Island Poké (Downtown Victoria) — Restaurant in Victoria

I've had Poké from this place often and it's really hit and miss, but today's experience has probably decided that I will take my twice a week lunch dollars elsewhere. I left the store feeling ripped off with not even half a regular size take-out bowl (with lettuce, not rice) after having an employee argue with me about how he was going to charge me $3 for half a small avocado?? I was in on Saturday and paid the ridiculous but typical $2 for the exact same bowl (sometimes they sell for $3.99ea at the store, I get it) I order twice a week and now he was arguing with me that the price had jumped to $3.... then, when I said no thank you, he charged me for it anyways. THEN, after I called him on his mistake he put fried toppings on my gluten-free (I am Celiac) bowl which, thankfully, I noticed so he had to make my bowl all over again. And instead of asking me what was in the bowl and how I wanted it made, he ignored me and tried to guess and finally asked the guy that made it originally. The food is fresh, but the service leaves much to be desired. They're usually very friendly and I appreciate hiring young kids that are trying to learn the language but it's super frustrating when you have allergies and you're trying to explain to them what you're paying for and no one in the store speaks enough English to understand. $14 is a lot of money for me to still be hungry after...

I’ve been ordering from Island Poke regularly for years and have always enjoyed their food—until now. My most recent order through Skip was abruptly canceled without notice, leaving me waiting and wondering what happened.

When I called the restaurant, they claimed to have no record of the order and said they wouldn’t have canceled it. Skip then told me the restaurant had canceled but couldn’t say why. Only after digging further did I get an email saying it was because I asked for double seaweed salad as my fifth topping, which apparently now costs $3 extra.

Here’s the kicker:

I only selected four toppings, and asked for double seaweed salad in the notes (as I’ve done in past orders without issue).

Rather than calling or messaging me through the app (which they absolutely could have done), they just canceled the order entirely.

No warning, no courtesy, no attempt to resolve—just silence.

A $3 upcharge is fine if you communicate it upfront. Canceling a regular customer’s order over a topping is ridiculous. At the very least, show some professionalism...

I’m from Hawaii and grew up off of this stuff so anytime a poke place is nearby I’m always game to try it. First off they have a great concept here, it’s inviting atmosphere makes you want to stay for the meal instead of taking it to go.

This is a counter service concept and their friendly assembly line of workers that get bowls made quickly are so necessary for the lunch rush that started at 11:30am. No joke by noon there was no where to sit on a week day. I guess this place is popular with the locals. I’d also highly recommend trying to eat in rather than take it out as you get more food when you do that.

My only issue was with the taste. The ahi wasn’t the freshest that it could be and thank goodness I asked for my Island bowl to be spicy. It disguised the not so fresh taste a bit. Everything else in the bowl was tasty from the avocados, to the greens and crunchy onions. The not so fresh taste combined with a price tag of almost $15 for a small bowl is kind of steep to me. For two people for lunch you will hit...