Spring is in full force in the Twin Cities with summer well on its way. If you're looking for a lighter menu option that is still very satisfying, your best bet just may be a bowl of poke. Poke (pronounced POK-kay) means "cut piece" and is a Hawaiian staple made by combining sushi-grade raw fish (typically ahi tuna) with a soy sauce, seaweed, and sesame oil and then served on rice with avocado, pickled veggies, and other fixings. The fast-casual concept of poke or poke bowls is a growing trend nationally and is starting to catch on here in the Twin Cities.
Whether you're brand new to this dish or you're a poke pro, here now are a dozen places around town listed in geographical order to get your poke fix.
Did we miss your favorite poke place? Want to see a list of your absolute favorite dish? Let us know in the comments.
SotaRol has many bowl options, not just sushi burritos. It's your choice of tuna or salmon poke with cucumber, shallots, nori strips, avocado, and sesame seeds served over rice. As always what you won't find at SotaRol is MSG, peanuts, hormones, or dyes.
Take a break from the bento boxes at Obento-Ya for a poke bowl. It's a very traditional and delicious bowl filled with marinated, cubed tuna sashimi with house poke sauce served over sushi rice with all the fixings.
Thomas Kim's Korean-fusion spot in the Midtown Global Market has their take on a poke bowl called Poke Mon. It's Hawaiian-style marinated salmon sashimi, with avocado, mango, and wakame served with a side of steamed rice.
Northeast's Asian gastro pub Domo Gastro has you covered with three options for your poke bowl: salmon, escolar (white tuna), or traditional tuna. All come with sushi rice, house pickles, and slaw.
California-inspired cuisine Mill Valley Kitchen off Excelsior Boulevard in St. Louis Park has a poke tuna dish on its menu. It's a deconstructed salad of sorts with poke-style marinated ahi tuna, avocado, and butter lettuce.
More of a starter and less of a bowl is the poke at Origami. You can get either fresh cubed ahi tuna seasoned with pa’akai (Hawaiian salt), ugo nori seaweed with chopped onion, scallion, garlic, and sesame seeds or the yellowfin tuna mixed with garlic, onions, ugo nori, sesame oil, and sea salt.
The LynLake sake brewery and restaurant with a rad rooftop patio offers a seasonally rotating sashimi bowls which may include marinated ahi or toro, candied ginger, sushi rice, nori, with a side of ponzu.
Kyatchi's version is not technically a poke bowl but it's pretty close, worth noting, and totally sustainable as always. The bincho don bun is seasoned albacore served over rice with shiso leaf and nori.
If you're looking for a mulitude of bowl options, go to one of the Craves around town. You'll find a traditional bowl of ahi tuna tossed with ginger, sesame, and soy sauces served on a bed of sushi rice and spring greens, finished with fresh sliced avocado, chili oil, green onions, and sesame seeds. Or try the tropical bowl with ahi tuna, mango, and avocado in a ginger honey soy sauce.
PinKU in Northeast offers up authentic Japanese-inspired food including the "tuna pok". It's marinated tuna with radish, avocado, jalapeño, cucumber, and green onions.
Over in Edina you can grab the Poke Don Go from JK's Table which is a weekday breakfast and lunch venue offering sushi, Asian bowls, and a diverse selection of sandwiches. At JK's you can get a traditional poke bowl with marinated tuna and avocado, mango, spring mix, cucumber, and sesame seeds served over sushi rice.
SotaRol has many bowl options, not just sushi burritos. It's your choice of tuna or salmon poke with cucumber, shallots, nori strips, avocado, and sesame seeds served over rice. As always what you won't find at SotaRol is MSG, peanuts, hormones, or dyes.
Take a break from the bento boxes at Obento-Ya for a poke bowl. It's a very traditional and delicious bowl filled with marinated, cubed tuna sashimi with house poke sauce served over sushi rice with all the fixings.
Thomas Kim's Korean-fusion spot in the Midtown Global Market has their take on a poke bowl called Poke Mon. It's Hawaiian-style marinated salmon sashimi, with avocado, mango, and wakame served with a side of steamed rice.
Northeast's Asian gastro pub Domo Gastro has you covered with three options for your poke bowl: salmon, escolar (white tuna), or traditional tuna. All come with sushi rice, house pickles, and slaw.
California-inspired cuisine Mill Valley Kitchen off Excelsior Boulevard in St. Louis Park has a poke tuna dish on its menu. It's a deconstructed salad of sorts with poke-style marinated ahi tuna, avocado, and butter lettuce.
More of a starter and less of a bowl is the poke at Origami. You can get either fresh cubed ahi tuna seasoned with pa’akai (Hawaiian salt), ugo nori seaweed with chopped onion, scallion, garlic, and sesame seeds or the yellowfin tuna mixed with garlic, onions, ugo nori, sesame oil, and sea salt.
The LynLake sake brewery and restaurant with a rad rooftop patio offers a seasonally rotating sashimi bowls which may include marinated ahi or toro, candied ginger, sushi rice, nori, with a side of ponzu.
Kyatchi's version is not technically a poke bowl but it's pretty close, worth noting, and totally sustainable as always. The bincho don bun is seasoned albacore served over rice with shiso leaf and nori.
If you're looking for a mulitude of bowl options, go to one of the Craves around town. You'll find a traditional bowl of ahi tuna tossed with ginger, sesame, and soy sauces served on a bed of sushi rice and spring greens, finished with fresh sliced avocado, chili oil, green onions, and sesame seeds. Or try the tropical bowl with ahi tuna, mango, and avocado in a ginger honey soy sauce.
PinKU in Northeast offers up authentic Japanese-inspired food including the "tuna pok". It's marinated tuna with radish, avocado, jalapeño, cucumber, and green onions.
Over in Edina you can grab the Poke Don Go from JK's Table which is a weekday breakfast and lunch venue offering sushi, Asian bowls, and a diverse selection of sandwiches. At JK's you can get a traditional poke bowl with marinated tuna and avocado, mango, spring mix, cucumber, and sesame seeds served over sushi rice.
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