My favorite poke place in Pasadena! The servings are huge and the fish quality is very good! There's a parking lot right around the corner so it's a very short walk from your car. read more

3.5/5 Been wanting to try this place for a while now and I had high expectations from all the raving reviews. The portions they give are pretty big. My bf and I each got a small, but wish we shared a medium/large instead because we both couldn't finish. The fish is really fresh. I got salmon with sesame shoyu and spicy mayo mixed and my bf got something mixed with wasabi mayo. His was wayyy more flavorful than mine. I had to ask for extra sauce because it was really bland. I think my main complaint about this place is the rice is super inconsistent. Some parts of my bowl was really mushy while other parts were really dry and hard LOL. read more

Poke Salad Bar - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

This is my usual poke spot because of its proximity to my school but I'm kind of torn on if I will be returning as this place seems to have deteriorated in quality over the past few months :/ I ordered two small bowls to-go and the process felt very rushed; I don't think they were prepared to serve a line of 7 people. I ordered a small ahi tuna (half rice & half salad) bowl with sweet corn, onions, crunchy onions, avocado, tofu, green onions, and chipotle mayo sauce and another practically identical one for my sister. The fish was fresh but we were given so little of it. The salad greens were also a bit dry and wilted. The bowl was assembled haphazardly and ended up looking messy and unappetizing. I understand that Pasadena in general is a little pricey but $10.99 for a just few chunks of fish is kind of disappointing. read more

Poke Salad Bar - Small Bowl - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

I am reluctant to tell the world how awesome PSB on Colorado is... I have eaten here every week for over a year and they continue to impress. The food is always on point! They give you great portion sizes and are always so friendly. Emily and the staff are like family! Not sure how anyone could rate PSB less than 5 stars. This is one of the best values for quick Asian food in downtown Pasadena. You will not be disappointed... read more

Poke Salad Bar - Medium bowl, white rice, cucumbers, ginger, spicy tuna scoop, ahi and albacore!!! - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

Okay, I know what you're thinking. Another poke place?! I usually don't rate poke places, as there are little differences in taste. However, Poke Salad Bar is worthy of a review because it not only serves quality fish (salmon, tuna and scallops) but it also gives generous portions. In addition, Poke Salad Bar has some of the most hospitable service and the food is super healthy! My one critique is that I did not like the Miso Soup (which is free with a Yelp check-in). The Miso Soup was extremely watery and it tasted more like water with a faint of Miso powder. read more

Poke Salad Bar - Menu - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

The half/half bowl was delicious. My first time trying a Poke bowl, loved it. I liked how all the toppings, sides, dried ingredients and meats were fresh. My favorite sauce was a mix of chipotle mayo with the Sesame Shoyu. COVID-19 notes: take out only, no dine in. Social distancing tape are applied. Plexi glass between employer and yourself. Hand sanitizer and clean pens are available. Felt safe- thank you! read more

Poke Salad Bar - 2 scoop half/ half salad with brown rice. - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

Came to America and tried my first Poke Salad, and my god why have I only tried this now!!! The food here was amazing and healthy! I would 100% recommend the food here and the service as well. read more

See all

I eat here all the time. Service is fast and there is almost no wait. They serve it like chipotle style. I like this place more than the other surrounding Poke places. I thought portions are HUGE compared to the many other places I've eaten at. Fish is always fresh and it is not pre-marinated which I like. I can divide one meal into 2 meals every time. Other Poke places I can't do that. I highly recommend this place! read more

Poke Salad Bar - Already took a few bites. Portions are huge! - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

The poke is satisfying and fresh as always. We've already done our second takeout during the pandemic, because we like it so much and missed it from before. We always have the raw salmon and albacore. Their scallops don't have too much sauce like some other places. Our favorite sauce is the sesame shoyu. You can design your own bowl in the online order just the way you have been used to. The portions are generous. The service is friendly when you come to pick up. Check-in with Yelp even gets you a free miso soup at the moment. Just show your phone with the coupon when you pick up your order. read more

Solid poke spot! You'll get everything you want here. Love being able to customize what I want and then enjoy in the outdoor seating. read more

