Pretty nondescript spot in Lake City with inadequate signage, but great food and great service for a good price in an otherwise outrageously expensive city to eat out in. Support this business, they deserve it. Just please don't raise prices as soon as you get some customers. So tired of seeing price increases as soon as business picks up. read more

My endearment for this place grows stronger visit by visit. It has reached to the point where I just have to share about this place with all of you! This is what I had: *Mentai Cream Udon: Udon served with mentaiko (pollock roe), shiso leaf, ikura, nori, and cream sauce. The cream sauce with mentaiko was aromatic and savory. I appreciate how it wasn't too thick and rich so I was able to indulge on it without feeling squeamish. The udon was also soft and chewy. Everything about this dish was an absolute perfection! It is my ultimate comfort food! You must not leave this place without giving it a try! *Poke: Just like in any other poke joints, you'll choose the base (brown rice/white rice/mixed greens/kettle cooked chips), protein (salmon/tuna/yellowfin/shrimp/octopus/beef/tofu), sauce, and add-ons. It is served with mixed greens, crab salad, seaweed salad, cucumbers, masago, and nori. The marinated fishes were fresh and every component of the dish was flavorful! *Curry Udon: Udon served with curry sauce, beef/croquette/pork, mushroom, carrots, and tempura flakes. As a Japanese curry aficionado, I had to say I was quite disappointed. This was advertised as sauce udon instead of soup udon, so I was expecting velvety and thick curry sauce. Other than the fact it was too watery, there wasn't enough kick to the flavor. But overall, it was still a pretty decent meal. *Tan Tan Udon (Spicy): Udon served with spicy ground pork, mushroom, ginger, and egg. The broth was light with a hint of spices. The ground pork and boiled egg were well-seasoned. I personally didn't find it spicy so I sprinkled some togarashi to embolden the flavor. It's a pleasant meal if you're craving for something humble and light. *Green Tea Lava Cake: Dark chocolate cake filled with melted green tea ganache served with ice cream. When they brought the plate to the table, I couldn't help myself but admiring the aesthetically-pleasing plating. The execution was perfect: moist cake and oozing matcha ganache! It was heavenly gratifying!!! Believe it or not, it's all gone within 3 minutes! That's how good it was! I commend the choice of using dark chocolate as it wasn't too sweet. Do note that it does take a while for them to bake this, approximately 30 minutes. They'll let you know beforehand. It was totally worth the wait!!! *The Pot If you're looking for a unique dessert experience, the pot is what you need to get! This signature dessert is assembled in a way that it resembles a plant in a pot. You might be wondering, "How should I eat this?" Here are the instructions given by the staff: -Water the soil with the royal milk tea but not too much as it'll be too soggy -Harvest your plant aka dig in -Water it again as necessary What happened next was pure joy! The Japanese cheesecake inside was soft, moist, and not too sweet. The oreo crumbs and chocolate soil provided crunchy texture. The fragrant milk tea scented the cake. The slightly sour hidden berries balanced the flavor. Last but not least, the mango mousse cake on the side was to die for! Kudos to the owner and staffs who are amiable and attentive! A visit to this place will give you lasting impression of good food and hospitality. Definitely check it out! read more

