On our trip to Kauai we stopped by twice, first for poke and the second time to grab a Shaka Pop to-go There was a line at lunch and they started running out of things so I'd go early if there's something you really want (they may not refill everything) ---poke bowl: got it with 2 types of fish + pay-by-weight toppings, but I'd recommend getting 3 types of fish since it doesn't cost much more. There's an extra charge for the halibut poke but it was worth it! The first time we came the lady helping us wasn't very nice but the second time we came for a Shaka pop she was nice, so maybe it was an off day for her NOTE: limited parking and there's no seating so you've got to take your food to-go read more

The best poke we ever had! Maguro in Oahu is fresh but seasoning is far from the Fish Express. I tried shrimp and tako Kimchi and it was pretty good too. The Hawaiian plate was very flavorful, my kids finished it on the way to the resort. The Chinese plate is another good choice for the parents who doesn't like poke. The fried chicken is so good that we came back and ordered it again. Thanks for making great memory for us!!! read more

Ok this poke was orgasmic... I don't think I'll ever have poke again that will live up to fish express. I went there as many times I could while on vacation in Kauai. If I could eat this ever day I would. The fish was always fresh and delicious. Ahi inamona was my ultimate favorite read more

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Came here with my family during our trip! Good: - Fast in and out! We placed our order and could self serve the toppings a la carte - The flavor of the poke was great! Not the best I've ever had but it was really fresh and tasty and filling - Good bang for buck Bad: - No seating indoors - It's a little chaotic and busy while ordering, the service is a bit rushed Overall I understand why this is so popular! read more

The Fish Express - Poke bowl - Hawaiian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

This is a great spot to grab some poke to take to go! They even have a little market section filled with snacks along with bento boxes. I guess they're prepped for all the tourists that need a pack n go type of meal to set them off for their excursions for the day! I was a little confused on how to order first, but the staff was able to help me understand how to place my order here. Your food is weighed by the pound. My husband really enjoyed the shrimp poke from here too, which is something I normally wouldn't care to order, but surprisingly, it was super delicious! They don't have much seating here as it's an extremely casual restaurant, but I did see people eating outside of their store! This is a great spot for poke in Kauai! read more

The Fish Express - Market items - Hawaiian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

We ordered two macadamia nut fish plates. They were both absolutely hands-down the worst pieces of fish we have ever eaten. Threw both in the trash. There was all of about 1 tablespoon full of Macaroni salad. Staff was rude. Avoid this one at all costs. Grossly overrated. read more

Sorry for no pics, but being hungry and having a wonderful meal... just had to dig in ! The service is fast and courteous. It's not a sit down restaurant but there are plenty of beach parks for eat at. I had a poke bowl, so what's better than eating fresh fish at the beach?! You have the choice local favorites to oick like kaloa pork and lau lau. I had the 2 scoop poke with spicy tuna, and ahi with Maui onion. Also had sushi rice and different toppings. Nom nom! Don't miss this little local favorite. read more

This was the freshest fish we've ever had! And that's saying something because my husband is from O'ahu, so he knows great poke. By later afternoon some of the salmon we would have tried was sold out, but the ahi was incredible. It's a great spot to grab poke since it's quick and the workers are friendly. The space itself is nice and clean but a bit small so take the poke somewhere else to eat. read more

Little store front take out. Very busy. Good poke. Fun to be with the locals. Thanks goggle for the tip.

Some places try too hard to be great. The Fish Express doesn't try at all... it simply is great. Tucked unassumingly along the side of the road in Līhu'e, this fish market could be mistaken for any other. No beachfront seating. No tiki torches. No curated Instagram wall. Just a few handwritten signs, a bustling counter, and the unmistakable scent of oceanic truth. We stopped in on our way to the Kaua'i Railway--pressed for time, but pulled by instinct. We ordered poke bowls. Of course we did. You don't come here for steak frites or kale wraps. You come here for the sea, chilled and cubed, kissed with sesame oil and trust. The poke was as fresh as a sunrise swim. Fatty, vibrant, whispering of coral beds and quiet coves. The service? Warm and quick. The kind of place where no one's in a hurry, but somehow your food's ready before you finish your sentence. And then there was the tall man. Broad-shouldered, deeply tanned, the kind of guy you suspect might've once wrestled a marlin with his bare hands. He leaned in, conspiratorially, and said he comes here twice a week--without fail. Called it the best poke in all the Hawaiian islands. And when a man like that makes a claim like that, you listen. No, The Fish Express doesn't dazzle you with ambiance. It doesn't need to. It does one thing--and it does it better than most. So if you find yourself in Līhu'e, somewhere between the tarmac and the sugar cane, pull over. Order the poke. Trust the tall man. And taste what happens when freshness doesn't need a filter. read more

