Leena P.

Ahhh, where do I even start? First off, the parking situation in this plaza is atrocious. If you're planning to come, I'd definitely recommend going before or after the lunch rush. When I arrived, there was already a line out the door. The shop itself is packed with all the Hawaiian vibes you can imagine, but it's a pretty tight space, so it felt extra crowded. The staff was super friendly, though! Unfortunately, most of the pies in the fridge were already gone, but I managed to snag a chocolate hopia pie ($8). I also got a side of tall (octopus) poke ($9) and two poke bowls ($16 each) one with rice and one with chips. I have to be honest, I was really disappointed with the portions. What they advertised on social media looked significantly more generous than what I received in person. Even my husband was shocked when he saw the bowls. (Photo below for comparison.) Maybe they're still figuring things out, as all new places do, and I'd definitely be willing to come back and see if things have improved. But at the prices I paid, the portions just weren't worth it for me this time around. Side note: I'm sure everyone knows where this plaza is. Stop honking and be patient. Everyone is trying to find parking so be nice.

Calli Y.

I kept seeing this place on insta so since it was in the same shopping center as Sidecar, I had to stop. There was already a little line at 10:45am. So I figured I'd wait. They have a wide variety of poki flavors and you can try them. It does slow the line down but what can you do. I ended up getting 2 of the 1/4 lb poki of spicy ahi and garlic spicy salmon. It was $9/1/4. But as you can see, it barely covers the container. I took it home and measured it, yes it's 1/4lb but that includes the container. Wow! As others have said, got to Bear Flags instead!! I tried so I'm good.

Jamal A.

Went to check out this Hawaii-Inspired bodega from the folks from one of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE places to grub in OC, Ai Pono Cafe! Place had a great variety of everything I would want; Poke by the pound, sandos, Musubis, Tako, etc. plus a really unique dessert menu and shaved ice! Hype is definitely high right now with a bit of a wait to get into the place itself but totally worth it for the freshness and delicious flavors/variety of the Poke! Got myself a nice selection of Poke and loved every single one of their savory/spicy/umami recipes! Looking forward to trying more items on the next round!

Holly C.

amazing flavor of poke, fresh fish There is a line so there will be a bit of wait, no ac inside but a big fan so it is a little humid but not too bad There are sampling of poke when you reach the counter and the staffs are very nice and partient! There are little snacks and dessert you can grab when you make your way around the line I got the furikake and kilauea salmon for two protein bowls, it comes with crab salad The flavors on the poke are marinated perfectly and not too spicy There are plenty parking but no seating area

Dexter C.

Busy parking lot. Great tasting items, sampled several of the pokes they had which were all great. Additionally they have chicken musubi which I loved since I do not eat pork. Must try spot if In the area.

Nancy T.

Already a huge fan of Ai Pono, so was ecstatic to see that the owner opened up a different concept. Saw the spot pop up on IG and wanted to try asap, so drove straight down today to check out the spot. They literally just opened so be patient! Arrived around 1030 since I saw the hours were 0800, the sign on the door said 0900-1800! So heads up! Love the decor and the vibe of the place. Lots of Hawaiian merch and snacks. Plenty of poke options. Got the 3 poke combo with wonton chips. Ordered the Kilauea, Hawaiian, & Spicy Mayo all in tuna. Also ordered a 1/4 of the Thai Tuna Poke. All were so fresh and bursting in flavor. The Thai Tuna poke and Kilauea are probably my favorite. The Thai tuna has a total punch of flavor when it comes to the lime. I can taste the zest and then the bits of chili with sweet onion is just addicting to eat. The Kilauea had a bit if kanikama(crab salad) and masago in it. The spicy mayo and Hawaiian were also both excellent, but I would say the Thai and Kilauea stood out on uniqueness. Poke isn't overpowered with sauce or marinade. You can still taste the fish. So fresh! Wonton chips are fried in house. Still have yet to try the Ube tres leches but will update later once I try a bite. The food really reminded me of Hawaii and appreciate that we have a taste of Hawaii so close to home now. Since it's still soft opening they didn't have the hot sandwiches available just yet but excited to come back later on to try that and the shave ice! Location: Also, the sign isn't updated on the strip mall. They are right where the invitation store sign is at, next to the photo lab store. Plenty of parking!

Cimarron K.

