With poke still on the rise in Tampa Bay, residents have said hello to two more restaurants offering takes on the traditional Hawaiian dish. U Poké Spot, found at 5001 E. Fowler Ave., made its debut on Oct. 31, while Big Island Poke popped up at 3601 W. Gandy Blvd. on Nov. 5.
Both of the Tampa newcomers are helmed by experienced local sushi chefs. Eric Mawby, the owner of Big Island Poke, has owned more than 16 restaurants since 1988, the year he got his sushi industry start. Sushi lovers are likely familiar with his late Tampa-area dining spots — Sushi on 7th and Sakana.
"I decided about a year ago to start looking at opening a poke place because I noticed the growing trend coming from the West Coast," Mawby said.
The owners of Lutz's popular Umami Sushi, Chen Feng and Jingui Chen, are the masterminds behind U Poké Spot.
"Poke is a new popular cuisine," said U Poké Spot general manager Daisy Zheng. "All the ingredients are inspired from sushi rolls, and they are very healthy, fresh and fast."
Mawby agrees. His take on poke is that the healthful dish is perfect when it's served up in a speedy manner, which is why Big Island Poke chose to deliver its food via a drive-thru line. A small 400-square-foot kitchen space allows the joint to execute quickly made poke bowls for customers on the go, without the hassle of getting out of their cars.
Another similarity between the two fast-casual-style restaurants? They pride themselves on using fresh ingredients. According to Zheng, U Poké Spot's fish is always delivered fresh, veggies are cut daily, and each sauce is made in-house.
"Every poke restaurant has its own specialty," Zheng said. "For us, it is our fresh ingredients."
The flavorful, carefully assembled menu options are known as "signature bowls" at U Poké Spot; Big Island Poke diners choose from "house bowls." If customers prefer to exercise their own creativity, however, they can opt to create their own inside either restaurant. The customizable bowl-building process is simple: pick a base, add a protein, thrown in some veggies, and top it all off with a sauce.
Aside from traditional poke, Big Island Poke focuses on other health-conscious fare — among them smoothies, juices and the acai bowl, an offering that's also continued to gain steam locally. Tying in with the restaurant's Hawaiian theme, Kona Dogs are a big staple here, too. One of these all-beef weiners, called the Bahn Mi, is cloaked by a Hawaiian roll, then garnished with toppings like pickled cucumber, cilantro and spicy mayo.
U Poké Spot's less-conventional choices include poke burritos and poke nachos, which generously dress tortilla chips with jalapeños, shrimp, sweet onion, edamame, mango salsa, Sriracha and wasabi aioli.
Big Island Poke is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. U Poké Spot operates 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
This article appears in Nov 30 – Dec 7, 2017.