Poké It Up

Favorite poke place in town. I was a frequent when leaving nearby. Even after I moved, I still called for delivery time after time and was never disappointed. Perfect takeout packaging. Nice bag, clean bowl, and everything was packed with care. As I said, I love poke bowl here. A lof of sides to choose from and it’s delicious. The protein seems fresh too. The sauce was right at the perfect amount (you know how some places give you too little or too much sauce, worsen the poke bowl experience). They also have amazing boba milk tea/fruit tea. I don’t expect much from boba milk tea sold at non-specialty store but their drinks were surprisingly very decent and tasted super good. I ordered a lot. Both the milk tea and the cheese foam tea are good.

Though I’m trying to eat less fish due to the damage caused by overfishing & some of the industry, this place is one of my favorite Poké options when I’m craving it. All the ingredients are really fresh and their portions are generous compared to other places. Photos of a bowl and wrap.

Yummy poke with some fun options like yellowtail fish, mango sauce, and pickled carrots. Nice variety from toppings I am used to seeing.

Not bad! We came in around 8:15 which was a tad late, but they still served us with smiles which was super nice. Got the strawberry boba, a little too sweet for me. The spicy salmon was really good though!

unless my taste buds are destroyed or something, I literally do not understand how this place has as many stars as it does. The food that i tasted had the same texture of unflavored mashed potatoes that was just drenched in eel sauce that they pawned as some house special. the food that is served here is honestly a disgrace to the vibrant and rich hawaiian community. for me to pay $25 is an abomination.

Super yummy and fresh, hit the spot. Ordered older pickup and it was ready in 5 min. Medium quantity, but a good serving of fish.

Such a good deal for a fresh and delicious poke bowl. The tofu as a topping is incredible. I used to go here all the time when I lived in ballston

TLDR: Treat it like fast food, and you’ll have a fabulous experience! The only fresh fast food in the world! Love that I can run in and grab something fresh in under a few minutes. Saw some complaints about quality from a year ago. I cannot speak on other people’s experience,I have been eating here within the last six months, and I have only had excellent food with quality fish here in my experience. As far as service goes, here is my mentality: These folks are trying to make it as fast as possible, which in Arlington, when you can only park for a certain amount of time, is pretty helpful. That being said, Ive gotten some pretty nasty looks from one or two of the servers multiple times. But that’s honestly what most food service is like in NOVA/DC area, even at nice places. No weird dialogue or shadiness, they make a bowl, I pay, we both go on our way and it’s no drama. Definitely don’t judge the servers who are just quiet, theres sometimes just a language barrier at play, which in our region is pretty normal. Theres two other ladies in particular who work there that are always incredibly kind and accommodating. So, you kind of get what you get in regards to service. I personally don’t judge too much on the service because I really treat this like fast food. It’s refreshing when it’s the kind servers, and just regular annoying when it’s the glaring ones. Definitely a little overpriced, and not traditional Hawaiian style, but I dare you to find anything that’s not fried in the area for under $18 at this point. Even businesses gotta pay these rent prices. Atmosphere is fine, Ive eaten in a couple times with no issue!

Very very rude employees, lady looked at me stupid when I told her I needed a water cup with a lid because I was taking it to go and about to head to the airport. The places is trendy and cute inside. Food tasted fine. That's the only reason I gave it 5 stars, considering I went 20 mins out of my way to go to this place I will not return again.

Solid poke place in Ballston. This is as standard as your poke bowl experience can get. You work your way down the line specifying how you want your bowl built, and pay accordingly. The fish tasted good and all the toppings were done well.

My coworker and I came here for lunch since it was fairly close by. I've had a lot of poke before, and this place was disappointing. I made my own bowl and picked my base, protein, toppings, and sauces.The portions were small, and nothing really had much flavour. They barely put any sauce which didn't help at all either. Neither of us finished our bowls. Even though there wasn't a line, we felt rushed to order. We both got a caramel bubble tea, which just tasted like bitter chocolate milk. My coworker tried getting an exchange or refund after taking a sip and was told they don't do that... The restaurant itself looks like it's half finished because of the layout. I also don't believe they had the AC turned on. For the price we paid, I would not recommend this place.

