The popularity of poke has led to a rapid expansion of poke eateries around Australia. What exactly is this fad, and why has it become so popular? Hawaiian poke is a dish made of raw fish that has been cubed and occasionally fermented, placed on a bed of grain and topped with tasty garnishes and tangy sauces.
They're easy to personalise, quick to prepare, and, most importantly, taste delicious while still being good for you. It's a no-brainer if you're trying to monitor your weight because it's full of healthy fats like omega-3s and vegetables with lightly processed carbs.
Poke, a meal with Hawaiian and Japanese elements, has quickly become a popular dining choice. It's the inverse of "guy food," originally served as both a mildly soy-cured raw caesar salad with vegetables and high-quality sushi rice. Here are four restaurants serving delicious and nutritious poke. There is an infinite variety of flavours in Melbourne.
Here’s Where To Get Melbourne’s Poké
One of the best new food fads in Melbourne, poké bowls are a takeout cuisine that combines a variety of poke and other ingredients to create a dish that is both filling and flavorful. Poké is a popular Hawaiian cuisine that combines Japanese-inspired spices with sushi rice, vegetables, and a variety of flavorful sauces to complement fresh, smooth fish. You can find out more about it here. We're all going a bit nuts for it, so here at the best places in Melbourne to get your serve of poké.
Mahalo Poké
Mahalo Poké, led by the same people who brought you Botherambo, serves up poke all day long. The breakfast poke features salmon, curry sauce, kale, raw almond flakes, broccolini, and Furikake. Lunchtime poke shopper's options include crunchy soft-shell crab, classic Kingfish, and smooth, spicy salmon.
Yeah, darling, it's back. Botherambo, the sexy pink poke bar founded by a group of Southeast Asian expats, has reopened on Swan Street. One of the mainstays of Melbourne's thriving poke industry, Mahalo Poké offers Hawaiian-Japanese cuisine for takeout. It spent the winter dormant but is now preparing for another busy summer. Togarashi, jalapeo salsa verde, and avocado over bread will make breakfast exciting again; feta and avocado are so 2016. If you're still in summers #fitspo mindset, try this delicious Breakfast Poké with poached egg, raw Stocked trout, broccolini, kale, flakes raw nuts, and Furikake.
If you and a companion get lunch at Poke, you'll both be poking each other for a taste of the vibrant, flavorful assortment of Poke bowls on offer. DIY poke bowls are an option for the picky eater, as are four other base options. Our favourite is the crispy langoustine shellfish with corn, kimchi, ka'ukama, red onion, carrot, and jalapeo Sriracha cream. This sunny, pink and white nook bar also serves burgers on Hawaiian soft buns, Government fries, and a variety of smoothies. It's so cool it pokes.
Momoya
Momoya serves some of the most delicious poke platters in Melbourne in addition to authentic Japanese fare including sashimi and donburi. There's a wide variety of options, from slow-cooked roast pork and cubed halibut or tuna to sticky rice tossed in cherry teriyaki sauce. Put it together with some interesting condiments, like kimchi, seaweed salad, or spicy mayonnaise, and you've got yourself a tasty meal.
Momoya, situated in the center of Dulwich, serves authentic Japanese food prepared by a chef who was born in Japan. The eatery opened for business in September of 2016. The trendy Momoya can be found on Through road Camberwell, just off the main drag of Riversdale road, and provides traditional Japanese cuisine with a contemporary touch.
Short Straw
Short Straw is known for being one of the most brunch in Melbourne, and their poke bowls are equally as attractive as their decor. Short Straw serves up Insta-worthy poke with ingredients like cured poppy seed salmon, businesses that sell, soybeans, avocado, fresh herbs, and ponzu dressing on top of multigrain rice in an open, gutted out environment with hanging vines, rustic brick walls, and soaring rooftops.
