Aloha Poke Co.

Located in the French Market. It’s just ok. Portions are small filled with lots of rice. Pricing is definitely on the high end. Decor is a mix of warehouse-Mall-cafe. Parking expensive. AWARDED 1 YUM ON A SCALE OF 3

I love sushi. I love the idea of deconstructed sushi in a bowl. I also love that I can order as many toppings as I want and it's included in the price. However, I feel that for the price, there could be a bit more quality and consistency. The first time I ordered avocado as a topping, it was diced alongside the other ingredients. Subsequent visits I get a small spoonful of avocado - a single piece - often found at the bottom of my bowl. Sometimes I get orange tobiko, sometimes black. Sometimes the bowl is packed to the brim, other times, I get mostly rice. I try asking for the small sized price in the medium sized bowl, but they don't all the time acknowledge my request. Finally, I really wish there was one of those frequent diner punch cards, for as often as I stop by, it would be nice to get a small discount once in a while.

Just really legitimately terrible food. You will want to throw it in the outdoor garbage This is the big size? I did confirm and was charged for a 16 ounce and at first I was disappointed by how small it was, but upon realizing that most of the topping was canned pineapple chunks I did not care. Oh yeah, and every one of their bowls contains jalapeno slices. I asked for ponzu sauce and they told me that was the yuzu ranch... I dont think that Ranch is a beloved Japanese sauce. I got the Samurai sauce instead which was a drizzle of teriyaki. Not much of a loss as all the sauces appear to be mayonnaise based or otherwise disgusting. There many bad reviews regarding a law suit about the name AlohaPoke, but I think that people shouldn't eat here purely based on how terrible the food is. PokeWorks and Kamehachi are both leagues above, serving non-baby sized bowls which contain the fresh vegetables and herbs you are looking for.

The line is long, but it was worth the wait. Very tasty & filling meal! The tuna and rest of ingredients was fresh. There is a lot of flavor in a bowl.

Are you wondering if the lunch line at Aloha Poke is worth the wait? This was the question I asked myself when I arrived at the French Market, starving and freezing from my walk. The idea of waiting more than three minutes to start stuffing my face was enough to make me swoon with hunger. However, the line snaking its way around the aisles seemed like a pretty good testament to the food. Squaring my shoulders, I braved the line. Thankfully, the staff was fast and efficient, and the wait wasn’t too long after all. I decided on the middle-sized bowl, confusingly called the Big. For the poke, I went with the naked ahi. One thing I really loved about Aloha is that you can choose as many toppings as you want without having to pay extra. You can even get the 808, which is all the toppings. I got edamame, ginger, scallions, pineapple, and avocado. All the ingredients were extremely fresh. I’m always a little wary about getting avocado at restaurants since it browns so quickly, but the avocado topping my bowl was green and pretty. The sesame vinaigrette was light and tasty (so tasty, in fact, that I’ve been trying recreate it at home, but it’s never quite the same). I encourage you to brave the lunch line at Aloha. It’s definitely worth it.

Fish looks and tastes okay. But their large bowl is like a mini bowl comparing to all the other poke bowls I've had in NY and SF. Staff had a peculiar attitude.

Very tasty. Lots of meat. Fresh! I will definitely go again.

Great options, patient, very informative, and friendly service. Really well balanced portions and menus. One of the best poke bowls I've ever had and healthy-tasty is on point!

Fast-forwarding a couple years from their lawsuit over the restaurant's name, this Aloha Poke Co. location is quick and efficient. Their Create Your Own Bowl (CYOB) offer is probably the best value cause you can double up on proteins for the price of one for either size. You have the options of naked/marianted Tuna, Tofu, Salmon, Chicken and Shrimp.. unlimited veggies and several sauces. And no-- they don't cost extra! I'd say (not including drinks) a meal will cost you $10-13 dollars which is a steal in the Loop. Note: this one is takeout only and it's best to order online during peak times.

