I've consistently gone here for the past three years, and it's always been mid. But I go because there's no better places near campus. However, as of recently, the quality has hit rock bottom. The rice has been rock hard, sauce not evenly distributed, and despite ordering 10+ ingredients, the bowl is only half full??? The fish is obviously not fresh, and the ingredients taste really off. I'm really really disappointed. This is so disrespectful for a $20 bowl. read more

I ordered a medium sized poke bowl ($20)and it was 80% rice and barely any real ingredients. It tasted good though.

The staff was friendly(2 stars) I ordered my poke, and as soon as it came out, I picked it up. I proceeded to sit down, and as soon as I took a bite, I realized the poke was warm...I ate a bit of it and threw away the rest. Poke is not supposed to be warm, and the rice was mushy. Not sure why this place has such great reviews, do people like warm poke and squishy rice, or was it just my bowl? I didn't want to be an inconvenience to the nice staff, but please just ask for a refund---don't eat your poke if it's warm, even the small amount I ate is already starting to feel make me feel sick. :c read more

Poké Bar - Medium Firecracker Poke Bowl - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

I came to poke bar for lunch. They have an order form that can be found along their wall. You basically get to customize your order (pick and choose your ingredients). Once you fill out your form, you hand it to the worker and they start making your meal. You get to add your own fried onion, garlic, etc. by the cash register. While the food was good, one of the workers put in ingredients that I did not request on my sheet (I.e. pineapple). The line was log so I didn't want to make a big deal about it and just went with it. Pros: -good food -customizable orders Cons: -my order wasn't prepared correctly -during the lunch rush hour, it's difficult to get a seat read more

Poké Bar - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I think the guy's name was Travis? Trevor? Very good service and he gave in-depth tips since it was my first time trying raw fish. Will be coming back again soon! read more

Fish tasted old. Rice was not good. It also had a weird after taste. Will definitely not be coming back. read more

It just didn't taste good. It's located in a convenient place near campus and is a great option for a low carb meal. The portions are decent and a medium fills you up. I didn't find the fish very fresh or tasty (both raw and cooked) and there was a bit of a garbage smell in the restaurant too... read more

I love the poke here. The portion sizes are large and there are so many items to customize your order. They have a lot of raw fishes but they also have cooked seafood if you don't like to eat raw fish. If you've never had raw fish though, you should really try it here because the quality of the fish is pretty good. My favorite fish here is the salmon. It is fatty and rich and has a really silky texture. If you prefer more firm fish, you should try the tuna. It isn't as fatty as the salmon but it has a firmer meatier texture and is a good starting fish if you've never eaten raw fish because of its mild flavor. Another good fish here is the seared albacore. The sear adds a depth of flavor that regular raw fish don't have. Also, you have to get the poke with rice. The contrast of the cold poke and warm rice is amazing. read more

This is the first Poke place I approve of in Northern California! As someone who went to college in Southern California, Poke was plentiful, and is more popular there than up here. I was just coming from a dance workshop when I saw this on Yelp, and thought I would come check it out! The place was pretty popular, even during dead week. Poke Bar is located in a popular alley way across the hall from Gong Cha. Huge portions, great customer service, and thats just the beginning! The person who served me was really kind, and answered all my questions, while offering me different choices for each Poke step. The portions were incredible! She packed and crammed lots of food into a decently sized bowl. You should see the large, man. The food itself is pretty good. I ordered a small poke bowl (2 scoops of meat) with half salad, half white rice, a scoop of shrimp, and a scoop of salmon, mixed with house sauce. For toppings, I ordered everything except jalapenos. The one thing I think that was lacking was their fake crab meat. It just wasn't as concise, soft, and together as other places with fake crab meat. It didn't stick together. The salad was alright. The greens had more variety than usual salads, which was something I myself didn't really like, but you might. Rice was decent as well. What really did it for me was the meat though. Good portions, nicely cut, and the taste was just right for me. I recommend checking Poke Bar out! read more

