Poke Tiki
Spreading across and outside Orange County, this poke chain caters to families and eel lovers
With 10 locations in Orange County and an eleventh in Tarzana, Poke Tiki is one of the better Hawaiian-style poke bowl shops we’ve visited here, offering a wider range of serving sizes than many competitors in a (smart) effort to win business from families. The general premise – start with rice and/or salad, choose 3-5 scoops of fish, then add sauces and unlimited toppings – is revised here with a $11.50 1-scoop, 3-topping bowl for kids and a 2-scoop, unlimited topping version for only $3 more.
Poke Tiki’s fish options range from the expected tuna, salmon, albacore, and spicy versions to shrimp, octopus, tofu and avocado, each of which counts as a protein scoop. Crab meat, masago fish eggs, and seaweed salar are among the unlimited toppings, with only six sauces (three spicy, one spicy mayo, wasabi cilantro, and eel sauce) to choose from. The latter sauce hints at one novelty – cooked eel, which can be ordered as a Japanese-inspired unagi bowl with avocado and up to four toppings. Musubi (span-like sushi) is also available.
At this point, the quality, menu, and pricing differences between Poke Tiki and smaller rivals such as Poke Dot aren’t gigantic; moreover, Poke Tiki’s locations typically rate well with customers. The biggest reason we don’t visit more often is parking – our closest location (replacing Irvine’s former Drips Creamery) is at the far end of a crowded plaza with very little space during meal times – and the second is that we rarely order the super-small portions Poke Tiki specializes in. While these factors are worth considering, they certainly don’t prevent us from broadly recommending this nice local chain to pretty much anyone looking for quality poke at competitive prices.
Note: Poke Tiki’s original location in San Clemente is still owned by the chain’s founding family; most of the other stores are franchised.
Stats
Price: $-$$
Service: Counter
Open Since: 2018
Addresses
92 Corporate Park #A
Irvine, CA 92606
949.838.5233
Multiple locations across OC
Instagram: @poketikibowl