Amazing slow cooked Original Beef Soup, everything done right from the mellow broth base to the pickled cabbage and oh so tender beef. It's real quality taste at a really great price.
Inna B.
Management has apparently changed and quality isn't as good as it was. They have miso soup but it's often not ready. They used to have a few people on shift but now it's usually just one guy. When it's slow that's fine but when it's busy during lunch it can be a problem. I recently stopped by and saw a line of 12 people which moved quite slowly because he had to make all the bowls, ring each person/group up, and restock from the back room as needed. Updating to 4 stars. 3.5 might be more appropriate.
Aaron C.
This place sucked! I eat poke often and this place was not good. Bad service and bad food. We went in for lunch, the only guy in the place didnt even say anything and just stared at us. Asked a couple basic questions about the menu and he didn't even really answer us, just seemed irritated lol. Then the place was awkward silent, no music or anything so you could hear each person eating. Then once the guy stopped serving, he jumped on the computer and was watching Facebook videos super loud that everyone could hear. Horrible experience.
Tanya Z.
I think 'meh' about sums it up. Slow & unfriendly service, despite a nearly empty store (which should've been a red flag since I was there at noon on a weekday), small portions of fish & mix-ins and no explanation of what the mystery marinades and sauces are. When I asked the guy behind the counter, he wasn't super helpful and seemed annoyed. I can usually overlook crap service in favor of good food, but this wasn't it. Food was average and forgettable. Probably won't be coming back.
Eugene R.
Well the service sucks. It says they're open at 11 AM, I show up at 11:05, place is closed . Guy inside is prepping , sees me waiting behind the glass and completely ignores me going about his business, LOL.
Anita C.
The Tuna and Salmon are extremely not fresh! I feel that they have mix last-night fishes with the new ones together. The sushi rice is not freshly made as well! Overall this restaurant is extremely awful. Don't go here for POKE, the one in Bellevue square is better and it is just two blocks away.
Shengwen F.
I never write review, but this is my first time to write review for a restaurant. Because I am disgusted by the meat. They are so staleï¼ï¼I can smell the rancidness when I open the container, but I still tried a couple bites. As a result, I got foodborne illnessï¼
Brittany Graham
I've been to multiple poke places in Bellevue and this is hands down the worst. They were out of many menu items, including sushi rice, different marinated fish, avocado, crab, and masago. When asked if they had any extras, the employee stated “it's Friday and we don't get our next shipment until Monday.†So I can only assume that they will run out of more things over the weekend. Also, their menu doesn't describe each food item. For example, they have “happy salmon†and “aloha tuna.†You cannot tell what you're getting based off of the name. I ordered my bowl with cilantro sauce and it tasted heavily of wasabi. There was no indication of this on the menu. Therefore, for all of these reasons, I will not return to Poke Lover. I can spend the same amount of money at another decently located poke venue and have a much better experience.
Lena S.
Came back to try this place again ever since I saw the "new management" sign and I was not disappointed! Whatever the new management did, it worked! All the mix-ins look so fresh and delicious! I ordered a large bowl with 3 different kinds of tuna and each one was high quality and delicious! Every piece was perfect and tasted great. I got a salad bowl and they had a huge variety of toppings and sauces to choose from. They also offer you a free cup of miso soup that is also yummy. Really nice warm cup of soup goes great with a poke bowl. The service is quick and pretty friendly. There is also free hot and cold water. The inside of the store is very pretty. They have a flower wall and really cute decorations throughout the store. The seating area is very comfortable. Really great changes. Can't wait to come back!
Vy M.
New management=WAY better service Came last minute and they still let me in. The guy with glasses and sleeves on both arms was so nice and welcoming, I definitely felt aloha spirit even though we're in rainy Washington. I got to try the happy salmon and sweetchilli salmon and both were delicious. All the ingredients were super fresh and did not taste fishy whatsoever. The aesthetic was super cute, with the flower wall...wish I had time to take a picture! Definitely one of the better poke restaurants in the greater Seattle area. We'll be back!
