Poke Bowl

Popped into this location to grab lunch on my way out of town only to get a mouthful in and realize the fish is full on rotten! And warm. I'm typically a total poke lover. They JUST opened. No excuse for this. I went back in and respectfully+politely explained what happened and requested a refund for the bowl. Just to be told by the owner over the phone that he refuses a refund. I will be contacting the health department as well due to an almost 6 month delinquent food serving permit (noted while I waited for the employee to contact the owner) and the location not looking or smelling clean. Holy moly this was the most disgusting experience and an establishment fully lacking customer care and satisfaction. They wanted to offer mochi instead Update: I have left this review on yelp as well, filed with the health department, and additionally filed a complaint with the BBB.

Out of all the Poke restaurants I’ve been to this is by far my favorite one. Service is always smooth and quick and the portions and price are the best in town hands down. 100% recommend this spot to everyone. Try the squid 👌👍

The man who made my bowl was so sweet. I went in at 3:30 on 5-17 and was greeted immediately by the kind worker. The portion was good for the price and the atmosphere was amazing with the music and cool air. I will be coming back!

This is my favorite Poke restaurant in town!! They are always so friendly and welcoming here and they have great fresh options. I’ve been coming for years now and the student discount is a great plus if you’re on a budget.

This place is super small, 4 or 5 tables. It looks clean, over all. We had 7 in our party, we were cramped. We didn't get to try the food since our children are not fans of only sea food options. My husband used the restroom. The men's restroom was locked, the lady said to use the other restroom. My husband came out asking for soap (to wash his hands), the lady said "sorry, no soap. I have hand sanitizer here." We bought a tea & mochis & walked out to eat across the street.

Stopped in for lunch and had this phenomenal poke bowl. Everything tasted light and SUPERFRESH. SERVICE WAS DEF POLITE and all smiles also. Only thing I didn't like was the bitterness of the cucumber I will be back

Clean, good for a quick bite, wouldn't come running back, but hit the spot in a pinch for a light and filling bite after hitting up all the thrift shops up the street. Multiple seating areas inside and out. Sauces could be a tad more flavored, all the proteins were fresh (and generously portioned)

my favorite poke bowl place!! i dont even live in austin anymore and have yet to find any place that isnt ocean side thats better. amazing portions with the tastiest house sauce ever. (i wish i knew the recipe) regular portion is $13.50 for 3 proteins!!

I was looking for a fast casual option for dinner on my way home from a long day of meetings and extra-curriculars. I've somehow managed to never go to the place before despite being born and raised here. I really didnt want to wait for my order so I needed somewhere fast casual. I walked in a few minutes before closing (annoying I know) but I didn't have any other options. I was greeted enthusiastically by Alvin who was thrilled to see me. I let him know I had never been to their restaurant before and Alvin walked me through the options cheerfully. We started building a bowl and Iwas thrilled to see how large the portions were and felt like it would last me at least two meals. Everything added to the bowl was fresh and delicious. Alvin even gave me an entire half of an avocado on top of my bowl. I was truly blown away by how fresh and delicious everything tasted and I was beating myself up for never having stopped her before. I will definitely be back and was very pleased with the service from Alvin. give this guy a raise!

Ordered through LUNCHDROP at work. I had the marinated tuna with shrimp and added avocado to my bowl. The tuna was really tough and I ended up throwing most of it away because of the texture. (It took me several minutes of aggressive chewing to get through each bite). The shrimp was ok. I ordered it spicy and it was a little too spicy for my liking (and I love spice). When I am panting like a dog, it's a problem lol. I wish more sauce was added as well (at least include a soy sauce). I didn't receive any silverware with my meal as well. Thankfully I had a spare set of utensils in office.