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I kind of procrastinated in writing this review, because I knew I would hate to reminisce that tastiest, creamiest bowl of mentai udon that I have to wait until my next visit to have. Nonetheless, I managed to summon all my might and spiritual strength to do this once, knowing that a dream of this scrumptious bowl of soup will haunt me in my slumber tonight. I was among a party of 6. Walking into this noodle shop, we were welcome by a warm palette of decor. The wait was none, and reception (water, sets and all) was pretty prompt, thanks to the fact that we came at an odd hour (roughly 8.30pm, on a Tuesday night). Besides us were two small groups/couples, and a handful of take-out patrons. Taking orders was done pretty swiftly by the waitress using a tablet, during which time I got a recommendation from the house on the mentai udon (that I will revisit later in this review). We were amazed to be able to customize our dishes to great extent with the poke options. Poke bowls were huge, and fish were of high caliber. Usually, size and quality don't go hand in hand for this price. I think for the tuna I got chutoro and senaka cuts. So fresh they melted in my mouth. Other toppings and base were also very good and well balanced. One could instantly tell that the house doesn't skimp on the quality of ingredients. But the greatest moment of the night was when the mentai udon came out. The first thing that you may expect to experience if you try this bowl here is the colorful and vivid presentation of ikura (salmon roe) on top of a basil leave, sprinkled on with shredded nori (dried seaweed), over the off-white canvas of udon in thick broth. Rich, bold, creamy broth that satiates all your tastebuds. If you're into gastronomy, you must know that the simplest dish is quite often the hardest one to make. And to make it good, that's another level of craft. I think it's safe to say that mentai udon here has its own signature that other udon joints in Seattle that offer this unique dish (of which there are very few) can't match. Apart from the heavenly udon and the amazing poke, we also got to sample the karaage (fried chicken), other types of udon, and the desserts. All were also very good. Not much into sweets myself, I must still admit that the tiramisu and lava cake were brilliant, both in the taste and the look. The company finished the meal with a couple doggy bags to go, because portions were ginormous. Not me. Got the job done clean like a pro hitman. I can hardly wait till I finish work tomorrow (Friday) to drive here for another dose of mentai. I think this is going to be the only reason for me to ever drive to Lake City. On that note, my recommendation to the owners would be that they should open another shop in the South end of town. read more

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Great place for poke, especially if you are in the area. Nested at the base of an apartment building I saw so many residents come in especially to grab to go. The price and the quality was pretty good. They have a selection of different items on their menu but it looked like poke and udon were the things that they were known for. We started off with poke tacos, and the concept was a little weird for me, I'd probably skip this if you're going to get the poke bowl. The chicken karaage was good, nothing out of the ordinary and also nothing bad either. The poke was good, lots of options when it came to toppings and sauces and as for the udon the noodles weren't too chewy and not too mushy so I was very happy with that. I must say that the dessert really brought this over the top because the matcha chocolate lava cake dessert was AMAZING, definitely a must try if you are coming here. read more

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If you want to have a poke fix go here. They have the best (yet) poke bowl I have tried. And the service here is good. They have a friendly and welcoming staff. :) I like that - they make you feel welcome anytime. That's how customer service works. :) A little gem in lake city way :) read more

This is a great poke place in Lake City. Portions are plentiful, flavor is great and is priced well due to portion size. (Its a pretty big bowl.) I tried the 3 scoop bowl (ahi tuna, salmon and marinated beef) and all the flavors were awesome. Also had the fried chicken karrage with spicy mayo and it was a killer combination. Chicken was tender and juicy. If I had more space in my stomach, I would've eaten the whole thing. Environment is chill and relaxed with a Japanese theme. Clean and well lit. WIFI is also available for any students wanting a place to chill out. Service was prompt and attentive. Everyone was really nice. The Green Tea Lava Cake that me and my girlfriend had is pretty lit! The chef told me that every one of these lava cakes are made from scratch. Very impressive and very tasty....... must try item. Will definitely come back again! 5 out of 5 stars! read more

Beyond The Bowl - 3 scoop beef, tuna and salmon poke bowl. Delicious and pretty good portion! - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I was sad to see Mo & Lu's Pasta close, but I'm thankful that the restaurant that took its spot is equally as good! Beyond the Bowl offers great quality, fresh fish-- and large scoops of it, in my opinion. Price-wise, 1 scoop of fish = $9; 2 scoops = $11; 3 scoops = $13. I find this to be reasonable :) With some poke places, I find that they give a large amount of rice and a smaller amount of the fish, but I found that with Beyond the Bowl, they give a great amount of fish and not an overbearing amount of rice with your bowl. I appreciate this! Friendly and kind owners who offer great customer service + a clean and cute space with plenty of seating makes this a great lunch or dinner spot. The only tricky part of restaurants on Lake City Way is the parking aspect. You can find parking either on LCW or adjacent streets, and if not, I find that parking in the Bartell's parking lot across the street is always available! read more

