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    Pokelava

    4.1 (47 reviews)
    ModeratePoke, Hawaiian
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Order Pokelava Takeout or Delivery

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    POKELAVA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Pokelava

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    custom regular-sized BYO Poke Bowl
    Dawn K.

    service was fast and they give a large portion! can eat your poke in the next store over called bibibowl. its a large space with lots of seating!

    Pokebowl
    Harley M.

    A solid poke place for being in upstate NY. A good go-to fast casual in Collegetown. They have ~5 bar height seats indoors, but are only doing takeout because of covid. Portions are big, toppings are unlimited, lots of proteins options. I usually go for the salmon and tuna. Fish isn't too fresh but doesn't detract from the food. $11 for 2 proteins, $14 for 3 proteins.

    Erica R.

    I'm here all the time, honestly... and the only reason it's getting 4 stars instead of 5 is more because of the somewhat lacking attention by staff (it doesn't happen often, but you can sometimes tell that folks aren't paying attention or need more training... especially with the latter, the portions can be somewhat inconsistent depending on who's working) and the lack of seating inside (it's quite small). Plus, it feels a wee bit expensive when the vast majority of the bowl is usually something like rice. A size regular is a good amount of food, though I go back and forth between a regular and large bowl. There's a nice variety of proteins to pick from (you can pick 2 with a size regular or 3 for a size large). The raw salmon and tuna taste delicious, though sometimes I'll mix either shrimp or scallops into the mix. You pick your mix-ins (I'm always a fan of extra cucumber, diced mango, green onion, and plenty of hijiki), as well as sauce flavors (there are spicier options, but I often go 50/50 with a mix of shoyu, poke classic, fresh ponzu, or sweet yuzu). So good. There are a variety of toppings as well, though I often stick with pineapple and masago... then crunchies like toasted rice puffs and sesame seeds. The above options are just what I stick to, but Pokelava has far more options and it all depends on your tastes. Grab a can of Hawaiian Sun for that extra "Hawaiian kick" to your poke experience (I've always stocked up on Hawaiian Sun when visiting any of the islands - Oahu, Maui, or Kauai). Poke and a can of Hawaiian Sun (especially lilikoi with, oh, anything) definitely brings me back to previous vacations. TL;DR Though a bit inconsistent, I'm definitely addicted to Pokelava as a lunch option - and I'll continue to go back. Would love to see more poke options in Ithaca though, as this is really the only option.

    bowl with white rice
    Jack W.

    I think this place is all right. I came here for the first time and felt a little overwhelmed with so many options. As many other reviewers have mentioned, the portion sizes for each item were very inconsistent. For example, I ordered the regular size with 2 proteins: tofu and avocado. The lady gave a small amount of tofu, but a little more avocado - it's just an observation. Food: There are so many options from proteins to fruits, but as a vegetarian, you're pretty limited in the protein selection. However, the different toppings you could get is really great, so I liked that part. Service: Pretty typical. The lady asked if I was a first time and was helpful in letting me choose what I wanted. Price: Meh, I don't think it's worth it. It's definitely on the expensive side. This is probably due to fresh ingredients, but even then, I'm not really sure if it's worth $12 for one bowl. Ambiance: It's pretty small and minimalistic. There's not much space to sit - expect to take it out and eat somewhere else.

    two bowls of food on a table
    Sandy J.

    Stumbled on this place sitting in the college town area of Cornell. It's a solid poke place with good combinations and appropriate bite size/quality ingredients. If you don't know what to get, their pre made combos were quite good (I usually don't go with pre made but this place didn't disappoint with their Blue Hawaiian combo of shrimp and scallop). Poke places should have the following: 1. Freshness of ingredients; the fish here was clean tasting, especially the fish was fresh. 2. Bite size;I've been to places where the ingredients were just too big so that each bite only had 1 ingredient. A bite really should capture most of the flavors and be mini bites of the poke itself. This place cut them appropriate 3. Selection of ingredients; the aesthetics and taste of a poke bowl comes from a good variety of ingredients/choice selection and robust nutrition. This place had such a nice variety- I was impressed with the offering of scallop and shrimp, an unusual and rare option in the protein area but thought they did a beautiful job with their selection paired with a wasabi sauce. the crispy noodles, seaweed salad and kana salad options at the top were bonus points. 4. Rice. You gotta have sushi rice made correctly. I've had places where the rice was not correct and no matter how good steps 1-3 were, you need the right texture to pair with your food 5. Portion size. this place was huge. I payed 10-12$ and my portion fed 2 people. Due to COVID area, it's take out only. Staff isn't the warmest and I agree at times they seem a little distracted/not trained but the ingredients make up for any loopholes.

    a bowl of rice, carrots, broccoli, and other vegetables
    Alyssa K.

    The poke bowls here are so good! The fish is super fresh and they give so many toppings for not extra! The portion sizes are well worth the money. This is a perfect place to get lunch or dinner when you're craving some poke!

    Build Your Own Poke Bowl
    Roxy S.

