toppings including avocado which I gladly paid a dollar extra for. The bowl came with a good amount of tuna and salmon. Both were very tasty and of decent quality. I did think the salmon did offer more of that velvety rich texture. The krab salad was fresh and so were the fresh cut cucumbers, onions, and edamame. My base was brown rice and it was well prepared. All the topping were great, but my favorite were the avocado and seaweed salad. I like the way they slices and fanned out the avocado, which was perfect ripe, and the seaweed had great flavor and a good crunch. I went for the garlic and soy sauce which was not to overbearing. Service was very good and very upbeat. Their prices are right in line with most of their competition. The bowl cost $9.95 plus and extra $1 for the avocado.

    Exterior with grand opening balloon decoration
    Chris V.

    Although I'd just enjoyed my favorite poke bowls back home a few days before this, I was pretty happy with my visit here. AhiPoki is a chain with stores mostly in SoCal and Arizona, and this appears to be the first San Diego store. It's not far off the highway and is quite close to the Valley View Casino Center (perhaps better known as the sports arena) and its street corner location near a Chipotle seems to have them primed for success. My friend and I were on a road trip from Las Vegas, and we agreed to meet a couple of his friends for lunch here on the final day of some sort of grand opening week promo: 50% off w/ purchase of eligible drink/item. I actually went with the miso soup ($2.50) so that I could avoid a sugar rush so early in what I presumed (correctly) would be a massive food day. It was a decent soup but seemed slightly underseasoned. The main course is sushi burritos or poke bowls (not sure what's up with the "poki" spelling unless it's to distinguish this not-so-authentic-to-Hawaiian-origins preparation) and I've found more success lately with poke bowls, so I started on the build-your-own path. Some places have preset combos, but I've come to appreciate customization so much that this isn't necessary. Also, they lead you step by step thoroughly, even to the point of prompting for a yes or no on each individual topping. These steps are as follows. Size. Regular is $9.95 for two scoops, large is $11.95 for three scoops. I went with a large. Base: white rice (not sushi rice; it never seems to be sushi rice), brown rice, organic salad, or your choice of half and half. Protein scoops: tuna luau (marinated and mixed w/ avocado and onions), tuna (plain), shrimp, scallop, kimchi shrimp, spicy tuna, octopus, salmon, yellowtail (+$1 charge - say what?), albacore. I got tuna luau, which goes directly onto the rice, along with salmon and albacore, which instead go into a metal mixing bowl. I was pleased to see this because my favorite poke bowl places do some mixing of ingredients. Sauce: I didn't try to choose more than one, but that seems to be standard. I went with house sauce rather than house spicy, spicy creamy, sweet citrus, garlic soy mirin, wasabi citrus,or kimchi sauce. This goes into the mixing bowl. Toppings: onion, green onion, cucumber, edamame, pickle radish, masago (tiny fish roe), ginger, wasabi, seaweed, salad, crab meat, daikon sprout, sesame seeds, crispy onions, chili flakes, furikake. Also, $1 extra each if you want sliced avocado or tamago. Some toppings go into the mixing bowl and are mixed by (gloved) hand. Others are just plopped into the serving bowl. I got most of the ingredients but wanted to avoid ginger and wasabi, which can be flavor bombs in a not-so-good way, and chili flakes, in case they wanted to go crazy. The menu does list an "everything" option, which is an easy way to cut down on words. The bowl was quite good overall. Brown rice was enjoyable, house sauce provided plenty of flavor, most of the ingredients tasted fresh. I was mostly happy with my fish until I came across several mushy pieces near the end. Another concern, which was fine for my purposes but not for regular consumption, is that I still felt a little hungry after finishing my meal. I usually get filled up sufficiently at these sorts of places. Although I experienced minor quality and portion concerns at Ahipoki, I am going to stick with four stars because they're still one of the better places I've tried in this genre in any city, and because I appreciated the newbie-friendly service aid.

    seafood/tofu choices
    Dung N.

    After suggesting so many restaurants to eat at for dinner, we finally agreed on this one. The decor of this eatery is very clean, modern, and they have plenty of different types of fishes on their wall! There is a grand opening special right now where you can get 50 percent off your bowl with purchase of a drink, so everyone took advantage of that deal. We were even able to sample their offerings before deciding what to get. I decided on the large bowl, which comes with 3 scoops. I chose half white rice and half organic salad with the tuna luau, salmon and yellowtail. For the sauces I had them mix the house sauce with garlic soy mirin, and the spicy sauce too. Now it was time for the toppings! There were a lot of choices, which were included in the price. Their guava drink was too sweet, so I had them mix it with the tropical one, which tasted very refreshing! I couldn't wait to dig into my poke bowl! It was very flavorful, but could use some more heat. I really liked the mango slices as a topping and the fish pieces were fresh. They also have macaron ice cream sandwiches for dessert, if you need to satisfy your sweet tooth. Overall, I had a pleasant experience and would definitely come back when I need my poke fix.