Beyond The Bowl - Size comparison of 1 scoop on the right & 3 scoops on the left. Salmon poke on both; the right with added ginger ($0.50). So good! - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The ingredients are very fresh and while the menu is not that long each item sounds good

Setting: The space is clean, there is some space for dine in, and the tables are very spaced out. There isn't a ton of space to wait inside, but they have a table that indicates where you can wait to go up to the register. They have hand sanitizer at that table. The register has a plastic barrier between you and the cashier. Food: I got the Waikiki Bowl (poke), which had and salmon and tuna for the main fish. It has mango, which was so sweet and fresh and the spicy ponzu sauce works so well with the dish! Value: For $11.50 for a bowl, the price is standard. The bowl isn't overflowing with food, but there's a decent amount of everything and the ingredients taste good! Service: I came in to pick up my food and the payment and pickup were very smooth. They included napkins and utensils, which is always a win for pick-ups, especially now! Other: I went around 6pm on a weekday and the parking situation wasn't bad. There's no parking directly in front of the restaurant, but you can park on the streets around the main road. read more

These poke bowls are big! The value is definitely among the best I have found in the world of poke bowls. My bowl consisted of Base: 1/2 white rice, 1/2 mixed greens Protein: 2 scoops, yellowtail and octopus Sauce: Wasabi Tamari Add: Kimchee I could not have been happier with this bowl. The yellowtail was good, and I was glad that the octopus was overpowering in its flavor. The wasabi Tamari was a delicious, though I personally wish it had a little more wasabi in it. But that's just me. I don't think everyone else like wasabi as much as I do. If I lived here, I would be here all the time. I don't normally like cooked fish, but I do love poke bowls. read more

Service is good. Minus 1 star because it had a strange melted metal odor. Also minus 1 star because if you order half mixed greens and half rice as a BASE, you hardly get any fish. (1 layer of fish that doesnt even cover the entire top.) Its mostly lettuce and rice. They put lettuce inside the poke bowl. Ive tried poke from Hawaii and in Seattle and this is the first poke place Ive been to in my entire life where they put lettuce. I paid $11 for 2 scoops of fish and I got about 15 small cubed pieces of fish. The poke itself tasted pretty good. I got the spicy mayo dressing. But there is way too much lettuce and rice for an 11 dollar price. Id rather make my own already with sriracha mayo. Edit: I added a star because service is still excellent and their desserts are absolutely delicious! If you come here for anything, try the desserts first. I got the pot, read more

Beyond The Bowl - Hardly any fish. Mostly lettuce and rice. - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Small, cute and clean restaurant! You order at the counter and they bring your food to your table. Only tried the matcha lava cake and it was amazing! There's usually a 30 minute wait for the cake because they make it from scratch but ours only took 15 mins because the restaurant was almost empty! read more

Beyond The Bowl - Green tea lava cake with green tea ice cream - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This new poke restaurant on Lake City Way is worth a visit. The menu is easy to understand (even for those unfamiliar with poke), the prices are very affordable, and the portions are perfect. To order, you start by picking a base of white rice, brown rice, or mixed greens. Next comes the main toppings: salmon, ahi tuna, yellow tail, shrimp, octopus, tofu. The seafood is very fresh, and typically for an individual meal 1-2 scoops are enough (you can pick one specific item or mix & match). After that, you get to pick a sauce (it's for extra flavors because the seafood items are already marinated, and there are other poke toppings that already have flavor too). I like the creamy sesame dressing with mixed greens base. Other toppings that come with the bowl include seaweed salad, tobiko (tiny fish roe), nori flakes (dried seaweed), shredded kani salad (imitation crab). If that's not enough, there are even more extra toppings (small additional $): corn, edamame (soybeans), mango, avocado, beet, extra tofu. This place is my new go to place for a quick and healthy meal. PS Their desserts are lovely too! read more

