Arianna D.
Yelp
I'm disgusted. I wish I could use a different word to describe this poke shack, but this place needs help overall.
First, they were backed up a bit. Only two people worked in the shack the night we went, a Saturday night (so that part is understandable). There was an Uber Eats order and two other orders ahead of mine. It was about a 25-minute wait for an order of two poke bowls, their Spicy Ahi and Ginger Onion Ahi. Don't get me wrong, the food was not the worst on the island, so that'll get them two stars. Their Ginger Onion was notably better than their Spicy Ahi (which had almost no flavor), BUT the rice was a huge no. Come on. How does a "POKE COMPANY" mess up the rice... the rice should have been soft and warm, not hard and cold in some parts. You know when you have 3-day-old rice sitting in the fridge? Yeah, that's basically what they were serving under that scoop of bland poke. We had to add shoyu to the poke and rice to make it all taste... of flavor. Read that again. We had to add SHOYU to the rice and poke...
Second, their customer service was horrible. Let me get into the story for you. We walked up to the register part of the truck with no greeting or smile, just the worker waiting for our order with an annoyed face. When ordering, we asked if we could get a sample as it was our first time here. The guy in the front said, "That's what you're gonna get," rudely. We thought he didn't hear us correctly, so my boyfriend asked again, "Yeah, can we try a sample of the ginger onion and spicy ahi?" all while the worker was tapping his screen, notably not about to get any sample for us. The worker said, "So you guys want the ginger onion and spicy ahi?" rudely again. Keep in mind, I only wanted to ask to try a sample since we saw other reviews state that they received samples. This guy in the front could have easily just said, "Sorry, no samples," and we could have just taken a minute to rethink our order. Instead, I just said whatever and that it was good, and we'll go ahead and order those two bowls. No issue; we paid and waited after he told us they were backed up and there would be about a 20 min wait. We had no issue not receiving a sample. He could have responded with good customer service rather than ignoring our question.
Third, this is the problematic part of this experience. When we finally got our food, the guy in the front made eye contact with us, and we said thank yous. He handed us the bowls and two pairs of bamboo chopsticks and asked if we wanted shoyu. We said, "Yes, please!" and he handed us a couple of packets. When my boyfriend turned while holding everything (right in front of the register still), one pair of chopsticks fell onto the sidewalk. He picked it up off the dirty floor, and I asked him to ask for another one while I threw that pair away. I looked up right after throwing the pair in the trash while hearing my bf ask the worker for another pair, explaining it FELL ON THE GROUND. The worker hands us that extra pair of chopsticks while asking for the dirty one back. When my bf has to explain AGAIN (maybe listen to your customers?) that it dropped on the floor, the worker almost wants to take the chopsticks back and does that hand gesture that says, "Bro, wtf?!" while giving my bf a stank face. So again, my bf has to state it fell on the floor, so we threw it away, and the worker walked away annoyed and upset at it. What's the problem here? It seems like he would have just given it to the next person. Unsanitary. I got an ick real quick. Those bamboo chopsticks are like $0.10 each in bulk... was the $0.10 worth catching an attitude for?
And if you're unfamiliar with the area, you're looking at a strip club to your left and a liquor store to your right. Trust me when I say it just gets worse if you walk down the street between the strip club and Sura, be careful if you're by yourself! This food is just not worth it enough to try and find parking around a dark street full of homeless people, walk past drunk people from the strip club, or wait for your order right next to busy Kapiolani.
So if you're thinking of trying this place out, don't. There are many better, tastier, and more enjoyable spots beside this shack. If you're looking at dinner, the trucks down the street should be open (let me recommend KASIAN KREATIONS!!! they're AMAZING) or Sura!! I'd recommend driving towards a different area for lunch as the trucks and Sura are heavier meals, better for indulging for dinner.
If you do end up trying this place out, don't expect your utensils (or even food) to be sanitary. Not surprised they don't have any routine inspections posted on their Yelp page. Just try not to think about it while you eat your poke at 2 in the morning. Then again, this place seems perfect if you're drunk and not thinking anyways. MMM possible food violations
