Best Poke in Oahu
Poke is one of those quintessential Hawaiian dishes. It’s made up of raw fish (usually ahi) that’s cut up into small pieces and seasoned or marinated with things like sea salt, green onion, sesame oil, shoyu, etc. Thanks to the abundance of fresh fish, you can find excellent poke all over Hawaii, but these spots are the best of the best.
Ono Seafood
This one came highly recommended by Dustin, the bomb sushi chef at 22Kailua. Ono Seafood is a hole-in-the-wall seafood counter attached to an apartment building. They have 8 different kinds of poke, but the shōyu ahi is the most popular. They’re all made to order and you can have it served over rice if you like. Oh, and bonus, it’s really close to Leonard’s if you want to get your malasada fix too.
747 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816
Every local will tell you that Foodland is where you get some of the best poke in Hawaii. If you’re not familiar, Foodland is a Hawaiian supermarket with locations throughout Oahu. The cool thing here is that each Foodland has its own poke recipes so you can find something different from one to the other. And while you’re there grabbing poke, you can also stock up on side dishes, spam musubi, drinks, and fresh fruit. It’s a great stop before you hit the beach. Heads up, come early if you want the best poke selection because they tend to sell out.
Several locations throughout Oahu
Nico’s is a restaurant, but they’ve got a great fish market attached. Go straight to the fish market and head to the back to the poke display. They’ll have at least 10 different kinds that they sell by the pound. They also serve up smoked fish that they smoke daily. They hand pick all their fish every morning from the Honolulu Fish Auction next door.
1129 N Nimitz Hwy, Honolulu, HI 96817
Fresh Catch has the biggest selection of poke — over 20 different types. And in addition to ahi and salmon, there’s also octopus and shrimp. The fish is all freshly caught the same day. It’s run by a husband and wife team and they were even featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.
1113 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816 (corner of Kapahulu & Harding) (+ locations in Kāneʻohe and Pearl City)