This place looks cool and has good Poke. It's ashamed it's in a rundown looking building overall. I made my own bowl. How it works is you go in and pick how many scoops you want of the main protein and you can pick scoops from as many as you want. I picked Ahi Tuna and Happy Salmon because I am not a HUGE poke fan, I just like miso soup a lot. There was a giant sign that they are under new management and miso soup comes free with every entre. I would go here again because I love the salmon and after the two scoops you can go as crazy as you want on toppings. I added all the seaweed I could see. I also added edamame, mango and pineapple for sweetness, and poke sauce because the man said it was not spicy. I don't like spicy food. The rice was super filling along with the salmon. I really liked it all around and want to eat in next time because the big flower decoration inside is very pretty! The miso soup wasn't the best of all time but pretty much what you'd expect.
Henry L.
Came in because I had a meeting on the Eastside. There's a big sign that out front proclaiming that this location is under new management. I should have been more suspect when at 1pm there's only one other customer in the restaurant. But hey, poké probably meant people take their food to go, right? While there was nobody else in line (nor hardly anybody in the restaurant) the employee behind the counter made me feel rushed. He also got progressively stingier as I went through the ordering process. As far as the food goes, I'm really disappointed in the portions. The spoons of proteins are already kind of small. Then there's a total imbalance of everything else to rice/salad. Yes, that stuff is filler but I kind of like that stuff to go with all the other ingredients. Also typically at the last step for picking out the toppings, it's usually the same amount regardless of the number of toppings chosen. It felt as I picked things, the portion of the topping got smaller and smaller. When I added tofu at at the end, it was literally two pieces of tofu. Taste-wise, Poké Lover is just average. The marinades that are already on the fish weren't particularly memorable.
Vic B.
UPDATED:
Robert Holsberry
Passable but wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to go again
Kristie S.
I stopped in because I was in the area. And I don't think I'll stop in again. Nothing was really wow for me. From the customer service to the food. This was my first time here and I wasn't familiar with their marinated flavors. I had a few questions but it was clear the employee was bothered and could careless on what I was asking. You would think as an employee you would know key ingredients on each type of poke they provide. And maybe even smile from time to time. Every step of the way the employee looked back at me as if I was inconveniencing them. Concept is similar to every other Poke spots you see now a days. Their poke is "marinated" but it still lacked much needed flavor. Sides were unlimited which was nice but their crab salad needed some work. Towards the end of my bowl it was dry and I wanted to ask for more spicy mayo but from the experience I got in the beginning I didn't even want to bother. Sad to say this Poke joint was by far the worst experience and mediocre food.
Amazing slow cooked Original Beef Soup, everything done right from the mellow broth base to the pickled cabbage and oh so tender beef. It's real quality taste at a really great price.
Management has apparently changed and quality isn't as good as it was. They have miso soup but it's often not ready. They used to have a few people on shift but now it's usually just one guy. When it's slow that's fine but when it's busy during lunch it can be a problem. I recently stopped by and saw a line of 12 people which moved quite slowly because he had to make all the bowls, ring each person/group up, and restock from the back room as needed. Updating to 4 stars. 3.5 might be more appropriate.
This place sucked! I eat poke often and this place was not good. Bad service and bad food. We went in for lunch, the only guy in the place didnt even say anything and just stared at us. Asked a couple basic questions about the menu and he didn't even really answer us, just seemed irritated lol. Then the place was awkward silent, no music or anything so you could hear each person eating. Then once the guy stopped serving, he jumped on the computer and was watching Facebook videos super loud that everyone could hear. Horrible experience.
I think 'meh' about sums it up. Slow & unfriendly service, despite a nearly empty store (which should've been a red flag since I was there at noon on a weekday), small portions of fish & mix-ins and no explanation of what the mystery marinades and sauces are. When I asked the guy behind the counter, he wasn't super helpful and seemed annoyed. I can usually overlook crap service in favor of good food, but this wasn't it. Food was average and forgettable. Probably won't be coming back.
Well the service sucks. It says they're open at 11 AM, I show up at 11:05, place is closed . Guy inside is prepping , sees me waiting behind the glass and completely ignores me going about his business, LOL.
The Tuna and Salmon are extremely not fresh! I feel that they have mix last-night fishes with the new ones together. The sushi rice is not freshly made as well! Overall this restaurant is extremely awful. Don't go here for POKE, the one in Bellevue square is better and it is just two blocks away.