Is this a salad or a poke bowl? Brotha eewwww....what's that?! Ewwww.... Coming from Hawaii, this is NOT a true poke bowl. Name should be changed to Aloha Puke Co. So people don't get confused about what they're eating.

This is not real POKE, this is just cut up fish with mayonnaise. Go to Hawaii for some real POKE and real ALOHA.

One of the better Poke chains, IMO, and this location is great! I went into the French market for the first time since Covid, and was happy to see it busy and bustling. I ordered my poke bowl, paid, and it was ready in like 2 mins. I had a big bowl, with marinated tuna, super tasty!

I've loved aloha since they opened their first location. I'd stand in line every day for lunch when i used to work in the loop, and it was worth every second in line. Even their delivery is always great- timely and never any mistakes in the order. The seafood is always fresh as are their vegetables. I always compare all poke places to this one and have to say none of them come close to being as good. I love the simplicity of their bowls and that they have just enough options without it getting out of hand. Their marinated salmon is my favorite. The only thing to say though: i never knew miso soup could be bad until i ordered it here today. Literally tasted like hot water. don't order it lol. Not ducking any stars because its a poke place after all but seriously, do not order their miso soup.

Service was good. The employee recommended everything in the meal I purchased. However, the tuna was room temperature warm and immediately made me think I would be sorry later for eating any more. So I gave the rest to my dog. A $10 small meal that went to waste IMO. But thank you for being one of the few places open in this "mall"!

Aloha Poke is my go-to place for lunch during the week! The food is good, the presentation is nice, & the service is great, too! The guy who manages the place is kind & helpful. I love the build your own option, & you can earn rewards every time you visit, too.

I find that this is the busiest of the Aloha locations that I visit. I think it's because the walkways are so narrow, it makes it super congested and awkward. One register is cash, one is not. The food is fine. Tastes fresh, good portions. Staff is a bit rude as they just shove stuff at you, because they're so insanely busy.

As an avid Ahi Poke bowl fan, I stopped into Aloha Poke for my very first ever experience this past weekend. The ambiance was bright & definitely had that friendly Hawaiian Aloha vibe. The menu (pictured below) was very straightforward and not a ton of options, however that's also what's great about it - they keep it so simple & fresh!! Too many choices can become overwhelming when you come hungry lol:)) Anyhow I asked the the very cheerful lady at the register what's good & she replied "well if you've never been in before, we are known for the Crunch bowl but you can add/delete items and there's no extra charge. How hungry are you?." EXCELLENT answer & so that's exactly what I ordered + pineapple & avocado. Decided the Big/16oz was a good size. As I was handing my credit card over the counter she said, can I offer you a drink on the house for being a first timer?... yes, yeas you can - much appreciated & way to one up the service game when most other "fast-food" places try to up sell everything. Onto the actual food: overall sushi quality was very fresh, portion not too much nor too little but the sauces could have been a little more (next time I'll ask for sides) and the jalapeño was a nice zing for my happy tastebuds. Wish there was a location close by me because I'd quickly become a regular.

Poke was trash no flavor will not eat here ever again waste my money i think it was over priced and i think they tried copying some of their recipes but all in all trash

Poke is a great quick and healthy lunch option. Not a fan of the high prices for the somewhat measly pieces of sashimi fish that you get, but that is poke. Aloha has great quality and awesome selection of unlimited toppings, but again, the price kills me. A big is really not filling, and a Kahuna is pretty expensive for a lunch. I opted for the Kahuna this time though, because I was always so disappointed with the size of the big. But compared to my friend's big size, my Kahuna was barely filled, while her big was packed to the brim! Not a fan.... Size and prices aside, Aloha is great. Naked tuna and salmon mix is the way to go to get that superior fish quality. Pack your own bowl with some great ingredients too or go with one of the yummy menu options. Quick and freshhhh