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First time I went here I was not a fan and a bit disappointment. The amount they added to my bowls were very little and also it was perhaps the sauce that wasn't too powerful. So since poke bowls are somewhat limited to the area I wanted to come back here and try it again. I'm glad I did because it was much superior than the first time. One, the young lady added a bit more to my bowl and I asked her what sauce is the closes to teriyaki, which at some places they do have. She recommended the house sauce since it's the most popular. I trusted her on that. It did gave more flavour to the bowl and I was satisfied. For the price I paid that went along with the amount of protein chosen it's worth it. It gets a bit too hot in here which makes the sit down experience a bit uncomfortable. Apple pay is accepted and complimentary water on the side. I'll definitely come back. read more

Poké Bar - 3 protein choice. Octopus, salmon, and spicy tuna - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

TL;DR: A solid poké place near campus. Thoughts: I typically order Sunset House ($13.66 after tax), which comes with ahi tuna and salmon. The medium size is quite filling! Tips: 1. There are containers of fried onion, garlic, etc. at the checkout. Add as much as you would like to! 2. Utensils, napkins, plastic lids, etc. are self-service. No need to be shameful to get an extra napkin. 3. You can customize your poké, but I have choice paralysis whenever I have too many options, so I always go with the pre-set bowls. read more

Poké Bar - Sunset House - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

This used to be my go-to spot for poke since I was a student and lived in Berkeley and I really wanted to give it a 4 stars, but my last few orders have been slightly disappointing. In-Person Order: My go-to fishes are salmon, ahi tuna, and sometimes scallop. I think their salmon is pretty good but sometimes it can be cut very inconsistently. When I came here recently, I ordered the salmon and ahi tuna and the ahi tuna was disappointing - it didn't taste as good quality as it used to. They have a very good selection of toppings (I usually get the edamame, cucumbers, cilantro, corn, mango, masago) and sauces and the portions are very very filling. I normally get a medium (includes 3 portions of fish), but if I knew I wanted leftovers, the large is pretty much good for 2-3 meals. Online Order: I'm not sure if I ordered incorrectly or if the system had a problem, or maybe they forgot, but I had errors in my last 2 online orders: (1) did not include any sauces and (2) had no vegetables/toppings. I was sure that I selected everything I wanted during the ordering process, but regardless, I probably won't be ordering online anymore and opting to just go in-person. Overall, I would come back to give it another chance, but I still think it's a solid place to come and order poke. The service is very quick (around 5 minutes) and the prices are very fair between $13-17 depending on the size. read more

A great staple to have in a college town. The servings are generous and the fish tastes relatively fresh. They have a wide range of add-ons as well! Their ordering system may be a little confusing if it is your first time there because you fill-out a form that you then hand to someone who will put your order together behind the counter. Overall, a great lunch or dinner (or breakfast, if you're into that) option! read more

Poké Bar - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

This Poké Bar is in a little area that has a ton of amazing restaurants around it. We were in the mood for something fresh for dinner and decided on this place. I got the large 4 protein build your own with tuna, spicy tuna, albacore, and salmon which was an amazing combination. Even arriving at 7:30PM (close at 8:00) everything was fresh and amazing. All the veggies were fresh as well and I was able to split the rest for lunch the following day. read more

Poké Bar - Build Your Own Large Poke Bowl - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

really good for rice! My favourite mix is spicy tuna plus salmon. Keep up the good work! read more

Poké Bar - a bowl of food with chopsticks - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

I've eaten here 3 times, and I should've stopped after the first time. It was a 3/5 out of the first time and each time after that was so aggressively mediocre that I am lowering my rating to a 1/5. I have no issues with the service and ambiance. I only have an issue with the food. First of all, it's edible. If you're starving, then go ahead and eat here. If you're desperate for poke (like I was when I returned for the second and third times), maybe rethink your decision. First of all, the fish never tasted fresh. They also do not use sushi rice and only use regular white rice, so the texture is really off. Everything is dry and unseasoned. It was like they never put any sauce in, so now I'm eating dry rice and mushy tuna and there not even good flavor to distract me from the texture. I only ever get spicy sauces, and at other places when I mix the poke the rice is stained red/orange. Here, the rice is always stark white. It's just a huge disappointment and I wouldn't ever go out my way to eat here ever again. read more