You certainly aren't getting the short end of the breakfast stick (excuse the pun) at this Harrow café, and we'll tell you why. Their food will have you swearing off peanut butter on Wonderwhite, and their decor of wooden accents and succulent details will make you feel guilty about returning to your milk crate bookcase and second-hand faux leather lounge suite.
After admiring the Pinterest-worthy rustic warehouses décor and sampling the delectable pastries and delicacies on display, you'll realise that not only are plants dangling from the ceiling, but the menu is stacked with all of your brunch favourites. The traditional Eggs, Benny, which features poached eggs, crispy potato, braised pig hash, wilted spinach, and hollandaise; and the Asparagus and Feta Smash, which is smashed avocado, feta cheese, herb pesto, and seeds over toasted dark rye bread (for less than a twenty).
There are also dishes you may not have realised you needed until you tried them. Injecting saffron and charred banana waffles with wild fruit coulis, then topping them with mascarpone, whipped cream, and chocolate macarons to create the ever-popular Stacks On Waffles. New York Style Chicken Bagel with boiled chicken, olive, semi-dried tomato, chipotle mayo, and spinach; Garden of Eden; avocado art with kale; chickpea and avocado hummus; asparagus and radish; poached eggs. We won't even talk about how terrible their drink menu is.
Brunch is the perfect time to have an espresso martini like "The Fast Charlie" or a GG&T (grapefruit gin and tonic, duh). And yet, their brunch martini is an actual necessity. There must be something wrong with you if you aren't already on your way there.
Poki Time
Salmon, salty miso tuna, strong mayo dressing, crab salad, corn, onion, masago, fresh chillies, and black sesame seeds make up Poki Time's famous Spicy Up bowl, which we cannot recommend highly enough. Hawaii FIVE-O, which features tuna, original salsa, edamame, cucumber, and roasted sesame seeds, is another fan favourite.
What have we been doing without Poké!? Poké, for the uninitiated, is a Hawaiian dish consisting of raw fish that has been chopped and seasoned with a variety of sauces. Poki Time, conveniently located near Glenferrie Station, makes custom poké bowls to order with an almost infinite variety of bases, sauces, and toppings. The perfect supper for self-proclaimed foodies like us who also care about our waistlines.
Pokéd
Pokéd, one of Melbourne's earliest Poké restaurants, is located a fish's throw from Flagstaff. At lunchtime, this chic restaurant with a tropical theme sends out a parade of vividly coloured bowls of a generous size. The Big Kahuna, for example, features sashimi salmon, flavorful crustaceans with chilli mayo, cucumber, tomato, red onion, honey mustard lettuce, spinach, seaweed salad, beans, pineapple, crab salad, tortilla crackers, tobiko, and sesame seeds.
At Pokéd, you can choose between a selection of premade poké bowls or make your own from scratch using the restaurant's two menus. Pick your prefered serving size, foundation, protein, sauce, and garnishes. If so, Pokéd will quickly prepare it for you. If that's too much work for you, stop by Pokéd and pick up one of their tasty premade mixes, like the Surf and Turf, which comes with shrimp cooked in a sous vide bath, pineapple chili, pickled cabbage, wonton chips, and more.
Hana
Hana is a brand new bar and restaurant with a Hawaiian theme serving cocktails and raw fish. Lunch specials include fresh poke salads with toppings such seared tuna wit apple and citrous or salmon with leaves, citrous, and macadamia nuts.
PokeBay
You may make your bowl completely unique with the countless toppings available on PokeBay. You can create your own poke bowl by selecting a base, protein, sauce, and up to six pepperoni, or you can order one of the chef's creations, such as the gluten-free Cali Shoreline with smoked salmon, ponzu soy, salad, seaweed salad, and pickled ginger, or the Shrimply a Best of sous vide prawn, flavorful mousse, edamame, and wasabi peas. No matter what you order, you'll be getting one of Melbourne's finest poke bowls.