This place absolutely took care of my craving for poké!!! Coming from living in California for a few years, I have pretty high standards for poké, and I loved the quality and portion size here. The ambiance was cute and clean - however, a lot of people walked in and took their food to go and were picking up to-go orders, so I wonder if that's more common here. Tbh that's probably what I'll do. Gluten free peeps - you will absolutely love this place and feel safe here because they label everything (every food item as well as each sauce). Can't wait to return to get my poké fix!

Stopped by to check out Poke it Up since I was craving for a Poke Bowl. It's pretty straight forward where you select the size of the bowl you want with the number of toppings and type of fish. It's not unlimited toppings, so you have to choose your 7 toppings wisely to add to your bowl, and which sauce to drizzle it with. I ordered mine with sushi rice with spicy tuna and salmon as my 2 fish choices, and spicy aioli as my sauce. Overall, it tasted delicious, and I would come back for more!

Service was quick and the food was good. Fish was fresh and so was the seaweed salad!

My experience with poke it up has been nothing but positive! I generally get their large custom bowl (a bit pricey but worth it once in awhile). Squid salad is just ok, would rather get more fish protein in my bowl. Their boba's are also pretty good but they did mix mine up last delivery and gave me something else. Nonetheless, still tasty. I've primarily used Uber eats but it's taken literally less than 10 minutes for them to make my order AND deliver it. Super impressed with them and will continue to order from them.

Good tuna bowl and healthy serving of fish. The rice bowl I got was a bit heavy on the rice side. Greens are crispy and refreshing, and service is quick. It's good for a quick grab and go lunch near work.

I love Poké it Up! We both got the build your own bowls and the options they have here are amazing. Prior to the eating here, I had been to a couple Poké restaurants, but being vegetarian I felt like none of them truly hit the spot for me and felt they were lacking with the toppings. Here there are so many vegetarian toppings and the sauces are absolutely amazing. Each bite was so delicious and I'm glad this is right here in a central area in Arlington. I also got their strawberry bubble tea which did not disappoint. It's a pretty casual restaurant so you can just go in and order. I highly recommend!

My bowl was good, however there are other options in the area that have larger portion sizes and better fish quality for the price. We had the tuna bowls and did the Uber pick up. Food was made quickly upon putting in the order.

Quality poke and the mango slush was good as well. Wish they would give more avocado.

Great poke option in Arlington! You place your order on a piece of paper and hand it off to the employees to create your bowl. You are able to choice between 2-3 scoops of protein and up to 7 toppings. I tried the salmon and the spicy tuna, both were really fresh but I preferred the salmon more. Their shoyu and eel sauce were a great combo! They also have premade bowls as well if you don't feel like creating your own. Portion size was pretty decent but They have a big interior with a lot of seating available. You can also order boba as well!

This place is amazing. Very fresh ingredients, , clean, very generous portions. One of the best places to get a Poke bowl in VA! They have good service.my fav is Eel

Wow! This place has some of the best poke I've ever had! The restaurant itself if immaculately clean and brightly lit and cutely designed and the ordering process is quick and easy! The fish is fresh and tasty. Good selection of toppings and sauces too. Highly recommend stopping by here for some poke if you're in the area :) Will definitely be back!

Ordered delivery from here and it could be my new favorite place if there was just one small change! I got the large which at other Poke places is usually too much food (like the one in Ballston Market) but this one I was still a little hungry after. However, as one of the fish options they had white tuna which I've never seen at the poke places I've been to which I loved. Everything including the fish tasted really fresh. It would've been nice if they mixed the sauces in a little bit better though. Will definitely try them again!

Poké it Up is where I recently discovered my love for Poké bowls! They are super quick and reliable with their service and always have fresh ingredients. I tend to customize my bowls with spicy tuna, fruits, vegetables, and a spicy mango & wasabi aïoli and it's always super tasty and flavorful! I really enjoy their strawberry bubble tea as well and the fact that you can customize the sugar level. I've never eaten in the restaurant but they have ample places for seating. I usually pick up my order and it's always ready within 15 minutes! There is an area out front for pick-up as well. Definitely my go to poké place in Arlington!

Poke it up is my go to place for when you have the poke bowl hankering. The food is fresh and tasty, and they generously offer up to seven toppings. The price is a very good deal too given the inflation craziness

First, I have been here many times. During the pandemic, this became a staple and we appreciated the small business doing a great job during trying times. Now I wish it had stayed that way, but alas, it hasn't. Case in point: ordered two standard bowls for dinner on Friday. Very little fish, rice is dry, toppings are meager. Soy sauce and ponzu sauce? Nowhere to be seen. Hopefully they will fix it. Until then, we will find another poke restaurant.