Poke Salad Bar - Two large bowls! - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

We came in before 8:30 on a Wednesday even though they close at 9 and the girl was rude with an attitude saying we can only take food to go. We asked if we eat and finish before 9 and she had an angry facial expression. Terrible customer service. Such a shame because I used to love this place. read more

Not sure what has happened to this place, but the staff is a serious disappointment. I used to frequent pole salad bar with my husband and we loved the staff, however, we came today at 5:15 pm for a salad bowl and the young lady working was insanely rude. She wasn't wearing a name badge, so I didn't get her name but she had a high top bun. We approached the bar and she asked what we wanted. My husband asked for a medium salad bowl, and followed with the question of how many scoops of fish he gets to pick. She responded by rolling her eyes and said "station TWO" (which is the toppings, and she didn't answer his question). So he picks his toppings and THEN she decides to answer his question "and you get three fish". Sorry we asked? Lol. He got to the dry toppings and asked for a few things and a side of sriracha. We thanked her and she just walked to the back without saying anything and my husband noticed she didn't put any sriracha in the bag, so he asked her and she turned around with attitude and said "they're in the bag....." and went to the back. I will never come back here again. There are plenty of other poke places around the area with kind staff who are helpful and enjoy their job. Part of going out is to enjoy the experience and not made to feel uncomfortable or like a burden haha. read more

Order: Medium size, Half&half (rice and salad), 3 protein (tuna, salamon, scallops) Nice tasting poke joint here in Pasadena. They have a variety of bases such as rice or burrito style. Toppings wise I prefer everything lol but specifically the crab meat and pineapples. I felt their seaweed in on the salty side. I liked that they also have sweeter topping options such as mango, corn and pineapple. All fishes were fresh and tasty. I really enjoyed the salad which included kale. There are so many sauces which you could combine. (Extra $1 for crab meat and seaweed) Watermelon drink is fresh juice. Really refreshing and compliments the poke. Overall, I can't really complain besides the seaweed flavoring. They have adequate seating with good natural lighting. Bill ended up being ~$15. read more

See all

Food was plentiful, excellent and not overly expensive, but in their website it mentions the word Parking ( available you would assume). So I drove around looking por a parking lot, it is implied in the word. Well, they don't have any, you will need to park on the street IF you are lucky to find a spot. I found that annoying and misleading. They should remove that word from the description of their business. read more

Good poke place with a slightly higher than usual price point. It's perhaps the Pasadena effect because you can definitely find cheaper (without losing quality) in other nearby cities. Pretty standard in terms of the options they offer. An interesting addition is the poke burrito they could create for you. Also worth mentioning that you can get crab and seaweed as is standard for toppings. However if you wanted EXTRA crab or seaweed you would need to pay $1 which is not standard in my opinion. What I appreciated about this place is that when I asked for half rice/half salad base, they gave me a different (larger) container to house my order. For those of you that usually get this split, you'll probably understand my struggles with them cramming all the leafy greens into a small container and the messy expansion as you start to eat. read more

The workers all seem to be having a good time & portions were generous and fresh! Could have used less sauce but that's personal preference. Will come again when I'm in the area!! read more

Poke Salad Bar - Medium Bowl w/ Half & Half, Salmon, Scallop, Cucumbers, Edamame, Corn, Ginger, Crab meat, Green onions and Yuzu Ponzu - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

The employees are generally polite and friendly, it's such a shame that the manager is less than that. Ordered from PSB through Postmates, as my fiancé and I have done many times, and have unfortunately received the wrong order almost as many times. If it's a small issue (asked for no ginger, got ginger, asked for avocado, didn't get avocado) it isn't a big deal. When my order is completely wrong though, it'd be nice to know I didn't waste my money on something I don't like or want (gotten two salads instead two rice bowls one time, somehow). Ordered a medium rice bowl with salmon, salmon, octopus, with EVERYTHING for small toppings (seaweed, onion, sesame, etc). Received a TUNA, TUNA, salmon, without the small toppings, and no seaweed. Since they were able to get the first two orders right, I really don't know how they got the last one so wrong? Finally decided to call PSB and find out what happened and received a lot of dismissive "well that's what we got, it isn't our fault, I always double check it" (I've never seen anyone when we go in store double checking the online orders the employees are filling out). I asked the manager if they can or cannot see the actual order put in through Postmates and he ignored my question, asking if I called it in. I said I was the customer, not a Postmate. No offer of resolution, no apology, simply dismissive. Good thing there's a handful of poke shops around Pasadena to go to instead! read more