Aloha Poke is the poke of Chicago. Prices are a little expensive but is that to be expected of Chicago? The sizes at Aloha Poke go from small to large to kahuna. When they say things are bigger in Texas, they weren't lying. Their kahuna sized bowls are the same size as regular bowls in Texas (where I'm from). Their "large" is just so underwhelmingly small - I HAD to get the kahuna size. Possibly why Texas has a higher obesity rate than Illinois, right? The poke bowls here are pretty average and enjoyable. The choices are a bit more limited than I'm used to. Ingredients are fresh. I didn't care for the rice. The options for proteins are limited - there's only ahi tuna, salmon and tofu. The "ingredients" (better known as "toppings") don't give you a lot of options either. At least they give you a decent portion of proteins. If you're looking for a healthy lunch option inside Chicago French Market - this is it. I'm only giving them 4 stars because they gave me a free kahuna-sized bowl of one of the house-made creations: the Crunch bowl. (Otherwise, Aloha Poke is just a 3-star for me.) I didn't finish it, though. I wasn't a huge fan. So I just picked out all the salmon and at those. They said they accidentally made an extra and were choosing to give it away VS throw it out. Thanks, Aloha Poke!

Of all the poke places I've been to in the city of Chicago, Aloha Poke is by far the best. I have yet to be disappointed by the superior product I always receive from here. Aloha Poke is consistently high quality and they never under pack my bowls. I come to Aloha Poke from work around once a week, which is convenient because its around a 5 minute walk away. I always order on Ritual to skip the lines, because Aloha Poke has a pretty crazy line around lunch time. My go-to bowl is typically the Crunch Bowl with half salmon and half marinated salmon, with a few add ons like pineapple and ginger, which are free to add. Staff is friendly and the ingredients are always super fresh. Aloha Poke will always be my go-to poke place!

0 stars if I could. What a sad excuse of a "poke bowl". Not even a poke bowl. Just a fish salad basically.

Most city people won't be able to tell the difference in fish quality but the tuna here is a 2/10. It's hot pink and not marbly. Very processed for $17

Ok, I have actually been here a few times. It's not far from my office, and ever since it opened in the French Market it's had a ton of hype. And they were the first spot in Chicago to kickoff the (slowly dying) poke trend here. Now that I've been to Hawaii, I feel I have a lot more perspective on Aloha Poke. First of all, you can't really call this poke. I already had reservations since Chicago isn't exactly near any bodies of water where you'd find fresh fish. The bowls at Aloha are more like salad bowls with a bit of fish on top. Of course, being in the Midwest, you'll end up paying a premium for the amount of fish you do end up receiving. It feels healthy I guess, but you're better off grabbing a salad from one of the many nearby places in the Loop. Even in the French Market there are loads better options, and you won't have to wait 20 minutes to get your food from them. Fake poke, overpriced small portions, and insensitive management adds up to a place that I just can't go to in good faith.

Stopped in here for lunch while at work one day and love it! You can totally customize what you want in your bowl. They have 3 sizes. The portions are big too! Lots of fresh veggies and quality ingredients. Line moves very quickly too. Love the seaweed salad on top! I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for a fresh, light, healthy lunch spot!

I stopped by Aloha Poke while I was in town. While I love the layout of the little market, I think that there are just so many options to choose from and it can be overwhelming. The good: I love how efficient the lines were. There was a decent lunch crowd, and the staff just handled it all, and people didn't have to wait too long. The Salmon Poke bowl was tasty. I enjoyed the fact that they didn't up charge you for avocado and all the toppings. Aloha Poke is also probably one of the better options in the market itself too. There was some communal seating areas in the back of the market and outside on the sidewalk. The could be better: I was just really not impressed by the amount of fish in my poke bowl. Or by the size of my medium poke bowl too. I think it could use just a tad more food. I was still hungry afterwards.