A big reason I can't give it more is the minute I walked in there was sewer smell. Or bathroom smell. What a turn off! But funny thing is that I got used to it as I ate and sat in there for awhile. But in the beginning the stench was so strong. And for a fresh poke place it's a real turn off. But I had to meet a college student there for lunch and she swore from her friend it's good. I kept asking are you sure and is the fish fresh because that would be so bad if it wasn't. I only trust Poke House because the fish is fresh and I never had issues there. I was legit scared to eat here when I walked in and the stench was so strong. But I stuck it out. There are 2 sizes tot eh bowls. Regular or large and there is a size difference but when she starts making them there isn't anymore. I should have gotten the regular because it's just as much and $3 cheaper at $13.50. You pay for an extra protein that's all:/ My friend got the regular and I got the large so I can get salmon, tuna, mixed tuna and spicy tuna. Then you add veggies which is only cabbage onion and and one other veggie and you can put salad and rice or full rice. I chose full rice. Glad the rice was warm but it was odd because it was American rice so it was a bit odd The thing I don't really love at this place is that the toppings aren't all free. Only ginger pepper corn and seaweed shreds is free. Everything else is additional money like couple bucks. St poke house it's not like that. Only avocado but all else is free. I added some crunchies as toppers and chose their mild house dressing And then we dug in. It was ok. Not bad BUT couple of pieces of mixed tuna was very fishy. I worried it went bad but swallowed it. My pet peeve in poke is bad unfresh fish. Not sure if those couple pieces were ok. It tasted funky ugh another turn off. But the rest is ok and I ate it tentatively. The place I know has been there. I see it all the time driving into campus. I am glad I tried it so now I know what it's about. The price point seemed high but then again it's on campus. But I wish I can rate it higher but those things mentioned above were real pet peeves of mine.

Came in, no one was at the counter, first red flag. After that we ordered 2 bowls, they had a limited selection of toppings. Took food home Togo. When we got home we tried the bowls. The rice was stale and felt like it was a week old. The fish had an off taste and smell. Don't go. Horrible food. Might get food poisoning.

Haven't had a poke bowl since moving to TX and felt like wanting something refreshing after a hike so I yelped n poke bowl and this came up! Was pleasantly surprised! It's a small location in a small parking lot. Lots of options to build your own bowl and it wasn't busy at all when I came. They had options that I'm not used to seeing like spicy scallop and squid. Lots of different sauces and toppings all for under $15 even for a large. Will probably be back soon!

Popped into this location to grab lunch on my way out of town only to get a mouthful in and realize the fish is full on rotten! And warm. I'm typically a total poke lover. They JUST opened. No excuse for this. I went back in and respectfully+politely explained what happened and requested a refund for the bowl. Just to be told by the owner over the phone that he refuses a refund. I will be contacting the health department as well due to an almost 6 month delinquent food serving permit (noted I waited for the employee to contact the owner) and the location not looking or smelling clean. Holy moly this was the most disgusting experience and an establishment fully lacking customer care and satisfaction. They wanted to offer mochi instead Update: I have left this review on Google as well, filed with the health department, and additionally filed a complaint with the BBB.

I've been to Poké Bowl twice now, and was hoping the second time would make a better impression. Unfortunately, it only solidified its mediocrity. I came in during lunch, and somehow, they had already run out of key ingredients-- including white rice. The flavors were nothing exceptional. You'll be better off having poke elsewhere where the flavors are more rich and the parking is plentiful.

I was a regular here before they closed down for a while. Had to go to other poke places but they didn't measure up. Was happy to be able to come back after their reopening. Welcome back Poke Bowl!

Kinda overpriced for the quality of rice and yellowtail. The salmon and tuna were better. Service was good and there's plenty of toppings. I was super turned off when I ordered a bowl after they just opened and the rice was hard...it wasn't warm either or tasted fresh. This was SHORTLY after they opened at 11am, so it must have been left overnight? Just because poke bowls are drenched in sauces and spicy Mayo does not mean they should skimp on good rice. Well I ate it anyway. But angrily.

Very gross sewage smell in this place. Bathroom is DISGUSTING. Food tasted "off" - Hope we don't get food poisoning. Nothing like flushing $45 (for two bowls) down the toilet. PS do not look in the light fixture of the men's restroom.

Great service and food!! Definitely would come back. The man behind the counter gave great portions and smiled the entire time.

