Koa Lua Sainte Catherine

Delicious find in Montreal. Clean place. Friendly staff. The food was good and really fresh. Didn’t take long for the food to arrive. I loved the decor. You really feel as if you’re having a meal by the beach. It’s not cheap, but it didn’t feel overpriced. Portions were good. I have no problem recommending this place.

Great experience to have a Poke bowl at this place. The ambiance was great. You might get overwhelmed with their menu coz there’s so many to choose from. I took Tonga Tonga, which is so flavourful and very filling. Will go back again and again to try them all.

The poke was pretty good and the portions are pretty decent. Compared to other poke place, this one doesn't have anything special. The decor and vibe is nice!

The food was very tasty and well balanced. Great mixes of different textures. The sauce in the tonga tonga was really good and the teriyaki spam was fantastic. Beautiful decor, loved all the attention to detail!

Too expensive for just a bowl of rice and fish. Sure it was fresh and tasty, but at $14 per bowl (which by the way are pretty small and barely enough to fill you up), my money could have gone much further elsewhere. As much as I liked the meal, I don't think this would be a place I'd come back to

The spot has a fun Hawaiian theme to it. Service was friendly and quick. I ordered the Papa California which was good, though I feel like the portion size could have been a bit larger for the price point compared to other similar meals. Overall had a good experience and would come back to try more items from the menu!

My favourite Poki bowls to date. Always fresh with a varied menu. The decor is very tropical, with an outdoor terrasse in the summer. I had the Papa California with Tuna. Delicious. You can also combine with wine or Heineken. Leaving with a full belly and a smile.

Well, nothing impressive to me about this place. Poke is fine, staff is not much nice, but it is fine. I told them give me less rice, then, it is still a lot.

An excellent poke spot in Montreal, very close in taste to the original poke in Hawaii, delicious to say the least. The staff is great and friendly. The decor of the place makes you feel like you've travelled to Hawaii and back to Montreal. I strongly recommend this place even though the price has increased over the years (what hasn't?). Come check it out when you're around Concordia university.

Their mama California poke bowl is delicious. Slightly spicy with fresh salmon and rice with crunchy bits. Getting the extra avocado makes it perfect for me. It's the ideal place if you want to relax and have a cute instagram lunch. They have lots of fun juices too. I think it's a bit pricey but most poke places are expensive so it's normal. The rest of my review points stay the same.

This is a pretty great spot for poke! Came on a weekday night and the place was bustling with tropical tunes, people dining in, and the kitchen where amazing fresh poke was being prepared. Immediately upon entering you'll recognize how instagrammable this place is - really cool decor and great photo ops (complete with plant wallpaper and neon lights). The menu is a bit hard to read though as it's just posted on 8.5 x 11 paper on a bulletin board, but I was able to make out the Happa poke bowl- which seemed like an excellent choice. Made with spicy salmon, crispy onions, rice and other spring veggies - the happa was a solid pick. The fish here was super fresh, and I am really impressed with the quality. The spicy mayo was very delicious too - not overly mayo-y and not too spicy. The pricing to portion size ratio was a bit steep, but definitely a solid spot for poke!

I came to Kuo Lua to try their poke bowl because some of my friends told me about this place. The interior decor is nice, with a great Hawaiian vibe. The painting on the wall is beautiful. However, the food at Kuo Lua is rather average, nothing so special about their poke bowls, which kinda disappointed me. I think that compared to Venice, Kuo Lua may be cheaper but the quality is really not so satisfying. The taste is not great.

Beautiful restaurant; it is filled with Hawaiian style decor and Elvis Presley portraits are hanging all over. Sadly the service isn't enthusiastic. Big line up, and you see 4 guys at the counter cash standing and doing nothing. I ordered Papa California poke bowl with Tuna, pickles, papaya, onions, coriander, volcano sauce and rice, which I got within few minutes (wondering if it's fresh). To my horror, my bowl was filled with 3/4 rice. The dishes with proper ingredients were delicious but way too much rice, I would be better off to get a poke bowl from Sushi shop, at least the amount of the main ingredients would be fairly balanced. Major disappointment!