!!!!!WARNING: the fact that I am born and raised in Hawai'i may influence this review!!!!!!! My fiancee and I couldn't believe our ears when we heard that there was a poke (pronounced "PO-KEH") establishment in Chicago. Being away from Hawai'i for so long makes one crave poke. This is a staple in Hawai'i and stemmed from Hawai'l fishermen in the early 1970's cutting pieces off of their catch to later eat as a snack. The fish was diced into cubes and later doused in different marinades influenced by different cultures. We needed to go ASAP. Thanks to Yelp, we found out that there was FREE self-parking available as long as one purchases a minimum of $20. However, this is only for an hour. You need to pay even if you exceed this one-hour time limit by a minute.... After parking, we rushed inside the French Market and found Aloha Poke. Given that my fiancee is a spicy ahi fan, she immediately ordered the volcano, Kahuna-sized on top of a bed of greens. I opted for the 808 to try a bit of everything. It was a bit pricey for $14 per Kahuna bowl (the other sizes were small and big but probably not as filling nor as large). When our orders came out, we were wowed with the presentation. Everything definitely looked fresh, and this fueled our excitement to eat this. However, when we sat down and examined the product, we noticed that this is NOT traditional poke. Rather, it was very small, diced, fish on top of a bed of rice with a myriad of other toppings. Poke is supposed to be a heavenly, well-marinated, mixture of different seasonings served on sushi rice rather than piles of different things. I described it as a "Frankenstein poke bowl" because there were strange, different toppings such as pineapple, edamame, and seaweed salad. Given that the quality was good, we appreciated the attempt to make real poke, but this is just not up to par to what we are familiar with back home. Don't get me wrong, the flavors were good. It's just not poke.

It's more like a 4.5 star rating at this time. The remaining half star will be earned once I've figured out the best concoction of "poke bowl- my way!" Hubby and I arrived at "Aloha Poke Co," inside the French Market by Chicago OTC at approximately 10:30am Saturday morning. There was no line, and we received a quick and friendly service by a spunky young man. So here's the drill: pick a base (white rice, brown rice, or mixed greens), fish of your choice (ahi tuna or salmon; plain or marinated), and complete the bowl with whatever ingredients you want in it. We went with two (2) of the pre-sets since this was our first time: volcano with marinated ahi tuna and aloha with marinated salmon. Both bowls had brown rice selected for the base. Hubby's volcano bowl was fairly "saucy," but the quality of ahi tuna and the flavor were very on-point. For some reason, I felt the "volcano" appeared heartier-looking than my "aloha." Perhaps the presence of edamame in volcano created such delusion. On the other hand, "aloha" had pineapples and Hawaiian-style vinaigrette. You would think the entire bowl was sweet and light, yet be aware of the sneaky jalapeño slices. I accidentally missed them, swallowed the jalapeño seeds, and chocked like crazy! There's an option of "808," which means "quiere todo." I don't personally think it would have any distinctive taste with these many things in a tiny container, but I may do that next time, just to try it. "Aloha Poke Co" definitely will have me back to "poke" around. Two (2) large bowls costs us $22. If you choose to drive to the French Market, one (1) hour validated parking is available when spending at least $20 at any vendor.

Whatever you do, don't pre-order for delivery. This location: Boo! Hiss! I ordered on their website for next-day delivery at 11:15 a.m. (because I would rather it be a LITTLE early for lunch than too late) but the delivery came at 10:45 a.m. -- who the hell eats poke at 10:45 a.m.??? So we ended up putting it in the fridge. It's never AS good once it's been refrigerated, but what were we going to do? Aloha Poke in general: I am rather happy with Aloha Poke in comparison to other poke restaurants. Their flavors are on point: sweet, tangy, spicy; and they offer all your standard poke toppings. The thing I like most about Aloha Poke is the portion sizes. They have 3 options and I feel like the Kahuna (biggest) offers a much larger portion size than many of the other poke joints I've tried. Downfall in comparison to some other poke restaurants is their protein selection is rather limited. The only options are tuna, salmon or tofu. No shrimp, no scallops, no alternative cooked options. A marinated chicken or something would be nice for people who don't dig raw fish (not me, but some coworkers of mine aren't into it). I do wish they'd come up with a poke concept that has something OTHER than poke to offer so I can get my poke on while my anti-poke friends/coworkers could get something they might enjoy. How about a poke and burger joint?