The Poke Man
Check out Poke Man for a bowl of poke that will blow your mind. Fresh salmon and tuna are marinated in a special sauce, and then tossed with a variety of other ingredients to create a variety of delicious combinations. For example, the "poke man special" features edamame, seaweed, togarashi sauce, and wonton crisps, and "the people's choice" features mixed rice, sweet spicy beef sauce, cucumber, crispy shallots, and sesame seeds.
Hunter’s Harvest
The Hawaiian poke bowl at Hunter's Harvest exemplifies the restaurant's commitment to providing healthy fast cuisine by blending a variety from whole foods to produce novel and fascinating flavours. Even though they only have one special to offer, it's well worth it. It comes with avocado, pickled ginger, spicy mayo, and sesame soy and is topped with your choice of cured salmon, teriyaki salmon, spicy beef, lemon chicken, egg tofu, or miso mushrooms. Eating healthily is not a new concept. This isn't a passing fad; it's a way of living. You can probably even pronounce all the terms on the menu, as they were created with the capacity to forage for nature's true superfoods in mind.
To produce novel tastes and textures, we combine a wide variety of complete foods. Since we create everything fresh on the premises in tiny batches, you can rest assured that the time and effort you put into trying one of our pickles will be well rewarded. We are committed to providing our patrons with fresh, crisp, and delectable fruits, vegetables, and proteins. Most importantly, though, we hope to show that "good stuff" isn't limited to bitter or green varieties by broadening people's taste preferences.
Poké Me
There appears to be a good reason for the popularity of Tickle Me in South Yarra. Green tea soba pasta, Asian salad, turmeric quinoa, and other toppings pair well with any of the available bases. Toss in some tuna, chicken, Tasmania salmon, tofu, or vegetables for protein. Put four or five toppings on it, choose a tasty sauce or salad, and you're set to go. Everything is produced fresh right before you using ingredients purchased from local farmers.
Poké Me (which is pronounced POH-kay) is a real challenger for the title of best fish poké in Melbourne, and it's light years ahead of Facebook's virtual poking feature. In this South Yarra healthy food kingdom, you'll never have to worry about being undecided if you're a toppings addict. A person who can't make up their mind can order a DIY bowl and customise it with their choice of protein, sauce, and toppings like wasabi caviar and charcoal salt. If you poke us, we'll be in seventh heaven.
Nosh
Enjoy some poke sandwiches at Nosh Melbourne. Nosh is committed to simple, calorie counting by using local and seasonal vegetables to create some of the greatest poke bowls in Melbourne.
Try one of their famous poke bowls, such as the poke party, which features fresh salmon cubes bathed in creamy mango sauce, turmeric-infused rice, edamame, sweet potato, and charred strips of capsicum, or the sashimi lovin', which features fresh tuna, cremini mushrooms, miso pumpkin, and charred broccoli.
Saké Jr
Saké Jr. is the younger, more relaxed sibling to Neil Perry's upscale Sake Restaurant and Bar. When noon rolls around, you can either "grab and go" or make your own poke bowl. Eco-friendly options like tuna poke and miso-glazed pork will be used. Foodies can experiment with ingredients like chilli stalks and shredded wasabi peas with more conventional dishes like roasted pumpkin and edamame.
Tokyo Tina
Tokyo Tina now offers o-fish-ally nek-level poké bowls. You can choose the classic avocado mixed salmon poke served over rice, mango, onion, jalapeo, and coconut, or you can try something new like pineapple snapper poke served over rice, wasabi, avocado, papaya, etc., and onion. Poké is blowing up around Melbourne to keep on top of all the new spaces opening up.
The restaurant scene in Melbourne has been revolutionised, and Tokyo Tina serves as a metaphor for this. Take one rundown Chapel Street bong shop, add Commune Group heavy hitters Simon Blacher, Paul Nguyen, and Nic Coulter, and let everything simmer for a while. That's the end product. Tina in Tokyo. Third in a family of foods with alliterative names. In our perspective, that is quite delicious family.