See all

Honestly found this place by accident and was not disappointed :) the food was absolutely fresh and phenomenal and the employees are also very nice I cannot wait to try this place again! read more

Poke Salad Bar - Poke burrito - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

Wonder how they got so many great reviews. Not sush grade fresh .they have amazing toppings and sauce . No matter how much they coat the fish to hide, you can't fool sushi lovers.when sushi fresh ,you don't need any sauce or soy sauce to go down your mouth smoothly. read more

Poke Salad Bar - Wonder how they got so many great reviews. - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

Delicious, a great deal, and great service! This isn't my poke place, so I was already biased. But it was great, and the service was very friendly! They did a great job explaining to me the process of ordering there, since it's a little different at every poke place. I would gladly recommend this to anyone, and I hope to go back again when I'm in the area. My only complaint is that it's weird that you can't have a half-and-half base on any size except for large. read more

Love love love this concept. Like Subway, but for POKE. This place has a great selection of sizes, bases, fish and toppings. They had everything I could want in a Poke bowl and then some. Some things I wouldn't expect to go in a poke bowl... but they have that, too! I loved everything I tried here and left satisfied and happy without feeling stuffed and heavy. Service was quick, and they were really helpful in picking the "fan favorites" because I can never make up my mind. Also got a free drink through Yelp check in! Also, they have macaron ice cream if you're feeling up for dessert :) The reason why this place is 4 stars for me, and not 5, is that there are 2 other Poke places right around the corner and I like them all equally. Honestly, I just go to whichever one that has the best line :) read more

See all

The food was great, but the service can use some work. They did not close my lid to my drink and it spilled, not did they give us napkins and sauce, even though we asked for it. read more

I think that they just opened when I got in, the place was empty and calm but I wasn't going to eat there anyways. I got a medium bowl with salad and made sure to check in to get a Free Miso soup to get the most out of the visit. The place and the fridge where everything is placed for the bowls were very tidy and the taste of the poke and salmon that I got were fresh, I have to add that it was a decent portion for a medium bowl. read more

Poke Salad Bar - Salad bar - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

Another good poke shop,but this time it's in Pasadena! Like all poke shop it's all the same concept. Pick you your base and size of small,medium, or large. Your toppings ,fish sauce, and your spiciness! PRICE: Small 2 scoops ($8.99) Medium 3 scoops ($10.50) Large 4 scoops ($11.99) They charge extra $1 for avocado and extra crabmeat! FOOD: l got a large w/ tuna, yellowtail, albacore, and scallops, and everything in it. Everything was fresh and delish. Here at the Poke Salad Bar you'll get your money worth. The price is excellent,and the portions good! My wife and I split a large bowl even tho I could have finish it myself! SERVICE: It was very friendly and helpful. Definitely a good spot to try ! Don't forget to check in to receive your $2 off on your bowl! So that large bowl with everything in it was just $10+ Uncle Sam donation. Still a hell of a deal! "ONO ONO" read more

See all

I want to say this is your typical poke bar. It's located right in the middle of Old Town Pasadena. There are a lot of these type of restaurants popping up in San Gabriel Valley. This one in particular does get a little crowded during lunch hours because of its location. The service is good and they get the line moving quickly. I rated it a 3 because there wasn't anything that stood out to any of the other poke places I've been to, it might be priced a little on the higher end because of the location as well. read more