TL;DR FRESH + AWESOME poke right next to Cal! This poke place is perfect. It is so close, literally right next to the campus (Sproul/MLK area). I got a small poke bowl, and I could've split it into 2 meals. I got the sunset bowl, and really enjoyed the pre-set topping combos. The sunset bowl came with salmon + tuna, both really fresh. I liked the salmon a lot more because the tuna was a bit tough. You could probably switch out toppings from the pre-set menus, because the staff are super nice + accommodating. I opted for light sauce for a healthier poke bowl. They also have build your own bowls! Poke Bar it's so close to campus, I would definitely come here again. It's in Sather Lane, so go through the alley. read more

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There have been a lot more Poke places popping up around Berkeley/ Oakland area as of late. Poke Bar has friendly service, is clean, and spacious. Their sauces are tasty but the fish quality is just OK. [The location] It's a bit hidden, but this location is spacious. I came here with my friends and it was pretty empty. Maybe because everyone is going on summer vacation since the semester just ended. It is a decent sized space that's very clean and has a lot of seating. [The food] Very simple to order. Choose your size, rice/salad, protein, and toppings. I got the large with white rice with furikake, comes with a scoop of imitation crab and seaweed salad, protein (large comes with 4 scoops-tuna, albacore, scallop, and salmon), and toppings (edamame, cucumber, pineapple, and a few others) For my sauce, I combined the house sauce with ponzu. The sauce was flavorful. Price: 13.50 The fish quality in my opinion, was just so-so. The tuna was my least favorite because it seemed like it was still half frozen. The albacore had a nice smoky flavor, the salmon was average, and the scallops weren't bad! I really liked the seaweed salad and the crab was a nice touch of flavor. Overall, if I was still a student at Cal, I would probably stop by here for lunch because there is so much variety included with the fish which is nice.This is the first poke place that I've been to that offered pineapple and mango as a topping. read more

Poké Bar - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Not fresh fish! Extremely fishy smell, and I got food poisoning from the food here. Only would recommend it if you have a stomach of steel.

Overall, the flavors are good, but the portions are a bit small. My friend and I went here for lunch the other day. Being across the street from campus, the place is super convenient. The place itself is very clean and was not crowded as I expected it to be at lunch time, so it was easy to grab a spot to sit. I ordered the spicy tuna and salmon small bowl, and I found the size to be a bit small for $10.50+tax. The spicy tuna was really good, and I liked how they diced the tuna rather than have it in chunks (like the other fish). The ingredients were fresh, but not as plentiful as the nearby competitor, Poke Parlor. I say the place is decent for poké, but you don't get a lot of food for what you pay for. read more

Poké Bar - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Staff is rude. Wait is long. Do not recommend. This placed used to be great but I no longer think owner or management cares. read more

I ordered a small with salmon. Their salmon is really fresh! The only complaint I have is that their Shoyu sauce is extremely salty. I don't know if it was just a one-time miss or if all their sauces are that salty. Everything else was good though. read more

Poké Bar - Medium Bowl with salmon and albacore - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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They use REAL WASABI! That alone should wow you. Quality ingredients. And lastly, The staff are extremely friendly with kind smiles on their face. It's convenient, relaxing, clean, with great flavors and produce. A $15 large poke bowl. 4 different servings of fish, plenty of veggies, and all kinds of toppings. This imo the best poke bar in the east bay in terms of taste and value. Compare this to most other poke places. This is a five star establishment. They really deserve their 4.5+ rating. Je l'adore! read more

Poké Bar - A $15 large poke bowl. 4 different servings of fish, plenty of veggies, and all kinds of toppings. The best! - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Hi there. I always loved Poke bar and that was my favourite poke place before I tried it in Berkeley. Honestly it doesn't taste like all other Poke Bar brand spots (I tried almost all of them). Octopus is not chewable at all so I couldn't even eat it. Shrimps are almost chewable but without any taste‍ Rice is dry and not delicious. I totally disappointed and hope that Berkeley Poke Bar spot can grow up to save brands name and taste read more

