POKE LOA

**"Unbelievably Disappointing—Avoid at All Costs"** I’ve given this place more than enough chances, hoping for improvement, but the experience has been consistently underwhelming. After multiple orders, it’s clear that this establishment is a complete miss. Most recently, I paid an outrageous $20 for a meager 9 ounces of food. Not only was the portion shockingly small, but the quality was subpar at best. The freshness of the seafood left much to be desired, and for a city renowned for its incredible seafood options, this was a huge letdown. But what really sealed the deal was the utter lack of customer service. I attempted to contact the restaurant multiple times, leaving messages and requesting to speak with a manager—nothing. No return calls, no effort to address concerns, just silence. With so many fantastic, affordable seafood options in this city, do yourself a favor and take your business elsewhere. The overpriced, skimpy portions, and complete disregard for customer care make this a place I absolutely cannot recommend.

Ciera is fantastic 👍🏻. Me and my family came in today for take out. We was a bit all over the place lol today was our first time there we usually order through ubereats. We ordered 3 bowls in total the behind the counter employee managed to make all 3 poke bowls correct by herself with an great attitude even recommend a few sauces because we wanted to try a new bowl instead of king loa. Overall great food 🍱 great staff 😎.

My girlfriend and I had poke loa at the magazine location. We asked for mango boba instead of strawberry boba. I received strawberry boba instead of the flavor I asked for . Also the crab salad has a weird smell. My avocado had a sticker on it which is not sanitary was mushy brown. Also was charged full price instead of this week special for drinks. This is absolutely ridiculous🤦🏻‍♀️

My wife and I always eat at poke loa We enjoy our delicious poke bowls very often. Customers service awesome food awesome atmosphere awesome. We will continue to come to poke loa. It’s kind of an addiction at this point.

This is by far the WORST poke I’ve ever had. Maybe the ratings are decent here bc most the people eating it have never had poke that was legit, or poke that actually tasted delicious… but this place ain’t it!!! What a waste of money. I have tried it two times now and I won’t ever go back, I couldn’t even eat more than a few bites of the poke bowl or soup bc it is trash. They loaded the bowl with tons of rice (that was overcooked), tuna is obviously not fresh, plus they gave very little of it, I paid extra for avocado and there was only two small pieces of it, they don’t put sufficient sauce & mix it in the bowls well so it was dry, & most the ingredients are not fresh or well balanced in bowl. It was mostly rice and some greens and very little else. Oh and the Thai soup was AWFUL too. No thank you…. It’s tragic this is the primary place for poke in NOLA

The poke is good. I typically go to the one in Metairie, but went to the magazine location today. The service was horrible. The worker was very short with us, he made a mess while making our bowls such as flinging chili oil and aoili all over the place. He didn’t speak loud or clearly, and overall was very unfriendly. And I think the worst part of it all was that neither he or the other girl greeted us or told us to have a good day. The guy had glasses and the girl had long hair. Unprofessional work ethics. If you want pokeloa, just go to the one in Metairie.

Onions have a weird smell/ taste Mangos are very mushy Avocados are mushy and brown ( I guess they giving out mushy small avocados because it’s free 🤷🏼‍♀️) but that’s ridiculous Overall I give this place an 1 star review, the bowls are $12-18 for low quality food also I don’t think a restaurant should be playing music with profanity lyrics that’s not okay. Sometime me and my little sister comes in and dine in that’s very unprofessional of an businesses

Poke Loa getting really stingy with portions! Just a couple bites take out of a large bowl 😭 I’ll try Lemon Shark next time

Poke Loa is situated on a corner street on the eclectic magazine street in uptown New Orleans! They have outdoor seating but we have been so hot, so we sat inside. The building itself is a nice crisp white with pops of color! The inside is very clean! We walked in and were served right away! The girl making our food was nice and answered our questions! We both got homemade lemonades! It was so refreshing made with organic sugar! I ordered the poke bowl with rice noodles, salmon, squid salad, crab salad, spicy tuna, onions, cucumbers, avocado, ponzu, tobiko, furikake and chili paste! We got a chicken teriyaki bowl to go and she said it was amazing! All the ingredients are so fresh! Everything was delicious and fresh!