    Large bowl. After mixing it around a bit

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    AhiPoki Reviews in Other Languages

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    Leilani's Cafe - Leilani's Cafe

    Leilani's Cafe

    4.3(1.3k reviews)
    4.9 miPacific Beach
    $$
    Family-owned & operated
    Locally owned & operated

    So delicious!! I got the Jr Boy breakfast and the coconut French toast is great, eggs were fluffy,…read morePortuguese sausage had a nice caramelization. I didn't end up eating the scoop of rice, for me it felt like an afterthought on the plate. The nut latte was delicious as well. Order inside at the counter then take your food to go (saw lots of to go orders places) or snag a seat. They have outdoor bar seating and a few smaller tables, wouldn't rec coming with a big group. Staff was all incredibly friendly. Food came out hot and clearly freshly made.

    I went on a day trip to San Diego and wanted to try something new I've never had before. Yelp led…read moreme to Leilani's Cafe. We arrived during breakfast time and ordered the BLT bagel and Hilo Loco Moco. The loco moco was really unique to me because the burger patty, gravy, and eggs were served over a spicy Portuguese sausage fried rice. The fried rice had a good, slightly sticky texture, which I liked. The gravy was tasty, and the over-easy egg made the dish creamy once the yolk mixed in. The patty was thick but personally, I would've preferred it thinner. Overall, it was delicious but very heavy. I was kind of over it halfway through. The BLT bagel was pretty tasty. I got it on an onion bagel, which was soft and chewy. I liked that every bite had bacon and it was even topped with two extra pieces. It also came with a scoop of mac salad, which was just okay. The cafe serves coffee, tea, and other drinks, but they don't have any sugar-free or low-sugar options, not even diet soda, so I just stuck with water. Customer service was just okay. I'm used to the super welcoming, family vibe at other Hawaiian spots I've been to, and I didn't really get that here. The staff came off a bit unfriendly.

    Photos
    Leilani's Cafe
    Leilani's Cafe
    Leilani's Cafe - Chocolate haupia espresso w/ whip.

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    Chocolate haupia espresso w/ whip.

    Hawaiian Fresh Seafood - Poke plate with three scoops (furikake salmon, garlic salmon, and shoyu ahi)

    Hawaiian Fresh Seafood

    4.5(1.4k reviews)
    10.6 miMira Mesa
    $$

    When I want my poke fix, I come here. Once I had the poke here, I cannot have poke anywhere else!…read moreReminds me of Hawaii. I got the medium bowl with rice and two kinda of poke. I got the garlic salmon and the shoyu ahi. Sooo good! Just be warned, there is always a line! There is a poke line and a non-poke line. If you haven't been, you must come here!

    This place is legit! I would recommend anyone who loves poke to stop by here while in SD. The…read morelocation of this restaurant was interesting. It was surrounded by office buildings. Honestly, great strategy cause I would come here all the time if I worked around here! The poke is so fresh and the price is very well reasonable for the amount of fish that you get. I got a medium bowl of poke on top of rice. I got spicy ahi and shoyu ahi. My fiancé got the firecracker salmon and wasabi ahi. Not so much of a salmon gal, but my fiancé loved it. The wasabi definitely had quite of a kick to it, but if you love wasabi, get this! My favorite was the shoyu ahi. Just classic and the onions that were in the mix was sweet and not super spicy. The fish that you get here is very much like what you would get in Hawaii. The texture was just amazing and flavors were on point. I would definitely recommend coming here early to avoid the lines. Though, the service is quick and efficient! One of the best poke places that you can hit up in SD hands down. Check it out!

    Photos
    Hawaiian Fresh Seafood - 12/22/22. Indoor dining hall. It's empty because we arrived right when they opened.

    12/22/22. Indoor dining hall. It's empty because we arrived right when they opened.

    Hawaiian Fresh Seafood - Two scoop poke bowl

    Two scoop poke bowl

    Hawaiian Fresh Seafood - Fish taco

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    Fish taco

    Homestyle Hawaiian - Katsu Chicken

    Homestyle Hawaiian

    3.9(791 reviews)
    7.8 mi
    $$

    WuzupWuzup! Super…read morefast service, friendly host/server, and plenty of seating for big parties. I will say it can be slightly warm inside when I dined in yesterday it was fairly warm. I got the Kalbi and Lava Chicken. It came with 1 scoop of rice and mac salad. I would say after placing the order within 5 mins it was already on our table. I am like whoa....that's crazy fast. Nobody was dining in at the time of eating, so another plus. Food was piping hot, fresh, and super delicious. Literally cleaned my entire plate. I would definitely come back here anytime I'm in the mood for some Hawaiian food.