In addition to Hanoi Hannah, Hawker Hall, and Sash Japanese, Tokyo Fey is considered one of Windsor's "it" restaurants. Even if it's freezing outside on a Tuesday in June, this joint will be packed. Indeed, since since chef Scott Baron got his hands on a Bradley Smoker over the Easter holiday, things have been getting very smoked. Now he's dishing out massive quantities of delicious smoked brisket ramen for lunch. As Melbourne settles into another cold, wet winter, this is exactly what you need. Decorations in Tokyo Tina adds a lot of charisma to the situation. It's possible that you're in a dilapidated structure in Shinjuku, perhaps hidden behind a pachinko parlour.
Windsor scuffle decorates the walls, while oak beams and dark Tokyo images fill the rest of the room. There are green tiling on the bar, several Japanese knives that look like they belong to a samurai affixed to the walls, and sake bottles tucked away in various crevices. Hibachi grill standards, bao packed with crispy banana or DIY pig belly, and larger platters like Okonomiyaki cakes or roast pork leg with ssamjang are all still on the menu. They can't get enough of the lovely, delectable turmoil that is Windsor. So, Godzilla will eat here if he ever attacks Melbourne. Kanpai!
Point Break Poké
Indulge in Point Break Poké till you can eat no more. The team behind Hanoi Hannah, Saigon Sally, and Tokyo Tina has opened a takeout and delivery-only outpost. When these poké bowls kids show up at your work desk, you can be sure that your coworkers will be green with envy.
Kobe Jones
Poke can also be made at home and eaten there. Kobe Jones is a high-end riverside eatery known for its spectacular teppanyaki performances. Order some shrimp poke in between bites of wagyu and smoked mushrooms. Poke sauce-marinated cubes of traditional Hawaiian sashimi cut through the smokiness of the barbecued beef.
Tukk & Co.
Even though the two probably wouldn't go together, these coffee experts have included raw fish on their menu. Salmon, wasabi prawns, spicy chicken, plus tofu are just some of the delicious toppings that may be added to any of the four rice base selections. You can grab a bowl on the go; it's accompanied by apartments and offices.
Poke Time Food Truck
In addition to traditional Japanese fare like beef gyudon or chicken gata, Poke Time offers three different types of classic poké that, when combined, create a veritable rainbow in such a bowl. Kimchi, Ketchup crab, or a Japanese smooth egg are just a few of the optional sides you can order. Yum! At Poke Time, you can get some of the best Hawaiian and Japanese cuisine around. Poke, a meal comprised of raw marinated sashimi-grade fish, has recently gained widespread popularity, and our food truck is the only one now providing it.
Poke bowls provide a pleasurable and guilt-free eating experience because they are made with healthy, fresh ingredients. We have solutions for those who need to avoid gluten and for those who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet. If you don't care for fish, we also have a Chicken Katana bowl and a Meat Gyudon bowl. The house-made marinades and sauces are bursting with flavour despite their seeming simplicity. All of our fruit and vegetables are fresh and harvested in the area.
Point Break Poke
Tokyo Rather than ordering oily pizza or tasteless fish and chips, you should try Tina's Point Break Poke squad. Poké from this Deliveroo service, named after a film starring Keanu Reeves in which surfers double as bank robbers, is kept basic with just a few extras like cabbage or bitter potato rice noodles.
Conclusion
The fast rise in popularity of poke can be attributed to the unique combination of Hawaiian and Japanese flavours it offers. It was originally served as a gently cured raw caesar salad with veggies and high-quality sushi rice and is the polar opposite of "man food." In case you were wondering where to get some tasty poke in Melbourne, here are four great options. Located smack dab in the middle of Dulwich, Momoya has a Japanese-born chef at the helm of its kitchen. Multigrain rice is the base for Short Straw's Instagram-worthy poke, which also features soybeans, avocado, fresh herbs, and ponzu dressing.