Aloha Poke was a great and cute place to try out in the Ravenswood area. Happy that their menu offered choice. You are able to pick out every item that you would like in your bowl. Wish their shrimp could be tempura style (not crazy about steamed). Other than that, loved the place!

This place has pretty okay poke. However for the price, I deem it NOT worth it. I went for the first time yesterday (MY BURRTHDAYYY). I ordered a large, with white rice. the Rice filled up probably 2/3rds of the container. How disappointing. And, the fish (I got a mix of tuna and salmon), only filled a third of the top third of that makes sense. I'm posting a picture, because this is absolutely disappointing. I wished I stopped by somewhere else on my birthday. Service was meh. I went when there wasn't a wait. The chef didn't seem so nice. Maybe, he was expecting a tip. He was certainly nice to the people behind me I cannot say exactly how great the fish is, because it was marinated. I got the Aloha and so i thought overall the taste was fine. I am a huge fish & sushi person. However, you're probably better off in a sushi restaurant. Portions would probably be bigger. Though the fish was not bad, honestly, I didn't have much of it even though I ordered a large which is $10. I paid ten bucks for rice. It's really sad. I'm Asian, and I can get rice any time of the day. I don't know why these people think they can cheat you. I can get a whole bag of rice for $20 and that would last me months.

Al (oha) gone! Just had a BIG bowl of marinated tuna over greens. I essentially got everything minus 3 things I didn't care for with sesame vinaigrette on the side. The meal was tasty enough that the dressing was not necessary. It's like Chipotle meets sushi (?)...it can sort of feel like you are having an open faced maki roll. It was great to see another fresh and fairly guilt-free option. The only qualm is that it can be hard to eat out of the container. I took it back to the office to put it all on a plate to enjoy. Go super early or super late as the wait is long.

Pretty expensive but extremely fresh but definitely better than the on LaSalle and Madison. Get here early unless you want to stand in a scary looking line. If there is a line, rest assure that it'll move pretty quickly. Also, very friendly employees that was willing to explain to some of the newer customers who were new to the poke scene. Get the volcano bowl, with added avocado (free!) split with tuna and salmon

Got delivery Tuna Poke, still very fresh and tasty through the delivery process. Thank you, and will be back!

Apparently YELP took down my review because "We're reaching out to let you know that our moderators removed your review of Aloha Poke because it wasn't clear that your review described your firsthand experience as a customer of Aloha Poke." So my buddy who knows I have ohana back on O'ahu brought me to this spot to try out. WTF!?!? THIS.IS.NOT.POKE. I knew just by stepping into this place it was haole owned and trying to cash in on another culture for personal gain. SMDH. The rice horrid, the fish cut too small and didn't taste fresh and the "toppings" complete poop. For the people here giving it 5 stars you don't know what true poke is. FYI it's pronounced pokAy, not pokey  Don't forget the pineapples you donkeys

I wish Yelp had 0.5 stars so I could give this place 3.5 stars. The good: super efficient. If you order online it's even easier. Fish is always fresh (some reviewers said fish was bad quality, I've never experienced that in the last year). I get the Big Bowl and all the toppings and the bowls are always jam-packed. Very filling lunch. Areas for improvement: I probably ordered poke 5-6 times in the last 4 months or so, and every time they always seem to mess up my order. Oh you want two bowls, one without sauce? Here have some sauce on both. You don't want tempura crunch as a topping? Have two ginormous spoonfuls. Salmon and marinated salmon? Here's your tuna! Look man, for $10 a bowl I expect things to be right. I know it's not a big deal and I love their food, and regardless of how incorrect the order was, it's still super tasty - but I just wish it they could make what I ordered is all. Also, sometimes the quality of the bowls seems inconsistent. Depending on the time of day / who makes them, they taste different. Sometimes I'll get a bowl that's drenched in sesame oil, sometimes I won't.

So sad! I really want to like this place. I heard about it from a friend when I was talking about poke I got during my last vacation I had to California. But this was weird. It didn't taste anything like the Poke I had before. I tried the salmon poke and it was covered in fruit and veggies. Looked more like a salad. It tasted like a salad. The amount of raw fish in my bowl was so disappointing. There was hardly any fish. The one I had in California had rice and fish with a little green onion and a type of soy. I'm just going to have to go back to California to get poke.