I never write review, but this is my first time to write review for a restaurant. Because I am disgusted by the meat. They are so staleï¼ï¼I can smell the rancidness when I open the container, but I still tried a couple bites. As a result, I got foodborne illnessï¼
I've been to multiple poke places in Bellevue and this is hands down the worst. They were out of many menu items, including sushi rice, different marinated fish, avocado, crab, and masago. When asked if they had any extras, the employee stated “it's Friday and we don't get our next shipment until Monday.†So I can only assume that they will run out of more things over the weekend. Also, their menu doesn't describe each food item. For example, they have “happy salmon†and “aloha tuna.†You cannot tell what you're getting based off of the name. I ordered my bowl with cilantro sauce and it tasted heavily of wasabi. There was no indication of this on the menu. Therefore, for all of these reasons, I will not return to Poke Lover. I can spend the same amount of money at another decently located poke venue and have a much better experience.
Came back to try this place again ever since I saw the "new management" sign and I was not disappointed! Whatever the new management did, it worked! All the mix-ins look so fresh and delicious! I ordered a large bowl with 3 different kinds of tuna and each one was high quality and delicious! Every piece was perfect and tasted great. I got a salad bowl and they had a huge variety of toppings and sauces to choose from. They also offer you a free cup of miso soup that is also yummy. Really nice warm cup of soup goes great with a poke bowl. The service is quick and pretty friendly. There is also free hot and cold water. The inside of the store is very pretty. They have a flower wall and really cute decorations throughout the store. The seating area is very comfortable. Really great changes. Can't wait to come back!
New management=WAY better service Came last minute and they still let me in. The guy with glasses and sleeves on both arms was so nice and welcoming, I definitely felt aloha spirit even though we're in rainy Washington. I got to try the happy salmon and sweetchilli salmon and both were delicious. All the ingredients were super fresh and did not taste fishy whatsoever. The aesthetic was super cute, with the flower wall...wish I had time to take a picture! Definitely one of the better poke restaurants in the greater Seattle area. We'll be back!
Restaurantji Recommends
This place looks cool and has good Poke. It's ashamed it's in a rundown looking building overall. I made my own bowl. How it works is you go in and pick how many scoops you want of the main protein and you can pick scoops from as many as you want. I picked Ahi Tuna and Happy Salmon because I am not a HUGE poke fan, I just like miso soup a lot. There was a giant sign that they are under new management and miso soup comes free with every entre. I would go here again because I love the salmon and after the two scoops you can go as crazy as you want on toppings. I added all the seaweed I could see. I also added edamame, mango and pineapple for sweetness, and poke sauce because the man said it was not spicy. I don't like spicy food. The rice was super filling along with the salmon. I really liked it all around and want to eat in next time because the big flower decoration inside is very pretty! The miso soup wasn't the best of all time but pretty much what you'd expect.
Came in because I had a meeting on the Eastside. There's a big sign that out front proclaiming that this location is under new management. I should have been more suspect when at 1pm there's only one other customer in the restaurant. But hey, poké probably meant people take their food to go, right? While there was nobody else in line (nor hardly anybody in the restaurant) the employee behind the counter made me feel rushed. He also got progressively stingier as I went through the ordering process. As far as the food goes, I'm really disappointed in the portions. The spoons of proteins are already kind of small. Then there's a total imbalance of everything else to rice/salad. Yes, that stuff is filler but I kind of like that stuff to go with all the other ingredients. Also typically at the last step for picking out the toppings, it's usually the same amount regardless of the number of toppings chosen. It felt as I picked things, the portion of the topping got smaller and smaller. When I added tofu at at the end, it was literally two pieces of tofu. Taste-wise, Poké Lover is just average. The marinades that are already on the fish weren't particularly memorable.
UPDATED:
Passable but wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to go again
I stopped in because I was in the area. And I don't think I'll stop in again. Nothing was really wow for me. From the customer service to the food. This was my first time here and I wasn't familiar with their marinated flavors. I had a few questions but it was clear the employee was bothered and could careless on what I was asking. You would think as an employee you would know key ingredients on each type of poke they provide. And maybe even smile from time to time. Every step of the way the employee looked back at me as if I was inconveniencing them. Concept is similar to every other Poke spots you see now a days. Their poke is "marinated" but it still lacked much needed flavor. Sides were unlimited which was nice but their crab salad needed some work. Towards the end of my bowl it was dry and I wanted to ask for more spicy mayo but from the experience I got in the beginning I didn't even want to bother. Sad to say this Poke joint was by far the worst experience and mediocre food.