Poke Cafe

Hate to give a bad review but others people should know. Food tastes great and for the most part the workers have always been nice. I live across the street so for ease I go there sometimes multiple times a week. Today was the first day I had to walk out. Recently they have hired a young gentleman. He is not good for the company at all. 1. Sanitation - I’ve seen him work on a leak in the sink halfway through making my sandwich. Take the gloves off and then continue to make my sandwich without gloves. Another time he had one glove on and was shoving the ingredients into my sandwich with his ungloved hand. The next time he went to do that I asked he wear gloves. 2. I’ve seen him turn people away with over 30 minutes left in opening time. 3. The kicker - they magically don’t have the food I’ve ordered for the past year every time I go in and he’s working. I just now went in at 5pm and ordered a sandwich and he said they didn’t have the meat. Then I was like can I get a musubi, and they didn’t have that either. What’s sad was as soon as he walked out I thought, wow I’m not going to get to order. I’m just going to leave every time I see him working now.

I visited this restaurant while waiting for a tire replacement. I ordered the vermicelli bowl with pork, but it was nothing special. The overall dining experience was not great, as I felt the establishment was not fully prepared or equipped for dine-in customers. The space felt a bit disorganized, and the service was lacking. While the food was edible, it did not stand out and did not meet my expectations. I would not recommend this as a destination for a sit-down meal, but it may be suitable for a quick takeout option if you're in the area and in a hurry.

Just before stepping into this café, my sister and I had a full-on argument because we got lost thanks to Google Maps! We were giving each other the silent treatment the whole way there. But as soon as we sat down with our drinks, we couldn’t help but laugh about it.

Ordered a poke bowl, bahn mi, and a boba smoothie and all were excellent. The ingredients were fresh, the meat was very flavorful, and the sauces were great! I was also happy about the size of the selection for vegetables and toppings.

A small Poke and a Banh Mi Sandwich. They do what they do well. Fresh and lots of options including brown rice or salad or both. Friendly and easy to find.

Delicious poké, friendly staff, and wholehearted food. Well worth the money, and they thank you deeply for supporting them especially right now, as they're a small business in times of varying COVID regulations. Give them some love and get some delicious food! There's smiles all around and gorgeous ingredients every time. Try their food and their tea, you won't be disappointed :)

Needed a quick bite to eat before heading out to the mountains. Hard to pass up a Banh mi and Vietnamese coffe. Poke delivered, my gf got the pho beef dip, this was new and she enjoyed it. Would recommend….oh and great music!

I have been going to this poke place since I moved to the North gate area , FRIENDLY environment I cannot express how much I love the workers, they are an amazing family altogether a very respectful and mindful place I am so happy they have a better place for their business they deserve more upgrades in their life's and company!!!! I love bringing people to grab a bite here ,me and my fiance are frequents of this place for their blended smoothies ,their spam Mitsubishi, their spring rolls, ..YES YES YES .❤️ Absolutely a hit.

Loved the poke bowl! It was delicious! The restaurant is welcoming and the owners are very attentive! Must try!

They are super stingy with their portions and the food is average. The service was decent, the staff looked like they didn't want to be there.

Came here for a little snack after going to target. I ordered the pho banh mi and it was decent. I dipped the banh mi in the broth and it got the bread a bit soggy. I think this is a unique approach in combining both banh mi and pho. The flavour was just okay, nothing that stands out compare to other banh mi spots I've been to. They also serve poke here too.

This is a favorite spot of mine. The poke and Banh mi sandwiches are great! I'm also a fan of their milk teas or blended smoothies. They can't compete with a store that only sells milk tea, but it hits the spot. Great ambience and very clean. The employees are always super friendly!