Used to love this Poke Loa location, but it's definitely gone downhill the past couple of years. The poke isn't fresh and the restaurant itself has been dirty the past couple of times I've gone.

BEST poke I've ever had in my life. I eat A LOT of poke, and none compares to the stuff I get here at Poke Loa. So much so that I've developed an addiction, one may say, to Poke Loa over the past four years. I'm probably biased, but the bowl that I alget is the absolute best! It has the best flavor and I've always found all of the ingredients to be super fresh. Here's what I get: White rice, spring mix, salmon, spicy salmon, cilantro, cucumbers, tamari, sesame oil, chili oil, crab salad, seaweed salad, edamame. red roe (or all of the tobiko they have that day), lemon miso aioli, and sesame seeds. I'm not exaggerating when I say this bowl is life changing. Try it out!

food not fresh Place not as clean as on pictures springmix is hard I suggest eating at the southmatket location other than magazine

Poké Loa is a great place for a meal if you're not wanting something heavy. The food is fresh, although here lately they have been out of chili paste which is disappointing. The service is typically friendly and inviting. Most people get Poke Loa to go, so if you eat in the restaurant it's normally calm and a nice place to relax and eat. Check our Poke Loa! Can't go wrong with a regular bowl built to order!

I hate it when workers close down shop early! I got there at 830pm and they were all shut down!! Everything put up but the girls behind the counter said they were open. I've worked in restaurants my whole adult life. I get it, you want to go home. but I pay the same prices for my food at 830 that they pay at 730 and I demand a similar experience. I can't tell whats available to put on my bowl bc it's all broken down on the back table! It was so frustrating, and their little attitude didn't help.

Going to update this as Poke Loa is on their game these days! Every time I go in it's solid. Great portions, fresh ingredients, lots of options and serve in glass bowls, everything is really clean, and friendly staff. Not many places for poke in town, so thank g-d for Poke Loa!

The guy who made my Poké bowl was very impatient with me--a very indecisive person who had never had pokey before. I guess that can be reasonable, but I certainly had a lot of questions that he did not want to answer. Anyways, I ordered a small Poké bowl with tofu, and it was very tasteless but filling. I think the tofu should be marinated or cooked so that it can have some flavor. Probably won't have pokey anymore, but they do have a special every day that changes. I think on Wednesdays avocado is free? Sidenote: street parking only.

My contact with Poke Loa, Touro, was completely online. I ordered via the ChowNow app, and a drinking buddy picked and delivered my Poke to me. Ordinarily, Poke is a Hawaiian raw fish salad, but I opted for chicken (I guess I am not that adventurous!). The package was well sealed, and the food was in excellent quality containers, with napkins, utensils (good quality packaged chop sticks and a plastic fork) and soy sauce. I was surprised and delighted with the variety of ingredients (literally dozens) I could add to my bowl, and every ingredient was fresh, crisp, and delicious. I selected a large bowl, with rice noodles, chicken, baby cucumbers, cilantro, teriyaki, wonton strips, crispy onions green onions, pickled ginger (delicious), avocado, and lemon miso aioli. Sorry there are no pictures, the boy was starving. I will tell you, the ease of ordering, speed of preparation, and the quality of the food that was delivered, puts Poke Loa up to number one when I am in a Poke mood. Five Stars.

We had an amazing lunch at Poke Loa even during Mardi Gras which says a lot. Kevin and Seth were the most hospitable people you could hope to have around in any dining experience. Kind, funny, and great service. Food was bomb as always. Can't wait to go back. Thank y'all!