Beyond The Bowl - Salmon & octopus on mixed greens - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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This place just opened in the place formerly occupied by Mo and Lu's pasta restaurant on LCW. I had the yellowtail poke bowl. The yellowtail is deliciously seasoned. Every element of the bowl is perfect. The atmosphere is very pleasant; the decor and design are clean and elegant. This place is going on my regular lunch rotation. read more

Beyond The Bowl - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This isn't the fanciest poke place, or the cheapest, but it is dripping with cool. Pick size, rice/greens, fish, and sauce. Most extras are standard. There's a few ala carte items to order and no matter how you do it, the stuff is tasty. Some of the sauces are excellent, others lack any real substance. Service is prompt and friendly. Drinks selection could use some work, and the fish, while good, isn't stupendous. I like this place, I'll be back, it's just not 5 stars. Lake City has some gems. read more

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Amazing poke shop! Service is fantastic and personable. The selection of poke flavors and styles is a wide variety and there's other dishes in the menu so if you are bringing someone that doesn't eat raw seafood they have that option. Don't be afraid to ask if you are a trying poke for the first time. Had the Waikiki poke bowl and it's fresh and full of flavors. Price is reasonable. Place is nice and clean. Location is in Lake City way, Seattle, its hard to see this little Shop, but Google map will get you there. Once you find the place since it's in a busy street area you can either do Street parking or go the back parking lot. read more

Beyond The Bowl - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Food was so high quality and delicious! Service was great too, really can't recommend enough.

Really solid place! I'm new to the Lake City area so I was looking for a good poke place. Since it's cold out though I ended up getting Niku Udon noodles and they didn't disappoint. Good portion and flavor combinations, and a perfectly cooked ramen egg which is always a plus! Service was friendly as well. Will definitely be back for the poke and desserts, as they seem to be big hits as well! read more

Beyond The Bowl - Close-up of the ramen egg - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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One of our favorites. Great food at great prices. The udon and donburi dishes are soooo good!

Wow! Terrific service and the food sooo good. Definitely will return to try other menu options. Very small location, restrooms outside and around back. Odd but very clean, and as as explained to me, no room in restaurant! We ended up ordering the same thing, which is unusual. Tempura Shrimp in a bowl with brown rice (white rice available) pickled ginger, seaweed and 4 beautifully sized shrimp that were perfectly cooked. A perfectly soft boiled egg, omg so delish in the bowl, yummmmers! My husband no egg, I say krazy, add the egg it really makes the dish. To go, eat in. I say eat in enjoy the experience. Beer sake & wine too enjoy read more

PARKING: there is plenty available in a free, private lot behind this retail strip. Entrance to parking is on 125th. STAFF: really friendly and personable. If you are new to poke, they are happy to explain things to you in an approachable way. FOOD: I was so happy to try this place! Good, fresh food. Delicious combinations and generous toppings. Welcome to Lake City! read more

Beyond The Bowl - 2 kinds of fish: salmon plus yellow tail - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Stopped by this place with my family on the way out of Seattle. Cute little restaurant, and we really loved the food. I ordered the Tan Tan Udon, my mom had the Shrimp Tempura Udon, and my partner had a Beyond the Bowl. Staff was kind, and we were all impressed with the presentation of our food. Not in Seattle often, but it's definitely a place that I will surely return to in the future. read more

Beyond The Bowl - Tan Tan Udon (front) and Beyond the Bowl (back) - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I love coming here. Fishes are always fresh and high quality. They have very unique choices of Japanese desserts. My favorite is Green tea lava cake. P/s: I rated Beyond The Bowl a month ago and Yelp had just deleted my rating and review. WHY?? read more