Poké Bar - S-size Poké - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Ordered on Snackpass for pickup and my bowl was ready within 5 minutes! They're located conveniently near campus in Sather Lane (between Bancroft and Durant). They have lots of topping choices and I'm glad that pineapple has no additional charge. They have plenty of sauce options (I love Spicy Mix) and the fish is always fresh. Due to Covid, there's no dine-in option but this place is usually busy during the school year. read more

This place is mildly ruining my life in the best way possible. Fresh poke, so close to campus, with clean and bright interiors? Please let me come every day!! I like to top mine with crab and lots of bits, no sauce. And with salmon as protein, of course :) read more

Poké Bar - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great place for fast, healthy food! This establishment is pretty clean and quiet, and it is very roomy. Easy place for a casual group hangout. The servers are very nice, and the poke bar has plenty of options. I like to get a small combo (half salad, half brown rice), and add my protein and toppings on top of that, and that's plenty of food for me to eat (serving sizes here can get pretty large depending on what you add!) There's no restroom here, and it's located in an alley that's kind of dirty, but I like to come here when I need to got a quick meal. read more

Poké Bar - Small (two scoops protein) - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Best bang for your buck. Good size portions and I like that pineapple is a complementary topping. Seaweed salad and imitation crab are also included without an additional charge. Fish is fresh and tasty. During COVID they have a sandwich board with QR code so you can order outside. Otherwise you can still go in and mark your order on their paper forms. I wish they were on DoorDash, but they're worth the trek. Highly recommend! read more

Really great spot for some fresh poke in a time crunch! I used to visit once a week for a poke treat and the portions are great. Fish is fresh, their spicy mayo makes everything taste great and their veggies are good quality as well. This spot is reasonably priced, and if it was closer to where I work on campus, I would visit this spot more often. Just wish they mixed their crab with mayo like the other poke places around the area. Overall a great place for a quick bite. read more

Poké Bar - Medium bowl with salmon, kale, cucumber, edamame, white rice, fried onion, ginger, spicy Mayo! - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Honestly not that fresh and doesn't taste that good but it's just convenient because it's near campus. Food: I usually always get the small (two scoops) with the spring mix base. The salad base didn't taste fresh at all and felt like it was left there for a long time. The fish (I got two scoops of salmon) was ok but it gave me a stomachache afterwards and this was the only thing I ate today. I have heard many food poisoning stories and I guess I should have listened to them ‍ Honestly, I would just take the extra time to walk to poke parlor on telegraph instead. Overall, the portions are small and the food isn't that fresh. 3/10 Service: the person serving me behind the counter today seemed to be in a good mood and she was nice Ambience: there's a good amount of seating in this restaurant and it is pretty clean. They have utensils and sauces on the side counter near the water and also caps for their to go boxes underneath! read more

We tried this place out for lunch because we wanted poke and we wanted to try something new. My boyfriend loves Poki Poke on University but I heard good things about this place as well. It turns out I actually like this place a little more than Poki Poke. I love the sauces and size of fish they give. I was super full from a medium sized bowl. I usually eat a bowl with salad but since I was trying this place out, I went to brown rice. The restaurant was not too crowded but I can imagine it being a hassle trying to get around if it were. The place is bright and clean which is huge for me when going to a place serving raw food. The counter where they kept the fish were also nicely clean and organized. I think the reason why I gave this place 4 stars is the portion sizes. As you can see in the pictures I posted, the one with crab is more than the one with seaweed. I think maybe the staff needs better portion control because I thought there was a difference. Other than that, great place! read more

Poké Bar - House mix and spicy mix with spicy tuna, seared albacore and tuna. - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Its really easy to order, the food is great, they have free water, and isn't too expensive!! read more

Poké Bar - Build Your Own Small Poke Bowl - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place is awesome! The poke is very reasonably priced, the seafood options taste fresh, and there are lots of toppings you can add to your poke bowl to customize it to your liking. I've ordered a firecracker bowl (one of their predetermined options) as well as made my own poke bowl here. Both turned out excellent! Pro tip: in my personal opinion it's hard to go wrong if you mix your protein option with any combination of the house, ponzu, or sweet chili sauces. I also love that you can go half and half on the spring mix + rice so that you can get some veggies into your meal :) Service is great, as the cashier/servers are very friendly and quick at making your order correctly. Highly recommend this spot if you're looking for a poke spot that's priced well, delicious, and has fast service. read more