SIX STAR REVIEW IF I COULD, THE FOOD HERE IS INCREDIBLE I absolutely adore the available selections on their menu-- all the options are displayed on a screen on the wall, and you get to watch and direct the creation of your meal, Subway-style. Everything I've tried tastes absolutely h e a v e n l y and it is WELL worth your time and money to visit. I've never yet had a bowl whose ingredients flavors and textures didn't scream "fresh, fragrant, a delicious work of culinary art." It's no overstatement to call this place one of my favorite restaurants, if not just straight up my favorite. There's a comfortable range of options in terms of both dishes and ingredients-- not as many as some restaurants, and it shows in the best way; they're extremely g o o d at what they do by specializing. They've just moved to a newer location, and the ambiance is bright, clean, and comfortable. The walls are mostly large windows, with accurate poster depictions of the food they serve wrapping along the lower half of/them-- offering ample street privacy but flooding the room with a welcoming dose of natural light. The people working here might be some of the most friendly people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting in food service-- everyone is very open and welcoming, and in my experience, eager to share a conversation and very, very sweet I feel like I really can't overstate how g o o d the food is without turning the review into something completely unintelligible. It's so, so, so delicious, I will take a bite and straight up swoon-- you know how when you eat a dish for long enough, you eventually get used to and even tired of the taste? THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN HERE. This is the only restaurant I've gone to whose food just doesn't get old-- not to throw the other places I love under the bus, but this is an experience unique to Poke Cafe for me. I don't think there's vocabulary to properly express the experience, unless you ask me to wax poetry about it, but even that can be twisted by perception, so I'll just say, for the love of god if you like Poke (or the other things they offer,) GO TO POKE CAFE. Y'all know that phrase "A Diamond in the Rough?" That's Poke Cafe. There's only one location and it kills me, as a college student leaving Seattle during the school year, every time I remember that. Holiday breaks are not for holidays, they're for coming back to Poke Cafe. Enough said. About The Pictures: - I will admit that the avocado this time was somewhat messily cut/scooped, but it still tasted D I V I N E and the look didn't mess with that so honestly, who cares - Listing the additional toppings: Crab Salad, Masago, Cucumber, Jalapeño Peppers, Cilantro, Ginger, Avocado, Edamame, Furikake, Garlic Chips-- I think that's everything? - All the toppings above are included according to your preference, except the Avocado which is a small additional charge. You can also pick between brown or white rice, salad greens, or half-and-half of the prior options for a base. - The cilantro here might just be some specific variety I've never had,,, but it's especially fragrant - I'll admit I've only had their Poke, but I've picked up a Bah Minh for a friend, and said friend is also enamored with the food

Okay so, I will say, at least the bubble tea I got from here a few months ago was fantastic - honestly, top tier. Possibly the best bubble tea I've had in Seattle The boba was the perfect texture and taste, the sweetness level was perfect, and the flavor was natural instead of artificial. It's hard to find this trifecta. Unfortunately, I got poke from here for the first time the other day, and every poke bowl I've tried in Seattle was better than this one. They go really light on the fish and toppings compared to other shops, and that goes for the sauce as well. The fish was sort of bland. The rice was very hot and it warmed up all the ingredients quite a bit. There were big, rubbery, sticky, overcooked rice chunks at the bottom that absorbed the majority of the sauce. The "make your own bowl" setup was pretty confusing and not well labeled, so I didn't get to nail down what I wanted in my bowl. Going forward, I'll remember that Just Poke is right down the street. I honestly feel kind of bad leaving this review, because the lady behind the counter was SO positive and friendly both times. I will come back to try their bahn mi soon - and I'll get a bubble tea when I do.

Absolutely delicious food and such a sweet family! Kim (the owner and matriarch) is amazing! Food is fresh and I love their coconut smoothie. Best part is their chicken is halal! Love that!

Because of the construction at Northgate Mall, there were very limited food options around the area. Luckily, this little shop was located in the same area as Target where my boyfriend and I planned to go, so we decided to check it out! It's located on the third floor (ground level) of the Northgate North Mall closer to NE Northgate Way. There's a huge parking structure with ample parking as it also homes Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, and Petco. We originally walked in thinking it was just poke that they served but NOPE. They had a variety of different Vietnamese foods like banh mi and vermicelli. Just not pho sad. I got the Pho Dip which came with a beef banh mi. The sandwiches were HUGE. Much bigger than the ones I'm used to back in Hawaii. I did not know what banh mi I was actually getting, and it was definitely not the one I expected at all LOL. It was beef but the beef was heavily covered in a sauce. Not too sure if it's BBQ sauce or something else. It had good flavor but the sauce was a bit overbearing to me. However, the pho broth on the side did help ease the heaviness of the sandwich. Unlike other banh mi sandwiches I'm used to, there wasn't as much vegetables on it. Probably because the sandwiches themselves were much bigger than the ones I'm used to. The BBQ pork banh mi, on the other hand, was much much better! Definitely didn't have that weird sauce, yes! I ended up trading my sandwich for the BBQ pork sandwich with my boyfriend LOL. The quality and prices of the banh mi aren't bad at all! Probably will try the poke and vermicelli the next time I visit. They also have a huge selection of drink options including boba and Vietnamese coffee!

