Located in the Seaholm District, Malibu Poke is a “legitimate restaurant, masquerading as a poke shop” says store manager Kevin. Everything about Malibu Poke is high quality – from their Japanese imported sushi rice to their sashimi grade fish.
Thank you for inviting me to try your delicious bowls, Malibu Poke! While I did receive complimentary food and drinks, all opinions are my own.
The interior space is super light, bright, and airy. There are plants everywhere, creating a kind of beachy, healthy, natural vibe. They have a small patio space as well, for when the weather is nice! You can park at the Seaholm parking structure and get 1 hour validated, so don’t let parking deter you from visiting this downtown spot. Malibu Poke has a bunch of premade bowls you can order, or, you can use their computers to build your own from the base up.
We tried several bowls – spicy aioli shrimp, bonito aioli tuna, red miso salmon, all over brown rice, cauliflower rice (!), or sushi rice. They also have a vegan bowl and a Whole 30 approved bowl, which is pretty cool and unique. For appetizers, we tried the garlic chili edamame, chips and guac, and cucumber seaweed salad. My favorite was the red miso salmon over sushi rice with the garlic chili edamame. Delish! Sidenote: The rice is incredible. I like to think of myself as a carb aficionado and I could eat this rice ALL DAY LONG. It’s super sticky and amazing. Shout out to Chef Jayr – you’re doing some amazing work!
We also had some drinks and a sample of their dessert. I had a sake old fashioned. I know, I’d never heard of that either! It had a wine-like taste at first, then finished with a more whiskey flavor. It was a pretty dang delicious drink. It wasn’t overly sweet and had just the right amount of kick. Highly recommended. The dessert was an interesting idea – little chocolate chips that seemed to be dipped in cookie dough, then baked. Like, teeny-tiny, single chocolate chip cookies. They call them “chocolate chip microchips.”
Overall, I thought the taste of everything was incredible. It’s certainly high quality, prepared to perfection, and it shows. However, it’s hard for me to ignore the prices. “Small” bowls are around $12 and “Regular” bowls are around $17. You can choose to build your own starting at $11, but then you have to be careful to not get crazy with add-ons! To me, that seems a bit high. However, you also have to remember that in addition to quality, you’re paying for the location and the vibes – right downtown at the Seaholm District. Anyway, I linked their menu here so you can check it out for yourself, but I wanted you to be aware. Don’t get me wrong – I love Malibu Poke. The food, the staff, the environment, all of it. You just have to keep in mind that you’re getting a restaurant-quality dining experience at restaurant prices.
I don’t know about you, but when I think of poke, I think of it as a healthy fast food alternative. Something that is perfect for those nights I don’t have dinner planned and am trying to avoid the McDonald’s drive through! Maybe that’s not what it’s meant to be, but that’s just me.
Thank you so much, Malibu Poke, for inviting me out. Seriously, it was wonderful. Your staff was incredible and the bowls were absolutely delicious. When I’m downtown, you know I’ll be back.
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