I always order poke from here. But my order today came with a staple in it. King Loa Bowl

Overall, not a bad place for a poke fix for this Hawai'i girl. The toppings are great, but a bit excessive and takes away from the fish. Luckily the portions are pretty substantial, so you still get a good amount of fish. I recommend pickled ginger, red tobiko, orange masago, furikake, edamame, seaweed salad, and crab salad. Just a heads up, they don't prepare the poke like how you would find at a Hawai'i shop. Poke shops usually have the fish pre-mixed with the sauce and mix-ins. I did enjoy having onions and cucumbers mixed in with the fish; however, since the sauce is added in when you order, I've never really been able to taste the sauce as much. This may be why previous reviews have said sauce is missing because it could have soaked into the rice rather than the fish. This may be ideal if you like the sauce on the lighter side, though! I recommend the spicy ahi. It is prepared lomi style rather than cubed and has a good kick to it. I've said this in a previous Poke Loa review. It would be nice to see them incorporate other Hawaiian/Asian seasonings such as alae, oyster sauce, limu, and inamona.

A staple in my rotation of healthy food joints! Love the ability to customize your bowl, and really appreciate that they have options for poke that aren't raw fish- tofu, shrimp, etc. Lots of different options and combinations you can choose from. They have really yummy drinks and sides too- like miso soup! Everything is always fresh and the service is good!

Big portions, fast service, and tons of topping options, but I felt like the quality of the seafood was a bit questionable. Build Your Bowl Regular comes with 2 scoops of protein, so I chose tuna and gulf shrimp over white rice. Layered on cucumbers, sweet onions, seaweed salad, edamame, green onions, orange tobiko, and mango. Topped it off with some lemon miso aioli (highly recommend). The toppings were fresh and tasted great, but when I started diving deeper into my bowl is when I ran into some issues. The rice was definitely overcooked and almost soggy, so I chose not to eat most of it. When I ate the tuna, it practically dissolved in my mouth - not in the melt in my mouth type of way, but in the 'something tastes old and funky about this' type of way. Sadly, I was pretty disappointed in the shrimp. Didn't have any taste. I'm a huge poke fan and I've had a great bowl from their Girod location, but this meal didn't sit right with me. Hopefully will try again in the future and maybe stick with tofu instead of seafood as my proteins.

These people are the sweetest! The fish is super fresh and they have vegan options as well as gluten-free options, as well as low-carb options which means they have zucchini noodles also known as zoodles! I love the zoodles because I can get an entire serving of veggies in that with my protein fix! And a regular bowl which has two scoops of protein is perfectly filling for me! I usually add in some of that imitation crab meat, radishes, masago and tobillo. For the protein, I always love the spicy tuna and then take a second scoop of either tuna or salmon which I ask to be tossed with some onion, chili sauce, ponzu and sesame oil. I top it off with a drizzle of some spicy mayo (many options) and some furikake seasoning and it's a winning combo! Best of all during this COVID19 pandemic, they take your custom order over the phone and they will bring it out to the curb for pick up with a smile! Last but not least, they have these amazing dessert brownies and cookies! I'm so in love with the chocolate chip one and the brownie even though it's gluten-free! (Pic posted!) Seriously, these people are great and I hope they survive this pandemic!

Poke Loa is Delicious and fresh. However, I thought the portions are small. Yet, give it a try. It's yummy!

Yummers. I stopped in here because I was poking around Magazine and it was raining on my way home. The inside was definitely designed for efficiency more than aesthetics (all white interior). I liked that you could make your own bowl or use a set combo which as someone who can have a tough time making decisions was useful. Food was delicious and the "small" bowl was quite a large portion (I didn't finish it in one sitting). I wish they didn't use plastic bowls but at least I got to eat off of real silverware. Staff was friendly and largely took a stand back attitude.

Wonderfully refreshing every time! There have been instances where I feel the restaurant was inconsistent with portion sizes. As such, there have been times I felt it was pricey. However, the majority of the time, you get a portion worth every cent! Great option for delivery apps too!

It's my first time going here but the food was good! It reminds me of sushi just not wrapped. The Hibiscus Agave was very refreshing and the food was fresh. I paid $19 in total for my food and drink. In my bowl, I had white rice, baby cucumbers, crab salad, seaweed salad, edamame, mango, eel sauce, black sesame seeds, furikake, shrimp, squid salad, and chili oil. All mixed well and I was very satisfied with the taste and texture. It's perfect for those with who are ready to eat and go and you can build your own bowl just the way you like it.