The staff is nice but the poke bowl was terrible. Fish was okay? But the rice was dry and the ingredients tasted old. Couldn't even finish my bowl and worried I'll feel sick later. The edamame was just old tasting as well as the cucumber,

I came to try their Bahn mi and Bubble tea today with my son. Super cute new location! I had tried their bubble tea at their last location near Target and always loved it. We happened to be nearby after a haircut and we were both craving a Bahn mi and knew this spot usually has them and thought we would see their new location. The owner is a total sweetheart! She went out of her way to welcome us and treat us with Amazing Service! The sandwiches were very fresh delicious and really filling. The tea is perfect not overly sweet but still Very flavorful. Many other flavor options available. We got the Taro milk tea an8d Honeydew smoothie. Definitely will be back to try other menu items!! We love this place!

I got a grilled pork bahn mi here tonight and it was 1.) so juicy and delicious!! 2.) enormous!! 3.) under $8!! My partner got the tuna poke bowl and loved it. The food is delicious and the service is so friendly! I can tell this is going to be a favorite spot for us!

I thought the service here was great but I have had better poke before. I think the portions are great sizes but I wished I liked their sauces more. I haven't tried anything else though.

Love the new location. Nice and spacious inside and great customer service. The BBQ pork banh mi was delicious! I can't wait to go back.

We got the bahn mi dip, tofu vermicelli bowl and coconut smoothie. All were very delicious. The bahn mi had a nice crispy bread and plentiful with the fillings. A but too much hoisin but still tasty. Smoothie was refreshing and a nice complement to the spicy jalapeño.

Service was quick. The place was clean. Staff was nice. I wasn't a fan of the Thai tea at all. Not authentic. They use some kind of liquid granulated sugar syrup to sweeten it. Not sweetened condensed milk like they're supposed to. So if you're looking for authentic Thai tea skip this place. Their Bahn mi was alright but not the best I've ever had.

Came across this poke spot during my visit. Excellent food and customer service. Will be coming back soon Reasonable prices.

Grand Opening at new location! 540 NE Northgate Way, Seattle, WA 98125 (Old Starbucks location).

Pros: The staff was great and very helpful. Cons: The prices did not match the quality of the food. I was sorely disappointed in the taste of the fish and rice. I bit into a piece of the tuna and there was something hard in it. I also got the spam musubi and it was unfortunately not cooked, the rice tasted like it was two days old, and there was no flavor. 2/5 stars

As another reviewer said, their poke is "not bad." Why is it that I only give them 3 stars? Portion Size: Modest, particularly their scoop of poke is tiny. Cleanliness: Their restaurant does not "feel" clean. I hesitated to go in, but knowing that their King County food safety rating is "excellent," I was able to force myself to walk in. When I saw their poke, I almost left the restaurant. They have several kinds of poke, but there was only a very small amount (3~5 scoops) of each was left, which made me wonder how long they had been sitting there! "Verdict" Despite the not-very-flattering average rating, I decided to go in here because there are few poke places in the Northgate area. I did not get a stomachache or anything, but this restaurant is not clean enough for me. If I had a poke emergency and if I happen to be in the area, I would return here. Otherwise, I would not and would I not recommend this restaurant as there are quite a few decent poke places in Seattle. ****************************** If you found something useful in my review, please hit "useful" so that I can improve my reviews. If you love food and traveling, follow me, or better yet, let's become friends on Yelp! Thank you and happy Yelping!

