Facing a flight delay, I did what any foodie would do: I perused the route my Lyft would be taking and decided to make a short detour to Dinkytown near the University of Minnesota and grab lunch at The Cove before heading to the airport. PROs: ++ I love that you write your order on a piece of paper. This really helps to ensure you get what you want for your dish. They have separate sheets for what you're ordering - rice bowl, poke bowl, etc... ++ My bowl was assembled FAST and everything tasted delicious! The crab salad and seaweed salad were some of the best I've had. ++ Spam Musubi. Oh yes! They have it and it is delicious. I was so excited to find that a single order contained two pieces. Yum! If you haven't tried it - you must! ++ They are offering online ordering and delivery through their website. CONs: -- The only drawback I experienced was that they are still not allowing indoor dinning. Kind of a bummer since everywhere else I had gone during my visit was back open in full-force. I did find some benches a little ways up the block to sit and enjoy my meal. I make my way to Minnesota annually for my besties birthday, and I will gladly make my way back to The Cove to get my poke fix! **Pro Tip: They also offer sushiritos, banh mi, a variety of different bowls, and more! read more

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I want to give this cute spot five stars! The Cove is a no frills lunch spot with a lot of customizable options (brown rice, pick all your favorite toppings, sauces and spice level). I think the quality is solid and the portion sizes are generous! The missing star is to account for the inconsistency. Sometimes a level 2 spice level is perfect and sometimes it's wayyyy to much. Sometimes they add lots of fish, sometimes just a few pieces. I think it just depends on who is working that day. I think they could improve on staff training to improve consistency. Despite this, I find myself coming back to this delicious spot for a quick and filling lunch! It's definitely worth going and trying out! I also think the fusion theme is awesome - they have sushiritos, banh mi, rice bowls, steam buns, sambusas, burgers, etc! It's a pretty impressive variety. read more

The Cove - BYO Poke Bowl - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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I came here with family for an early dinner. We ordered the tofu bahn mi, chicken & spicy salmon sushiritto, and miso soup. All of the food was super fresh, especially the bread and the fish! They season and cook their tofu, too, which is always nice. Staff were also nice and prompt, and the store was clean. I highly recommend getting the (tofu) bahn mi, and even pairing it with the miso soup, which comes with tofu and green onions; it has a good umami taste, but can get a bit salty when on its own. The spicy salmon sushiritto was more sweet than spicy (lowkey no spice haha), and the chicken was good quality. I recommend coming if you want a clean, fresh meal! Their prices are pretty affordable, too. Btw, they currently also have a promotion where you can get 1 free green tea/mango mochi if you leave a google/Yelp review! read more

The Cove - Tofu Banh Mi, Miso Soup - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I was seeking a place to try Asian steamed buns like the ones I had in New York.Ended up at The Cove eating Poke...a Hawaiian snack poke, which is diced, marinated ahi tuna salad. Pronounced 'po-kay,' people often pronounce it 'po-kee,' or worse, 'poke.It was so delicious! It reminded me of sushi...just not rolled up.The marinated ahi tuna and scallops were filled with flavor.I had crab salad, macaroni salad and tomatoes in my Poke.The base was warm white rice.The dish also included a few sauces which I can't recall the names and a fresh cucumber salad.It was like a Hawaii Potluck. The restaurant itself was cozy...however the music was loud 90's pop rock.It did not seem to fit a Hawaiian meal! The Poke was good,however the price was to high for this dish in my opinion.It came up to $11.87. I really liked the Poke but I will be going back to try the steamed buns! Overall a good experience!! read more

