By Charly Shelton

Poke is a Hawaiian dish of fresh, raw fish, tossed in seaweed, candlenut, sea salt and limu, a kind of algae. It has evolved with its rise to mainstream popularity in the 1970’s to become a salad of raw fish tossed with soy sauce or ponzu, wasabi and generally served with rice or chips. Then in the last few years, poke bars started to crop up. The first ones were expensive and limited on options. But now as they are beginning to take off more and more and the options and quality of the food is growing, poke bars are fast becoming one of my favorite places for a quick lunch.

Enter Mainland Poke Shop. Their locations in LA near The Grove, the new shop in Glendale and an upcoming shop in Marina Del Rey have earned them accolades from Thrillist, Eater and now, most importantly, CVWeekly. This is one of the best places to get poke on the mainland.

With several predesigned menu options as well as a build-your-own poke bowl bar, there is something for everyone, so long as you like raw fish. Guests can start their own poke bowl with a base of either rice, noodles or greens, or a combination of several. Then add a protein, a combination of raw fish options or tofu. The fish is all sustainably caught and fresh, never frozen, brought in daily as whole fish and carved on-site. Unlike many other poke places, the fish is not pre-marinated at all because they want to highlight the prime cuts of fish. Then a variety of toppings and a surprisingly wide array of sauces round out the bowl to make the perfect poke experience.

I won’t lie to you and say that making your own poke bowl is unique, or that that is what makes Mainland Poke Shop special. What makes this place really stand out from the array of poke bar options is the fish. And maybe the greens. The greens are just unique- I’ve never tried it with baby greens before and I honestly wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for the urging of the guy building my bowl. But the fish is what really sets this place apart. Living in LA, you grow accustomed to good sushi and can taste when the fish is really good and when it’s just good enough. Many of these places use fish that is only ok, relying on the sauces to mask it. And that’s fine once in a while. But with Mainland Poke Shop, I found myself wishing I had asked for less sauce because the fish on its own is so good.

In a sea of similar poke shops, most of which are better than they used to be but still growing, Mainland Poke Shop is way out ahead of the rest. They are now open and located at 252 S Brand Blvd in Glendale. Visit mainlandpoke.com for more info.

  Charly Shelton