Pretty good. Usually hits the spot. Also pretty good portion sizes usually but not always consistent. Ordered a large bowl in one instance, and was disappointed with how much food was given for $15. Got a base (rice) and veggies, got all of the toppings that were wanted, and the takeout box was still about half empty. Granted, this was one out of a few times that I've been there so maybe it was a one time thing. Lots of premade bowls or you can customize your choice of type of rice, type of fish, other toppings including (edemame, tobiko), choice of sauce, etc. Not a lot of parking nearby. Some free parking, some street parking that you have to pay for

The food was real good & all the ingredients tasted fresh. I'm only giving it a 4 b/c for the price, I'd at least like my bowl to be full. I also would have loved if I had gotten a bit more of the sauces and marinade. I ordered from ubereats so honestly marinade I got (ponzu) very much might not have even been in the bowl. But other than that, the wasabi aioli & sriracha aioli are definite must haves and I wouldn't mind ordering another poke bowl from here

First time trying Poke Loa and i have to say i loved it every bite!!! The staff was very friendly very professional staff member Jasmine also suggested some things for me to try Thanks Jasmine wonderful employee and nice establishment Rachel...

Everything tastes a little off, the mango tastes old, the seaweed salad is odd, the krab salad is so fake and everything is a little gross. Fish is fresh, but do not recommend.

Basic ahi poke should be marinated in shoyu, sesame oil, salt, and feature slivers of sweet onion (Maui onion if you have it), green onion, and sesame seeds. My poke bowl at Poke Loa was plain cubed tuna dumped onto partially cooked brown rice. I had asked for "tamari" and sesame oil as a "marinade," and did not add the any of the various mayo-based sauces or "eel sauce." I found the marinade when I threw out the rice and found it all on the bottom of the bowl. The spicy tuna was a paste, very sour with vinegar, and just... no. I dressed the tuna myself with my own sesame oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds and furikake but jeez... this was so disappointing. I know restaurants in NOLA tend to heavily interpret Asian cuisines but this was a notch too far. The edamame and the cucumber salad was fine, but the wakame was strangely funky... I don't know. I was disappointed.

This use to be my favorite poke place but with an increase in poke restaurants across the city with great service this place is no longer my favorite. I ordered the king poke bowl and while it was delicious just by the employee interactions alone made me wish I went somewhere else. The girl who took my order made me feel like I was bothering her and on top of that while paying another female employee was talking about how, quote on quote, "I f*cking hate making this shit." If you hate your job so much maybe you should get a different one. Until they train their staff better I will not returning to this locaripn

I have eaten at Poke Loa on many occasions. Prior to quarantine it was all really good with hearty portions of fish. Since then the amount of fish has lessened. I've ordered a couple of times through Uber eats too. Delivery was great. This last time, there was definitely not enough tuna and I requested mango...there was 1 piece(maybe they ran out?), and there was no sauce. I was disappointed. The quality of the food was really good but I felt like I didn't get what I ordered and what was advertised.

The food and the ingredients are generally fine, and at one point they seem to have capable people fixing the food. But the last three or four times I've gone the order was so mixed up that I'm not sure how it could have even happened. One bowl would have the ingredients that were ordered for the second bowl, and vice versa. Or they'd simply just not put stuff that I was requesting and give me confused looks. And this is for ordering in the store... talking directly to someone!

Was looking for something "fresh and clean" to eat for lunch today. Decided on a poke bowl, and poke loa was the closest one to my house, so I decided to give it a go. I ordered online and did the curbside pick up. The online order was simple and clear. 5/5. The curbside pick up was also pretty simple and easy 5/5 However, when I got home I noticed some things missing from my bowl. I was missing the ponzu sauce and chili paste. So that was a bummer. However, I had soy sauce at home so I was able to drizzle a little bit over my poke bowl, I also got the spicy tuna, so I was able to get some spice that way. But really wished that I had gotten everything I asked for. 3/5. So overall, I would probably rate it a 4/5 because the food is delicious, clean and fresh. The price is also pretty good. Much better to spend $12 on a poke bowl than $12 on rolled sushi in my opinion. Next time, I probably would just walk in and order in person to ensure that I get everything.