Lots of great choices. Good sized portions. Fresh and tasty!

Pretty solid place for a quick eat as the line was short when I went this past week. I got double spicy salmon and I liked the variety of toppings. I really enjoyed the spicy salmon! Salmon was pretty tasty and fatty, but I feel like some cuts looked more like sashimi than poke. Overall, it was still delicious. Solid choice for a relatively lighter meal compared to other restaurants in the area. My friend got the jasmine green milk tea boba here which was surprisingly good! There was a strong tea flavor which I prefer and the boba was a nice and chewy texture. I wouldn't have expected it to be good since this place is a poke restaurant, but I will definitely get the boba with my poke the next time I come.

My "go to" for Poke in Arlington. The staff is is so nice and patient especially if trying it for the first time! I typically get the Signature Poke Bowl, Volcano Poke Bowl or Ahi Bowl, no crabmeat.

Good spot for a quick bite to eat. You place your order on a piece of paper and hand it to the guy on the line to make. You can either make your own or choose from one of their premade options (3-4 choices). A regular size bowl comes with a choice of 2 proteins for ~$12. I ordered the salmon and spicy tuna. Additionally, you can choose up to 7 toppings. I do wish they let you choose a bit more, although it was nice I didn't have to pay extra for the avocado and masago. The poke was fresh and there were a wide variety of toppings to pick from. Parking was pretty easy just right around the block for metered street parking.

New Ballston poke spot alert! Located a short walk from the Ballston/GMU Metro station in a very modern glassy space. The store has a clean new feel with an open concept and the poke is pretty good. Satisfying poke with pretty big portions. I came late on a Wednesday night and built a custom large (3 proteins) bowl. Their spicy salmon and ahi tuna were quite mild. They let you choose 7 additional toppings, which can consist of a variety of things from mango to classic seaweed salad. Definitely try their tofu skin toppings it's one topping that I haven't seen really elsewhere. They also have almost 8 different crunchies to top it off. Everything was very fast and efficient. Definitely want to try their bubble tea and other drinks. They also had eel which was out by the time I had come so I'll definitely be back to try a second... and probably third round.

Quick, good, tasty. Convenience and good value in a great lunch time favorite. Worth it

I've been to several poke places all over the DMV area, from Poki DC, to Pokeworks and to random poke restaurants in several malls; I have to say that this place takes the cake on the best poke place I've ever been to. Previously, I thought it would be hard to beat my previous favorite since Poki DC had great fish, but this places blows everything out of the water. I've been going here for the past 6-9 months and have ordered maybe 5+ times from here. Every single time has been nothing short of truly amazing. From the portion size, to fish quality, to toppings, and to even the sushi rice, everything was perfect. I haven't tried anything else but their Hawaiian bowl because I really can't believe anything else can beat that. Perhaps one day I'll gather the courage to try a new menu item. All in all, I'm just amazed at how this place can give such large portions of fish for such great quality. The price isn't the cheapest but it is 100% worth it. Get the Hawaiian bowl.

I really wanted to like this place a lot as I live very close by. The service is great and fast, but I can't help but say that the bowls are $1-3 overpriced. The flavors just don't justify the higher than usual prices, but given the convenience and options, I would give it a 4.

Today was my very first visit at this restaurant, and the place was recommended reccomended to me from a couple of colleagues at work. I definitely like the concept and healthy food options of creating your own bowls, so I walked on o errands here and ordered my bowl to go. There were a few other customers already seated I side of the restaurant and I was able to place my order quickly. I went for the regular bowl size with brown rice, shrimp, and crabmeat as the mix. For the toppings I chose cucumber, pineapples, green o ions, tomatoes, jalapeno pepers, and ginger. After creating my own customized owl, I noticed some of the signature prepared bowls that they offer, and they looked delicious as well. Perhaps the next time that I come here I will order one of those. The only drawback that I noticed a out this restaurant is that it seems unkempt with a lot of cardboard boxes, brooms, and whatnot scattered within the dining room itself.