I love this spot! I come here often and get the Tonga Tonga. but they never answer their phone...., I called today before going no one answered so I took my chance and showed up and there was as no rice. can someone answer the phone please. I was very disappointed as I came from Anjou...

Miam miam miam! A taste of Hawaii in Montreal! I've never tasted Hawaiian food before, no poke bowl, nothing! So there I was! Discovering! No idea what I was going to taste and not knowing what to expect! So me and my girlfriend chose the Traditional Ono and the Mama California with a Maui drink. Sometimes you crave fresh fish and you'll end up thinking about sushis. Now you have another option! Koa Lua! Fair portions and tasty bowls! Though I must warn you, some bowls are spicier than others, so if your girlfriend happens to choose one of the spicier one, prepare to drink water (which you have to get yourself)! The drink is a bit expensive to my taste though... but still tasted fresh and was very refreshing!

Know this first; they do not accept cash. I've had lunch there on numerous occasions and was never disappointed with the food or the service at the counter. It was here that I was introduced to Spam Musubi, a happy little "sandwich" made of sticky rice and marinated spam that is held together with a band of nori (seaweed). It is quite wonderful. I've sampled most of their Poke bowlsand have loved them all, but the one thing that reached into my dreams is their Alohavocado. It takes almost nothing to make but the richness of the avocado against the flavour of honey-sweetened sour cream makes me want to pick up a Uke and emigrate to the beautiful island. Did I say that they don't accept cash? It's weird and a total turn-off to me but I'm old-school like that. You're hip though, so it's prolly no big deal.

3.5** I came here for lunch and ordered the California mama, extra spicy. It was 15$+ tax which I find pretty expensive for a counter restaurant. The taste however, was really good. I thought it was missing a little bit of greens or veggies and could have benefited from some added edamame. The girl at the counter was nice and helpful. This place truly is a fast food counter with better food. I think I would rather go to an actual sit down place for probably only a few dollars extra. Great location though and the tables in the small outdoor section are cute and perfect for watching the hustle and bustle going on outside

I have always wanted to try Koa Lua, not only because I am a huge fan of poke, but also because there are pictures of their food and deco all over instagram. First off, the moment you step inside you just feel so refreshing, the summer and hawaiian vibes just hit you (in a good way). The deco is 100% on point I ordered the california bowl with salmon and a mutsubi. - California bowl: I was kinda disappointed by the portion of the bowl, because compared to poke bar who really mounts their poke pretty high, koa lua's is on the smaller side. So for the small portion, I felt like it was a bit pricey. BUT, I have to admit, the flavor is bomb: a bit spicy but not too much to the point to cover the flavor of the salmon, the rice crispy cereals add texture to the food. Literally every bite was good and I didnt feel bored by the flavor at all. The presentation is the only thing I feel is a bit lacking... - Mutsubi: It came wrapped in plastic, so the presentation isn't too great. It was a bit too salty in my opinion. Not woow just a ok kinda thing. I will come again for sure. Flavor wise Koa Lua is better than Poke bowl, but portion wise, hands down Poke bowl wins.

I live nearby (4 minutes walking distance) and saw this new place so I decided to give it a try. The decor is nice with the blue/turquoise as main color to match their Hawaiian theme. You walk in, you'll forget a fee seconds of winter lol. It's a fast-food type of restaurant, which means you order at the counter and pick up your food then get a table. Food: Menu variety, salmon, tuna, shrimp, tofu and.... Spam are their main choices. Not many choices, 8 choices of pokebowl in total, basically it's the same stuff with different combination of sauce and veggies. Some little snack such as salad, spam sushi, alohavocado (avocado + home made sauce) Drinks : Soft drinks, sparkling water or NuWai (coconut drink). Service: Well you place your order then pick up your food. Nothing much to expect there. Overall experience : Well they are slow for a fast-food type restaurant. I ordered 1 salad, 1 side and 2 main dishes... Waited a good 10/15 minutes, not terrible you say but knowing the rice see pre-cook then they just need to add the salmon/tuna, little veggies and sauce... Then the wait time is a bit not reasonable. Price are a bit over, you can easily have a way better quality pokebowl for a buck or 2 more in a restaurant... Again they are fast-food. The spam sushi is awfully over price, $3 a piece for a slice of spam on sushi size rice and some terriyaki sauce... you get the idea. For me it's convenient since it's nearby my home but wouldn't go there every week because of their lack of choices and a bit over price.