Every time I come here the food is always delicious and the employees are so kind. It's so easy and quick to order. Not to mention there's always a nice vibe between the music and just overall feel of the place. There's also a student discount. It's become a comfort food and I would highly recommend it.

My favorite poke in Austin! The portions are generous and their prices easily beat most other places. The staff are super nice. They offer a student discount too.

Alvin was super duper great, over the top helpful, friendly, kind. I could tell he loved his job. Food was great. First time poke bowl eater. 4 stars because plastic bowl. I like that the large bowls were cardboard though.

Ordered a poke bowl for lunch today. First thing I noticed was that they didn't have as much toppings/add on's compared to other poke places I've been too. I would say that my bowl was just ok, the white rice I opted in my poke bowl seemed either uncooked or was old as it had a a bit of a hard bite to it. The gentlemen taking my order was very friendly and quick. Seating is available inside and outside.

One of the more descent poke spots by campus! The food is a little more pricey compared to other spots and some of the protein doesn't seem the absolute freshest (at least when I went) but it wasn't horrible! I ended up getting a large bowl with two salmon, spicy ahi tuna, and spicy scallop. I was able to finish it all at the restaurant (even though I got most of the toppings) so I didn't think the portions were that big. Probably wouldn't come back since there are better options if you're willing to travel farther from campus.

Always really tasty. I typically get a regular portion with a couple of tuna types and salmon. Great for takeout / work lunch. The mochi are also a really yummy! The owner is friendly and the service is good. The only downside is that the ambience isn't very fun and doesn't make me want to stay and eat there; I always take my food back to my desk or home.

Great service, super welcoming and the food was really good. The portions were superb, and i just cant get over how nice the worker was. Would try again!

Poke Bowl is always my #1 choice for some good food! Great prices, easygoing atmosphere, and the workers are always so helpful- it definitely beats some of the pricier spots on the block!

The service was amazing. Food was tasty and would definitely recommend coming to this place again.

Perfection! Great, friendly staff and delectable poke. Quaint dining area - will be back!

Employee was very nice, very generous portions. Food was delicious, lots of options for toppings. The restaurant was clean and nice.

soooooo good, service was very good. was my boyfriends first time trying fish EVER and he loved it. very chill vibe, very generous servings

I loved the crab mayo and the different types of fish I got, though I wouldn't eat inside here again. There were fruit flies everywhere to the point where I couldn't enjoy my food because they kept landing on the food and flying in my face. The portion is small for the price, and they don't have free water.

It truly just wasn't good. I wish I could get my money back. They should not be open with a food poisoning review. Now I will be worried about food poisoning the rest of the day.

Really good, first time trying it and was very pleased. The poke was great, high quality ingredients. Service was good, very friendly guy behind the counter, and it was overall just a cool little spot. Will definitely be coming back regularly.

Do not eat here. I knew I shouldn't have right when I got to the counter and looked at the food. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry and had to eat. The fish is not fresh, it's hot inside, the portions are overpriced, and to top it off I now have food poisoning. Disgusting. Never again

Good food. Generous portions. Friendly Service. Reasonable prices. Would recommend. Many different topings that they offer.

This place always comes in clutch! It's conveniently located with parking spots and is opened late. The "build your own bowl" is personalized and yummy. The portion size is sufficient with the protein based (salmon and spicy salmon) being both firm and fresh. There are plenty of various toppings with my favorites being fresh mangos, ginger, and furikake.

Not terrible, but the bowl was 80% rice, with really thick pieces of cucumber. The fired onions weren't crispy (almost soggy) and they went very light on the ponzu sauce I ordered. Overall not bad, but I'd probably go elsewhere next time.

One day when I was getting smoothies, I noticed this poke place next door. I wandered there to visit, decided to order a bowl. My first bowl was very fresh, healthy, yummy and quite affordable. I made a note to come back again. Next time I went, I disappointingly noticed it was closed! I am glad it now opens back up. Since they open, I have been back several times. The food is still as good as the first time I had it. Recently, I got to try some of their mochis. They are amazingly good! We tried the coconut, strawberry, chocolate, and black sesame. They are all great but I highly recommend the black sesame. Yes, I will be back!

