It seems like poke has been all the rage in Edmonton lately. I finally got a chance to check out ‘Ono Poke after seeing it all over my social media feeds. Short review … refreshing food, open + inviting interior and friendly service! I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here, perhaps I am turning into a fish person?
Ono Poke is located just off Jasper Ave and on 104 St. I think their location is great as it’s in the heart of downtown but not on a directly busy street. The downside in their location may be the lack of “easy-to-find” parking, I think it’s better if you travel by foot to get some poke here.
When I first came in, the space was very open with plenty of natural lighting. Their interior is modern and minimalistic – definitely, aesthetically pleasing and insta-worthy.
This, alongside the open pane glass, makes it feel like an extremely inviting place. Ono Poke is set up where you order first, pay, then eat. There’s plenty of seating for dining in or you can take it to go. All in all, perfect for quick eats!
The menu itself offers a variety of bowls with plenty of toppings as well as sides. Compared to other poke places in town, ‘Ono Poke does not offer the option to create your own bowl and it is also definitely a bit higher in price. However, I don’t really expect anything with fresh fish to be on the cheaper side lol. The bowls are also topped with a large amount of fresh veggies which I imagine fit into the price as well.
Their bowls come in two sizes – regular or large. Each bowl can be served with your choice of rice, quinoa or salad. My friend and I opted for regular size bowls and both of us chose rice as our base.
I ordered the ‘Ono Poke Bowl ($14.95). As stated on their menu, this bowl includes –
“ahi tuna, shoyu sauce, sesame oil, ginger, seaweed, white onion, macadamia nuts, hawaiian salt, sea asparagus, green onion, asian slaw (red cabbage, daikon carrot, cilantro)”
I like Shoyu sauce and ahi tuna so how could I go wrong? This bowl was delicious! I loved every bite. At first I thought macadamia nuts would taste kind of weird but it added the perfect crunch and worked so well with all the rest of the toppings. I especially loved the asian slaw – it was super refreshing and added beautiful colors, making for a very picturesque bowl.
My friend got the Uncle Tom’s Surf Poke Bowl ($14.95). This bowl includes “ahi tuna, spicy tobiko aioli, white onion, cucumber, edamame beans, green onion, micro greens, sea asparagus, wasabi crab chip”.
Compared to the bowl that I had, I felt that this bowl was a little heavier on the sauce and had a more creamy, “mayo-y” taste. One of my favourite things about this bowl was the edamame beans, so good.
Overall, both bowls were delicious. The fish itself was cut into perfect bite sizes and marinated so well. As mentioned many times in my other posts, I am not a big fish person so I kind of surprised myself when I ate the whole bowl clean. (all my reviews seem to include fish though, so maybe I can say that I do like fish now….?) Each bowl comes with a large amount of veggies too, which I prefer over the choice of having more rice.
Some noteworthy things about ‘Ono Poke that I noticed – the option to have different bowl sizes is awesome and their abundance of seating, including outdoor seating is great too. Since they’re not located on a “main” road, sitting outside with a fresh bowl of poke is super nice 🙂 On the other hand, if you’re planning on taking the bowls to go, I recommend eating them right away! On the take out lid itself, it does mention that you should consume it within 30 minutes lol. But take their word – my bf tried it a couple hours later and said it didn’t taste as good as the first bite (right after buying it).
Although I’ve heard mixed reviews from others, I left Ono Poke really satisfied! I liked the bowl that I ordered and I now know where to go if I ever want to satisfy an ahi tuna craving. I’m sure I’ll be back in the future since it’s located near my work and it’s a great option for a quick lunch/dinner. I’m happy to see that more businesses are bringing poke here to Edmonton! I hope to try the real deal in Hawaii… someday 🙂
Check them out, let me know what you think!
Ono Poke Co.
10142 104 St. Edmonton
Eat with Sharon 