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I know minnesota is the home of spam. I have even been to the spam museum in Austin mn! Spamalot you say, I say yes please! But for the life of me the actual spam and the ingestion of it was beyond my ability. I kept trying cause I'm one of those people that likes liver and onions for real so spam seemed just up my left over meats philosophy... you are probably wondering why I've been going on and on about spam all this time... here is why! The cove has spam mashubi! I'm sure this a staple other places but it's new to me! I was playing menu roulette and picked this thinking hey I have spam one last shot and it's really not for me. But now I order from the cove just to get spam mashubi and get the other food as an aside. The other food is very good also but the spam! I just am so happy I tried it that one time and now I can just keep ordering it to my hearts content. read more

The Cove - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

If you're looking for the biggest Sushi Burrito in town. The COVE has got it. Easily twice the size as SotaRol and even cheaper! $9.50 Spam Musubi - great bite of spam with seaweed flakes Steam Baos - 3 for $6! You can choose which flavors of char siu and pork you like! They have banh mi here but I haven't tried it! Everything on the menu is super affordable under $10 or so. They also have Build Your Own Poke Bowls or Rice Bowls here so you can choose all your toppings and there are tons of toppings to choose from - easily 10-15 choices. They also serve the lucky buddha beer here along with other beers and drinks! Parking - street metered, although I have used the Free Target Parking lot for a quick bite without any issues. read more

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The Cove has some of the best poke I have ever had. Coming from CA, I've tried many many poke joints but to be honest, this has been one of my absolute favorites. Their house sauce along with their unagi was a perfect combination with the salmon, on top of a bed of lettuce. Their portion size is very gracious and filling. I will 100% be going back, and highly recommend this place if you're looking for good quality poke. read more

The Cove - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

My fiancé and I discovered this restaurant on Bite Squad. We gave it a shot and ordered poke bowl. The ordering process via Bite Squad was self-explanatory. The food arrived well detailed on who's dish is who's, it was fresh, and tasted delicious. We swore to visit the place in-person. Apparently I went without my fiancé. I ordered another poke bowl. The owner was very nice and explained the food ordering process, which was simple. You just pick what you want on this clipboard. Again, it was delicious in-person. We look forward to bring a few love ones to try it. One note: if you do drive to the restaurant, there is a parking garage next to it for like $4.00 for 1 hour, which isn't bad. Again, I totally recommend this place! read more

The Cove - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Poké! Finally a Poké joint in Minnesota. First heard about this place last year when it was rumored to be opened around January... 6 months later, it finally opened. Took a while, but hey it's here. The cove features a variety of foods like Hawaiian Poké bowls, banh mi's, and rice bowls. Kind of a bit of everything. I was most interested in the Poké bowls. Poké bowls are getting to be very popular in California, so I'm glad they decided to bring one out here. It's basically a raw fish over rice with a bunch of flavoring and toppings. I expected this joint to be a chipotle style Poké bowl place, but it's not. You basically get to choose 2 types of raw fish: tuna or salmon. Then you get to choose flavoring: house special or spicy mayo. We got the spicy mayo. The Poké bowls come with crab salad, seaweed salad, cove slaw, picled ginger, wasabi and a few other things. Kind of out of the ordinary toppings, but tasted okay. The fish wasn't flavored that well. It lacked a little flavoring and seasoning; it didn't taste bad, but it wasn't amazing or anything. The portions were okay, could be a little more, but it's filling nonetheless. Rice was a little hard. Overall, it's an okay place for Poké bowls, on par or slightly better than Obento-Ya's, but nothing like what you can get in California. Probably wouldn't come back again, but maybe I'll try the banh mi's in the future. We'll see. read more

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The Cove is one of my favorite spots for a poke bowl and the Spam Musubi. They have several options for sauces, proteins, and toppings. The bowls are largely portioned and all the ingredients were very fresh. The Spam Musubi is sooo good. The Spam is perfectly crispy and combined with the sweet/tangy sauce and rice is perfect. Its one of the reasons I always choose to go to the Cove over other poke places. I've ordered online and everything is still very fresh, they were quick to fill the order and everything was ready on time. It's one of my go-to lunch places and if you haven't been yet I highly recommend and definitely treat yourself to some Spam Musubi. read more