100/10 wood rec,, so yummy it hurts! se service was incredible. lots of food. wasn't stingy.

Just came back from Hawaii, so naturally I'm addicted to poke now. Actually it never occurred to me to look for it in my home town but I found this gem of a place near UT's campus. They have a customize-your-bowl approach where you can choose your own base, meat, and various toppings and sauces. I'd say overall the taste was OK but felt a little franchise-y.

Must Try. I got the recommendation from one of the staff white rice w Salmon, Tuna, veggies & spicy secret sauce

Updated review: I've been here so many times but never encountered any rude staff until today. The girl wearing a white Sweater was rude and getting mad because she misheard me about what sauce I wanted. Instead of changing (replace) out the sauce from spicy mayo to House spicy, she simply put the house spicy on top of the spicy mayo. And then mixed it in with spicy mayo and got mad when I tried to explain it to her. She was very unprofessional over a simple fix . Past review The staff were friendly and gave me a good portion size. I was full and I like how they filter their water. i will be back again soon. This place is really good. I love it

Love coming here. Tons of topping options and can't go wrong if you are looking for a poke fix.

I thought this Poke place by campus was just okay. The food wasn't outstanding or anything and there were some minor annoyances while eating there. For one, water is not free so you need to pay for water which is kinda lame since water is important for our health. Also if you look at my picture of the Thai tea then you can see the ridiculous amount of ice used in it. More than half of my drink was ice so I recommend you don't get a drink unless you can get no ice. The food itself was okay. You have all of the standard toppings and the only unique topping I saw was hot Cheetos dust. I got the house sauce which was a mistake since it tasted mostly like soy sauce and you couldn't really taste anything other than soy sauce. The fish was alright but the scoop they used is on the smaller side so you aren't getting too much fish. Fish didn't have a fresh taste but I guess we are in Austin. They didn't take UT student ID card for discount but I can understand that since it was just the pandemic. Everything else leaves much to be desired. - mark the reviewer

My absolute FAVORITE place for poké! They give huge portions for the price you pay as compared to my experience at a competitor's just down the street. When I'm craving poké, I always think to come here even if it's out of the way because it's that good! Service is awesome, and I've never been disappointed with the food--obviously! They have a 10% student discount. My friends have tried the desserts (mochi ice cream or macaroon ice cream sandwiches) and say they're amazing, so that's next on my list.

I enjoy poké very much, and this place hardly ever disappoints. If I want poké, I will usually get it from here.

This is one of my favorite places for poke! I love their huge selection in the types of protein they offer (and three varieties of tuna? Amazing). I got the tuna, salmon, and yellowtail and honestly enjoyed them all. The salmon was a bit fishy-er than what I was used to, but it's Austin and not a port city so I didn't expect the freshest fish anyway. The large bowl is honestly large. I was so full halfway through but finished the whole thing because it was just so good! They offer all the standard toppings and are very generous with their servings, which I always appreciate. I also tried their mochi ice cream, which came in so many flavors and were so good! The Thai tea one is probably my favorite! The service here is so nice and so patient with me when I list out all the toppings I want. On top of that (pun unintended), they even offer a 10% student discount!

Hands down this is my favorite Poke place in Austin! Not only are they so close to campus, they also give generous servings and offer a student discount. They have all the standard toppings that you'd expect from a Poke place, and I swear they always give you more than other joints. The quality has always been fresh, and I really have no complaints about this place. Ola Poke comes as a close second to Poke Bowl, but there portion sizes are a lot smaller and more expensive, and they are quite a drive from campus.

BEST Poke place for the price you pay! Poke Bowl is affordable, delicious, and filling! Even for those that don't like fish, I would highly recommend this restaurant. I have brought several of my friends here in the last year and they all enjoyed their experiences. The staff is always friendly. They also give student discounts! If you have your student ID, it is 10% off! They do a great job catering to the students nearby, as they are located right off the UT campus. I have tried multiple different combinations of fish and toppings to see what I liked best, but honestly, I have enjoyed each meal I've had here. Typically, if I get a large, it is two meals for me!

