Poke Dot

Poke is as brilliant conceptually as it’s messy visually, taking everything great about sushi – except the painstaking presentation – and dumping it into a bowl at a far more affordable price. As Hawaiian as plate lunches and similarly assembled with scoops of ingredients, poke lets you mix and match your preferred fish, vegetables, rice, toppings, and sauces to create a filling yet potentially very healthy meal.

Located just across from John Wayne Airport in a plaza with several other good restaurants, Poke Dot specializes in several types of tuna, salmon, albacore, octopus, and small shrimp and scallops as proteins, with the choice of salad, white rice, brown rice, or chips as a base. You can add additional “mix” items for free, including imitation crab meat, avocado, cilantro, cucumber, jalapenos, and onion, then choose from eight sauces and 12 toppings to enhance the flavors and textures. Bluefin tuna and yellowtail can be added at additional costs, as well.