Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    PokeLab

    3.7 (60 reviews)
    InexpensivePoke, Seafood, Japanese
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:30 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order PokeLab Takeout or Delivery

    PokeLab Photos

    Business Info

    POKELAB ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - PokeLab

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    a bowl of salad and a bowl of salad
    Jason Z.

    The first step is finding this place. Once you've found it you will be rewarded with many great Poke options. One thing is for sure that once you find The Lab you will have built up a good appetite which you'll need to finish off the reasonably sized portions. I definitely recommend the seaweed salad. Now if I could just find my way back.

    Signatire bow
    Nelson M.

    Restaurant review Poke is a great healthier lunch/dinner option, however, the quality can be quite variable. I have been to Hawaii and eaten fresh poke bowls and the midwest variety does not match the freshness, but some of them come close. This is not one of them. As noted by other reviewers, the amount of protein is quite small and I don't think the fresh quality is comparable to other poke restaurants I have been to. The salmon seem to lack the crunch/fattiness at other places. In addition, instead of the toppings, they give you excessive amounts of rice which makes it more like a rice bowl with some mild fresh fish topping the bowel. In the same line of questioning the freshness, I watched an employee put some of the salmon on and then pick it off because it was at the bottom and likely soaking in whatever liquid came from the defrosted salmon. Pros: healthy lunch option available, if you like rice there is plenty Cons: lower quality fish/freshness? Hidden deals: You can get either free miso soup or a free bottle of water with any bowl purchase. I forgot to write down the special price deal, I believe it is a happy hour pricing that occurs with early purchase but check the sign at the front windows.

    Tuna and salmon bowl
    Michelle C.

    I only became a poke lover recently! Poke lab is centralized in the middle of Green Street, we're all students can easily grab a quick bite before or in between their classes. I love the wide variety of fish and huge selection of high quality protein ... they don't skimp out on the rice either! The cold raw fish on top of a warm bed of white rice is really what makes it so delicious and addictive!

    Giant Eel Bowl
    Jimmy S.

    The staff was moderately friendly. The food tasted good, there just wasn't much of it and it wasn't all that amazing or anything. I debated two stars or three. I went with three as service was fast and the food was edible without any distaste but nowhere near four or five star level. Portion sizes made me lean towards two star. I got the Giant Poke bowl and eel. You are allowed three proteins with the Giant order so I ordered three portions of eel. The three portions were about the amount I would expect of one portion. The bowl was not Giant by any stretch of the imagination. It was about the size of a side salad bowl. I ordered the lettuce base. One may order a rice or lettuce base. Every poke bowl I ever had before has a rice base with lettuce on top of that and all the veggies and then the protein. When I make them at home with fresh tuna (I catch my own), for my wife and I we almost always have leftovers. And I make them to the size of what I was served when I had my first poke bowl in Hawaii. They are not meant to be a side salad but a full meal for a healthy adult Polynesian! Even their Giant was small. I'd hate to see the standard one. And it was $16 before taxes and tip, so your talking $20 for a side salad essentially.

    Signature Bowl with spicy crab and salmon
    Rachel M.

    Delicious, fresh ingredients! I will definitely be going back in the near future. A great find in Champaign!

    Spicy tuna, salmon build yourself larga poke Large Bowl
    Denise M.

    Love the pokes, although I think they are kinda pricy. They are pretty fast. I usually order take out and it's always ready when I pick it up. I like the spicy tuna, not so much the salmon.

    a salad in a bowl on a table
    LingXi S.

    Fresh meat and good taste, i like it. Spicy tuna not spicy,big portion, today no need to take meal again

    1. Signature Bowl Poke
    Kunal G.

    Got the signature bowl and miso soup. This place is awesome! The bowl had a really good mix of flavors and the soup was a solid classic taste.

    a bowl of food on a table
    Azaria P.

    Delicious, high quality poke at a great price! There is an efficient electronic ordering system by the entrance or you can fill out a card with your order. They have a large selection of fresh seafood and toppings available. 10/10 recommend stopping here for a quick, cheap meal.

    Connie Z.

    I've always liked poke bowls and am quite glad that we have one on campus. The bowl could get a little bit overpriced if you like larger portion of the proteins. The reason why I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because their salmon is not raw but kind of like half-cooked. I wonder if it is because the raw salmon is harder to preserve, which rises some food safety concern...

    fresh salmon, fresh tuna, brown rice, mixed greens, mango, avocado, edamame, carrots, rice seasoning and Korean pepper flakes.
    Jaki Y.

    My go-to order: fresh salmon, fresh tuna, brown rice, mixed greens, mango, avocado, edamame, rice seasoning and Korean pepper flakes. Ask for the spicy signature mayo as your sauce! It feels like a ton of places on Green St. suddenly started selling (or at least advertising that they sell) poke bowls. I think PokeLab is my favorite spot in Champaign for poke, and I really do hope it sticks around! The bowls are very reasonably priced and filling. They definitely don't skimp out on rice and the added veggies. But I would highly recommend that everyone get TWO orders of fish in their bowl (my favorite combo is getting both fresh salmon and fresh tuna). It's still quite affordable!