I'm a huge #anythingwithrawfish aficionado....and well yes, a huge poke fan... yeah I know I'm not so original because it is now sooo trendy, but the good side of it, is that I've been able to try a few different ones and I'm starting to be very good at differentiating the very good from the very bad. This being said, I was in the mood for something different and I wanted to try this place for a very long time, I never had the opportunity to try the one on Union Street but was very close to that location so I've decided to try this one instead. All I can say is Wow! They did an A-MA-ZING job with the decor! Within a few seconds, I left the "covered with snow" Ste-Catherine Street and landed somewhere peaceful and relaxing in Hawaii...Such a great feeling! I was expecting a tiny location, but there's plenty of room so you can go and hang out with your group of friends. I had the "Black Magic" which is made of salmon, white rice, jalapeno and a crunch mix: The salmon was on point, well marinated, very spicy... I loved it! The rice was well cooked and the crunchy part was very interesting. I wanted to try their Aloha Ice Tea, but unfortunately, they were out of stock. The price was affordable compared to other Poke places ($13). The service was very quick and the staff was very friendly. I will definitely be going back to try other items from their menu and get my little dose of sunshine during winter.

PoKE!!! I've never had Hawaiian food before. I was pleasently surprised!! It looks like sushi in a bowl... and yes!! It tastes like sushi in a bowl. If you like sushi; dfinately give this a taste! I also ordered an avocado entre. Its a half avocado with sauce and sour cream on it... with some seeds and seaweed. I scooped it up and added it to my bowl. It was deliscious. I would definately recommend and am definately going to be going back!!

Nice place to grab a quick exotic meal - poké bowls with different fish/vegetables toppings and the price is reasonable ($13 - 14 per bowl w/t tax). I ordered a Black Magic, with the top of plenty of seasoned salmon and jalapeño, and the base of steamed white rice. It was served in a paper bowl, and the size was bigger than I have expected. When I finished the bowl I felt just right. The taste was great. Try scooping a spoonful of fish and rice, and enjoy the mix! Yum!! Plus, must try the drink Niu Wai, which has a strong taste of coconut and a creamy texture, delivering a feeling of summertime. I will definitely come back again and try other bowls.

Omg this place is sooo photogenic! It's super well decorated, cute and so coloful!! I went there with a friend from Regina last week and had a great time. It was pretty late already when we made it there, so the place wasn't very busy. We picked a table (the surfboard one), then changed to another one, then another. The whole place looked so cool! The menu was well explained, with all the ingredients listed. My friend got the Juicey (salmon, avocado, brown rice, wasabi aioli, teriyaki, cucumber, crunch mix and salad) and I got the Hulk (baby greens, avocado, wakame, edamame, wasabi peas, jalapeno, dry pineapple, shiso, pickled cucumber, mint, cilantro and wasabi dressing). We took a few photos while waiting for the food. It didn't take long before two beautiful bowls of super healthy stuff showed up at the counter for us. Although we didn't ask for take out, the food was served in clear plastic bowls, which I think was an oversight. The servings were decent, but smaller than I thought (I think I expected more because of Le Poké Bar). The first few bites were a bit dry, since there wasn't a lot of sauce and a salad in a small bowl is always kind of hard to mix. Then all the different toppings started showing up. The candied pineapple was a particularly pleasant discovery. Who knew that would be delicious with avocados and wasabi peas?? All these flavors that initially seemed disparate came together in a delicious and interesting way. I liked it a lot. I find that Koa Lua has much more interesting flavors and combinations than Le Poké Bar. But if you're looking to fill up a very hungry tummy, I'd go to the latter (it's also a tad less expensive). Note: they were selling "butter mochi" by the counter. Not sure how that would taste like, but sounds great!

