Poke Cafe & Nori Sushi — Restaurant in Rockaway Township

Updated 2025: Been back to Poke Cafe recently and learned that they combined with Nori Sushi and I'm so excited!!! I loved Nori when it was in the mall and so happy they moved here! The sushi quality is superb! I always go for their salmon avocado and Snow White Rolls!!

Summary: if you love poke bowls, Poke Cafe is worth a try! Most of their poke bowls are priced at $11 which is not bad and it's a decent portion size! Aside from raw fish, they also offer cooked protein as well. They also have smoothies and bubble tea!

I came here on a Friday night to check out this newly opened spot. They've been open for a few months, Jan 2022. First walk in, the restaurant was clean and there was a seating/dining area off to the left. On the right, you'll find the poke bowl bar and you head to the back of the bar and make your way down towards the register. Their menu is displayed on screens on the wall and you can see all of their ingredients behind their glass barriers. There's "build you own" bowls or bowls that are preset for convenience. Based on their menu for the "build your own", you begin by choosing your base (rice, salad or zucchini noodles). Then, although protein is next in line, the server asked about other toppings first and stated the protein can go on after (for better presentation I guess). They have a good variety of toppings and protein to choose from (see photos). I did find it interesting that they offered some Chinese style protein (General Tso's chicken, Walnut shrimp) but I guess they're catering to those who may not like raw fish which is smart. I chose raw salmon and tuna and the quality was okay, not the most fresh I've had but decent. I recommend reading the menu first before adding toppings though because it's very easy to just point to all the different toppings you want and not realize that some have an additional cost (I had to pay an additional $1.50 for seaweed salad). Finally, you pick from a selection of sauces and "crunch" toppings. I tried the Wasabi mayo and I wasn't a fan of it, but who knows, you may like it? It wasn't overly spicy, just didn't taste like much. I usually like Wasabi too so I was disappointed. Overall, I was satisfied with my poke bowl, it was pretty tasty and filling. I couldn't finish mine and had to save it.

Also on their menu, they offer bubble tea, fruit teas, fruit slushies, and fruit smoothies. I didn't order any this time but maybe next time.

I've waited a long time for poke bowl place to open up in the area and I'd have to say this place is worth a try! I'll be back to try different proteins and some of...

It was good, just not great. I was so happy to have another poke place join the area and I am glad I tried it.

Pros: the ingredients were fresh, the prices were very fair, the staff was nice and helpful and the café was very clean.

Cons: the sauces were mediocre. I knew I should have stopped the employee from putting the walnut shrimp on my bowl as soon as I saw her put it on the spoon, it is just boiled shrimp swimming in watered down plain mayo with bits of pineapple mixed in. I just felt like I was eating mayo from the jar. The regular boiled shrimp were fine. I was also missing some of the sweetness that Hawaiian Shoyu normally has. I asked for Spicy Sauce as well and I'm glad I did, it carried the entire bowl. I was also a little taken back to see seaweed salad as an upcharge on the menu, most of the poke places I have been to have it as a regular topping, not a premium one like avocado or kani salad.

Conclusion: Maybe I just picked the wrong item (Double Shrimp Poke on their House Poke menu). I'll try it again with different items (and will update the review accordingly) but in all honesty it will probably stay on my list of fast casual restaurants I stop at when I am hungry in the area not matter what. The place offers fresh healthy options that aren't super prominent in the area and for that reason alone they will keep my business even it it isn't my favorite...

This modern, Asian fusion cafe was a refreshingly pleasant restaurant choice! The bowl combinations vary so you have a wide array of tastes to choose from. The bowls are generous in size with a high chance of taking home leftovers for a second meal. The service was very friendly. The atmosphere was relaxing and very clean. We chose a spicy tuna bowl (cold) and chicken teriyaki with white rice and vegetables (cooked). Both very tasty. The chicken bowl was a bit tastier with all the flavors cooked thru together whereas the Spicy Tuna bowl was layers of cold ingredients (rice, corn salsa, tuna, crunchy flakes) giving it a less fused taste and more bland taste overall. The only reason I’m giving it a 4 star is because the prices are slightly high, especially for this current economic climate. You can expect to spend approximately $18-20 with a regular soft drink per person. They also serve hot teas and the ever popular bubble teas for around $7-$8. So if you’re watching your wallet and want Asian you may want to consider this...