    My wife and I came here for Hawaiian food and left genuinely questioning how this place is even…read moreallowed to operate. Let's start with the basics: our server, Kennedy, was completely checked out. Zero urgency, zero professionalism, and an obvious "I don't care" attitude the entire time. But bad service ended up being the least of our concerns. The food was flat out unsafe. My garlic shrimp came out with the digestive tract still in it and yes, not cleaned at all. When I brought it up, Kennedy grabbed a manager who didn't even bother to introduce herself. Her response? This has "happened multiple times before" and ownership is aware and chooses to keep it that way. She actually said the cooks "don't have to clean the shrimp." Let that sink in. So this isn't a mistake, it's a standard. Then it got worse. My wife's chicken katsu was RAW in the center. Not undercooked but raw. Pink, unsafe, completely inedible. At that point, we were done. Serving raw chicken is not a small oversight, it's a serious health risk. Meanwhile, both the manager and Kennedy were more focused on watching Coachella than doing their jobs. Kennedy was openly yelling things like "Oh shit!" about performers while ignoring tables and with children around. Completely unprofessional and honestly embarrassing to watch. So to recap: * Uncleaned shrimp being knowingly served * Raw chicken making it to the table * Burnt beef * Staff that couldn't care less * Management admitting they're aware and doing nothing This isn't just bad service, this is negligence. Ownership should be ashamed, and this place seriously needs to be inspected by the health department before someone gets sick. Do not risk your money or your health eating here!

    Photos
    Homestyle Hawaiian - Bar area

    Bar area

    Homestyle Hawaiian - Ahi Poke

    Ahi Poke

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    Kalei's Kitchenette - Poké Plate available every saturday

    Kalei's Kitchenette

    4.3(265 reviews)
    15.5 miRancho Penasquitos
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Grab-and-go

    I'm gonna be honest, I'm not usually a big ahi fan and so I tend to avoid going to poke places that…read moredon't have salmon as an option but this place has definitely changed my mindset. I came in on a Saturday afternoon and ordered the poke plate with half spicy ahi and shoyu ahi. The price was a bit steep at around $25 but when I tell you, I completely demolished it within 10 mins... I got it to go but it smelled so good that I had to eat it in my car still parked right in front LOL. The ahi doesn't have an irony taste like other ahi I've tried from some other places. I think I definitely prefer the shoyu flavor though! I'm definitely coming back and bringing my boyfriend to try the other plates they offer!

    Solid four stars at a five and I give this rating because the flavors were on point and the Cooley…read morechicken and pork. We're all cooked very well. Spam musubi was just OK and felt like you could definitely make it at home versus the 4.50 you'd spend. Service OK nothing outstanding because it felt more like a café than a restaurant and it makes sense because there was no inside seating. They have outdoor seating which was nice. Love the decor and the story behind this place. I decided to come here for my birthday and it was a nice treat because I was looking for more Hawaiian spots in San Diego. The mac & cheese was great I wish as a side they added more furike seasoning on the rice. Again, these are just small changes but overall the food is great solid and everything tasted delicious.

    Photos
    Kalei's Kitchenette - Garlic Chicken

    Garlic Chicken

    Kalei's Kitchenette - Our take on the Hawaiian BBQ. Meet our Huli Huli chicken.

    Our take on the Hawaiian BBQ. Meet our Huli Huli chicken.

    Kalei's Kitchenette - Exterior of the Hawaiian restaurant

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    Exterior of the Hawaiian restaurant

    Katsu Cafe - Crunchy roll

    Katsu Cafe

    3.9(906 reviews)
    6.2 miKearny Mesa
    $$

    Casual order-at-the-counter Japanese place that serves dishes like teriyaki chicken, sushi, ramen,…read moreyakisoba, etc. Their menu is massive, and the selection is quite friendly towards those who are new to Japanese food. The specials are a great deal as the portion is massive and enough to share between two people comfortably. If you dine in, most entrees also come with miso soup. The curry chicken katsu was nothing special; the curry was a little lacking in flavor, and I would've appreciated a salad of some sort to add variety and freshness. The macaroni salad is good though. The D2 special is great value and variety. It comes with miso soup, tempura, salad, macaroni salad, and teriyaki chicken on a bed of fried rice. The fried rice has a shockingly good wok flavor, and the teriyaki is quite good. Not a dish that will blow your mind, but definitely hits the spot without breaking the bank. They have some tables outside if you have a dog or prefer to sit there right by the parking lot; your food will still be brought out to you, just let them know when you order.

    Very pleasant service and no line greeted me today at Katsu Cafe. I was happy to see that I could…read moreorder a dual beef + chicken teriyaki plate so I could try both, and subbed the rice for extra salad. The food arrived quickly and was a large portion for the price. Unfortunately, the salad was bland - while expected to an extent with Japanese salads, the dressing is supposed to deliver but instead it was meek and watery. I also didn't enjoy the pasta-infused potato salad flavor. As for the meats, the beef was tastier to me than the chicken. Both were cut in very large strips which was a bit hard to manage since no knife was provided. Chicken was fairly stringy, and the teriyaki sauce was mid.

    Photos
    Katsu Cafe - Part of inside (it's about double the size of this)

    Part of inside (it's about double the size of this)

    Katsu Cafe - Pork katsu and tempura shrimp roll

    Pork katsu and tempura shrimp roll

    Katsu Cafe - Thursday Lunch Special - Mini Teriyaki Chicken with California Rolls

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    Thursday Lunch Special - Mini Teriyaki Chicken with California Rolls

    AhiPoki - seafood - Updated May 2026

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