An awesome new Masubi and Poke spot from AiPono. The esthetics are freakin cool here. It looks like a small bodega on the island. There's lots to see and purchase here. I got the 3 pole combo and a 2 pole combo to make sure I try most of the pole recipes. My favorite was the Thai poke and the house poke they have. I got one on white rice and another on wonton chips. Fresh made wonton chips. 4/5 stars. Each was 20 and 16 bucks for the bowls. I got the short rib 3 pc 4/5 stars super thick and meaty portions. Pork belly Masubi was just ok to me. The pork wasn't crispy in the outside and felt a little rubbery. Flavor was good but texture was off. 3/5 stars I was forth. Line today completely in accident but I got lucky. Hit tk try the soft serv and it was delicious. 4/5 stars The cucumbers were very tasty, but not super crispy. It seems like they were marinating in there for a little extra time possibly from the night before, but these were from the grabbing go fridge selection so that could make sense if it was made super fresh in the morning I bet would be super crispy. Otherwise the flavor was spot on just the texture was slightly off on this one as well. 3/5 Oh, and all those great spot to visit love the aesthetics makes you feel like you're somewhere else so many colors so many signs that I need to go back and really pay attention and take some better photos of each because I would like to appreciate the effort they put into the design

olivia z.

Poke was pretty good, but the line was a bit long. Be prepared to wait a little, but it's definitely a good poke spot to try in the OC area. The ahi was so buttery. I loved all the decor, it felt like I was back in home in Hawaii!

Christy Joy A.

I came to this place because someone on TikTok raved about how yummy and how the poke tasted very native to the poke in Hawaii. Upon arrival to the plaza it's in, it was kinda hidden. The plaza itself has terrible parking, but I remembered they use to have a huge sign on top, but I guess they don't anymore? Anyways, there was a huge line out the door, I thought to myself 'man it must be POPPIN' good for them.' I'm super hyped because there's a ton of different flavored selection of poke. And they let you sample it too. In my experience, poke places are very generous but when I looked at what I got, I was shook how little of the portion of poke I got... like the Tupperware wasn't even full. I got two different flavors and wonton chips. Yes it was yummy, but it was expensive. Kinda disappointing.

Lexi P.

I wanted to love Exit 8 because the concept sounds great on paper, but the execution fell flat. We waited in a long line, only to get to the register and find out that over half the menu wasn't even available. They told us items like the sandos and shaved ice, were still in "testing phases"which is fine, but if half the kitchen isn't ready, those items shouldn't be listed in the first place or customers shoukd be informed way before joining the line. When we finally ordered, the line felt super rushed, but the service itself was surprisingly slow. The setup makes it almost impossible to actually look over or sample the poke options before choosing. To make matters worse, half of our order ended up being wrong when we got it. we were missing items and received completely wrong poke selections. As for the food itself: it's very overpriced for what you get. The portions were small, and the flavors were just okay. A little underwhelming. Most of the poke tasted virtually identical. It is heavy on the "inspired" by hawai and really didnt taste anything like poke in Hawaii. It feels like way too much effort went into making the space look cool, and not nearly enough into basic staff training, service, and food quality. Hopefully, they can iron out these operational issues bc they deserve to succeed, but right now, it's definitely not worth the price or the wait.

Sandra C.

Got the poke bowl with California tuna, Thai tuna, spicy garlic salmon, and half rice half salad. The quality is definitely comparable to what I normally get at Foodland in Hawaii--everything was so fresh. I think my fave was the spicy garlic salmon, then Thai tuna which was basically lemongrass flavored. The California style tuna was good too but I prefer Foodlands version better..would still order again! My husband got the prime rib dip sando and really enjoyed it as well. Meat quality was great, sandwich was dripping with flavor. Excited to try their desserts next time.. really hoping the haupia pie is comparable to Ted's in Oahu! The line was just out the door when I got there but it moved reasonably quick since most people were there for the ready made poke. Took me about 20 min to go through the line and get my food. Vibes were great, music was loud and everyone there was excited for this new bodega to open up! Service was also great and helpful answering my questions.

Allison T.

WORTH THE HYPE! Chef doesn't miss. From the second you walk in, the hand painted signs, carefully chosen Hawaiian snacks, curated playlist, this place is a vibe. I came on day 2 of the soft opening. Full menu wasn't being served yet. I got 1/4 lb ahi wasabi garlic, 1/4 lb spicy mayo ahi, 1/4 lb furikake salmon, bag of wonton chips, and two spam musubis, $42. Perfect for two people. By far best poke in town (sorry, Ry's). Big cuts, fresh flavors, not drenched in sauces. HOT TIP do not pass up on the house wonton chips! They honestly were the biggest surprise, not too salty and has that umami taste. Line was out the door but took about 20 min until I had food in my hands. Will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu.

Kym N.

Saw this place on tiktok and thought it looked good. Got the actual food and wow... this was $9!!!!! I thought the container would be full for that price. Seasoning is okay fish quality is pretty good. Also the menu was not.... It felt like a mess. I understand it is supposed to be a mix of cultures as Hawaii consists of diversity however, the item "Filipino Bahn Fucking Mi" is not correct. First off, banh mi is spelled WRONG and we corrected them but they did not really care or understand the cultural context. When we asked the staff why it was filipino, she simply described pork and vegetable on a baguette so banh mi..... also staff was not welcoming AT ALL. No energy and they looked like we were wasting their time!!! Would not go back... it feels like the place is catered to a very white demographic honestly.