See all

YELP 100 CHALLENGE REVIEW--- 24/100 I have been seeing pictures of this place on Instagram nonstop. My husband and I were finally in the area and decided to finally try it. The place is compact but cozy. They do a cafeteria like style where you pretty much just tell them what you want. Very effective. Got the poke bowl with scallops and tuna. Amazingly delicious. My daughter who is picky, but she loved it. Definitely adding this to my Little Yelpers list. *Little Yelpers: For parents who have large strollers, I think you guys should be alright. Depending if it's crowded or not. I wish they added seating outside for this very reason. Overall, great atmosphere and good costumer service. read more

Poke Salad Bar - Tuna & scallops - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

POKE! POKE! YUM YUM YUM! ** Lately, it seems like poke is definitely the trend these days! I've been craving poke for some time and decided to try this for lunch! First off, be sure to plan your trip accordingly. Parking can be a pain. But other than that, be sure to check-in on Yelp for $2 off your meal!! So this is how it works: Small bowl (2 scoops) is $8.99 Medium bowl (3 scoops) is $10.50 Large bowl (4 scoops) is $11.99 1. Choose your base & size: white, brown rice, salad, roll. You can opt for 1/2 rice and 1/2 greens 2. Choose your toppings: crabmeat, cucumbers, onion, seaweed, etc 3. Choose your fish: ahi tuna, spicy tuna, salmon, yellowtail, scallop, etc 4. Choose your sauce: chipotle mayo, yuzu ponzu, sesame shoyu, wasabi mayo After you make your concoction at the poke bar, they will bring your food up to the cashier. Just check-in on Yelp for that $2 off discount, pay, and then find a table! There's plenty of tables/chairs, but the format of the tables is more of a "communal" style so just be prepared to share a long table with various parties. But other than that, I really like this place. I chose ahi tuna, salmon and yellowtail along with everything for toppings. I chose the sesame shoyu sauce and it was a great addition to the protein. It is flavorful, but also has a nice refreshing light kick to it so you don't feel guilty eating a lot of food. I recommend the medium bowls! So worth your money with the Yelp discount. Service is friendly and the food is great for the portion/price. The downside is the parking. Just be prepared to hunt for parking spots because you'll either need to find street metered parking or park in the parking structure for a flat $7 fee. But other than that, I definitely recommend this place! read more

Poke Salad Bar - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

Better than Spinfish Pokē House (4 Reasons Why) 1) Price. Although both of their "Larges" are a little under $12, PSB's large is MASSIVE, and Spinfish's large is the size of PSB's Medium bowl. PSB's "Small" is $8.99 vs Spinfish's $9.50. Every penny counts, we've worked hard for our money! 2) Depth in Ingredients. Where as Spinfish focuses on flavor profiles (sauces) and small add-ons like assortment of different chili flakes, seeds, and other spices PSB focuses on more of the topping ingredients that add substance to your bite like mangos and pineapples (Check out Snociety, they do it right)! Plus they have macron ice cream. 3) Size. Size does matter. Spinfish is tiny, two small tables inside and a small bar to sit along to look out into a blank alley. PSB has two well designed dining spaces that can well accommodate the masses of people who are finding out about this place. 4) Yelp Check In Fountain Drink. Makes all the difference when the food is so similar and both shops are so close to each other, it's like splitting hairs, but bonuses like this are a major win. Why Nemo!? (Was 5 Stars until this...I love Nemo.) Why is the portion of fish/protein selection called "Pick your Nemo."?! That's wrong is so many ways. First, "Nemo" is a beloved main character from one of my favorite movies of all time, he was kidnapped by Australians! Associating a character to something you're eating is like cannibalism. Second, Nemo is a clownfish, which is a subspecies of fish, so by being highly specific about the species of fish doesn't make sense to say,"Pick your Nemo". Plus PokiNometry also did this, way to copy them. read more

