Manoa Poke Shop — Restaurant in Somerville

I love poke, but I've never been to Hawaii, so truthfully I do not know how the poke I've eaten up 'til now compares to authentic poke. However, I heard that Manoa serves the closest I can get to authentic poke, so I wanted to check it out. The place normally doesn't open until 5pm, but this was a special week where it opened a bit earlier at 4:30pm, which is why I decided to go since I usually eat earlier.

I placed an online order for 4:30pm, but my food wasn't ready until 4:40pm. The inside was very colorful with minimal seating. There were free anime stickers at the cash register!

BBQ Gohan Bowl ($15): Smaller portion size than the ahi katsu plate for the same price but still filling. I was most excited about the soy-cured egg, but it seeped into the rice by the time I got home, so I did not get the satisfaction of popping the yolk, sadly. I definitely tasted the BBQ flavor, and the salmon was cooked well (not dry). However, there was too much sauce, so I found the dish too salty, which is a common theme as you'll continue reading. Ahi Katsu Plate ($15): Huge portion, though largely because there was a ton of rice. I don't eat this much rice, so if there were an option to order the ahi katsu a la carte or substitute the rice with other sides, I would have done so. However, the rice was cooked well. The ahi katsu was crispy on the outside and soft and flavorful on the inside (but again, I found it on the saltier side; same for the kimchi cucumbers). I liked the refreshing lightness of the mac salad. Manoa Dip with Wonton Chips ($9): The dip tasted similar to the BBQ Gohan Bowl: thick and creamy but salty. I did not like the wonton chips; they tasted way too oily and were too brittle to actually be used to scoop the dip. Pineapple Cake ($7): This dessert was interesting; I liked it. It was basically a sponge cake infused with pineapple syrup. Very soft and flavorful. The cake was wrapped in thin slices of fresh pineapple, but I found the taste similar to canned pineapple.

Overall, the prices were decent, and the food was flavorful but just too salty for my taste. I also didn't get any poke like I had originally planned (the stuff that I ended up ordering just sounded too good; also, I thought the dip was going to be raw, but I did not read the description carefully enough), so maybe I will enjoy...

An authentic Hawaiian poke experience in Somerville, miles away from the islands.

Only open for three days a week, Manoa Poke is one of the most popular poke spots in the area. Every time I passed by, I saw a queue of eager patrons waiting to get their poke fix. I finally visited on a Friday, and it was absolutely worth the wait.

I opted for the Mix plate with salmon and ahi tuna in a shoyu marinade. The fish quality wasn’t exactly on par with what you'd get in Hawaii, but the flavors were spot-on. I especially liked how the toppings were kept simple, letting the fish take center stage. The cucumber kimchi and green salad offered a crunch that complemented the tender, well-marinated chunks of salmon and tuna.

However, my favorite was the BBQ Salmon Gohan Special. Imagine a bowl of rice topped with shredded BBQ salmon that brings together the rich flavors of salmon belly fat with the subtle sweet notes of barbecue sauce. Every bite was an absolute delight, satisfying and flavorful in all the right ways.

I also decided to try their Mochiko Fried Chicken. While it was on the dry side—which isn't entirely surprising for a place that specializes in poke—it was still decent.

What sets Manoa apart from other poke spots in the area is its commitment to authenticity over modern fusion tweaks. If you're looking for an unadulterated poke experience that transports you straight to the Aloha State, Manoa Poke Shop could very well become...

I have been meaning to come here for weeks! I always saw a big line out the door on the weekends, but I always missed the opportunity to go because of their small window of time they're open on the weekend. I ordered in store, where the staff asked me if it was my first time. They walked me through the menu and recommended I have a poke plate with ahi shoyu and spicy salmon, and then even gave me a complementary cake of my choice. (I got the guava, which I am craving as I write this review!). I had read reviews about the fried chicken so I gave that a try too as a small side! In the car on my way home, I went to open the fried chicken container to air it out so it didn't get soggy; I was surprised to find that they had already packaged the chicken in a way that it had some air vents! It was a delicious feast when I got home and I am thinking about returning again the next day for round two... my only complaint is that I found one piece of chicken they gave me kinda dry and tough, but my other piece was super moist and delicious so I trust that it's normally that way. Also, I found that I would like a little extra sauce with my poke, so I will be trying out some of the extras that they sell next time! I certainly am looking forward to returning and I thank the staff for being so welcoming...