This is the best poke in the city! The amount of fish provided is more than other places. Also, you don't get charged extra for adding any ingredients you want. Big is $9.50 plus tax I do BYO: Half white rice/half greens Naked salmon Rice seasoning Jalapeño Avocado Cucumber Seafood Scallions Tobiko Wasabi Sesame oil

This Aloha Poke is located inside the French Market, which is a lively indoor food plaza. The line may look daunting but it moves fairly fast. Once you order, you'll get your poke bowl in less than five minutes! I got a regular size bowl and it was pretty filling, couldn't finish it in one sitting. The quality of the fish was fresh but the flavoring I got wasn't that great. I'll have to try something else next time. Overall, quick place to get your poke fix. French Market offers a lot of seating near the stage area. More of a grab and go type of place. A bit pricey, to be honest.

A poor attempt at poke. I can usually overlook such slow service, but not for such a terrible payoff. I went with the Volcano bowl and that was a mistake. The food definitely did not taste fresh and the options were limited. There are plenty of options for poke out there. I would avoid this one.

Fun in the Sun, this stand had the color, energy, and ingredients to draw me to it; I was not disappointed! I came around 5pm so there wasn't a line and I didn't have too wait long at all. I loved watching the chef chop and construct my bowl, he looked like he really enjoyed his job! It was prepared super fast and I loved it before I even took a bite. When I find that I can create my own dish, I always ask about sodium (due to my high bp) and decided to order something good that I know is healthy! I chose: -Kahuna size (24oz) -Mixed Greens -Ahi Tuna (naked) P.Y.O.B. -Edamame -Avocado -Tobiko -Maui Onion -Cucumber -Scallion -Jalapeño -Seaweed -Volcano Sauce (o/s) AND IT WAS AMAZING!!! Every bite was vibrant, flavorful, and just a dream to eat! Yes, I will try again :)

I was excited to go here at first, as I'd never had a poke bowl before, but I was a little disappointed. Their rice was kinda hard still, and the bowl I ordered had little to no flavor, and it was reallllyyy pricey for the portion I received. On the bright side, the interior was pretty cute - the grassy wall makes for a good background :-)

Whenever I come to the French Market, I always come to this poké joint. The fish has been consistently fresh, and the wait is never too long. They also don't skimp on the fish as well. Good place to grab lunch while catching the Metra.

Aloha is fab! Really good poke! I heard it was the best so I had to try it. There wasn't a line, which was surprisingly nice. I got the regular Crunch with marinated ahi tuna, minus jalapeño. It was very tasty and the perfect size. It was light but I could tell I was getting full. The crunch provides a nice texture. I really enjoyed it. However, it was too much edamame. The cashier was cool and walked me through my order. Overall, I loved it.

We got the crunch bowl with marinated salmon. We subbed cucumber for pineapple. We got the "big" size. It was refreshing and delicious. While we split it so we were still hungry, I think one person could eat this size for lunch and be full. Worth the price as they are generous with the fish.

The lines are way more sane than they used to be, even at prime lunch time. You can also order online and avoid waiting all together, which is great for people who work close by. The poké bowls are tasty and fresh and reasonably priced for the quantity you're getting. I like making my own - they have lots of great toppings including seaweed, tobiko, furikake, pineapple, jalapeno, onion, cucumber and edamame. They let you customize your base with a mix of white or brown rice and greens or seaweed and have a variety of different sauce options. One qualm - they forgot the pineapple and cucumber on my most recent order, so just double check all your toppings are there.