A Hawaiian-themed build your own bowl place is a zeitgeist-y thing right now. They're popping up all over. I can see some merits, and this one might stick around past the fad stage. Ostensibly it is a seafood thing, but in its generic fast casual format, it serves vegetarian needs reasonably well, with the option to mix rice and greens for a base and tofu on top. It costs more than other fast casual places tend to, but given the range of choices, size of bowl, and the avocado one employee (wisely) suggested I add, it isn't a bad experience. You can get a fresh and nutritionally diverse bowl. I would note to them that avocado, normally charged extra here (as in many places) comes free with a veggie bowl, but it wasn't entirely obvious (nor was it clear from their website and online ordering). Might want to clear that up. I was rather baffled by some other things. What the hell is a tobiko? Is it something I want to be eating? No, but I had to look it up on my phone to find out. Is their miso soup vegetarian or fishy? Again, I don't know. I don't ask businesses to cater their menu to me, but you could at least provide me with some clear information on things like this. All that being said, it was good enough to be worth going back.

I stopped in to Poke Loa for lunch today and am glad I did. What a great idea! It's like City Greens for sushi. I went with the tuna bowl with brown rice and wasn't disappointed. Everything was fresh, and the portion size was pretty hefty. I wasn't able to finish my bowl, but I promise, I did my best. The tuna was very fresh and they didn't skimp on any of the ingredients. The staff was helpful, friendly and quick. I plan to make my own creation next time, so that I can try some of their other fresh ingredients. My only complaint is that I found the prices a little bit high for a counter service meal. With a bottle of water, my total was $18.

I went here once. I was not a fan of the spicy tuna bowl I got. The quality was not fresh and subpar at best. I recommend Lemonshark Poke on Magazine if you want a better poke bowl in town

Every time I come here I leave thinking I should come back more often. It's a healthy and filling meal for under $15. Having eaten poke with my family in Hawaii, I have pretty high expectations. Although it obviously wasn't as good as the poke in Oahu, it still was deliciously satisfying. The restaurant style reminds me more of SoCal but it really seems like a place to eat something fresh and tasty when you walk in. How it works: You order a regular (2 scoops of fish) or large (3 scoops) bowl with brown or white rice, mezclun lettuce, or both, and then choose your choice of raw protein, ranging from tuna, salmon, spicy tuna, octopus, shrimp, and whatever else is fresh at the time. You move on to pick meat flavorings including ponzu sauce, tamari, cilantro, and cucumber. Then the toppings are added, like seaweed salad (my favorite! I always get extra), crab salad, avocado ($1 extra), mango, radish, pickled ginger, edamame, and more. You finish with choice of tobiko (aka fish roe-- I recommend the wasabi), aiolis, and crunchy elements. So yummy! It always leaves me wanting more. In the end, it's a five-star healthy and fast meal that will make you consider working there just to score some free bowls.

I walked in here for lunch one afternoon and was pleased by how clean it was. The person who took my order was extremely nice and helpful as it was my first time trying a poke bowl. I recommend this place to anyone who's in the area!

My favorite poke spot in city. They have amazing toppings - crab salad, seaweed salad, macadamia nuts that raises the bar from other basic poke spots. Wednesday's you can get avocado for free.

Poke Loa is the shortcut to my favorite sushi restaurant menu items. I always end up ordering the chef special or poke salads but always want a combination of ingredients not included. Now I get it all!! My first visit I got the two scoop salmon bowl and added avocado and mango. I'm sold. I'll probably never order regular sushi again. The ingredients were so fresh and so well prepared together. The sauces they tossed the salmon in were perfect and light. Over a bed of wild greens, Perfection. They were fast and friendly and the price is completely on point for the value. My only complaint is that they aren't closer to my house. Love it!

First time trying Poke Loa and it had the most delightful food, great atmosphere, cleanest setting, and amazing customer service, would recommend to those who enjoy delicious but yet healthy food!

I eat at poke a lot since I work across the street but I felt compelled to write ya review because Henry was so pleasant t and super helpful today!! Keep up the good work friends!!