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This is my go-to poke spot. I typically order takeout, but I have eaten inside a few times. Regardless, the quality of my meal has always been great. I love the fish, rice, veggies, and toppings. I've yet to try anything outside of the two-protein customizable bowl, but I'm sure their other options are equally tasty. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the ambiance/decor are on point. Special shout-out to Beyond The Bowl for being able to continue offering their food and service during the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm an essential healthcare employee, and it's a relief to know that I can pick up one of their filling meals on my way home. read more

Nice small restaurant. Had their house poke bowl. Salmon, ahi and yellow tail tuna. The fish was not marinated or seasoned. More like a sashimi bowl, but no wasabi oR soy sauce. Great quality fish. Was looking for Hawaiian style poke. Friend had the udon soup and loved it, except the tofu. Mango desert was very good. read more

Nice place, they are following COVID protocols, checking bacon e card and blocking folks sitting to close. We ordered Niku udon and beef sukiyaki. Udon was delicious and sukiyaki beef was delicious too, rice was a little bit with much rice vinegar. Nice to have a place like this in the area. I'm definitely going back to check the poke! read more

I've got a split opinion on this place. The poke is honestly pretty bad. For one, Hiroshi's in U district tastes way better, serves a bigger bowl, and costs less. The fish is not very fresh and I felt pretty gross after finishing my bowl, and I'm a guy who can take down multiple plates of mid grade sushi at buffets like Harbor and Haiku. The flavor profile is pretty heavy on the salt and the rice has no sweetness or acidity to balance. It's the exact same rice as the don bowls, so it's not seasoned with vinegar and sugar to make it taste like sushi rice at all, plus it was rather dry and stale. The shrimp tempura don was actually quite good though, and the soft boiled egg was very well done. But this isn't really enough to carry a place that is supposed to be a poke bowl restaurant. read more

Service 5/5 Poke bowl 3/5 Dessert 5/5 Interior 3/5 Service honestly is top knotch. I did not expect the level of courtesy and attention given the venue. Their bathroom is not located there, you have to go outside and around the building. That is a negative but I saw one of the workers escort a lady to the bathroom, which I thought was extremely nice of him and above and beyond call of duty. Poke was average. I don't know I like poke but don't crave it all the time. I have had it several different places including so cal and thought this was a bit expensive at $13 and tasted average. Dessert was really really off the charts good. Like I'm sure many others have stated here, the desserts are the total strong point of this place. Honestly these desserts qualify to be in much much fancier restaurants and taste absolutely heavenly. Green tea lava cake and it's side accoutrements we're best dessert I've had in months. Must try. read more

Beyond The Bowl - Green tea lava - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I had the poke and loved it. Generous scoops of raw fish. My wife has many food allergies and the staff helped her customize a bowl that was fabulous. Excellent food and service at a reasonable price. Nice sake selection too. read more

Stopped in for a quick poke bowl to go. The most general bowl (beyond the bowl is the name of the plate) is $15. There was a table of two sitting and waiting for their food, and my to go order took quite awhile. Ate the bowl when I got home and it was mediocre at best. I was starving so I ate it (after adding sauce at home) but the fish tasted old, the texture was mushy and there wasn't much flavor. I won't return here. read more

Great little spot and the prices are insanely affordable. It wasn't busy at all for a Saturday so I hope more people start going! Started with Karaage, which upon first sight didn't look like the light fry that I was used to. It was dark and almost red in color. However, I noticed that they call it Japanese fried chicken and mention that it's similar to karaage. It was great. Juicy and crunchy, a perfect marriage of Japanese and American fried goodness. My main was the nikku udon and it was lovely. The broth was rich but not heavy and noodles were bouncy and silky. The soft boiled egg was so salty in the best kind of way. Loved every bite! Seattle needs more casual and affordable places like this. Can't wait to come back. read more

Beyond The Bowl - Nikku udon. - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I've been meaning to try this place for a while because it looks so cute. The presentation is very insta worthy however, it is lacking in taste. Their sauce doesn't live up to the other poke places. I would skip on this next time and try udon or desserts. read more