Believe the hype, the poke bowls at Aloha Poke taste so good! Ok, I'll be honest, I've never had poke before so I can't compare it to other poke but my bowl at Aloha Poke was so dang yummy. The best description I've seen for their poke is that it's like deconstructed sushi in a bowl. I ordered the small bowl of their Volcano poke with brown rice and the marinated ahi tuna; the Volcano has seaweed, edamame, tobiko, jalapeños and volcano sauce. The cashier recommended adding cucumber and avocado which I'm so glad I did! The small was $7.50 which I thought was a great deal. The bowl was delicious and the tuna tasted very fresh. We came here around 1:30 on a Saturday so there were basically no lines; however, if I came during their peak times, I would definitely wait in line-it's so worth it!

As a denver native (now) we just got a poke place too (called Poke City). I keep telling them they are good (a solid four stars) but they should take some hints from Aloha poke. Aloha has it down. How the Poke pokes. . . 1) select your size 2) pick from a recipe or make your own. (i.e. think of it as an awesome subway restaurant shop. Replace crap cold cuts with Sushi Grade goodness. Assemble your own or take a recommendation) 2 ) you pay 3) you pick it up and go somewhere in the market area to sit down. the recipes they provide are awesome, and I recommend beginners starting there. As far as the Poke itself (and taste factor) I think it is hard to screw up if you have fresh Tuna (or seafood) and fresh ingredients. Aloha doesn't disappoint. I went at dinner time and there was no line. There was a lot of indications of a line for lunch (signs everwhere saying Alohoa poke customers don't block our stand) friends don't let friends eat at Subway friends do encourage friends to try Aloha Poke

Everything about this place is positive - the quality of the fish, the flexibility of allowing customers to create their own "bowl", the ingredients, the smiles. I could eat here daily. The only issue I have are the LONG lines - no matter when you visit, there is always a line. I suppose this shows the quality and value they provide, but sometimes around lunch time the lines are so long you almost cannot afford to wait. But the food is FABULOUS!!!

I'm new the Poke bowl scene, but they are Hawaiian rice bowls, that i describe as all he goodness of sushi in a rice bowl. at Aloha Poke, they make it nice and easy to order, they have a few pre-designed bowls to choose from as well as the ability to make your own from a handy pencil pad, you can have Tuna, Salmon or tofu, either plain or marinated in soy sauce, you can have it over white rice, brown rice or greens, then you choose form tons of add-ins like soy beans, ginger, sea weed, wasabi, sesame seeds, etc. then you choose your sauce or sauces, they put it all into a bowl and you're good to go. be ready for a line at lunch time and do your self a favor and visit their website so you can be ready to order when you get there... poke hits all the high points i look for in sushi, so i'll keep going back and trying lots of different combos. I've visited Aloha Poke a few times and will definitely be back.

I heard a lot of hype around this chain so I thought I'd come through and try it out - long story short, what they promise and what they delivered were two completely different experiences. My wife and I walked in on a late Tuesday afternoon thinking we'd avoid the lunch rush, only to be met with rude waitstaff and an interminable wait for our orders to be filled. The poke was.... fine. No worse than I've had anywhere else, but certainly nothing special or more "authentic" than a million other options. Eat here if you need something to eat. But if you're looking for anything more than mediocre, I'd swerve.

Finally a reasonably decent poke place in Chicago! I have recently been disappointed by many "five star" poke places in various places. Now I think I have a clearer understanding of the core problem with these places: THEY INFURIATINGLY SKIMP ON FISH. To me, that takes the soul away from poke. If you like skimpy little bubbles of fish in your poke, fine. Not me. People usually point to the freshness of the ingredients for their high ratings. That's a necessary but not sufficient condition for a poke place to be good. This poke place, on the other hand, actually serves out quite a decent amount of fresh fish! I was, for the first time outside Hawaii and California, *not* disappointed by my poke bowl. So, if you're in this area, I'd say this is your best shot at getting a true poke.

[UPDATE]: Upon posting was immediately contacted about online ordering being a new system - and totally understand adjustments to those things are tough. Hoping to check it out again with better luck! I was so excited to try this place so I ordered online for pickup before I had to catch my train. Pickup was a bit slow, so I rushed to my train without looking in the bag. Imagine my surprise when my order for sauce on the side was slathered all over the bowl instead of on the side. The la croix I ordered & paid for - nowhere to be seen. Same for the cucumbers I requested. I also had more onions on my bowl than tuna. I wanted to love Aloha so I had a healthier option to grab before the train, but it looks like I'll still be looking for that option since online orders are not treated with a very high level of service.