Solid poke place near campus. I prefer this one over the other spot down Telegraph. Back home I had poke at least once a week. Here, I've had it 3 times in the past 2 months. I was really craving a poke bowl, to say the least. It probably made my bowl taste better than it actually was, but it was still really good! I always get tuna and salmon-it was fresh. I chose half brown rice and half mixed greens base, cucumber, cilantro, pineapple, edamame, ginger, sesame seeds, and ponzu for my bowl. We ordered through SNACKPASS and my food was ready relatively quick. My only complaint is the price. $9.50 for a small bowl?! Back home, that's the price of a medium! And avocado is extra, which makes a small bowl more than $10. I decided to do without the avocado, as much as I love it. read more

Poké Bar - Small poke bowls-so tasty! - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

2022/09/08 13:30 decent poke, good for when the craving hits I ordered a medium poke bowl for takeout through DoorDash. For the proteins, I got 1 scoop each of salmon, albacore, and ahi; for sauces, ponzu and wasabi mayo. When I went to pick up, I noticed they didn't do what I requested in the special instructions section (sauces on the side, extra masago), but they quickly fixed it when I asked them about it. The fish and the rest of the ingredients were fresh, and the rice was cooked well. The medium size is a generous amount of food; I was barely able to finish it even though I was really hungry. It lacks the flavor of Hawaiian poke, but that's okay. read more

I'm a fan. I've only been once, but I think it has potential to rival my #1 poke spot, Simply Bowl (downtown Berkeley). I got the small sized bowl and enjoyed the portion size. I love that you can choose 2 proteins and unlimited toppings. The fish I got was really fresh. I like how they give you a list of best sauce combinations. I look forward to going back again and trying another combination! read more

Poké Bar - The small size bowl - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Really spacious, clean and cute poke bar in the alley on Durant (Sather Lane). I got a small size, which included a choice of white or brown rice with optional furikake seasoning, 2 proteins (I got scallops and salmon), crab and seaweed included, choice of unlimited veggies and as many sauces as you'd like as well along with 3 dry toppings (garlic, onion, etc.). They have mixed sauce recommendations, like the House Special (Japanese mustard + soy sauce) but you can also mix and match to your liking. The salmon I got was incredibly fresh and soft, and the scallops were seasoned perfectly too. I would give this place 4.5 stars if I could. My only complaint would be I wish there were a bit more protein serving and sauce. However, the portion was just about perfect for me even though I got the small for ~$10.40. They also offer ice cream macarons too! I'll definitely be back to try some of the other sauces and proteins. read more

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Wow, ok even though I'm not a particular fan of raw fish (its meh), poke bowls are undeniably delicious. I'm not the type of person with a pickiness for the "freshness" or quality of fish because I don't really have that much of a refined palette for poke...but I mean that means I enjoy it more. I got the medium bowl ($11.50) w base of brown rice and mixed spring greens and proteins of scallops, shrimp, and salmon. I got basically all the toppings as well. As I was watching the girl put together my bowl, I saw she put in MASSIVE portions of the items! The bowl I received in the end was heavy! This is one of the VERY FEW times where I got too full and couldn't finish my whole plate. It was so generous in protein and in mix ins as well. My only complaint is that there's too much sauce and I wish they offered sesame oil or something lighter, but it still tasted good. The wasabi sauce just needed to be mixed a bit more cause I would get chunks of wasabi and have spurts of super eye-watering sensations. Very nice staff and the price is reasonable considering it could easily make two meals for most people. read more

Poké Bar - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Got the small salmon/tuna bowl to-go. Decent portion. Great taste. For the price of it, it is better than other poke shops I've tried. read more

Poké Bar - Small bowl. - Hawaiian Near Me - Berkeley, California

My friend and I had been snacking all morning and weren't really hungry for a full on meal so we shared a plate of poke. A small was perfect. We got two scoops of fish and tons of toppings. It was a good amount of food. When we went the place was super crowded so finding a spot to sit was kind of hard. Fish was fresh. Sauces and toppings were delicious. Price was reasonable. Staff were friendly and efficient. I would come back for more! read more