See all

Did a new poke place really open up around the corner from the ever popular Spinfish? Yep. And it's been doing pretty well that I ended up giving PSB a try before trying Spinfish. My friends and I were craving poke awhile back, so we decided to try PSB since one of my friends had already tried Spinfish. Since it is located in Old Town Pasadena, expect parking to be difficult if you're coming on a Friday or Saturday night. There are plenty of parking structures, but I've had to circle the block several times before finding an open structure with parking available. The restaurant itself is not too big, but I found that people were in and out of the place fairly quickly. So if you're waiting in line and see that the tables are pretty packed, chances are by the time you get your bowl, there will be a few empty spots scattered here and there. The menu is fairly simple: 5 different steps in customizing your bowl Step 1: Choose your base and size. A small is $8.99, medium is $10.50 and a large is $11.99. You're able to get white or brown rice, salad, half and half of the three mentioned before, or a poke roll. I usually like to stick with white rice just because I like the combination of sushi with white rice, but my friends tried salad and brown rice those bases, too. Step 2: Toppings. From a selection of crabmeat, cucumbers, onions, seaweed, pineapples, and corn, you can choose whatever you want to make that bowl your own. I was a little sad that they didn't have sour cream as an option. I know - most people don't like sour cream, but I do! Personally not a fan of onions or pineapples in my poke bowl, but the other ingredients were tasty. Step 3: Choosing your fish. A small gives you 2 scoops of fish, a medium 3, and a large 4. The selection of fish includes ahi tuna, salmon, scallop, octopus, spicy tuna, yellow tail, albacore, and shrimp. I tried the salmon and ahi tuna, and both were really fresh. I also thought they gave me a decent amount of fish, which I thought was nice. You can also double up on fish - I ended up choosing tuna and two scoops of salmon since the other fish choices weren't too appealing to me. Step 4: Choosing the right sauce. You can add more than 1, too! Chipotle mayo, yuzu ponzu, sesame shoyu, and wasabi mayo. I tried the yuzu ponzu, which I really liked. I really like tart sauces, and found that when added to the bowl, the yuzu ponzu made the rice taste like authentic sushi rice. It also gave that extra tangy kick to the rest of the items in the bowl. My friends tried the chipotle mayo and sesame shoyu and told me that they liked it. I think one of my friends preferred the chipotle mayo just because it had that extra kick of spiciness in it. Step 5: Topping off the bowl with any extra ingredients such as masago, peanuts, green onions, ginger, wasabi, sesame seeds, hurikake, or crunch garlic. I put everything on there I believe. I just wanted the most out of my money. And they were offering a Yelp check-in deal for a free fountain drink, which I thought was a pretty generous offer. Overall, I found that I enjoyed PSB. The prices were decent, and the amount of food they gave me was enough to last me two meals. The quality of the ingredients were fresh, and everything tasted really good. I would have liked it if they had cream cheese as an ingredient, but I get that most people prefer to stay away from that ingredient, especially in relation to sushi. After paying, you're able to seat yourself and chow down on the bowl you created. Definitely would return if I'm in the area and craving some poke. read more

See all

What a great poke place! I think you get a better value here in comparison to Spinfish, which is very close by. We absolutely love trying different combinations. Here's how it works: 1) Choose the base and size: choose from white rice, brown rice, salad, chips or roll. In a small you get 2 scoops, in a medium you get 3 scoops, in a large you get 4 scoops. I haven't seen many people get a rolle, but you can also mix it up; for example, I have gotten half white rice, half salad. 2) Choose your toppings: choose from crabmeat, cucumbers, onions, seaweed, pineapples or EVERYTHING, because why not! :P 3) Choose your nemo: choose from ahi tuna, spicy tuna, salmon, yellowtail, scallop, albacore, octopus, and shrimp. In a small you get 2 scoops, in a medium you get 3 scoops, in a large you get 4 scoops 4) Choose your sauce: choose from chipotle mayo, yuzu ponzu, sesame shoyu, wasabi mayo. You can mix as many sauces as you like, and from there you can also let the staff know how spicy you want it: not spicy, mild, spicy 5) Choose your toppings: masago, crispy onion, green onions, ginger, wasabi, sesame seed, or EVERYTHING, because you deserve it! :D Great experience every time. You can also get a miso bowl upon Yelp check-in, even though they just put hot water into an instant miso soup packet for you haha. The "nemo"s are fresh and I can tell from how quickly the containers empty out that salmon is the most popular one! Try this place out. It is comparable to Pokinometry, and I love both very much but would definitely come to Poke Salad Bar because of its convenient location between the Paseo and Old Town Pasadena. read more