I got the regular poke with spicy salmon and tuna. The portions are ok but the problem I had was that there were bones in my fish :(

10/10 atmosphere and customer service! The seating is very open and a nice place to sit down, eat, and relax. I'm from 'Oahu, and the Hawaiian reggae music was a nice touch to the place. I got the poke bowl, bahn mi, and milk tea. The tuna seems fresh, and the spicy mayo sauce is very flavorful!

Great new spot to satisfy my poke & bubble tea cravings! The staff was so kind & friendly, the space is bright & clean, and the food/beverages are delicious! Thank you! We will definitely come again.

I had a delicious poke bowl here! I got the spicy marinade with tuna. Everything was super fresh and you can add lots of delicious toppings. I had to ask about some food restrictions for my mom's bowl and they did their best in answering or being honest if they didn't know the ingredients. Fair warning the spicy marinade plus spicy mayo does give it a good kick! I also enjoyed a taro root boba tea which was good and filled with lots of boba! Definitely recommend this place!

I hate to do this because I know it's not good for small businesses... but I've tried them twice, each time ending with frustration or disappointment. Two stars because I have not tried their poke or new addition of pho, but if their bubble tea wasn't good I can't imagine the rest. Not only was the flavor absent, but the service subpar. I ordered original black milk tea with boba, Thai milk tea, and Vietnamese coffee blend for $15 + tip. I also asked for light ice which the guy totally seem to disregard during prep even though he said yes when I ordered (I saw on another yelp post that they gave too much ice). There was SO much ice. 50% more ice than milk tea. I don't want to pay for just ice. The black milk tea tasted like plain milk (not even sweet milk!), and the Thai tea very diluted despite the rich color. My boyfriend's Viet coffee blend was flavorful, however they couldn't even strain the black beans? He had a lot of small dusty-like chunks of the coffee bean. And the boba! Ugh so not flavorful and most were clumped together, probably from being over cooked. It was difficult to get up the straw. I could've asked it to be redone, but I didn't want to cause problems. I honestly regret trying it twice. I really hope they fix things and management. In the meantime, I would skip this place and save your money.

Probably the worst poke spot I've been to from all the other spots in Seattle. Their non poke food looked kinda good but yeah not going to order poke from this place. Normal bowl came out to $15.

Food is great but the hrs posted online are not correct. I couldn't order online so I drove to order and they were closed. Also when I've been there in person one of their doors were locked and thought they were closed but by chance tried another door (which was open) since it was lunch time. It's like they are intentionally not trying to get business?? Their online menu doesn't work either. And it's not easy to know how to order from their menu in person. Good food but weird how they have these barriers to their customers. I've never seen another customer there ever. How are they still in business?

I had never had Poke before coming here. It was the closest one to my house so I gave it a try, and I am OBSESSED. That was only two weeks ago and I've come back 7 times since. I've also tried two other places and they really do not compare. They have a plethora of toppings here, which I love because I like layers of flavor. Their fish is fresh and the sauces are delicious. I cannot say enough good things about this place. I also appreciate how friendly and welcoming they were to me even though I didn't know what I was doing when I came in for the first time.

Poke café is the quintessential three star yelp. The food isn't bad, but it certainly isn't good, either. The prices aren't exorbitant, but it's not like they're a bargain. You would never recommend a friend to go there, but you wouldn't scream at them to stay the hell away, necessarily. This restaurant simply exists. That's all one can really say for it. The food... is. As my wife said, "Nobody barfed! Three stars." Indeed.

Food: I ordered the tuna poke bowl with half brown rice and half greens, Mike ordered the pork bowl, plus we got a spam musubi. My bowl was pretty good and Mike's wasn't bad either. The food was served in plastic bowls. The spam musubi was a bit disappointing. Staff: Super friendly! Very helpful and welcoming and seemed happy to have us there. Price: Normal, seemed reasonable. Atmosphere: This was my biggest negative. The place seemed a little dirty (the key to the bathroom is connected to what looked like a plastic lid, which was obviously old and not very sanitary, especially once inside the bathroom -- where are you supposed to set it?) and some of the decor didn't make sense (they had empty Cafe Du Monte coffee cans on display for example). Overall it could do with a little sprucing up.