    A build your own poke bowl place. Really nice size servings of protein and good topping selection. I like the ponzu sauce and add extra soy sauce

    Build Your Own Poke Bowl
    Evangelos S.

    great poke bar in ithaca's collegetown. the poke bowls here are honestly among the better ones I've tried, and that's saying a lot. the go-to order is the salmon and tuna bowl with kani & seaweed salads and spicy mayo, it just always works. the price is pretty reasonable too, especially compared to the other restaurants in collegetown. there's plenty of pick-up orders and the staff is always nice, so nothing to complain about there. there isn't much in the way of indoor seating but this place is more takeout-focused, so keep that in mind. the experience here is great, but my only gripe is that the bowls have been getting smaller and more expensive so it's not what it used to be, but still among my favorite restaurants in the area.

    Salmon, tofu
    Manasa L.

    I think the poke here is good and you have a lot of options for customizing. I have tried the salmon poke bowls multiple times and the fish always tastes fresh. I will say on each of my visits, depending on the worker at the time, the quantity definitely wavers. The service is a bit standoffish depending on the day. The price is a bit expensive for the amount of food you get in a bowl, but it really hits the spot when you're craving some poke. The store is small with no seating, so it's definitely more of a grab and go type of establishment. Overall, I recommend going here if you want some good quality poke even if it is a bit more on the pricey side.

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    8 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

    New menu kimchi, seaweed noodle, etc ... friendly staff, perfect spot! Love food here

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    8 years ago

    Really fresh, lots of options for protein, add-ons, etc. On par with your Poke places from larger cities

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    Shaloka - Pitaya Bowl

    Shaloka

    4.3(23 reviews)
    63.4 mi

    This place is located in a mall outside of Rochester.... I believe it's in Ontario County. It was…read morehard to find an Acai place in upstate NY in general, but this place service pretty good Acai bowls. FYI - The restaurant name is no longer Shaloka but Shaka.

    4.5 Stars I was…read morequite impressed with the Açai and Poke bowls from Shaloka / Shaka. We DoorDashed the order and the food came nicely prepared and packaged with order labels and our names written on top of the lids. Pleasantly surprised to discover that Shaloka is a food court stand in Eastview Mall. The quality of their bowls exceeded my expectations of typical food court food. What sets Shaloka apart from Tai Chi is their fruit bowls (Açai and Pitaya/Dragonfruit) and also their Signature Bowls. The fruit bowls are super refreshing and are akin to a smoothie in a spoon and bowl format. Their Signature Bowls also take the guesswork out of it. They are recipes that have already been tested. They are still customizable and you can even build your own like at Tai Chi if you wanted to. I got their Signature Hawaiian Classic bowl and it was delicious. Ahi tuna, salmon, avocado...enough said. It was yummy and I actually really loved their brown rice. It was short grain and had some good texture. Overall, it's the best poke i've had in Rochester, which isn't saying too much because there aren't too many other options. But still, the bowls are well-composed and feel more like a whole dish than a bunch of toppings thrown on top of rice.

    Photos
    Shaloka - Tuna Poke Bowl

    Tuna Poke Bowl

    Shaloka - Pitaya Bowl and Poke Bowl

    Pitaya Bowl and Poke Bowl

    Shaloka - Poke Burrito

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    Poke Burrito

    Mitsuba Ramen Noodle - Tonkotsu Ramen W/ Black Garlic Oil - $13.95

    Mitsuba Ramen Noodle

    4.2(182 reviews)
    47.0 mi
    $$

    Cafeteria style ordering and appearance. Got the tonkatsu ramen (it is a ramen place after all) and…read morewas pleased. The noodles had the right amount of bounce to them and the broth was satisfying. Would go again

    Listen here listen here , I can't believe I've been here so many times and never left a review!…read moreMitsuba is hands down my favorite poke spot in the Syracuse area. I always get the salad base and my mom usually goes with the noodles -- and let me tell you, they never miss. This time, I think our bowls got mixed up a little, and mine ended up with some ah tuna. I've always been hesitant to try it since I usually stick to cooked seafood, but it was actually so good! Flavorful, fresh, and the texture was way better than I expected -- honestly, similar to shrimp. If you like shrimp, you'd probably enjoy this too. For toppings, I went with shrimp, mango, crab meat, corn, chili flakes, and a few other things (I even snapped a pic of my order card because I can never remember everything!). The poke bowls are always fresh, flavorful, and customizable, and I love that you can watch them chop everything right in front of you. This visit I also tried the crab rangoons -- they were a little too crunchy for me, and my little one even said the same (and she usually loves rangoons). My mom tried the chicken wings, which were good, but I'll personally be sticking to the poke bowls because they are the star here. The restaurant is always clean, the staff is super friendly, and the quality is consistently top-notch. If you're looking for poke in Syracuse, this is the place. Five stars for the poke bowls, no question! They do sell all type of bubble drinks as well.

    Photos
    Mitsuba Ramen Noodle - Dining room

    Dining room

    Mitsuba Ramen Noodle - Poke Bowl with Spicy Salmon & Kani .. cucumbers, seaweed salad, avocado, & sweet chili sauce.

    Poke Bowl with Spicy Salmon & Kani .. cucumbers, seaweed salad, avocado, & sweet chili sauce.

    Mitsuba Ramen Noodle

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    Pokelava - poke - Updated June 2026

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