The Top 10 Places to Eat Poke in Vancouver

As the first poke joint in Vancouver, Poké Time knows their poke. They’ve reinvented the Hawaiian dish slightly, by offering customers different bases, toppings, and customized sauces. Poké Time says they “bring the ALOHA to you through our beautifully crafted poke dishes, through the smiles and friendly service from our staff, and by making it affordable so that you can indulge in our poke, time and time again.”

Shishinori is a local Japanese restaurant with two locations: one on Cambie Street and another on Pender Street. It serves an ahi tuna poke bowl, as well as breakfast dishes and fresh subs filled with Japanese ingredients. Shishinori also has other bowls on the menu, such as chashu bowls, carpaccio bowls, and curry bowls. But it’s their poke that keeps the customers returning.

The Poke Guy is a local favorite. They were the first poke restaurant in Vancouver to serve Ocean Wise, a company that sources all of their seafood responsibly and sustainably. The Poke Guy also has a reputation for serving the most high-quality raw ingredients. Once their daily fish delivery is sold out, they shut the doors, ensuring that they only serve their customers premium poke. Be sure to check out their #feelgoodpoke hashtag on Instagram, but not when you’re hungry!

The Poké Shop opened in November 2016 at a prime location in Vancouver’s picturesque Gastown neighborhood, located opposite the steam clock. The small shop has some seating inside but is also good for city workers who need to grab and go. The Poké Shop has earned a reputation for their unlimited toppings, unique Hawaiian-themed interior, and specialty drinks. The drink menu includes pineapple iced tea, Hawaiian chocolate and coffee milk tea, and roasted macadamia milk tea.

A relatively new poke kid on the block, Pokerrito is doing things a little differently. As well as offering the usual poke bowls, they are also serving poke in sushi-style burritos. They have five signature dishes named after Oahu landmarks—North Shore, Diamond Head, Waikiki, Hanauma, and Sunset Beach—but Pokerrito customers can also create their own bowls and burritos too.

Aptly named, Poké Station sits opposite the Broadway-City Hall station. There is ample seating inside and a lot of natural light—perfect for that Instagram photo. They offer the usual poke bowl varieties as well as additions like seaweed soup and fruit and nut toppings.

The folks at Westcoast Poké are “firm believers in the concept of you are what you eat.” They procure all of their produce from local sources based on seasonal availability, prepare everything fresh in-house every day, and serve it immediately. For transparency, they have a list of purveyors on their website. Some of the sustainable protein you can expect to find on the menu includes ahi tuna, albacore tuna, and sockeye salmon.

Bao Down has two locations in Vancouver (Gastown and Olympic Village) and has built an unbeatable reputation thanks to their unique “Pacific Rim fusion” menu. Locals line up for both lunch and dinner in order to try dishes like their Fly Hawaiian Poke. Customers can choose between three proteins—each served over nuts, Korean sea salt, wasabi, avocado, rice cake crisps, toasted nori, and compressed mango.

Located in Chinatown, Pacific Poké is a newer business bringing poke bowls to Vancouver residents. The team behind Pacific Poké are self-confessed “innovative food lovers,” which means they’re constantly creating unique flavor combinations so that you never know what new addition might be on the menu the next time you visit. As well as create-your-own poke bowls, they also offer their own creations and poke paninis.

Perhaps the poke place with the catchiest name in Vancouver, The Hoké Poké is located in Kitsilano on popular West 4th Avenue. They have build-your-own bowls, signature creations, hokerittos, and hoké poké nachos. The nachos are topped with spicy tuna, guacamole, crab meat, seaweed salad, pico de gallo dressing, and sriracha aioli. Take away a bowl at The Hoké Poké and enjoy it by the beach in the summer.