ZenFish Poke Bar — Restaurant in Durham

I have to admit that I have never had Poke and this was my first introduction to this Hawaiian fresh fish cuisine.Located on 9th street in Durham, ZenFish is a small establishment located in a new apartment building and close to everything on 9th street. We went on opening day and heard about in in Instagram from Bites of Bull City. As you enter the restaurant, you will see a few tables and a large chalkboard with quotes about gratitude and kindness. The staff was sporting Zen t-shirts and were extremely hospitable. They described the Poke options and bowls and also the sushi burrito variations. The fresh ingredients are all displayed and the ingredients get added as your build your Poke bowl or burrito. Think of it like Chipotle and you add your ingredients as you move down the line. First comes the rice or zucchini noodles, fresh salmon or tuna and then the colorful vegetables and sauces. There are also local drinks from Ponysauras and Durty Bull and Kombucha. We opted for water and there is a nice water station with infused water and lemons. We learned that that owner was the friendly lady handling all the transactions and was chatting with all the clientele. ZenFish is not a chain and I love the fresh approach of the marketing, decor and food. My poke bowl was very tasty and it is a great healthy option for a meal on the go or dine in. The prices for the bowls are $12.95. Daniel had the sushi burrito and also loved it. The theme of the restaurant is kindness and gratitude and I am thankful to have a delicious Poke restaurant in the heart of Durham. Great job and I can't...

Was super excited there was a poke bowl place close to the place i just started working at... Decided to go after work just to be pretty disappointed. Walked in and got a regular bowl, my fiance got a large. I was really excited to see that they bowls came with so many portions of protein as I dont prefer most of the veggies poke places have. The staff were pretty unpleasant, to say the least. The woman who made my bowl was pretty light on portions which I get as i work in food service and know shortages and prices on everything is going up. However it was REALLY light. The man who made my fiances was much more unpleasant, and handled her food aggressively. Throwing ingredients in the bowl carelessly. Just not a good thing to watch. I got to the end of the line, asked for 2 extra sauces for each, which we were only given one. Thats okay. 33 dollars for poke is pretty reasonable, just not for the portions at this particular place. Everyone's tastes are different but I really didnt like these bowls. Ponzu sauce wasnt really ponzu... More teriyaki flavored. Sriracha aioli was a bit off. My fiances bowl was piled high will pickled onion, but we only counted 4 edamame in the whole bowl. Seemed like we got the same amount of meat too, even when I payed for her to have the large. Nothing tasted super fresh like it's advertised. We ate the rice out of them, threw the rest away, drove home and cooked dinner instead. I say save your money and go to briar creek and get...

I'm a huge fan of ZenFish! I feel like it is the best spot for poke bowls and sushi-burritos in Durham. We went here with some friends yesterday and had a great time. It was my third or fourth time eating at ZenFish and each time, I've had a consistently good experience.

Pros The fish is fresh. It has to be, since it is sushi grade. They have plentiful topping and sauce selection, allowing you to make a custom bowl to your liking. Much of it is made in-house and is delicious! Beers on tap! Nothing pairs as well with poke bowls as well as beer. It's a small restaurant so having 3 beers on tap is pretty impressive IMO.

Cons Limited indoor seating. We had a large party (4 adults, 3 children) and we were lucky to get the single large table inside the restaurant. There are small tables both inside and outside but if you have a large party, hopefully you will get lucky and sit at the small table. Lines can get kind of long. Yesterday, one of the employees called out sick so it was a single lady working both the assembly line as well as the register. We felt so bad for her! The lunch rush was kind of intense so we left a generous tip. The shrimp is previously frozen. Not a big deal for most but I thought I should point this out.

All in all, ZenFish is a great place. I know the "con" section of this review appears larger than the "pro" section but don't be fooled - this place is deserving of a 5...