Beyond The Bowl - Nice presentation. - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Bowls are ok but the services are sooooo slow. Be ready to wait for your meal for 30min+ And they always have a lot of customer here Which makes the queue terribly long. I give them 2 stars because their desserts are very good other than that.... read more

Very tasty food with plenty of veggies (when you want them)! I love that the make your own bowl can be made gluten free. They also gave me extra sauce! Nice casual place for a quick and tasty bite. Filling and easy to eat healthy. read more

Beyond The Bowl - Order to go or be seated and eat in! About 28 seats inside. - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We were really dying to love this place, to find a poke place close to home. First the positives; generous portions, cute place (no plastic tables or crappy music), sweet server, great location The negatives: the food was very bland. I mean really bland. I got the Hawaiian and while it said it was in a creamy sauce of some sort (which I imagined as the sauce they put on spicy tuna rolls), that sauce (which tasted like plain old mayo) came as a big glop in a ramekin, making it impossible to get it on the food in a very busy and overflowing bowl. My daughter's bowl (make your own) also came with sauce on the side. Both of us ate less than half. It was just so...dull. I did ask the server for some ponzu sauce but he forgot and it never came. Chef: The fish and rice by themselves are naturally bland; making your customers deal with the sauces seems kinda...lazy. These aren't chicken McNuggets,where you're expected to do your own dipping. We took our leftovers home but honestly, day-old poke is not enticing to me and we ended up tossing it out. The bowls plus one beer and one iced tea cost $35, which seems like a lot for what we got and the way it was served. We probably won't be back. read more

Beyond the Bowl is a go-to place for us. Delicious food. Reasonable prices. Kind owners and staff.

It's such a small and cute place. It's quiet, but it's nice to be in Seattle, but to also be away from the heavy traffic and the crowded restaurants. I found out Beyond The Bowl from people posting on their Instagram stories about "The Pot", and I was eager to try it out. I ordered "The Pot" and a Matcha Latte. The order came out pretty fast, since their wasn't much customers. But the order was so cute. So the concept is you get to water your plant, but the plant is cheesecake and the "water" is royal milk tea. You could either EXTREMELY water your plant or mildly water your plant based on your texture preference. To me, the cheesecake texture was a lot similar to angel food cake, but a little bit more firm. The royal milk tea tasted like the ones you get from a can. Honestly nothing wrong with that though. It's a nice fusion of textures; from the oreo crumbs, fruits inside, cheesecake and the royal milk tea. If I were to compare their Matcha Latte to Starbuck's, I would say that their Matcha Latte was extremely flavorful - where the matcha was well blended into the drink, it wasn't to sweet and everything in the drink complimented each other, rather then the milk overpowering or the matcha standing out too much. I would recommend going with a friend, since "The Pot" looks like a lot for one person! read more

Beyond The Bowl - The Pot Ig: @ouitsfood - Poke Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Straight up five-stars. Atmosphere is quiet and relaxed, warm and cozy. Service has always been quick and friendly. The real star, however, is the food. Udon soups are all equally delicious. The marinated tofu skin on the Kitsune Udon and the ribeye beef on the Niku Udon are both absolute treats. Poke bowls are good, fresh, and flavorful, with plenty of excellent creations or a build-your-own style menu. Prices are entirely fair, especially for the quantity and quality of the food. Worth a stop. read more

The poke here makes me feel like I have superpowers. That's all I have to say, but I'm going to keep typing to meet the comment criteria. read more

My friend recommended this place to me. Lovely inner decorations, and easy vibes there. I was seated along the window, with nice view of the street. I had the Waikiki poke and their famous green tea lava cake. The Waikiki poke included tuna and salmon with sliced cucumber, pineapple and mango, all on the top of the sesame and seaweed decorated steamed rice. And they all went well with the sauce. I had the green tea lava cake with matcha flavored ice cream, which were incredibly well presented! The green tea lava went so well with the chocolate crest, awesome! Nice service and decent price. Really enjoyed it! read more

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