The last time I had a bowl of covered salmons that great was in Kyoto. I wasn't too sure what to order and I felt a bit uneasy not seeing the images of what the food looks like. I ordered a mama California and I enjoyed it. Lovely place and lovely concept.

This is for the takeout lunch only. It will have nothing to do with table service at the restaurant. I decided to go there after a work colleague of mine suggested to go there. Looking on Yelp, it seems Black Magic dish was popular and decided to go with that. The good: Service at counter with a genuine smile. Food was terrific! Easy carry bowls (also recyclable). A lot of room for waiting for your dish. Service is extremely quick (l waited longer at the cash). The bad: Menu can be confusing. You have to get your own soft drink. There does not seem to have a lot of space for tables. Name in front of the restaurant does not match the one on this review (although it is the same place). More expensive than l thought. Food is really good and perfect for a quick lunch for a busy worker. But be ready to drop down around $20 for it.

Have to say I'm disappointed to receive as little as this for 14$ + tax. Similarly priced pokebowls elsewhere offers bigger plates, better presentation, more toppings and arguably more fish. The taste is so so. Tuna was chewy and rice was hard. A disappointed purchase and would not return.

I went for poke again and I was really disappointed. There was only 4 pieces of salmon in my Tonga Tonga. The salmon also had a weird taste to it. I tried calling 5 time to maybe get some insight on why I only had 4 pieces of salmon, no one answered. I believe it's a hit or miss. Still love the deco but this recent experience left a sour taste in my mouth.

True authentic Poké bowl with delicious and fresh ingredients and amazing atmosphere and decor. I would've liked them to use washable plates and forks, that would be better for the environment, and if only their portions would've been a little bit bigger. The service is very good and caring

First impression was great, they had a fun tropical decor setup, music that vibes with the place, and a hand drawn menu. The cashier asked if I liked spicy, so I told her no and she recommended a few non spicy items. I chose the tuna bowl, and it turned out spicy. Ofc I told her after and she just said "ohh your tolerance is really low...next time tell me NO spice!" -_- my nose was seriously running and tongue burning at that point but ok. Got the Ono poke bowl, which was tuna based. Super lacking in ingredients, tuna just kind of tossed on with some onion and other small garnish items. Aka no vegetables or their major toppings. They also use paper bowls that the rice stick onto, not a great idea. Also got the spam musubi, which was what I expected in terms of flavour. But $3 is too hefty a price for that. Almost every poke review I write, I throw in "bit overpriced" but this time I mean it. (Bowl and musubi cost me $19) There are definitely better quality ones out there.

Of all the Poke places downtown, Koa Lua is one of the best. The food is fresh, taste is dynamic and the service is fast. Only complaint is that if you arrive at noon, expect a lineup out the door. But to be honest, it really is worth the wait. I've had the Papa California, Crunchy Pidgin, Tonga Tonga, Alohavocado and the Hua Salad, to date. Can't wait to try the other items.

I've been to this location only once , but have been to their location on union multiple times. Decor and space wise this location is way bigger and nicer but the food is good at both. Nice big poke bowls they offer the option to do half rice half salad and they give the choice between brown rice or white rice which is good. The decor here makes you feel like you're at beach side restaurant in Hawaii , casual , tropical and bright. lots of indoor seating and some outdoor seating. Service was good I ordered 3 different poke bowls with various substitutions and they didn't miss a beat and I didn't wait very long for the order. The prices are okay , it's not super cheap but won't break the bank either and considering the portions are pretty big and the food is fresh and flavourful it evens out. I'll likely be back for lunch when I'm craving poke.

Not impressed by my experience here, the food quality/quantity/taste is subpar to what you are paying for. If the fish is supposed to be the star of the plate, well it was disappointing. I had the Ono bowl and the tuna felt chewy and tasted/smelled fishy. My friend ordered the BlackMagic bowl (with salmon) and seemed satisfied. The rice felt like it was cooked a long time ago, and all the grains were densely compacted together (I might be biased, I do have asian cooking standards). To add to that, it had no seasoning, so we had to add more soy sauce and sriracha on our own. *It could be an interesting feature if they provided furikake (Japanese rice seasoning) on the tables to add to the bland rice. This is a sit-in fast food restaurant (read: self service) nicely decorated situated in the Concordia ghetto. Come in for lunch if you're not too picky with what you eat and you want a cute Instagramable place to take pictures. Personally, I would not return, there are much better places in Montreal to get poke.

