Imagine a burrito bowl. Now imagine replacing the meat with sushi, the lettuce with seaweed, and the guacamole with imitation crab. That is the beauty of poke.

For $12 you can buy a small bowl (three scoops for small, five scoops for large) with your pick of seafood including salmon, ahi tuna, scallops, and octopus. There are five different sauces (ask for more sauce, sometimes they don’t put enough) depending on whether you like spice or not and the topping selection is through the roof from regular chopped onions to fish eggs.

If you pay a couple dollars extra, you can even get guacamole or imitation crab as a topping. Lastly, the garnish. Fried onion on your poke will give a nice crunch to contrast with the softness of the fish, and rice and sesame seeds will give a hint of nuttiness.

Don’t be afraid to ask the staff to add more toppings than they originally give you, that way you can maximize the amount of bang for your buck.

The restaurant’s decor of large ropes hanging from the ceiling, gold and blue fish paintings on the wall, and minimalist fish scales on their menu background gives off a very nautical vibe done in a really modern fashion. The ordering was very similar to Chipotle Mexican Grill, you stand in line and can either order one of the premade poke bowls or you can create your own..

The staff at Poke Noke are one of the nicest groups of employees of a restaurant I have ever experienced. There was never any feeling of hurry when it came to picking what I wanted, unlike…Subway.

But like many restaurants, there are downsides. I took it upon myself to go once when they immediately opened and once when they were about to close.

The later time was not so great. The fish tasted a little off and the scallops looked slimey compared to when I went at opening.

The price is a bit steep for what it is as well if you wanted an actual full bowl. I would recommend to come at lunch, the poke is fresh and new unlike at seven p.m. when it’s old and unreplaced.

Poke Noke is a great place to go get some fresh fish with a lot of flavor. The staff is great, the ambiance is fitting, and the food is good. I would go again and you should go too.