See all

Another customizable poke shop to open up in the Old Town area. I've heard about PSB and have been waiting to try it out with the wife. Located in the old Saladish shop, PSB seemed to pop up overnight. Having loved Spinfish, we had pretty high expectations for PSB. First thing we noticed was the price. It's been a while since we've been to Spinfish but for some reason the price did seem noticeably higher here (most likely due to the fact that they're right on Colorado Blvd). I had originally planned to share a large bowl with the wife but since she wanted a salad version, we ended up each ordering something. I decided on the medium which gives you 3 choices of protein. One thing to note is that PSB does offer a wider range of proteins which was a plus. They also give you a scoop of their imitation crab so in the end, I ended up with 4 proteins. I ended up ordering the salmon, hamachi, and tuna. The fish were cubed up to the perfect bite size which allows you to still taste and feel the texture of the fish. I loved the fact that they also have a wider range of toppings to throw into the bowl which adds different textures. The main difference between Spinfish and PSB is the fact that PSB doesn't focus on the sauces which can be viewed as a plus since the proteins should be the main focus in my opinion. As others have mentioned, check into yelp and receive a free soda drink. Will definitely be back!!! read more

See all

Poke, poke, poke. Still can't get enough. BUT, for all the poke places I've tried and probably most LA kids have now tried since they're multiplying like bunnies.. You become more critical about their freshness/quality, quantity, & pricing. PSB is intriguing because of their sign in the front. Big letters drawing you to the door. Like all poke places: pick your base, fish or "nemos" as this place likes to call it, & your toppings. FOOD/SERVICE: Service was fast and quick. Not as personable or conversational as other places but speedy food is fine by me. I ordered salmon & scallop. So far salmon has never disappointed and this place is no different. Salmon is always every poke/sushi place's freshest fish because it's the most popular-- If salmon tastes weird, walk out immediately. Scallop, unfortunately, had to be the worst I've tasted at a poke place. It tasted like it was from a can and was overly fishy.. The look can be deceiving because the scallop size looks decent but the taste will fail you. I finished the bowl but all that was left was the pile of scallops I had to eat around. Got the medium for $10.50.. Which normally would be fair pricing but I feel like I wasted it because I chose scallops. HOWEVER, points for still giving me a drink after they forgot to take my yelp offer. So points to service on that. Overall, there are plenty of other poke spots to try from. Mind you.. This used to be a Salad Bar first. But within a week or so suddenly changed to Poke Salad Bar. Following the hype. Heads up(s): - Place is on the Old Town strip but Spinfish is in the back alley. - Scallops. Don't do it. You've been warned. - It's Pasadena.. Poke competition is strong, don't leave this as one of your top three spots to visit. You could be wasting your time for a place with FRESHER ingredients. read more

See all

They were slightly outta seaweed salad but the lil bit we got was pretty damn good, not too salty. Plus, it's just their soft opening. Their grand opening is on June 6th but no need to wait. So good. So worth it -- esp when we're so limited on options in pas We both got mediums which gave us 3 scoops for 10.99. Hella full. Open daily 11-10 daily. 2$ off w checkin. Even bettttta! :) They replaced the location on Colorado where saladish was. Plenty of indoor seating so no worries. Lots of variety and they actually offer ginger n wasabi, unlike a neighboring **SF cough cough** poke joint. Fast friendly service n a user friendly ordering menu. Fish was decent. No dry crab. No dry rice. All of the customizations you would want. Plus random offers: Today is free avocado. The owners have been sushi chefs for plus 15 plus years. Good job, owners! Pineapple cream sauce is apparently quite popular w the ppl so far but def not for me! Whatevs tho. I'm still totally in like w this place. read more

