My now wife and I used to go to Poke Stop pretty often when we lived in Waipio. It became one of our first "traditions" when we moved in together to stop by Poke Stop to get the hamachi and creamy salmon poke, which are both our favorite poke on the island, and head to the beach. We moved further away, so we don't get to eat our favorite pokes quite as often as we did before.
But when we got engaged and started planning our wedding, we immediately thought of Chef Guzman's Island Catering for our big day.
Even with our tight budget, we had so many tasting options to choose from. This was our first and last tasting appointment for selecting our wedding menu because as delicious as their poke is, these dinners were far better! We were set! Tristin was very easy to work with, keeping very prompt and clear lines of communication through the entire process. And, so appropriately, on our big day we were sent an AMAZING all-woman crew! These 3 women (I'm so sorry, I don't remember your names) went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. And, wow! All our guests (and even our wedding planner who has worked with many higher end catering companies) commented on how impressed they were with the food. The pan seared snapper was the biggest hit of the evening! It was flaky, moist, and rich, yet light. People were trying to go up for seconds before everyone had even had a plate. We over-ordered and thought we'd have left overs, but there definitely were not (a lot of people commented on how they overate. Haha.)
Overall, I am so incredibly pleased with this company. I highly recommend them to all and will definitely be using their services again for catering needs in the future. Cheers
EDIT:
While everything I stated previously remains true, I feel the need to update based on our two latest experiences with Poke Stop...
The quality and quantity of the food has significantly decreased in the past months (even shortly before Covid), so I need to reduce my rating by a full 2 stars. Let's be clear: Catering still gets 5 stars, but the restaurant drops down to 2. I understand the need of a small business to cut costs at this difficult time. However, especially because this is a necessity, there should be a serious strive to maintain the quality. Unfortunately, this hasn't been the case.
Yesterday we got take out. We ordered a Kalbi plate with a side of Taegu chicken, the Lobster melt special, and 3 different pokes. The kalbi maintained its texture and flavor, but the portion was smaller. Understandable, but not worth the price when other places are maintaining portion sizes. The Taegu flavor and texture were "ok" but a very small portion for an additional $5. The Lobster melt was...meh. Looking at it, you wouldn't even know there was anything between the two slices of bread because it was so thin. I tasted bread and Brie with a few celery crunches. If I had done a taste test I would not have been able to identify lobster as an ingredient at all. Upon opening the sandwich I did see about a teaspoon's worth of lobster spread over a half sandwich (with little celery chunks as a filler). For $9 I felt a bit robbed. I was willing to forgive because what I really come here for is the poke!
In terms of poke, I was again disappointed. There was no hamachi, which is entirely forgivable (because, let's be honest, is entirely dependent on availability). The "creamy" seasoning was still spot on! Poke Stop has this on lockdown! There is something magical about the spicy/creamy marinade. My mouth is watering as I type this. However, the creamy salmon was by far the best thing we ordered. The furikake salmon was also consistent with what it's been for years. Delicious! However, after having two mouthfuls of the garlic salmon, I had to pull scales out of my mouth. The prices here are significantly higher than at other places. I would think that for more than $15 per pound I would be guaranteed the fish would be cleaned properly. Quality maintenance needs to be maintained, especially when cost is rising.
The service by staff was excellent! But that's not enough to keep me going back. The friendly, tattooed gentleman (sorry I forgot your name) earned his tip! He was friendly, helpful, and accommodating and our order was ready so quick! But in terms of food quality, we're going to have to think twice before returning. Full disclosure, my wife and I live far away but frequent Poke Stop at least once every other month because we loved the food so much. There's honestly no reason left for us to go far out of our way to get their product any longer. I very much hope that changes in the future. read more