I noticed Poke Cafe when I was at Target one day and had a craving for poke. Walking in I realized it is a Vietnamese cafe with some poke leanings. That being said the few options they have for poke are decent, but not exciting. The bowl I ordered was on the small side as far as poke bowls usually go, but it was pretty good. There isn't really much seating in here so it's kind of an awkward space. I don't know if I would come back here on my own again, but perhaps if they offered lunch specials I would be enticed. Also if they had patio tables/umbrellas/seats in the summer that would be great.

I had the most horrible experience with the girl who prepared my tea . She was very mean and disrespectful a lot of attitude. As you guys can see in the picture my cup is not full up to top . The reason is because I told her nicely to remove some of the ice and she removed everything.

Very clean, all the food is well organized and kept cold properly. They have a variety of options yet I've been to other poke places with more options, some are less. They've got good ones. Friendly helpful staff, they could wipe down the tables more frequently but it's generally clean. Definitely one of my favorite Poke places but a few improvements would make it perfect. They have a lot more options than Poke bowls, but that's my favorite. I actually started having both brown rice and salad which I love!

The poke bowl I got here was delicious. I got spicy tuna and tako. The spicy wasn't a generic spicy mayo but was a genuinely tasty sauce. Tuna was fresh and the tako was tender, which is a feat most poke places dont get right. The bad: The portion sizes are really small for the price. I paid $15 for 3 really small and sad scoops of fish. I wanted more at the end of my meal! There is also a bit of an identity crisis here. The outside of the store makes it look like a trendy poke place, but the inside looks like a no nonsense Vietnamese deli you'd find in the International District. Both are perfectly fine brands by themselves, but it doesn't work well together. You need to overly exaggerate your cleanliness when you're serving up raw fish, and the owners have cut too many corners with appearances. At the end of the day I will wholeheartedly support any small Vietnamese family owned business like this is. I really want to see thee guys do well and stick around, but there are changes that need to be made to get them out of 3 star purgatory.

We ordered 2 regular poke bowls which were 2 scoop of poke each. Each "scoop" was about 2 tablespoons of fish, no joke or exaggeration. The lady was very careful to not over fill her scooping utensil, then added 1 more cube of fish each time to make it look like she was topping us off. We ordered 1 with regular & spicy tuna and 1 with regular and spicy salmon. I didn't realize they were mixed per order or we would have just done 2 variations total. I noticed she didn't use a new container or even rinse out the containers between mixing her tablespoon of fish. Also, I'm pretty sure all restaurant employees are required to wear masks due to COVID. She was not... was that a sniffle? Won't be back. +1 star for decent flavors in the fish. I guess it all tasted like spicy tuna/salmon that wasn't even really spicy.

Let me preface by saying I'm a HUGE foodie, have a high value for quality cuisine, and love to cook. I've been here PLENTY times. First when they opened till now. Service is always excellent and so are the dishes. POKE: Incredible bang for your buck! Plus it taste just as good as when I had it in Hawaii. Spicy tuna and salmon are my personal favorites. And I normally don't like octopus but you HAVE to try the tako poke here. BOMB! Banh mi: The Pho Beef Dip! Whoever thought of this is a genius. BBQ pork used to be my fav, but this is now king. I've never seen this anywhere else. You need to try it. RAMEN: bouncy noodles, soft and perfectly cooked boil egg, and tasty umami broth. Great on those chilly days. DRINKS: Egg Vietnamese coffee. Just wow.. Basically a Vietnamese version of an eggnog latte, but better. ;) Plus it's a it's owned by a sweet Vietnamese family with in-laws from Hawaii. Can't get any more authentic than that people!

First time here to try some poke and some Vietnamese food with my family. I was welcomed with the friendly staff as they helped me choose what to get since I don't really eat poke that much. The wait time was nothing and the place was clean and followed covid protocols. The poke was really fresh, you can tell it was marinated and not old. The Vietnamese food was surprisingly good too! I would definitely come back and recommend this spot to anybody who wants to eat poke and Viet food at the same restaurant.

I really, really wanted to like this place but it wasn't very good.. it wasn't bad but pretty mediocre. And the place wasn't very clean. He was also very rushed getting us in and out. The portion of fish was small although the bowls are a good size. Unfortunately I wouldn't go back.