See all

Was torn between Spinfish or Poke Salad Bar when I read Alex P's review. He nailed it. There's limited seating at Spinfish, a line out the door, and the seats outside were in the sun. Poke Salad Bar, on the other hand, has more seating and its all inside. Plus, the line moved quickly. I stuck with a small, which was PLENTY. I loved the process. 1. Pick your base-Salad which I loved versus rice. 2. Mixins-I had cucumber & crab 3. Seafood- Ahi tuna (for both scoops; they let you mix types) 4. Sauce-Ponzu 5. Toppings-Masago & green onion 6. Sprinkles-sesame seeds & seaweed BONUS, free soft drink with check-in. Plus, grabbed a seat by the front window. Great spot for looking out the window, but ended up meeting people and chit chatting the whole time. Great quick lunch spot and Good Poke! read more

Poke Salad Bar - Ahi on salad! Yum! - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

Mm, the food alone is a high 3.5, borderline 4, but considering it's next to Spinfish--my current favorite poke joint--it's hard not to compare. The restaurant is clean (it is new afterall) and very orderly, bigger than Spinfish and much more easily noticeable from the main street. The food is very straight forward with unique options such as octopus and yellowtail, in addition to the classics such as tuna and salmon. Also, very straight forward and more "traditional" sauces like yuzu, sesame, wasabi, etc--compared to the option to go a little crazier at Spinfish. Not necessarily a bad thing, just depends on preference. I do feel that the meal was not as balanced as Spinfish though--the bowls much smaller, the salad had too little greens and too saucy for the amount of random other things that were added to the meal, etc. Fish was cut chunkier and thicker cut than Spin, which I actually do prefer, and the sauces are all very flavorful, which I like. The sesame one in particular was a huge POP! for the senses, though it was too overwhelming for my friend. I enjoyed my refreshing yuzu, which to me was a good balance of citrus to soy sauce. To be honest, Spinfish to me is more of the "modern" style, whereas PSB is more "traditional." Both have their own strengths and are slightly different--HOWEVER, the blaring difference between the two is in customer service and employees. Spinfish not only won over my tummy, but my heart with their personable, friendly employees who were all smiles and sunshine. PSB employees were either coldly professional, or just plain rude (one was snappy!). No smiles and grumpy faces like they weren't happy being there--with the exception of one gentleman who was just cordial. No connection, no heart warming fuzzies...just take your food and GO! I know we base things off of food quality and taste, but the attachment a customer feels to the restaurant is also a big selling factor. I'd go back to Spinfish again and again to feel like I'm greeted by family rather than trudging to a joint where I'm treated as a cow down the assembly line. Final verdict? Sorry, the food may be decent for the most part, but I'll stick with the little joint in the alley, which offers not only exceptional food, but a comfort to the soul. read more

Poke Salad Bar - Medium goodness - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

I've never tried Poke bowls before and I was extremely excited to hear that they opened up a few places in Pasadena. From word-of-mouth and reviews, I decided to try this place for its soft opening. Remember to check-in to receive a $2 discount on their bowls. Good deal but only after the discount. Once you enter, you are greeted by the servers and they kindly inform you that their bowls come in three sizes: small, medium or large. This just equates to the scoops of fish you will add on. Small has 2, medium 3, large 4. If you are coming in on an empty stomach, I suggest ordering the medium to satisfy your stomach and cravings. From their selection, I ordered salmon, ahi tuna and yellowtail which did not disappoint. As a first timer, I had to get everything in my bowl, this means mine included all sides. Best option I'd recommend if you like a variety. read more

Poke Salad Bar - Medium Bowl, 3 scoops of fish - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

Came here the week after I tried Spinfish Poke House which is just a few steps away. I must say, this place was a letdown. They have the same concept as Spinfish and all other poke places. Although they have more fish variety and toppings than Spinfish, the poke bowl lacked flavor. I got their Medium bowl with White Rice, all the toppings (which includes cucumber, onions, pineapple, etc), Salmon, Yellowtail and Tuna as my fishes, Wasabi Mayo as my sauce, and of course I said yes to Imitation Crab and Masago. They also gave me a big chunk of Wasabi. To start off, the rice wasn't even warm and a bit dry. The Wasabi Mayo sauce had barely any Wasabi Flavor - it was like eating plain mayo. Also, I would prefer the Masago already mixed in with everything and not as a topping. Its pretty hard to mix it myself since the bowl is pretty tiny and packed. Fish was fresh. Overall, I wasn't very impressed. Prob the worse Poke place I've had so far in SoCal in terms of execution and flavors. 2 stars for variety of seafood and toppings. read more

