The 5 Poke Eaters You Meet in Foodland

We love celebrating the best things about our Islands. And our annual Best of HONOLULU awards, taking place each summer, is an opportunity to highlight the best of the best businesses in shopping, dining, adventure and so much more.

This year, our readers named Foodland the place to go for the best poke in town. It’s easy to see why: Take a look at its poke counter and, among the standard varieties, you’ll also find not-your-average ‘ahi flavor combos such as Secret Spicy, California roll, furikake and ginger scallion. (Hot tip: Fans can also look forward to a brand-new poke, hitting stores on Labor Day weekend.)

Traditional, creative or small-kine out there, there’s no wrong way to eat poke. Here’s how five of our HONOLULU teammates have enjoyed theirs.

The Chip Dipper

Photo: Marisa Heung

“Kāhala Market is my go-to spot when I want fresh and tasty poke. There are lots of varieties to choose from, but my favorite is the spicy ‘ahi. Lately, I’ve been pairing it with a bag of Hawaiian Chip Co.’s original sweet potato and taro mix. The crunch from the chip pairs so well with the fresh poke. It’s like a dance party on my taste buds!” —Michelle Okada, client relationship manager

The Anti-Poke Poke Eater

“These days, I’m more of a traditional poke eater. But my dad’s not a big fan of raw fish, so he sears spicy ‘ahi poke, leaving it pink in the middle, then mixes it with spaghetti. I grew up on that before I learned to like eating poke as-is.” —Andrea Lee, digital editor

The Power Bowler

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

“When we want to eat healthy but not spend an hour in prep, we turn to Foodland poke to help us whip up a fast power bowl. Buy two or three half-pounds of poke—our favorites are ‘ahi limu, salmon, tofu poke and, lately, the ginger scallion ‘ahi tataki. At home, assemble the base of our power bowl dinner with quinoa or spinach. Then, slice a few veggies: For sure, we include cucumber, Ho Farms tiny tomatoes and avocado. Sometimes, we grate carrots, toss in beets, kimchi, edamame, kabocha, whatever we find in the fridge. Feeling extra lazy but creative? We pick out items from the salads/veggies in the deli counter to mix-and-match at home for a power bowl buffet. We can be eating our rainbow bowls 15 minutes after we get home.” —Robbie Dingeman, editor-at-large

The ‘Ahi/Avo Enthusiast

“I usually buy some shoyu or Hawaiian-style poke and cube a hass avocado and lightly toss it all together so the ratio of ‘ahi to avo is 50/50. It thins out the sodium, but you can re-up with a dash of soy sauce or sea salt. If it’s for a full meal instead of pupu, I’d have it with mixed greens and brown rice. I then gyotaku the avocado rinds.” —James Nakamura, creative director

The Purist

Photo: Marisa Heung

“More often than not, I just take off the plastic lid and dive in with chopsticks. No rice, no salad, no frills. Hamachi poke is my favorite. Why mess with perfection?” —Marisa Heung, branded content creation manager

For more information on Foodland or to shop its poke offerings online, visit foodland.com.