Restaurant Review: Poke Bowl

After our office moved to the Financial District, I had to re-explore the area to see where all the best lunch spots are. Beyond finding quick meals to sustain myself through busy work days, I had to filter for costs too since FiDi is known to be pricey. One place that checked off all the boxes was Poke Bowl on Fulton Street.

From word of mouth by coworkers, I learned that there are quite a few poke places in the area, which is surprising to me since it’s not very Hawaiian or Asian populated. Nonetheless, I’ve always had a huge affinity towards the Hawaiian staple ever since Pokeworks first opened in Midtown, so I decided to give Poke Bowl a try.

I went during prime lunch time and expected a long line, but it wasn’t bad at all. My total wait time was probably 15 minutes, compared to the hour-long waits I’ve had at Pokeworks (yes, I would wait that long for good food). With a “choose your own adventure” type of concept, as most poke places, I had expected people to mull over their choices for an extended amount of time. There were only a few instances of that though – the staff were very patient and helpful in providing recommendations to speed the process.

For me, I got a snack size, which means one protein, with sashimi-grade salmon. And then, I shamelessly went to town on toppings and crunch. My favorites were the marinated shiitake mushroom, which I don’t see that often at poke restaurants, as well as the garlic chips, crispy onions, and tempura flakes. For sauce, I did the siracha aioli, which is basically spicy mayo.

It made me a happy camper for the rest of the work day. Besides taste itself, the exciting part was that I was beyond full for under $8! Unbelievable! They have other locations in NYC, as well as delivers through Seamless, so you have no excuse to have a terrible work lunch again.

Pro Tip:

• Fill up on toppings instead of protein to get your money’s worth. You can get as many as you want (besides a few specialties like guac).
• You can order online for pick up or delivery.

Restaurant Info:

• Address: 104 Fulton St, New York, NY 10038
• Menu: Poke Bowl