At Poki Time, Poki Time, you can order a bowl of poké with your choice of base, sauce, and toppings from a nearly endless menu. Pokéd is a Melbourne institution, and it's only a stone's throw from Flagstaff, making it one of the first Poké spots in the city. For instance, sashimi salmon, edamame, cucumber, and tomato can all be found in The Big Kahuna. The brand-new HanaHana is a Hawaiian-themed bar and eatery known for its raw fish and exotic beverages. Poked is a restaurant where you can get a ready-made poké bowl or build your own.
Whatever you select, you'll get one of the best poke bowls in Melbourne. A contender for the greatest fish poké in Melbourne is Poké Me (pronounced POH-kay). Simple calorie counting is a priority at Nosh, which is why the poke bowls served there are made with produce from nearby farms and in-season fruits and nuts. Younger and more laid-back than Neil Perry's posh Sake Restaurant and Bar, Saké Jr. There aren't many restaurants as popular as Tina in Windsor.
The same people who own Hanoi Hannah, Saigon Sally, and Tokyo Fey also have Point Break Poké. They just can't get enough of Windsor's delicious, beautiful chaos. If Godzilla ever makes it to Melbourne, he knows what he'll be eating. Poke, short for poke maki, is a dish made of sashimi-quality raw fish that has been marinated. Because of the use of healthy, natural ingredients, poke bowls can be enjoyed without feeling guilty. Kobe Jones, the Poke Time Food Truck, and the Point Break Poke team are not the only places to get your poke fix.
Content Summary
- Due to the food's rising popularity, poke restaurants have sprung up all throughout Australia.
- Hawaiian poke is a cuisine consisting of cubed, raw fish that has been sometimes fermented, served above a bed of grain and topped with delectable garnishes and sour sauces.
- The fast rise in popularity of poke can be attributed to the unique combination of Hawaiian and Japanese flavours it offers.
- Poké bowls, one of the finest new food trends in Melbourne, are a takeout cuisine that combines a range of poke and other ingredients to produce a satisfying and delectable dish.
- Poké is a well-liked Hawaiian dish that features fresh, tender fish complemented by sushi rice, vegetables, and a wide range of savoury sauces.
- Everyone seems to be going a little bit poké-crazy, so I compiled a list of the top spots in Melbourne to get your fill.
- Mahalo Poké is one of the most well-known poke restaurants in Melbourne, Australia, serving Hawaiian and Japanese takeout.
- If you and a friend go to Poke for lunch, you'll be poking at each other to share some of the restaurant's colourful and tasty Poke bowls.
- For the fussy eater, we offer four different bowl foundations in addition to the do-it-yourself poke bowl.
- You can get burgers on Hawaiian soft buns, Government fries, and a few different kinds of smoothies at this bright pink and white nook bar.
- Poke platters at Momoya are among the best in Melbourne, and the restaurant also offers excellent sashimi, donburi, and other Japanese dishes.
- Located smack dab in the middle of Dulwich, Momoya has a Japanese-born chef at the helm of its kitchen.
- The poke bowls at Short Straw, a popular Melbourne brunch spot, are as visually appealing as the restaurant's vintage '50s diner vibe.
- Despite the joke, we promise you that this Harrow café provides you with a satisfying breakfast.
- Asparagus and Feta Smash: smashed avocado, feta cheese, herb pesto, and seeds on toasted dark rye bread; and the classic Eggs, Benny: poached eggs, crispy potato, braised pig hash, wilted spinach, and hollandaise (for less than a twenty).
- You might also find some meals that you didn't think you needed until you tasted them.
- Stacks On Waffles are made by injecting wild fruit coulis into waffles made with saffron and burnt bananas and then topping them with mascarpone, whipped cream, and chocolate macarons.
- At brunch, an espresso martini like "The Fast Charlie" or a gin and tonic are two of the finest libations one may have (grapefruit gin and tonic, duh).
- We cannot speak highly enough of the Spicy Up bowl from Poki Time, which features salmon, salty miso tuna, a robust mayo dressing, crab salad, corn, onion, masago, fresh chillies, and black sesame seeds.