I like this place for poke a lot! They have such big portions relative to poke. Poke overall is relatively expensive from $11-15 depending on your size of bowl. So this falls eighth in the price range. You get 3 proteins for a small and 4 for a large. It follows the traditional line for poke where you choose your rice or lettuce, meats, toppings, etc. I like the variability in the toppings in where they have roe, mango, and even hot cheeto dust (sounds weird but kind of good)! The service is always nice and this place is quiet, chill for a time to meet up with friends. I usually get the yellowtail, salmon, and tuna for proteins. Also, PROTIP get their mochi ice cream! Has so many different and cool flavors like black sesame, thai tea, raspberry crunch, and matcha and red bean! I'm a huge fan of mochi and there's are the best I've tried in an Austin store.

Another day, another Poké place. It's a build your own Poké bowl. At this point, your favorite place is probably wherever has your favorite toppings. They have a decent selection of toppings to choose from, and the portion size matches the price in my opinion. It's a pretty convenient spot for those by UT campus, and there are parking spots in front of the eatery. Service was quick, I went Saturday night and didn't have to wait in line. The inside is on the smaller side since a lot of people probably get their bowl to go, but it's still clean and casual. Overall not a bad spot, but not an amazing spot. Probably best if you want to satisfy your Poké fix without breaking the bank.

Food: 5 Service: 4 Ambience: 3 Location: 3 This is my GO TO Poke spot in Austin! I'm beyond sad that the restaurant is temporarily closed due to renovations (read more about that here: https://austin.eater.com/2017/11/10/16633630/poke-bowl-drunk-driver-car-crash-closed) but I'm sure that my wallet is happy; I was seriously eating here maybe twice a week at one point. Poke Bowl is a make-your-own-poke-bowl spot that offers a number of traditional and innovative toppings, including edamame, seaweed salad, hot cheetos (?!) and more! This is one of the few poke spots that also serve yellowtail and scallops along with the traditional tuna and salmon. There's rarely a wait whenever I go in, so I would say that it takes me maybe 20 minutes tops to go in and out with my poke bowl - great option for those who are looking for a healthy and quick meal in between classes or after work. Poke Bowl also serves mochi ice cream for those who have a sweet tooth! My bowls end up averaging about $10 to $12. Location has a good amount of foot traffic as it's right next to the Juiceland on Guadalupe, but it can be a pain in the butt to park sometimes. I've never had too much difficulty though! The ambience is fine - since this is just a fast-casual restaurant, it's nothing to rave about but isn't terrible, either. There's a TV set up inside, so it's nice to sit and watch a football game during the fall season, and there's also a self-serve water station; there's usually a "flavored water" option (made with various fruits, such as lemon, strawberries, etc.) and a normal water option. Service is great! The staff is fairly young and they're always striking up a conversation with me. They're sweet and efficient at what they do. PRO TIP: There's a student discount, so it's great for students on the go who need to grab something quick, tasty and healthy in between classes! To my knowledge, the discount is only applicable to bowls and a valid Student ID must be presented at check out. TLDR: In my opinion, this is the BEST poke spot in Austin! It's a make-your-own-bowl poke spot right next to Guadalupe and Juiceland. It's a bit difficult to park, depending on how busy Guadalupe can be, but it's SO good and there are a number of toppings to choose from.

Ordered Poke Bowl today for lunch drop. There's usually one or two poke options throughout the week, and I've been consistently impressed by them! Some favorites include "Me So Poke" and "Poke House". Through this, I've gained some amount of experience with Poke options here, and I have to say, Poke Bowl is the first order I've had that has "missed the mark". Here's why: 1. Had a few pieces of REALLY funky yellowtail. Some of the "fishiest" I've had. I usually trust Poke places to have some level of freshness, and I didn't get it here. 2. A little bit more expensive than other places, yet less food and food options. This is the first place that was missing some of my favorite options like pineapple, scallions, dried onions, crab salad, and beyond that, they didn't give much of what I did order. Another big minus --- if you charge more, provide more or at least the same amount of value. Ultimately, these things discourage me from ordering from / visiting Poke Bowl for another. I've had the other dishes from lunchdrop as well, and they exceeded expectations, whereas Poke Bowl falls flat.