The Cove - Build Your Own Poke Bowl with crab salad and salmon - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I was so excited when my friend told me about The Cove. Finally, a restaurant that focuses on poke bowls! They have sheets at the cash register, where you can customize your bowl. For their bowls, you can choose your base (rice, brown rice, or salad), protein (tuna, salmon, tofu, meatballs, and more) then additional toppings (mac salad, crab salad, etc.). I had the ahi poke bowl with many items (edamame, seaweed salad, cucumbers, and avacado) on rice. My poke was half house sauce, and half spicy mayo. I maxed out on the spicy level (3). They also have a new addition to their menu, pork buns. So i had 3 pork buns for $6 (2 char sui pork, 1 pork belly). The pork buns were meh. Honestly not worth it for me. Small meat portion on a bun. Not much flavor. I'd say pass on these. The poke bowl, on the other hand, was awesome! Every component of the bowl add its own plus to the meal in flavors and textures. Having the max spice option did add a small kick to it. The Cove overall is a great spot to grab bowls, or more specifically for me, poke bowls. They also serve other options, such as bahn mi sandwiches, and sushi burritos. read more

The Cove - Ahi poke bowl - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Shrimp & salmon poke bowl! The food & service were great. I would definitely recommend this place! read more

The Cove - Shrimp & salmon poke bowl! The food & service were great. I would definitely recommend this place! - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Visiting from the poké-less states of MI/IN (but grew up in Los Angeles where there are a plethora of poké spots) so I was stoked to find a poké place here. I ordered the ahi tuna poke bowl - house special style (soy, sesame oil, mango, avocado, sweet onion & citrus juice). There was no mango but I felt that the house special marinade was really tasty & the fish was fresh. I didn't love everything else - the rice was terribly mushy & the side salads it came with did not mesh well with the poké at all. I was fine with the mac salad, seaweed salad, crab salad, but the cove slaw needed some work: it was a completely different flavor profile from the rest and the bamboo shoots?? in it really need to be softened more - I felt like I was eating stalks of sugar cane. Better yet, just order sans the cove slaw. The meats - char siu & pork belly in particular - for the banh mi and bowls looked amazing though. Would be back to try those but will likely skip the poké! read more

The Cove - Poke bowl - fish was good. Everything else was meh - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Had to check this place out since I've been making my own poke bowls at home. Very casual and quick dining experience. Similar to a chipotle or noodles and company ambiance. Being a new customer had a great experience. The staff super friendly and helpful walking me through the menu. They even offered samples if I was curious to the flavor to their house dressing. We chose to make our own bowls. Clip board, pencil, and paper with options to select to build your poke bowl. Got a number and they brought it to our table. I'm glad I'm more familiar with the ingredients and knew what I'd enjoy my choices. read more

The Cove - Created my own poke bowl - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

We wanted to find a place in Dinkytown for dinner just before seeing Tom Segura's show. Hello poke bowl place! The place is nice, the food is good, I have no complaints! I got a steamed buns filled with pork belly and char siu to start off with. Then I got a create-your-own-poke bowl. It's on a bed of white rice (not sushi rice) and you pick 3 sides, 2 different kinds of protein, sauce, mix-ins, and toppings. I got white rice, edamame, seaweed salad, crab salad, protein mix of ahi tuna and yellowtail, ponzu sauce, green onion/avocado/cilantro mix-in, and topped it with wasabi and ginger. It was delicious! And a nice big bowl :) They also have rice bowls, which I didn't try but I will have to next time! read more