The food is good but I tried to order edamame to replace the papaya (which I can't eat) in a dish and was just told 'no, sorry' with no explanation...even though I've ordered that exact thing at this location before. Considering the price it just seems like there should at least be a reason given or some consistency in the customer service. I don't normally post bad reviews online its kind of petty but I just find this to be a bit absurd. Don't let it stop you from going, you might have a great experience and the food is delicious.

The place is super well decor and vibrant. You order at the cash and you get called when the food is ready. I had the black magic dish which is spicy (but I believe they can accommodate you if you don't like spicy food). Service was pretty fast and the food was yummy. Great portion for the price. One thing I love about this place is that they have pitchers of water and cups available so you don't have to buy a water bottle. However if you don't like tap water, there are water bottles as well as coconut water and soda cans.

Okay so I really love poke bowls and I go to this place to grab lunch once or twice a week. I usually have the black magic because the salmon is always very fresh, it's full of amazing spices and also has some crunchiness to it!!! It's great for lunch & take out because you get served at the counter within minutes. The place is also well decorated with amazing Hawaiian vibes

Really enjoyed this place!! Great fresh food on the go. Fun place (a few seats available) to enjoy your meal. Cool funky staff. Bravo Yann Lévy, another success!

A nice place for a lunch break of work day. I ordered a Poké Mama California, a Alohaavoca and a Niu Wai. The response time for a order was quite short. The taste was good! The volume was just fine. I also like the colorful decoration inside. It feels fresh and tropical

Ordered the Mama California (with Black sesame seeds instead of regular sesame seeds) and their guanábana-carambola smoothie, it was pretty good quality-wise and it was fast served. They forgot that I ordered the fruit juice, but I just communicated that and got it in a second! It has also some nice decorations and the staff was just generally very friendly. Salmon was delicious and the spicy mayo was a nice touch (so nice that I had to ask for the squeeze bottle to put some more). I could've used more food on my portion considering the price, but otherwise this place ticks all the boxes for a good day-to-day lunch.

Came here tonight around 8:30 to grab some dinner to go. As people were leaving, I looked inside and the person was already closing up. The guy said they were closed. Everything wa packed away. WTF? It's 8:30 and the signs say they close at 9:00. Maybe I'll try again another time. Update: Finally got to eat here and it was average. It's more fusion hawaiian and the flavors are too rich for my taste. Fish could be fresher, rice to fish ratio is high. However the spam musubi was good but it's hard to mess that up.

Decor is amazing. I really like how they decorated the place. The food is always fresh quickly served and tasteful. Great place.

Hawaiian style poke. Personally prefer this style over the Japanese style. It's mixed with more soy than mayo. Portion size was good. Place was not busy in the middle of the afternoon and food was ready in a few minutes. Ordered the Black Magic- mainly consist of marinated salmon with furikake seasoning, some peppers and crisp bits for some crunch. It's quick, it's filling and a great choice for lunch. Not heavy or oily

This place was a huge disappointment. They gave me a bowl of rice soaked in sauce with 7 pieces of fish. I feel sick. I would never come back here. Huge rip off. It is very simple to make a good poke bowl, I do not understand how a restaurant can make it so bad.

The serving is 2/5 The taste 1,5/5 The decor: instagrammable Overall: never coming back

Love this place :) awesome decor , nice customer service and yummy poke bowls ! It's just the right amount. I've been here a couple of times and always get the salmon california my all time fave with the crispy tempura and spicy mayo. They have a house made drink I believe made with coconut milk unfortunately I found it too sweet for my taste but it was none the less pretty savoury. Will definitely come back

The food and the quality of the fish is excellent. Unlike other poke places, you can't create your own poke but the twist of flavours offered on the menu is much better in my opinion. Good quantity of fish for the price you pay. The decor is beautiful, digging the Hawaiian vibes. Definitely coming back again!