Let's start off with OH MY GOODNESS POKE IS NOW NEXT DOOR TO UT! Ok... so I came there for the soft opening ....So let's break down my visit! Location: Like I said it's next to UT, but maybe a bit of a walking distance if you're a student. Parking was a nightmare. There are only about 15 spots in the parking lot for this and juiceland. There's probably another store in this little shopping center so with that being said, ugh thinking about parking gives me a migraine. Environment: I really like how they set up the place with definitely lots of place to sit especially for such a small shop. I like the woodsy design and the clear tall glasses for you to see the toppings. Food: Even though I was there for the 40% off, I still think it's pretty expensive for a portion that's the size of an appetizer. Literally an hour after this place, I was hungry again. I do like the salmon, it's comparable to sushi Junai salmon, but not kome. It's kind of strange that they would charge $1 extra for seaweed when they gave you like 20 strands of it. However, the food tasted good! I really love the combination of the masago with everything in your bowl. I am not a fan of spicy, but the spicy mayo was not spicy at all! Overall, I like this place, but I probably won't come back since I thought it was already pricey when it was 40% off! Obviously I have a college student mindset, so my budget may be different from others! This place is definitely a nice place to try out poke!

Hmmm. I think the trick with cashing in on food trends these days is coming up with something better than your competition, and I just didn't see that here. I'll give them props for their tofu option, but when you can get a ginormous vegetarian burrito around the corner at Cabo Bob's for two-thirds the price, who cares? How many vegheads are going to Poké places anyway? Nothing wrong with the fish & toppings I had, and the place itself is cool. But if you know anything about guitars, Poké Bowl struck me as short-scale portions at full length pricing, even with the grand opening discounts. I left here thinking my regular-sized bowl was a good but expensive app. The bottom line is if UT is your hood, and you're not concerned about parking, then your Poké prayers have probably been answered. For the rest of us, I'm curious to see how this place ranks on your Austin Poké list.

Unfortunately I have to lower my rating of this restaurant, due to the absolutely horrific "service" my partner received last week. We pulled up to Poke Bowl around 2:30? PM on Sunday, September 22nd. I was excited to show my partner this new-to-me poke restaurant I recently discovered. We both like poke, and were raring to dig in to some fish bowls. The restaurant was pretty quiet, it was after lunch rush and there were a couple of employees working. I had my bowl prepared by an amiable female employee. Communication can be a little difficult at Poke Bowl at times as I have noticed some of their employees are not quite fluent in English. That's totally fine with me. Life is a journey, and we are all learning new things every day. I'm not going to sweat the small stuff. Unfortunately, I don't think the late 20s / early 30s asian male with glasses who ended up building my partner's bowl shares this sentiment. Their exchange started with a rather brusque inquiry as to the size of the bowl and what kind of rice. When my partner asked him to repeat himself he seemed very upset and started being nasty and rushing her. He was very annoyed when she asked for soy sauce, simply stating something along the lines of "we have multiple sauces with soy sauce" without elaborating at all. As she was deciding what vegetables & toppings she wanted he looked visibly agitated, passive aggressively telling her to "take your time" (trust me, it was not conveyed in a manner that could in any way be construed as pleasant). And it's not as if it was the middle of lunch rush or something - there was one other woman waiting to be served. The worst part is that I think this disparaging treatment was racially motivated. My partner has a noticeable accent and is still working towards full fluency in English. When the man moved on to start building the next woman's bowl, who had an American accent and didn't ask him to repeat himself once, his disposition did a complete 180. Respectful, patient, the whole nine yards. I guess he figured that someone who can express themselves more fluently might not stand for his BS. I'm not the guy who goes around feeling slighted by imaginary poor treatment from service workers. I almost never have issues with people working in the service industry. But I can definitely tell when something is off. I don't know what convinced this guy that he can go around treating people like shit at his job, but it definitely wasn't either me or my partner's behavior. 2 stars because both our bowls were really delicious. I think I'll start hitting up the North location instead.