The Cove - Steamed buns! - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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My daughter and I were looking for a new place to try for the anniversary of her adoption day. As we were walking around Dinkytown and were headed back to the parking garage, we came across The Cove. The description on the door of what the restaurant served intrigued us so we went inside. We stood where two other people were waiting and one of the restaurant staff came up to us and asked if we had ever been there before. He explained the menu and then showed us where to place our order. He was friendly and welcoming. We were able to order right away and there were order forms to fill out for choosing the ingredients we wanted in a poke bowl. Noticing the generous size of the bowls in the order ahead of us, we decided to share a bowl. There were many options under each category - all beautifully displayed to the left of the ordering area. Everything looked fresh and healthy. We chose to take our food to go, so we waited at one of the tables. Although there were quite a few people in the restaurant, it was not loud. The walls are painted a pretty blue color and there board games at the end of our table. It looked like it would have been a nice to place to spend more time if we had it. Our meal came quickly and we were on our way. When we took the cover off the poke bowl, it smelled delicious! We were eager to try it! The meal exceeded our expectations and we definitely would eat here again. The poke bowl was more than plenty for two people. There would have been no way we could have eaten a full poke bowl on our own. So, if you enjoy leftovers or have a very hearty appetite, order one bowl for each person. For dessert, we had the mochi - a little bite-size piece of ice cream wrapped in a thin layer of chewy mochi rice cake. Again, we split the mochi and it was just the right amount to finish off the meal. The only challenge we had was finding a parking spot during the day on a Tuesday. The streets were packed with cars. Luckily, there is a parking garage on the same block - just a couple stores down - from The Cove. The parking fee is a bit high - $4 for one hour - and upwards at an equally steep fee. However, it was worth the convenience to park there. We look forward to returning to The Cove and trying more items on the menu! read more

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First, the mea culpa. I work very close to this place, so it's only sheer laziness that has stopped me from returning after the Yelp Elite Event last year. I decided to get off my duff and challenge my wonky knees to a walk. My to-go order was: Build Your Own Poke Bowl with: Brown Rice, Crab Salad, Seaweed Salad, Cucumber Salad, Salmon, Ahi Tuna, House Sauce, Green Onions, Avocados, Cilantro, Fried Onions, Masago, and Ginger (yeah, I know, whew!); Char Siu Steam Buns; and Pork Belly Poutine (if you haven't noticed, I LOVE pork). I walked the food back to my office, which was difficult for more than one reason. It seemed to have gotten hotter on the walk back, I was hungrier than I thought, and my knees were crying. I toughed it out and made it back to my desk. I broke into the steam buns first. Oh, man! I instantly remembered how darn good these things are. If I weren't in a bit of a stupor, I might have kicked myself from waiting so long to taste these babies again. Yum! Everything about them is perfect: Flavor profile, puffiness of the bun, The meat not being over dressed, and when no one's looking, you can just about stuff a whole one in your mouth (don't try this when the phone's ringing - pro tip!). Now, whenever I see poutine on a menu, I MUST try it. Having had different kinds in Montreal (the birthplace), I am a connoisseur. The fact that I could get pork belly on it, was a not-to-be-missed bonus. Well, I am not known for gluttony or for stuffing my face. Let's just say that I was glad that my desk is a little obscured because I went to town on these bad boys. OMG! The gravy, the fries, the cheese, the pork belly, oh my! Everything was PERFECT. This is THE BEST POUTINE I have had in Minnesota, hands down. Last, and by no means least, I dug into my poke bowl. Sigh...can I marry it, I asked myself? So tasty, and reminded me of what we had at the YEE. The only thing I would have liked would have been a little more sauce. Other than that, I wouldn't have changed a thing. In reading what was in the bowl, one might think that it would have been off balance. It wasn't. I'm sure they get some head-scratching combination requests, yet they make it work deliciously. I don't think that mine was all that daring, truly. I will be back, and sooner than several months. Knees be damned. read more

