Poki Bowl — Restaurant in Fayetteville

‼️ALLERGY INFO: PEANUTS IN THE SAUCE 🥜‼️

I was excited to check out this place because I’m a big lover of pokè and sushi. I’ve eaten at countless pokè places and enjoyed it almost every time. When we arrived we were nervously greeted by the team that was clearly brand new given that this location just opened, they weren’t able to give much direction or answer many questions.

This order line is set up as pick your base, pick your protein which is mixed in a pokè sauce then pick your toppings and finally a topping sauce.

I would say they lacked on variety of options compared to most of their competitors and their pricing is quite high!

However what really shocked me was after I sat down to eat, I took two bites and could tell there were PEANUTS IN THE SAUCE. Mind you this NOT LISTED or presented where you look to select your sauce choice. There was one sign not within view that made a generalized statement about allergens. Given that peanuts is a MAJOR allergen and that all food products are required to list in BOLD clear print on labels I would think this would be a requirement for this restaurant.

Now when I approached the young girl working the counter to ask about peanuts in the sauces she didn’t know and told me there wasn’t any. Until I pushed to ask the manager it’s likely the employees would also misdirected someone sense they are unaware.

When I asked for a refund from the manager and told her that she needs to put better signage up for this risk given it’s a very common allergen her response was surprising to me. She stated she does was is required by the health department… so glad you do the bare minimum when it comes to a deadly allergy.

Truth is it’s a lawsuit waiting to happen and I’m thankful that I had a more mild reaction even though I did have one. The peanuts are in the spicy pokè sauce which honestly looks like spicy mayo, not an item that would typically contain peanuts. Please be careful...

My first time trying this place, and I will say the poke bowl was very good. The loss of stars was for the customer service. I placed an online order and selected curbside pickup instead of in store pickup. This order was placed at 2:15pm, so not a busy time for them. When I arrived in the curbside spot, I called the number on the sign and let them know my name and that I was there for pick up. The person who answered the phone sounded confused and told me the owner was on the other line and asked if I was trying to place an order. I again repeated that I had placed an online pick up and was here to pick it up. He asked what location I was calling. I said Fayetteville and he said, “yea but what’s the address?” At this point I was a bit frustrated and said, “I am literally outside of your restaurant and I called the number on the sign for curbside.” He then said, “okay well then come inside to pick it up” (in not the nicest way). I said I was curbside and he put me on hold then hung up on me. I called back and they did not answer. I obviously then went inside to pick up my order, which was sitting there, and was not acknowledged or apologized to for the beyond poor service I just experienced. It is not a matter of walking inside to pick up my food, as I am more than capable, it was the fact that I marked curbside and the lack of customer service I received. Again, the food was good so that is the saving grace, but I’m not sure I’ll revisit this place due to the poor...

I was in need of a quick lunch and decided to try Poki Bowl in the Freedom Town Center in Fayetteville. As you walk in, the place is very sterile, cool colors, and cafeteria atmosphere. The employee beyond the counter was kind enough to explain to me how their system works. You choose the base, then you are charged according to what you add to the bowl. I found it a bit expensive for my wallet, so I choose the cheapest options. Oddly enough, they do not have sesame seed oil to season the bowl, nor they season the rice with it. You can only add flavor by using one of their "sauces." I stay away from store/factory made sauces because they usually make me sick. But, that was the only option available or choke on the dry rice. I asked for just a little of sauce, trying to minimize any ill effects. I ate it there in case I became ill. It was not as good as others I have had. Shoot, even the Harris Teeter one you get at the sushi counter is better because they season their rice and veggies with sesame seed oil. They also had spam musubi for sale. I bought 2 to eat later, but it was lukewarm instead of cold, so I told the girl at the register she could keep it. I waited 15 minutes to make sure my stomach wasn't going ballistic on me. I leave to go back to work, and I feel a rumble that is not promising. I knew it! That darn sauce...

Moral of the story, I won't go back. Simple, but not delicious unless you put a...