It's okay, and it does the job if you're craving poke. The portion sizes are fairly large, and there's a decent selection of toppings you can choose from. The quality of the fish isn't great, however, and the service is inconsistent. Also, given the quality/amount of fish, I think it's a tad overpriced. It's not bad for poke in New Orleans, but I've had much better elsewhere.

This is not poke. Google "Poke Hawaiian" and you'll see what poke is supposed to be like. There is supposed to be more fish than all of the other crap. This place will give you one or two pathetic ice cream scoopers of fish. I attached a picture of what poke is supposed to look like.

Was doing a lil shopping on a beautiful Saturday on Magazine and wanted something fairly light to eat. Finally got the opportunity to check out this chain. With the poke craze catching on i was surprised this place was empty around lunchtime. I mean i was the ONLY customer...anywho..u have the option to build your own bowl or choose one. Since i am not super familiar with all the flavors i opted for a salmon bowl. It came full of tasty stuff like peas, rice, seaweed..i thk. Lol and plenty of other tatsy delights. It was a bit pricey..i believe i paid abt 14 bucks but it was flavorful and light. Next time i will probably attempt to build my own.

Tuna and crab salad tasted so fishy and smelt bad. Partner and I had a good cleanse for $30

Unfortunately just not very tasty. My poke bowl (salmon) was okay but the seaweed salad is gross.

If you're going here because you just got back from Hawaii and while you were there, fell in love with poke, you will probably honestly be disappointed. This poke is very good and fresh. There are a lot of options to customize it, but the only way I have been able to describe this is "hipster poke." It does the job, but Hawaiian poke will always be calling.

I'm in love...super fresh. More filling than I thought it would be. Super quick service due to assembly line type service. Friendly & accommodating staff. I have an avocado allergy and it was zero problem for them to change out gloves before preparing my bowl. I will certainly be back.

This is a Chipotle style fast food type of sushi/Poke Californian/Hawaiian type joint where you just pick your ingredients and get your bowl of food made based on your choices. You get a decent sized bowl with quite a generous selection of ingredients. The establishment seems to be very efficient and gets your food to you much faster than the average fast food establishment and maybe even faster than your usual Chipotle time. The food seems fresh with good flavors available for toppings and sauce options.

My first introduction to Poke, and after eating at the other local options, it's still my favorite! It's a bit pricey (as all the places in the city are) at around $12-16 a bowl, BUT its the only place I know that lets you add unlimited toppings without changing the original price. It's like base price for fish and rice and spring mix, and then free unlimited toppings with the exception of avocado and crab meat (which is why I'm all for picking a pre-designed bowl and then customizing it a bit). My favorite is the King Loa, which is 2 scoops of salmon and 2 scoops of tuna, then white/brown rice, spring mix, marinade, avocado, seaweed salad, edamame, crab salad, and 3 types of roe. I always add ginger and green onion for a little more kick to my bowl! It seems like it might be a small dish, but perceptions are deceiving and oftentimes its enough for lunch and dinner! They also have fresh lemon/lime water for free, or you can purchase juices and other organic and/or healthy drinks. It's like chipotle for sushi bowls and it's seriously the bomb!

Um yum! When you're hungry but you want to be healthy, this is the perfect spot. It's an assembly line and you decide exactly what you want in your bowl. Hate cilantro, skip it. Love macadamia nuts, yep you can have those. Just beware that a few ingredients are an extra cost, avocado, crab salad and, of course and extra scoop of your protein. I wasn't big on the spicy tuna (but then again I never am) and I thought the tofu could have more flavor. That's right, tofu so you can definitely have a vegetarian meal here. The space is light and airy but I usually get my bowl to go. Staff is friendly and efficient. And OMG the watermelon agua fresca is delicious!

Presentation was horrible, my dessert was crushed, forgot my utensils and my soup. 100% do not reccomend

First time having Poke and was not disappointed. This place is set up like an assembly line and you walk through from the base, to the protein, toppings, etc. All fresh and the protein(all fish) is raw. I had salmon and spicy tuna, both of which were really good. This place has great and simple flavors that come together and create a flavor explosion. The space is white with colorful accents, clean, and the staff was very helpful and patient. Definitely would come again.