As a UMN student, super happy to have a new business like this close to dinkytown. I ordered the pork belly banh mi while my sister got a tuna poke bowl. While there are a few other places that serve banh mi's in dinkytown, I love the crunch of this bread and the pork belly I got was perfectly tender. Would definitely get again. I tried my sister's poke bowl and I would definitely get that as well. The employees were friendly and let her pick out the sides she did and didn't want so that was much appreciated. The tuna tasted fresh and mixed well with the sides we got. We added some chilis to the house special for a bit of a kick, but the spice wasn't overpowering or anything. The atmosphere still seems to be developing but everything was neat, everyone we encountered was very nice, and we really enjoyed the food. Excited that its so close to campus and I'll definitely hit it up again read more

The Cove - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Super disappointed with my order today. I usually place an order with Foodsby. I've had a couple of hiccups with The Cove before (like they forgot my miso soup or they didn't include spicy Mayo in my poke bowl or they forgot my avocado), but I am just completely disappointed with my order today. I ordered a poke bowl with ahi Tuna and scallops - no scallops were added. I also wanted the house sauce and spicy Mayo with a spice level of 3 - no house sauce & no spice were added at all. The Spicy Mayo was a small drip on the side of my bowl. I am extremely sad because The Cove has always been a huge favorite of mine. Unfortunately, I will not be ordering from them again. I spent $15 on this bowl today and would've been better off with Target's sushi rolls instead. read more

I went to the Cove a lot during college and continue to frequent there. The fish always tastes fresh and the waitstaff is always super friendly. I really like all of the variations and ingredients available so there's always something new to try. Even if fish isn't your thing, the bowls with pork or chicken are also very tasty! The service is quick too so if you're in a hurry, this is a great option. read more

Had a late lunch date here and it was perfect! My gf & I ordered a poke bowl each. The lady who took our order was super sweet and attentive. She answered our questions and served us right away. My friend and I have had poke bowls from another place and both agree this has to be the best we've had. On top of that, they serve you up a large bowl with generous portions! I had the option to have toppings on top of toppings and more toppings! I did one less topping and was offered to have all 3 sauces without having to pay extra. You def get your money's worth here. The tables and the environment is very well maintained. I like their high top in the center of the restaurant and they serve a variety of drinks including coconut juice-the Asian ones sold at the Asian store. They also serve beer. They go great with sushi. read more

Amazing food food so good! I went to eat with friends the food so good. Amazing food I would go again. read more

The Cove - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

What a disappointment, I order from this place from time to time and it's a hit or miss. Today they decided to give me old slimy avocado bits. I don't know what is going on but this place is starting to go down hill, the last order before this one was terrible too but I gave them the benefit of the doubt to see and my suspicion was right...I'm done after today. Will look for another place for Poke. read more

The Cove - Brown Avocado? - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Usually I'm skeptical of poke bowls that come from fast casual restaurants but I decided to try The Cove and was pleasantly surprised! The bowl portion was pretty big, I was full after eating half of it. They have a good variety of toppings to choose from and the fish tasted fresh. The only thing that would make it better is fresh pineapple vs. canned pineapple. I ordered my poke bowl through Amazon Restaurants and it only took 35 mins. I'd like to check out the location some day! read more

The Cove - Poke Bowl w/ salmon & scallops - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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I really like how the food taste like, but the portion is just really bad. I am a big fun of their pork belly, and always order their pork belly rice plate. But the portion of their rice plate isn't consistent. I have been a long time customer, and every time I order I notice the portion they give out is less and less. I was disappointed and stopping going there for a while. Last week I really miss their pork belly so I ordered again. I ordered a double pork belly rice plate last week, and I got 8 slices of pork belly which is nice, but I went back just yesterday and got the same thing. This time I only get 4 and half slice of pork belly for double pork belly. For the same price, I got half amount of food the second time compare to the first time. And to add onto my disappointment, their takoyaki is consistently getting smaller and smaller each time I order, despite it being the same price. TLDR; the food is genuinely good and tasty. But what keeps me from going back often is that their portions are really inconsistent and often too little for what I pay. read more