    See all

    6 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    11 months ago

    I love this place. Fast food poke bowls but sooo tasty and reasonably priced. Great place for fresh food at U of I!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Amazing food with lots of incredible ingredients and options for all dietary restrictions.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Denise M.
    287
    37
    68

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of LingXi S.
    0
    70
    288

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kunal G.
    733
    12
    23

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Azaria P.
    54
    78
    115

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Ling Yu C.

    Ling Yu C.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Susan Y.
    287
    31
    34

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Ling Yu C.

    Ling Yu C.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sonia Z.
    93
    233
    202

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Doesnt taste bad but they skimp u on the meat big time, and for 20 bucks u shouldnt have to feel like that

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dane M.
    0
    52
    14

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Ling Yu C.

    Ling Yu C.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - PokeLab

    You might also consider

    Northern Cuisine - B1 Crispy Pork in Sweet & Sour Glaze 锅包肉 ($19.95)

    Northern Cuisine

    4.3(30 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Got some great authentic tasting Chinese food at this restaurant in Champaign. It has more…read moreAmericanized options if you would rather be safer. Northern Cuisine is popular with the Asian students because they're most of the people eating in there. Basically it shows it's good enough for them so it's good enough for everyone. The prices are pretty okay for portions. Came in and looked at the menu. It's certainly a big one. There's tons of meaty and plant friendly options to get and they get spicy. Felt like feeling a burn. It's about $15 for an entree which is okay because you get a lot. Also has more authentic options that get even crazier. I got the Mapo Tofu. A great thing is it's not a recipe that uses pork. This is soft tofu with a spicy ass sauce. Could have used a few vegetables in it. This was still pretty good though. Have to say it looking for authentic Chinese to come here. It's located on Green in the middle of the campus bars and restaurants. There's a few things for vegetarians.

    Like we stepping into a mini China, with top chart new c-pop playing and foods served beautifully…read more Flavors are all pretty good. The two dishes we ordered were a bit on the sweet side, which isn't atypical for the dishes themselves, so kind of an error on our part. They had celtuce so we had to order it, it was tender and light and flavorful. The dumplings is good but a bit meat heavy than I would've preferred. Skin is very thin, like wonton skin. The scallions pancakes are perfectly panfried. The Beijing yogurt is not at all correct, it's stickier than I'm used to and not as smooth and flavor is a bit flat than the actual ones. Coconut pudding was unremarkable, doesn't stand out. Overall, the foods were good. We probably could've ordered better.

    Photos
    Northern Cuisine
    Northern Cuisine - A1 Soft Tofu & Scallion Salad 小葱拌豆腐 ($7.95) - good!

    A1 Soft Tofu & Scallion Salad 小葱拌豆腐 ($7.95) - good!

    Northern Cuisine - E26 Spicy Lamb Neck Bone Dry Pot 干锅羊蝎子 ($22.95)

    See all

    E26 Spicy Lamb Neck Bone Dry Pot 干锅羊蝎子 ($22.95)

    Masijta Grill - Fried dumplings, army stew, kimchi tofu with pork belly, kimchi tofu stew

    Masijta Grill

    3.6(207 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    I had a terrible experience here. I dined in and ordered the beef rib soup. It didn't come with…read morebeef ribs. It came with thinly sliced beef in the soup- first of all, do not advertise you are selling a rib dish if you aren't going to be adding the actual ribs. The server who was a Latina female was on her phone talking to someone the entire time. Incredibly unprofessional. I had to ask for side dishes and a coke that I had previously ordered and she had forgotten and was sitting at the front not paying attention to her customers. She gave me attitude once I asked her again. When we paid to leave, they charged a 18% gratuity service fee- mind you I dined in with my husband. I have never heard of any place charging a 18% gratuity fee for two people dining in. Ridiculous restaurant. They are thieves. Do not go here!!!

    My sister has been searching everywhere for fried pork belly and kimchi since moving here from…read moreSeattle, and we finally found it at this restaurant, and it did not disappoint. We ordered the fried kimchi with pork belly from the appetizer menu, and it was absolutely delicious. It had the perfect balance of sweetness with just a little spice. We also tried the dumplings, which were great, but the dipping sauce really stood out, it made the dish even better. For our mains, we got the army stew and the kimchi soft tofu stew, and both were so flavorful and satisfying. The woman who took our picture was hilarious. Highly recommend this place, we'll definitely be back soon!

    Photos
    Masijta Grill - Dipping sauce for BBQ. The red stuff is delicious

    Dipping sauce for BBQ. The red stuff is delicious

    Masijta Grill
    Masijta Grill - Beef Bulgogi

    See all

    Beef Bulgogi

    PokeLab - poke - Updated September 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...