Not all Poke It Up places are the same. This one had the best poke I've ever had. Lots of fish, very fresh, delicious sauces. The drink was fantastic too

3.5 stars. Really fresh and big chunks of fish. However, I think I will ask to remove the seaweed salad in my next visit since it made the rice a little slimy. I got the signature bowl. The sauce was also a little on the sweet side.

This started out as a nice clean restaurant, but it's turned into a nasty mess. There are boxes and equipment lying around. I even saw a ladder right next to the bar. So basically they are using the open space as a storage area. The staff doesn't speak much English and it's hard to understand what they are saying. And then there is a certain smell that is not very confidence inspiring. I most felt like throwing up here. Won't be coming back unless they clean up.

WTF, the woman behind the counter shovelled 2-day old CRUSTY, inedible sushi rice into my bowl. The employees clearly don't care about the quality of food. If the rice is this old, I'm NOT trusting the quality of their seafood. Hard pass, never coming back again.

I only discovered Poke It Up because of Uber Eats, and I'm so glad that I did! Their bowls are consistently delicious (love their sesame dressing sauce) and the fish is really fresh. Love that they do sushirittos as well -- and the regular size is not ridiculous so it still feels cohesive and is able to be truly handheld (unlike some other places where they're so huge and stuffed so full they're fork-and-knifers, heh.) I also like that you can get boba from here as well. I'm sure I'll be a continuing customer!

I was in the mood for something fairly healthy and decided to try Poké It Up for the first time via DoorDash! I ordered the Signature Poke Bowl with brown rice and salad, and Thai Iced boba tea. Overall, the meal was good, portion was ok, but it was a bit rice heavy to protein and leaned on the sweet side -- I think it could've been the eel sauce or spicy mayo? My thai iced boba tea would've been better if they provided a straw though! So a bit disappointing when it costs $5.75 and you can't really drink it! But overall, it was A-Ok and would recommend if you're in the mood for poké.

I guess management recently changed. I came in right as they opened. I was the only customer in the store, and there was one pickup order they were prepping. I always come in and order the same thing every Sunday. A large bowl with 3 fish, and about 10 toppings depending on what I'm in the mood for. Today was different. They refused to service me despite no one else being in the store and told me to fill out a full 8.5x11 sheet (wasting paper) then they made me prepay rather than watch them build my bowl (not a big deal I suppose, they always get it right when I say things one at a time) then they built half the bowl and then told me I was limited to 6 toppings... At this point had I not already paid I would have walked out. Finally after rethinking what nearly half of my toppings to remove - remember I get just about the same thing every Sunday so I've got a habit - I was hastily handed my bag. I won't be coming back, I don't know what management changed here, but if I wont be treated with such disrespect by service staff. The poke bowl in the Ballston Mall doesn't treat customers this way, I've always come here because it's more convenient to park on the street and run in and be out in under 5 minutes but I'll be moving my business to the mall.

I ordered a Poke Bowl to go from Poke It Up and their contactless systems was great. After ordering online, there is a window where you tell the staff member your name and they slide you the food. No muss no fuss. You aren't able to go inside but it makes the whole process quick and easy. Now for the Poke Bowl itself...I did a build my own and the ahi tuna just wasn't very good im my opinion. It was ground tuna which I did not expect (typically it is chunks of tuna in a Poke bowl) so it gave it an unpleasant consistency. The other ingredients seemed fresh and tasty, but unfortunately the tuna just turned me off. The online ordering system was easy and the Ballston location has great hours. I wish my tuna was chunks instead of mushy (personal preference), however at least their covid protocols were great!

I got a custom poké bowl! It was a good sized bowl and it was yummy! I recommend this and it was delivered pretty quickly! Very fresh tasting and I wanted a healthier dinner

I've ordered from here several times now and it's great every time! I stopped by yesterday and there was a little crowd, but we all got in and out within minutes! They have very user friendly ordering with menus and pens outside so you circle the menu with what you would like in your Poke bowl and hand it through a drawer to the cashier. The food was prepared very quickly - no more than 5 or 10 minutes and was great. The portion was huge - definitely two meals for me, and the ingredients were fresh and yummy! I'd definitely recommend trying Poke It Up if you're in the area :)

Food: 4.5/5 Really amazing poké spot! Love how they offer unagi as one of the proteins as well as having crab as a side (both make this place stand out from other poké places I've been to). All the ingredients are super fresh. Definitely check this place out!

Best boba ever!!!! The tea is fresh and the boba is still warm and fresh when you drink it. The poke bowls are also delicious.