Tried out their salmon poke bowl and the flavors were quite good. However, the portions are fair small for something over $15 after tax and tip. While it is tasty and trendy, I'm not sure if the price point is worth it for me.

This is a really great poke place! The fish + other ingredients are really fresh. Staff was super nice and played good music. It's a great place to eat with others, study (free WiFi), or just to chill and eat Poke. I really loved the environment and the music they played. There's a wide variety of poke bowls. Definitely will be going back!

As usual following yelp' advise for new places was the right one. After a long day of sightseeing and shopping we stepped into this place to discover the yummilitious rice bowls with raw fish, tuna ir saulmon .

This place is great! Buuuut the portions are very small. The fish is fresh and the condiments and sauces otherwise are fantastic.

This is my favourite poke bowl in the downtown core. Eclectic decor and original menu. There is also an outdoor eating area too.

This place is horrible. I paid $13 for a tiny salad with a bunch of leaves and very little flavour. I was expecting something similar to the poke place on crescent and was thoroughly disappointed. The avocado was terrible, the flavours didn't go well together at all. The wakame didn't taste good. It was probably the most worthless meals I've ever had. Don't go here. If you want poke, go to the one on crescent at least - they let you choose what you want to put and they mix it really well with the sauce so the flavours really blend.

If you're looking for something quick, tasty, fresh and affordable this is definitely your go-to place! They offer a variety of bowls with an option of swapping the white rice for brown, which personally I prefer. Aside from the delish food, the decor itself is worth the visit. From the moment you walk in you're immediately enthralled by the Hawaiian theme. Must haves: Hapa Bowl Mama California Bowl

Good vibes great decors. I had the mama California and it was good not too spicy. Wish there was more flavour to it though.

I just had a nightmare experience here. I ordered the Maui juice and it tasted bitter, like it had alcohol in it. But I finished it because I was very thirsty and did not believe a Juice (with all its ingredients listed on the wall) could have alcohol. Shortly after leaving, I felt flushed, then weak, then passed out and hit my head while walking at work, then got up to continue with my day and passed out again. EMTs were called for, but I knew what was causing my discomfort and that it would go away with some rest. I continued to feel sick and weak until it came back out (tasting like alcohol) and then felt much better. Koa Lua's manager apologized at first and said "it may have been the fruit," and he offered me ONE free poke bowl. I explained that I had to pay for a yelp, leave work early, had my reputation at work damaged by literally being (unintentionally) intoxicated at work, and had to change all my plans for the evening, on top of likely having two concussions from the two falls when I blacked out. In my opinion, this warrants more than one poke bowl. That is when he said that I can't "prove" what happened. I may not have proof that would hold up in court, but all I consumed today were a banana and coffee (the same kind I have almost every morning, made at home) and the poke bowl and juice at Koa Lua. All of which is to say that they do not take responsibility for what they're serving and they were serving an unlabeled alcoholic beverage (no doubt it was an accident or a prank or something, but that is still what it was). They wouldn't even compensate my medical fees from the EMTs without blood test results, if I'm charged any. Otherwise, I'd give the food 4 stars and the counter staff 5 stars; but the management is unethical and it is just ridiculous that they would try to "make it up to me" with a free meal.

Terrible for the price. If you've ever had a real poke, you would know this place is bad. Ordered the original Ono...too much chilli flakes. Maybe 8 cubes of tuna, the rest just rice and onion...horrible experience for $16. Don't do it....

Used to be my favourite restaurant last year. Recently when I went the portions seemed smaller than usual while the prices were increased despite already being fairly high. They also got rid of all their eco friendly bowls and utensils. I don't understand why they can't use ceramic bowls instead of disposal plastic ones. Great atmosphere but let's down on portion size, price, and values of the company.

Flavourful, unique and delicious poké bowls. The portions are generous and the fish is fresh. Amazing Hawaiian-inspired decor. I'm hooked!