Came here to try something new in Dinkytown! It is right across from the Target express. We were down on campus for a game at TCF and came here for lunch before. Wasn't super busy which was nice and we were able to get our food very fast. Here at The Cove, they have poke bowls, rice bowls, and bun mi. Me and my boyfriend both got rice bowls and were very impressed. I got my bowl with the chicken and meatballs and my boyfriend got the pork belly and meatballs. Everything was full of flavor and very tender. My personal favorite was the chicken; it was breaded and tasted absolutely amazing. The sides that come in the bowl are also great. The Chinese broccoli and mushrooms were our personal favorites! The restaurant itself is very nice and simple. You go up to the counter to order and they give you a number for your table. They also have outdoor seating for when it is nice outside! Overall this place is delicious and unique from many other restaurants around. I will definitely be coming back again. read more

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Very tasty poke bowls. Good portions. Came here for a quick meal before a Gophers basketball game. Go gophs.

First time here and The staff were so kind to help me through on how and what to order, he described everything! And so we created our own poke bowl- which is great, because I don't really like raw fish.. I got two scoops of shrimp! Heaven in my mouth! This poke bowl was probably the best thing I've ever had. Seriously. It made me feel full and healthy at the same time (its rare!) all the ingredients seemed fresh and the seasoning was on point. I really wish I lived closer to here just because of this poke bowl. (YES ITS THAT GOOD) Even the interior is nice and clean. I love it! read more

The Cove - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I came back with my friend for him to try the poke bowl. We chose salmon and tuna in house sauce and it came out just right. The food was great, all the toppings are well seasoned. I would not recommend getting the spicy mayo sauce if you choose the mac or crab salad because the dish will get super creamy and heavy! Everything was great until I realize the staffs WERE NOT wearing hat and gloves when serving our food!!! All of them :| This made everything look less appetizing and unsanitized!!!! Please train and get your staffs equipped all the time or you will get in trouble with the FDA :( read more

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POKE BOWLS! POKE BOWLS!!! My bestie, who still lives in SoCal, asks me "you guys have poke bowl places out there?" Me "wtf? That's a thing??" Her "Oh yea, they're all over the place out here. Like Chipotle but with poke" Me visits her, goes to said poke bowl place, am amazed, come back and Google 'poke bowl Minneapolis'. Enter The Cove. Let me just point out that this is the only legit place that I know of in Mpls - by legit I mean you order it Chipotle/Subway style by going down the line and pointing at the things you want in your bowl, rather than a premade bowl on a menu. Downside - they're right where all the kids housing for the U is. I think we parked a quarter mile away...but fortunately school wasn't quite in yet so the place wasn't full of said kids. They were still fairly new when we went, so the menu had actually been updated/added to vs what I saw on the website. For the standard poke bowl you get two scoops of poke, either of the same or mix and match. I went with the ahi tuna and the salmon. Then you get to make lots of decisions about what you want to go in your bowl, so I basically picked all the things that weren't ragingly spicy, but went with the spicy house sauce IIRC. So good, definitely hit the spot and satisfied my 'omg must have poke' desire that visiting CA put in me. I don't know when we'll be back, just where they're located means we'll end up opting for easier to get to places. Not because their poke isn't delicious but because we are lazy shits. BUT if you're craving good poke or maybe you've never had it (how could you not!) and want to see what it's all about, get to The Cove! read more

The Cove - Deliciousness in a bowl - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Stocked we found this place :) love the house sauce and ponzo mixed together :) crab salad had lots of flavor Back for a second time , this place is really unreal :) read more

The Cove - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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I really love the poke bowls here. I was here for a YEE event last year and for reasons unknown, I hadn't returned until last night. I love the options and all the excellent protein. The crab salad is wonderful and the spice on the shrimp and scallops was divine. Perfect blend of rice, veggies, protein and sauce. I have been to other poke establishments that way overdid the rice and didn't give enough protein but they were right on the money. the bahn mi is pretty great too. Oh, and my guy got the bowl which had pulled pork and pork belly. OMG that pulled pork was awesome. i would return just for the pulled pork. Juicy and flavorful. The wasabi is super fresh. It will knock your nose off when you smell it, so beware! Really nice people working there. Prices are ok for this kind of food. It was a little slow getting our food but there were only two people working so I don't fault them for taking some extra time. The seating was comfortable and clean. read more