Super yum! Decided to do something different for take-out lunch today. Super easy on-line ordering and very efficient touch-free pick-up at their improvised (for COVID caution) window in Ballston. The four of us got four different bowls - and all were absolutely fabulous. The rice was still warm, the toppings cool and very fresh. The tuna and salmon tasted like they were out swimming yesterday! The variety and amount of ingredients in each bowl were very generous. Only one criticism - two of the bowls had avocado, and in both, the avocado was too hard - looked perfect, but too hard to eat. Otherwise everything was perfect. We will most definitely be doing this again.

Poke it Up is a clean, modern looking place that serves poke and boba. Unlike other restaurants that serve boba, they actually have a good variety of teas. They have warm, cold, and even slush drinks. The poke is great and the price I'd pay for any poke bowl, so it's not too expensive depending on what you get. I stuck with a regular bowl. Larger bowls may run you up to $15. Although the poke was good, I originally found this place by typing up boba and from the reviews, this is the only boba place in Ballston and it's actually really good! I got the Thai Iced Tea and if you were wondering like I was, they brew the tea from leaves instead of making the tea with powder like other places. At the places I get boba, the Thai tea is always sort of watery but this one had a nice flavor similar to the one you'd get from a Thai restaurant. Overall, really good meal and good, quick service. So happy I found this place so I can get boba on my breaks.

The food was OK but the delivery ruined it... literally. Poke it Up was supposed to provide contact-less delivery, drop off my order and then call or text me so I know it's at my door. At the end of my delivery window I glanced out the window and saw a bag sitting on my stoop. It was my food, containing raw seafood, left in the 100+ degree heat. No text, call, doorbell ring, or even a knock on the door. I think it this day and age, after paying a delivery fee and (considerable) tip (in advance) it's reasonable to be told when a food order has been dropped off. Maybe I'll try this place again... once I'm sure they've worked through their delivery issues.

I really hate writing this because, I really like getting dinner here. I just wanted to share a situation that happened to me this evening. Thursday, July 1, 2021 at 4:30 PM. Every time I go in my food is fresh and it's delicious. The workers there are very sweet and kind, and they take care of me well. Today, there was a young lady in there. It looked like she was busy preparing to go orders. She acted like I was a nuisance and she talked to me very aggressively. She was just downright rude. I also asked for an extra topping of crab and she put two pieces in my bowl. Mind you I had to pay for that extra crab. I feel like I'm going to give this place another chance only because every other time I've had a wonderful experience going here. It would just be nice if everybody was on the same page as far as customer service. Also, I noticed that the other ladies noticed her bad behavior. It seem like there was a little bit of negative energy between her and the rest of the crew.

Food is good, service is bad, one start for the staff, she seems not happy to serve me! And and gave me attitude for she doesn't understand me!

Absolutely horrified by what I just went through at this establishment. Ordered food and sat down to eat, and starting to hear zapping noises. I look up to see a man swatting gnats and flies in the kitchen and near the food that was being served. There was so many zaps, I couldn't believe he was actually zapping bugs near the food. Not able to take another bite, we all threw away the rest of my food. $60 dollars worth. When I told the woman behind the counter, she laughed and said okay. I looked in the back and the rice cooker was right next to a trash can with TONS of gnats around it. Absolutely horrifying to see at a restaurant you have been ordering online from for over a year.

I traveled to this neighborhood and saw this newly open poke bowl place. I'm always a big eel fan but most of the poke places I went do not have the option. Tried their eel bowl with boba milk tea, the eel are fresh and tasty. I got free Milk tea from their soft opening promotion. Staffs were friendly, overall it's a good choice for poke bowl.

Tasty poke spot with fast and friendly service and plenty of outdoor seating. The portions are a tad small compared to other poke places in the area (not least because you can only select up to 7 toppings, in addition to protein).

I finally tried out Poke it Up and wasn't disappointed. I ordered ahead and got a custom bowl with spicy salmon and chicken (next time Ill try the spicy tuna). The fish tasted fresh and had a great mouth feel, and they definitely don't skimp you on the toppings or the sauce. Next time I may even order extra sauce on the side. I got a jasmine milk tea with boba and they followed instructions to the t, with it not being too sweet like I like.

Fast fresh and delicious with a good serving size and friendly service. Highly recommend, love it!