Poke Salad Bar - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

I came here with a friend for the first time last night and absolutely loved it!!! It's definitely my number one poke spot now. The workers were very friendly and made conversation. What caught my eye were the variety of fish. Not only do they have the basic salmon and tuna, but also yellowtail, octopus, spicy tuna, and albacore. I'm a very hard judge about spicy tuna because I've gone to a few poke places where their spicy tuna was not up to par. However, this spot's spicy tuna was great! I ordered a small bowl (2 scoops) with brown rice, cucumbers, crab meat, corn, seaweed salad, albacore, spicy tuna, edamame, furikake flakes, and chipotle mayo sauce. The guy who made my bowl said only the crab meat was an extra dollar so I got an extra serving of seaweed salad. ~~~~~~~~ Now, let's fast forward to today. It was so good I had to come back. The workers this afternoon were definitely not as friendly, but it was fine. Once again, I wanted an extra serving of seaweed salad. The girl said it was an extra dollar. On the sign, it clearly says that the crab meat is extra. So I brought that up, but she cut me off and repeated herself two more times as if I didn't hear her the first time. Over her. So I moved on. I don't mind if the seaweed salad is an extra dollar, but the workers need to know their pricing. Not sure if it is an extra charge now or not. Maybe they changed it in the past 24 hours. But really, being a little nicer won't hurt :) read more

Poke Salad Bar - Last night, asked for extra seaweed salad-- great. Came here today, girl repeatedly tells me seaweed salad is extra. Like girl no it is not. - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

Love it here! The options to choose my own toppings and protein made it fun as well. Clean, efficient, fresh ingredients, tasty sauces.... I want to try everything! It is a pricey lunch for everyday dining, for me, but the quality of their ingredients really make it worth my lunch indulgence. Really great staff, too. Will definitely return. Check in via Yelp and you receive a free miso soup. I forgot to redeem that, but it's a nice gesture :). Note-to-self ~ 8/2017 Favorite Poke SpicyTuna/Shrimp Bowl:xtra rice,corn,xtra crab,cucumber,onion,jalapeño,chipotle mayo/sesame shoyu,crispy onion,sesame seed Don't forget the avocado read more

Poke Salad Bar - 3/2016 My custom small poke bowl with extra scoop of crab and avocado :) - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California

See all

Being born and raised in Hawaii, I am always on the lookout for poke places that can satisfy my cravings. This is my motto: "NOM NOM NOM poke all day err day." So eloquent, right? Yeah, we got some pretty good options on the island. However, we don't have any that serve their bowls in the same Chipotle-esq style like Poke Salad Bar! Say whaaaat?!? So many choices, such as: -2,3 ($10.50), or 4 scoops of fish -white or brown rice vs. salad -type of fish-- I chose ahi tuna, spicy tuna, and salmon for my 3 scoops. -toppings: for me, masago (fish eggs), imitation crab, seaweed, edamame, furikake, garlic chips, cucumbers, and more! Extra imitation crab is $0.50. -sauce: yuzu ponzu for meeeee They have a lot of fish options! Other than what I ordered, they also have yellowtail, scallops, octopus, and albacore tuna. The only critiques I would have are that the ahi tuna was a bit too fishy aka did not have that fresh taste. Additionally, they did not mix my fish with enough of the ponzu sauce. I should've asked for more, but since I didn't know I just had to use some shoyu to mask the more fishier tasting pieces of ahi. The spicy tuna was like the mushed up kind of texture that they can just scoop with an ice cream scooper. Prices are competitive with other poke places on the mainland. Overall, I would come back here but ask for more sauce or try different fish! Parking is free for 90 minutes in the lot on De Lacey! I know, I know. Spinfish is next on my list. read more

Poke Salad Bar - Medium bowl - Poke Near Me - Pasadena, California