This was my first poke experience, and I have to say it set the bar high! Future poke bowls I've tried have not been nearly as good in value. The price is so cheap considering the value and portion size you get here. I came on a weekday around 1 for lunch, so it wasn't too busy. The food is served Chipotle style, so you get to customize your Poke bowl to your taste. I got mine with tuna, avocado (they don't charge extra for avocado!), seaweed salad (has a really great, sweet, tangy flavor, don't judge it by looks), edamame, ginger, cucumber, and spicy mayo sauce. What's especially great is they don't just slap everything into a bowl and hand it to you. They mix the sauce and avocado into the fish, which allows the avocado to incorporate with the sauce which is then evenly coated on the fish. Additionally, the presentation of the bowl is very nice. The ingredients aren't just dropped into the bowl, rather they are separated into different areas of the bowl. The staff is also very friendly and will converse with you, which is nice while you are waiting. The best part about their bowls is that they don't skimp on the fish and avocado. You can definitely tell they have a lot of care for the food they're serving. read more

The Cove - Poke bowl with fresh tuna, avocado, cucumber, edamame, ginger, seaweed salad, and seaweed and wasabi on the side - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

In the decade plus I've been using Yelp, I've never posted a review... Until tonight, when I encountered a takeout experience so distasteful that it made me want to actively warn people to stay away. I ordered a poke bowl and pork belly steamed buns around 6:15. About an hour later, I arrived at The Cove and stated the name on the order. The cashier consults with the chef before coming back and saying that the order was cancelled halfway through by Bite Squad. I looked in my email and saw no proof of this. I then had to contact Bite Squad via chatroom, which took about 10 minutes, before a representative told me that the order was NOT cancelled and should be 100% valid. I tell The Cove what Bite Squad said and they believe me, but tell me that half of my order is now sold out. Ok, I say, what's sold out? The chef then asks if I was able "to contact the customer"... It takes a full minute of explaining before he realizes that I am the customer! I find out they are sold out of pork belly buns, but that my poke bowl is ready to go. Fine, I ordered the char siu buns instead. It took another 10-15 minutes before my order was ready for me. I got home and the quality of the food was laughable. The char siu was dry; both the bun and the meat weren't even lukewarm. The portion size of the poke bowl was pathetic. I would've had a more satisfying meal if I had bought some frozen char siu buns from an Asian market; at least it wouldn't have taken as long! Do yourself a favor and go to any of the dozens of other restaurants in Dinkytown, not this slow, small portioned, unorganized mess of a place. read more

I kept hearing about this place and it just so happened that my friend lives right next door! BOOYAH! We swung over to check it out and for a quick bite. By that, it's legit QUICK. I was expecting a "sit-down, order off the menu" type of joint, but it's more so Chipotle/Qdoba/Subway style where you can customize the Poke bowls, Rice Bowls, and Banh Mi. I ordered a Spicy Salmon Poke Bowl while my boyfriend ordered the Banh Mi. He scarfed his down reaaaaal quick (See Jon C. review, haha) so that goes to show he really enjoyed it. I don't think I even had the chance to get a bite. As for the Poke Bowl, I can see how people made this a fast favorite! They were generous with their salmon and all the fresh toppings that came with it. That includes the edamame, macaroni salad (which I was surprised to see as an option), crab salad, seaweed salad & more. I was concerned how the macaroni salad was going to taste in the mix, but my worries were soon eased over. I left a happy camper :) definitely will be back to try some more! read more

The Cove - Salmon Poke Bowl! - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Very good and fresh salmon!! Also super filing also get the spam musabi. Amazing flavor read more