- A second fan favourite is the Hawaii FIVE-O, which consists of tuna, original salsa, edamame, cucumber, and roasted sesame seeds.
- For those of you who aren't familiar with it, poké is a traditional Hawaiian dish made with chopped raw fish and a variety of sauces.
- Poki Time, located not far from Glenferrie Station, is a popular spot to grab a tasty poké bowl with your choice of bases, sauces, and toppings.
- Pokéd, one of Melbourne's first Poké establishments, can be found just a stone's throw away from the Flagstaff neighbourhood.
- There are two menu options available at Pokéd: prefabricated poké bowls, and the ability to create your own poké bowl from scratch.
- There's a fresh new Hawaiian-themed bar and restaurant in town called Hana, and they serve raw fish and cocktails.
- There are a plethora of options for toppings on PokeBay, so you may create a bowl that is truly one of a kind.
- Whatever you select, you'll get one of the best poke bowls in Melbourne.
- You can't find better poke than at Poke Man.
- Hawaiian poke bowls from Hunter's Harvest are a great example of the restaurant's dedication to offering healthy fast food by showcasing the kitchen's ability to creatively combine a wide range of whole ingredients to achieve new and exciting flavour profiles.
- We blend many different whole foods to create new flavours and textures.
- For the most part, though, we just want to expand people's horizons and show them that "good stuff" comes in more than just bitter or green types.
- The success of Tickle Me in South Yarra looks to be warranted.
- Simply add four or five toppings of your choice, along with your prefered sauce and salad, and you'll be good to go.
- Fresh food is made to order using ingredients sourced from nearby farms.
- Poké Me, pronounced POH-kay, is a serious contender for the title of best fish poké in Melbourne, and it's a million times better than Facebook's virtual poking feature.
- In this healthy food paradise of South Yarra, you'll never have to second-guess your addiction to toppings.
- Stop by Nosh Melbourne for some delicious poke sandwiches.
- The best poke bowls in Melbourne can be found at Nosh, a restaurant that uses locally sourced and seasonal vegetables to keep the calorie count low.
- The upmarket Sake Restaurant and Bar owned by Neil Perry has a younger, more laid-back sister named Saké Jr.
- Poké bowls at Tokyo Tina have reached o-fish-ally nek levels.
- Poké is experiencing explosive growth in Melbourne as a result of the city's expanding number of poke spots.
- Tokio Tina is a symbol of the way Melbourne's dining scene has been revolutionised.
- Some of Windsor's most popular eateries are Hanoi Hannah, Hawker Hall, and Sash Japanese.
- He just finished serving up a tonne of tasty smoked brisket ramen for lunch.
- Tokyo's Festive Decking Tina brings a great deal of charm to the table.
- You could be in a rundown building in Shinjuku, possibly tucked up behind a pachinko parlour.
- The teppanyaki shows at the upscale riverside restaurant Kobe Jones are legendary.
- Intersperse your wagyu and smoked mushroom bits with some shrimp poke.
FAQs About Melbourne’s Poke Bowls
So what is this food trend, anyway — and what’s the appeal? Poke means “to slice or cut” in Hawaiian and refers to chunks of raw, marinated fish — usually tuna — which is then tossed over rice and topped with vegetables and umami-packed sauces. “It’s the next generation of sushi,” says chef Dakota Weiss of Sweetfin Poké.
Poke is a regional American-based cuisine from Hawaii. However, traditional poke seasonings are heavily influenced by Japanese cuisines.
The version of a poke bowl recipe is made with saucy ahi tuna, sticky brown rice, crunchy carrots and cucumber, edamame, lots of avocados, and of course, plenty of spicy mayo. It’s the perfect combination of sweet, salty, spicy, crunchy, sticky, and ALL the things.
Because poke is raw fish, it is best to consume it the same day you purchase and cut it for optimal freshness. However, when properly stored in the fridge, your poke can be consumed within a day or two. When storing poke, be sure to use clean, airtight containers to prevent any premature spoilage.