Ordered online to save myself from the line. Didn't have to do that. I'm seeing that the lunch rush ends fairly early here in Chicago and runs pretty much at 12-1. I went at 2pm and the French market was like a ghost town. I thought I was in the wrong place. Back home, I can guarantee there are still crazy lines at the popular lunch spots past 2pm. Got myself a Kahuna with marinated and unmarinated ahi, greens base, everything except jalapenos, crunch, and furikake and their wasabi dressing to top it off. I love how you can customize it the way you want with whatever they have and not get charged extra. It was fresh and tasty. It was a definitely satisfying lunch. I would say the Kahuna would be the most appropriate size for lunch. The big and the little are like snack size for me. Maybe it was because I didn't get rice with mine. We'll see next time because I just have to try all of their sauces. So if you want a great lunch but don't want to wait on a line. Go after 2pm.

I could eat this every single day. My first trip to Aloha Poke was to the Hyde Park location. Really fun and cute spot with a cool Asian Hawaiian vibe. Start with your base (I either get brown or white rice), move on to your protein (all are good, never tried the chicken though), get it marinated for the extra kick. I always go with "Crunch" as my toppings because it puts every single ingredient I would want on my poke bowl in that thing! I love the tempura "crunch", the hot jalapeno, the creamy aioli and edamame, cucumber and roe! So good this is my go to when I don't want to get extra pricey for my lunch meals. It's fresh, healthy, quickly made and very delicious. You can pick your size too! Go big or go home.

Stopped by this place on a Saturday afternoon to see what all the hype is about! Its the only place in the French Market that was even busy...go figure. I can only imagine the line during the week. They have a very simple menu with a simple concept. I enjoyed my kahuna bowl. It was enough to feed me for two meals. I got all the fixings and it was delish. Do I think its worth a super long wait?? Not really. I waited about 10-15 mins. Totally fine. I would not wait in an hour for this stuff. Its fresh, its "healthy", its new and all the rage. Its a little pricey but what do you expect?? I get it. Hipsters and trixies are all over this place...because of FOMO.

I am currently noho (sitting) at da computer, ai' (eating) my big bowl to go and brah... I now back to speaking da pidgin. Deez grinds are ono brah. There is choke (a lot) ingredients you can chose from wit your bowl. Howzit? you ask. Not mo bettah grinds in Chicago so far... Okay back to English (I used to live in Hawai'i some years ago for 5 years). I am one Hali girl loving ahi poke! I was lucky, only a line two deep. 2:30 pm is da way to go sistah. The only thing I wish I would have ordered instead of the brown rice base was greens. The rice is not doing it for me. It's just Maika`i (okay). I decided to make my own. Big bowl for $9.50. Brown rice base, ahi tuna marinated, rice seasoning, cucumber (like matchsticks), maui onion (cuz you know dis sweet kine), scallion, avocado, and crunch (like panko). The wasabi sauce. Cuz I get stink eye crazy with a bit of kick sistah! Haha The cubes of ahi are a good size, wish there was more of it. The wasabi could have been heavier handed. Avocado was good size. I brought it home, and I'm grinding now, but next time I might sub the rice for da greens and def add seaweed. I think my true love of poke back in Hawaii is keeping it so simple. Sam Choy, da original kept it simple. Fresh ingredients, right outta da water.... He dubbed it Hawaii's soul food. His recipe: fresh raw ahi tuna, cubed into 1/2 to ¾ inch squares, chopped scallion, diced Maui onion, chopped ogo (fresh seaweed - hard to find outside Hawaii), red chili flakes, shoyu (soy), sesame oil, Hawaiian salt, Kukui nut (can't find outta Hawai'i. Will I come back here, damn straight. It's close to my hale (home). I do want to try a few more places though...