Here’s where you’ll find the best poke in Los Angeles.
Poke: The pinnacle of beach eats. It's widely considered the hallmark of [pre-contact] Hawaiian cuisine in Los Angeles, starting with the standard of fresh-caught ahi tuna cut into cubes marinated in a simple dressing. Traditionally, it was served on its own. But now it's standard to serve next to warm, white rice and sweet seaweed salad—a humble dish with an important legacy symbolizing strength, survival, and celebration.
In Los Angeles, the poke scene is starting to heal from a bit of a hangover caused by rampant overindulgence. Around eight years ago, a poke bowl craze exploded throughout the city, adapting quickly to the town’s penchant for health and wellness and replicating on every trendy boulevard.
Like most fads, that trend died down, along with numerous businesses and would-be empires seeking to capitalize on the fever. The few that survived are largely chains that mix the sauce into the poke with their gloved hands and retain a corporate feel that are legions removed from Hawaii’s soul.
Even fewer are the gems that define L.A.’s poke scene today, all found at independent markets or poke shacks. Much of the fish here is imported directly from Hawaii and honors the traditional way of eating poke—where the insanely fresh fish shines on its own and doesn’t compete with a gluttonous amount of fix-ins.