The Cove - Spicy salmon Sushi burrito - Poke Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Whenever I plan a trip to California, my prerogatives are 1) contact my West Coast friends and 2) search Yelp for Hawaiian food because of our lack of it in the Twin Cities. Oh and then maybe 3) look up actual flights to CA. So, I've been so excited and apprehensive for The Cove to open, but I'm lucky to report that I'm a fan! The Cove is a fast-casual joint, with the build-your-own "Chipotle-style" setup, which I love because I eat with my eyes and love food customization. Once you choose whether you want to build a banh mi, poke bowl, and/or rice bowl (pro tip: all of the above), you can add toppings like fresh mango, sweet onion, marinated veggies, avocado, tobiko, pickled veggies, oils, sauces, fresh herbs, crispy shallots, and more. I tried the traditional banh mi, and concluded that it was pretty solid and overall very tasty. The scarfing was indicative of my feelings towards it too. The house special ahi tuna poke bowl is going to be a fast-casual fave. They didn't skimp on the big tender pieces of tuna, which had light citrus and sesame notes. It came with crab salad, macaroni salad, slaw, and a buttload of customized toppings. I loved it! The macaroni was mushy, though. I also tried the rice bowl with meatballs and pork belly. I highly recommend the meatballs - I believe they have both pork and shrimp in them, and they're also loaded with fresh herbs and flavor! The pork belly, however, was very tough and dry. But that won't keep me away from The Cove for long. TL;DR: Fast-casual rice bowls, banh mi, and poke bowls ftw! Lot's of fresh toppings/accompaniments, and the meatballs and tuna are great proteins. read more

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GREAT Poke and generous portions. The employees are nice but the masking and dividers doesn't feel like a warm place. The Poke bowl and Rice Bowls are nummy. read more

Overall I'd give The Cove a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I've been stalking this place ever since I've heard of it to see when it would open. It took ages but finally, a poke place in the Twin Cities! I was kind of disappointed to find out that it wasn't solely poke and there weren't that many options. However, I still liked it! The Cove is located in the heart of Dinkytown near the University of Minnesota campus. Therefore, parking can kind of be a nightmare around lunch and dinner rush. The space is small inside but open and inviting. They have about six tables inside and two outside. The style of ordering is Chipotle-esque, which I love because then you can customize what you want or don't want. I've come here a couple times now - once on a Thursday evening and again on a Wednesday afternoon. I've tried the Spicy Mayo Salmon Poke Bowl, House Special Salmon Poke Bowl, and House Special Tuna Poke Bowl. All three were fresh, flavorful, and filling! I'm usually not a fan of tuna but surprisingly that was my favorite of the three! I've also had the two protein (meatball & pork belly) Rice Bowl and Traditional Banh Mi. The meatballs were really good but the pork belly was super dry in the Rice Bowl. The Banh Mi was good but I've had better. I'm almost positive that they buttered the bread after toasting it which overpowered the pâté and mayo and kind of made me sad. I rounded up to a 4 star because the service is absolutely phenomenal! My friends and I had the chance to meet the owner, the head chef, and most of their staff. All very friendly and you can tell they're passionate about the food they serve! read more

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As a Midwest restaurant specializing in poké, I was highly impressed with The Cove. My first time having poké was in Cali and it was delicious. When the poké trend finally came to the Midwest, I was ecstatic. I went from restaurant to restaurant but the poké in the Twin Cities was absolutely awful! I finally decided to try The Cove, I was hesitant, but I'm glad I stopped in. Creating your poké bowl is set up Subway-style; you can add whichever ingredients and customize the dish to your liking. There is a nice variety of toppings that compliment each other well. The ingredients (including fish) tasted fresh and the size of the bowls are just right. The only downfall is the location. Unless you're a college student living in Dinkytown, finding parking is pretty bad. There is a public parking garage right next to The Cove, but I don't think anyone wants to pay for parking. read more

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