Hanalei Poke

Wouldn’t recommend getting poke here. We tried poke at several different spots around the island, including places where poke isn’t even the main focus - and every single one was better than this. That includes the atmosphere, the food, and the service. When we ordered, they just handed us the containers, no bag, no napkins, nothing. Not sure how we were supposed to carry multiple containers by hand all the way to the beach. The poke itself was bland, and they don’t provide anything to fix it, no salt, no pepper, no soy sauce. There was a lot of rice and very little fish, which feels pretty strange for the price. Again, we had poke in other places on the island and it was way better. I’d recommend skipping this spot and trying poke somewhere else if you can.

I panicked at the counter, faced with so many choices. I chose the Kealia bowl which had a red star next to it and it was absolutely divine. It is not what I’d normally go for at a poke shop and it blew my mind. Really appreciated brown rice as an option, too, not just white rice. My mom tried my poke and had to run over to order something for herself. She got the tofu fantasy but with ahi instead of tofu and the flavors were amazing and the textures were fantastic with the crunch of sesame seeds and Mac nuts with tender ahi. Some of the best poke we’ve ever had!!!

We wrapped up a solid Sunday the right way — sun, water, and that deep, earned hunger after a long paddleboard session. After a few hours on the water, there’s only one thing that really makes sense in Hawaii: poke. Fresh. Simple. No drama. Or so you hope. Hanalei Poke was an easy choice at first. A quick search, strong reputation, beautiful location. Inside, the place looks great — clean, bright, laid-back island vibe. The menu is straightforward and easy to understand, which I actually appreciate. No unnecessary complications. But here’s where things started to slip. We were a group of four, clearly hungry, clearly trying to understand what works best if you’re eating on the beach. I had to actively pull information out of the staff — what to order, how portions work, what makes sense

This spot has great reviews for a reason. The poke is fresh and the bowl is flavorful. I kept wanting to go back into the bowl as it was delicious. After reading the negative reviews, I find people are most aggrieved about the price. I find the price is on par for many of the places we have visited in Kauai and Honolulu. If you're on the north part of the island, you should definitely come here for lunch.

5 stars for the vegan tofu poke. Great mix of flavors and textures. Hearty portion. Notably good ginger, too. Would be nice to be able to pick multiple poke types for non vegans. I’m used to only having one option, so didn’t bother me.