Here, for the low low price of $4 you can buy the worst Spam Misubi you've ever had. The slice of spam is straight out of the can (no pan fry or marinade) and they microwave the whole thing in the plastic wrap before putting it straight into your bare hand at a steaming hot temperature. If you happen to be literally starving in the area, there's a Starbucks upstairs at the Target.

Every time I go to Seattle I make it a point to get poke and the pho beef dip here! The poke is so fresh and tasty. I get all the toppings on it and the beef dip is genius! I haven't found any other place that does it! Definitely recommending this to all my friends.

Can only speak on their banh mi as I haven't tried their poke yet. Huge, it's like 10 inches long. Delicious grilled pork. Only 7.25. Great deal

the food is always fresh and made well!!! the employees are incredibly nice and patient and always are fast with their service. the ambiance of the place is very welcoming and open! the owners are incredibly kind and lighthearted and always make you smile!!!

First review! Cafe Poke is in the Ross plaza at Northgate. They serve poke and banh mi. Very unassuming. They are not a full blown Poke place but appear to be trying to capitalize on the trend. Not bad if you have a craving while shopping at Target or Ross.

Had a grilled pork banh mi, bbq pork (was like char siu) banh mi, chicken salad, Thai tea and spam musubi for family. Was all very good. Would definitely go back!

My friend and I came here after our Barre3 class to get lunch. The location is convenient since it's next to Target, Ross & Petco in Northgate. Plus there is free parking in the garage which is easily accessible and safe. We were excited to try Poke Cafe since it is a new restaurant. However, this place disappoints and is on the lower end of mediocre. The poke bowls served here are 80% rice, 20% poke. Portions are not generous, and it is overpriced for the small amount of poke you get (2 small scoops). In Hawai'i where I am from, poke is not served in such a stingy fashion like it is at Poke Cafe. Service isn't good at all. The poke bowl assembly line was poorly coordinated. The employee helping me couldn't understand me when I said I wanted edamame in my bowl. I also couldn't hear a thing he was muttering. Drinks take ages to be served, and my friend and I did not get our drinks until we were almost halfway done with our meal. The woman who served us our drinks even told us that she forgot what our drinks were. There was also barely any boba in our drinks. My friend and I looked at each other in disbelief. Boba is life (lol). I also don't understand why Banh Mi is served here. Poke and Banh Mi do not go together. It was just weird, and neither of us understood the strange combination.

Pho Beef Dip is like if a Bowl of Pho, French Dip, and a banh mi all had a baby... yeah I know it's weird because it's 3 things, but ya know... The au jus is the pho broth, the roast beef is still roast beef, the usual banh mi greens, mayo/hoisin/sriracha are the condiments, all in the crispy banh mi tay baguette. The sandwich was interesting enough and this location is convenient if you are already shopping in that Northgate Target complex and get hungry.

Review is based on the fresh rolls I got to go tonight. The peanut sauce is liquid. I mean thin as water with no flavor. The rolls have ok flavor but they are room temperature. Makes me wonder if the fresh shrimp rolls and peanut sauce have been sitting out for hours. Gross!

I ordered a regular Poke Bowl and it had just the right ratio of greens to rice to fish to toppings. And the fish! I would eat a bowl of just the tuna and salmon. It is so fresh and delicious. I went on their first day, so they were still sorting things out, but I think they'll quickly get everything settled and hit their stride. Definitely worth a visit if you're In the area.

Just stopped in as we were shopping in the area as we saw Poke. One I f our favorites. We ordered a large bowl which to our surprise came with 3 large scoops of Salmon and tuna. Over greens and other veggies. It was excellent and a good value. We also ordered a Bahn Mi. Nice size, great bread and again generous pork and veggies. All for $6. A great price for Seattle and the best we had in Seattle. As we left we said even though we live 5miles away we would come back often. Great food, great service and real fair prices.

If you're looking for some tasty poké on the go, this place hits the spot. The fish is good, portion size good, and the price is good. I also like the bubble tea. This isn't fine dining by any means, but it's perfect for a casual meal. I love that you can get salad instead of rice!! Check it out.