Roundup of the Best Poke In Seattle

I take the claim “best poke in Seattle” very seriously. I like to think I can answer this because I usually eat poke once a week, since it’s one of the best “I-need-something-quick-but-don’t-want-to-cook-or-feel-gross” dishes.

Every weekend when my boyfriend and I have no food in the house and are looking at each other with that, “What should we eat?” blank stare, we seek out the best poke in Seattle.

Here’s a roundup of my favorite places to get poke bowls in Seattle, as well as a guide to what I think makes great poke.

First, what is poke?

I love this article from Food & Wine that talks about 7 things you need to know about poke, so you should read it. But to give you a quick rundown, poke (pronounced “po-kay”) is a Hawaiian dish.

The word means “chunk” in Hawaiian, so poke is about chunks of raw fish, traditionally tuna, marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, and onion.

While tuna is the most traditional, you’ll see a lot of different fish options for poke bowls in Seattle. You see a lot of salmon, which makes sense given the abundance of salmon in our area. I usually get this, as I find it’s the best tasting and freshest.

But sometimes I’ll also mix in a scoop of tuna. I don’t think I’d ever get just tuna here though, as I find the tuna better in Hawaii and the salmon better here.

What factors determine the best poke in Seattle?

I’m writing this section because what I’m about to say may be a bit controversial. I don’t like poke with seaweed salad, imitation crab, or masago.

I know, I know. That’s a classic poke bowl combination that you’d find when visiting Maui. But hear me out.

Imitation crab has no point. Anytime you’re eating something that says “imitation”, it should be a red flag. I was pleased to find out recently that imitation crab actually is made of fish, but it’s ground up with artificial flavors, coloring, and oftentimes MSG. No thanks.

I also really hate seaweed salad. I’ve had good ones before (I’m looking at you Eskimo Candy in Maui), but I think it’s entirely too briny and slimy. I think it completely takes over the whole dish, which in my mind makes a poke bowl less about the fish and more about the seaweed.

As for masago, take it or leave it. I don’t think it really adds anything to the flavor since it’s usually the really small roe eggs. Really it’s there to add color, so I just have the poke makers skip it on mine so they don’t waste it on someone so unappreciative.

Thus, I think the best poke restaurants near me are the ones that have a combo of great quality fish and a lot of unique mix-ins that people can use to customize their bowl. If it’s a traditional poke place, their flavors and quality of fish need to be really good to make my list of best poke in Seattle.

Where to Find the Best Poke In Seattle

Now that we got what determines the best poke bowls in Seattle, here are the poke restaurants near me that I go to again and again. I only included fast-casual places that focus on just poke (not restaurants that have poke on their menu).

Last updated July 2020. Pin this for later and check back often as I add new places I love.

FOB Poke Bar

location: Downtown | website | best for: Good quality fish & cheap avocado

FOB (which stands for “Fresh of the Boat”) makes a good Seattle poke bowl thanks to it’s high quality fish (particularly salmon). I love the mix-in options they have, particularly the avocado because it’s only $0.50 and one of the cheapest you’ll find in Seattle.

I highly recommend doing a mix of two of their sauces: FOB poke sauce and wasabi aioli. If you only have 24 hours in Seattle and plan to spend it downtown, make sure to stop here.

Ono Poke

location: Edmonds | website | best for: Authentic Hawaiian poke bowls

You may be thinking, “Wait, what? You said this was the list of best poke in Seattle!” Well, I have news for you: the best poke in Seattle for people who love traditional poke bowls isn’t in Seattle!

Ono Poke is in the Seattle suburb called Edmonds, which is about a 20-30 minute drive north. It was started by Steven Ono, who grew up in Hawaii fishing and surfing. He couldn’t find an authentic poke bowl in Seattle, so he decided to open up his own shop.

They get their tuna from Hawaii, salmon from BC, and hamachi from Japan. Before even trying their poke I knew this would make a difference, since if you remember I said the tuna is better in Hawaii but the salmon is better here.

The menu changes daily depending on the fish.

They pre-mix about 4-6 different pokes and display them in a deli case with the sides they serve with the poke. This is the authentic way to serve poke in Hawaii, so don’t be alarmed when you don’t see a Subway-style line of ingredients and an employee waiting for you to holler out your order.

Ono also offers samples, so take them up on that. You’ll have the option of 1-2 fish served over rice and a choice of 1 side. If it’s available, get the regular size poke bowl with spicy hamachi, shoyu salmon, and edamame. And don’t forget to douse it in the spicy vinegar sitting at every table. You’ll understand why this is one of the best restaurants worth the drive from Seattle.

Two things to know about Ono Poke: one, it’s the priciest poke bowl in Seattle (well, on this list anyway). Two, I also wish they gave a tad more fish, as the fish to rice ratio is a bit unbalanced. However, it’s a small price to pay given the freshness and taste of their poke bowls.

If you head to Ono, make sure to try some of my other favorite restaurants in Edmonds, WA.

Seattle Fish Guys

location: Central District | website | best for: Huge portions of fish prepared traditionally

Seattle Fish Guys is another place to get authentic poke bowls in Seattle. Just like Ono they pre-mix their poke and display them in deli cases.

Unlike Ono though, they give so much fish. People tend to think poke and sushi are healthy because they don’t make us feel gross, but the rice is a secret belly bomb. So I sincerely appreciate that Seattle Fish Guys focuses on the stuff that’s good for you.

45th Stop ‘N Shop Poke Bar

location: Wallingford | website | best for: OG poke

Sometimes I wonder why I put 45th Stop ‘N Shop Poke on my list of faves. There aren’t many mix-in options and they serve it pretty traditional with a soy-based marinade, seaweed salad, imitation crab, and masago. Everything I just told you I don’t like.

Yet, the quality of 4th Stop ‘N Shop’s tuna and the flavors they’re able to develop make me consistently come back for more. I just ask them to leave off the seaweed salad, crab, and big pieces of ginger and make sure to get avocado to bulk it up.

There can sometimes be a long line to get in here, especially in the summer. But I find the line moves pretty fast, and if you’re able to get there at non-peak meal times, you might not run into a line at all.

PS – If you haven’t been here, yes, it’s inside a convenience store. No, it’s not shady. Yes, it’s safe to eat.

Poke Square

location: Ballard | website | best for: Fresh fish with poke made to order

Poke Square is my go-to restaurant in Seattle for poke. What I love about Poke Square is that they have really fresh-looking fish and they make your poke to order. While I think sitting in marinade helps infuse flavor, what I like about the way Poke Square does it is that you know it hasn’t been sitting too long.

There are more than 50 restaurants dedicated to just poke in Seattle. There’s even more restaurants that have poke on their menu. Hell, Yelp said there were more than 200 when I zoomed into a search for poke bowls in Seattle!

Luckily you don’t have to make your way through that exhaustive list. You can just use this as your guide to finding the best poke in Seattle.

Still hungry? Here are my favorite restaurants serving some of my other favorite foods:

• The controversial list of where to find the best ice cream in Seattle
• The ultimate list of dishes you must eat in Seattle
• Where to find the best steak tartare in Seattle