The Poke Shack
7257 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
www.thepokeshack.com

Shops bringing us traditional Hawaiian poke have been sprouting up on (what feels like) a daily basis in Los Angeles. I think the craze can be attributed to the food being perfect for warm weather, fresh, associated with fun flavors and healthy ingredients. Having already been open in Venice for a year and a half The Poke Shack can be considered one of the OGs before the craze took off. Well, lucky for all you mid to east-side city dwellers, they just opened a new spot on Melrose so you can visit this awesome little poke spot without trekking to the Westside.

The prices are fantastic and at their Melrose location, you can choose unlimited toppings for no additional charge. We put together two bowls to enjoy. Bowl one was tuna with crunchy garlic sauce, kimchi, edamame, misugi, seaweed, and jalapeno. Bowl two was tuna with wasabi shoyu, mango, avocado, and jalapeno. Each bowl also comes standard with cucumber, ginger, onions, sesame seeds and red chili flakes. I also had to try their acai bowl for which you can choose your base juice; I chose mango of course! It came topped with granola, fruit, coconut, and a drizzle of honey.

 

In my humble opinion, my avocado topped creation was the best. The fish is fresh and not “fishy”, I loved the play of spice and sweet between the toppings. The servings are hearty and beautifully assembled.    Also of note is the cute little back patio where you can enjoy your poke in the open air. It’s in the back so don’t worry about being bothered by Melrose traffic. They also have the perfect photo opp with some fishy wings and their very own snap chat filters. Perfect little lunch stop while doing some Melrose shopping? We think so!