Loved this poke spot and their toppings bar in which if charged by the pound. Cool concept so you can put your favorites in your poke bowl. You can choose between brown, white, or sushi rice and load up on 2 or 3 scoops of poke. Fresh fish, but flavors/sauces could be improved. Workers are efficient and friendly and seems like a spot loved by locals are tourists. read more

The Fish Express - Hawaiian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

Stop by here after you land or before you leave Kauai! It is located so close to the airport that we had to make a stop right before our flight. And I was one very happy camper eating my strawberry guava cake on the plane :) The fish and poke here are incredible. Just ask the staff for recommendations of which fresh fish to try. And douse it in sauces from the self serve bar! read more

The Fish Express - Macadamia crusted ono with potato salad and salad - yum! - Hawaiian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

You know how sometimes you're not even all that hungry, but the food is so good you can't stop eating? Yeah, this place! Broke da mout' as my dad would say. I got a poke bowl (so many choices: ahi, salmon, spicy, not spicy...) - piled all the goodies on top (crisp takuan, seaweed salad, imitation crab, kim chee...) weighed it, and ate a little more than half of it after I'd already had lunch! You can also get fish jerky and nice cuts of fish to take home and cook if you're ambitious and can wait to feed your face! Lol! This is a typical Hawai'i lunch counter, where you pick up your food and go to the beach or take it home to eat it, so there's no seating. The service area is small, and I can totally imagine the line going out the door during the lunch rush. Well worth seeking out! read more

excellent, fresh, delicious adding more characters to post thisssssssssssssssssss read more

We've tried most of the popular poke place and this one takes the cake for the best fresh and delicious poke in town! We came here to get our fix before we hop on the plane to go back home. My kids opted for McDonald's at first, but after taking a few "taste tests" we went back inside to order 2 more 3 scoops of poke. You're able to add your own toppings and it's cheaper when you pay cash read more

I came late while they were closing up and they ran out of the poke I wanted to try. Didn't realize they closed an hour earlier on the weekend. Did get to try their dried ahi pepper jerky, which was a little too fishy for me. The texture however was pretty good. The girl was really nice and chopped it into pieces for me. Also got the smoked octopus, which I thought was pretty good. I just gotta go back next time to try their poke and hoping it taste fresh rather than the fishy jerky. read more

I had 5 different fish here and it all had a jelly like texture....i couldn't eat it. Upon further research..... Poke is generally not supposed to be jelly-like. It should have a firm yet tender texture. If your poke fish feels jelly-like, it might be due to: * Over-marination: The fish might have been marinated for too long, breaking down the proteins excessively. * Quality of Fish: The fish might not be as fresh as it should be. If you encounter poke with a jelly-like texture, it might be worth trying a different place or ensuring the fish is fresher. read more

I'm not a go crazy poke bowl peso . But this place is exceptional. The food was fresh with a toppings bar to die for. Ava was a delight and patient with me as a newbie. It's a super casual fish market with yummy to go options. So the the ambience is spend it on the fresh catch lol. read more

The Fish Express - Salmon lumpia - Hawaiian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

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lets be honest, kauai does not have the same food scene as oahu. but i'm so happy to find The Fish Express because this is where i got the best poke in Kauai. Everything was so fresh! It has been two weeks and i'm still thinking about their poke. I got about 4 lbs of different kinds of poke the day I visited and it was the best lunch i ever had during that stay in Kauai. no seating here, you just have to get it to go and eat in the car, the beach or back to your hotel. they also offer a few cooked food bento boxes and musubi (which my little one devoured). I saw some yummy looking desserts but didn't get the chance to order them that time (it was the lilikoi cheesecake that caught my eye). read more

This place had several fish options and styles for the poke bowls, so you are bound to find something you like. They also serve their poke à la carte if you prefer that. The real star at the fish express was their homemade fried chicken. It was flavorful, juicy, and of course, crunchy!! Also note, this is not really a sit down restaurant. We opted to eat in the car right out front, but you could also take it home. read more

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Definitely stop here to get your poke before or after the airport. There's no seating inside, but if you drive south you can find a beach to sit at and enjoy. How it works: -choose a base (brown, white, or sushi rice) -2 or 3 scoops of their fish in the window -toppings bar that they'll charge by weight Fish was fresh & they had a lot of variety. Highlights were the toppings bar (those pickled onions were so yummy) and each of the fish options were distinct and tasted so good (ahi prepared two ways and salmon). Barely any line around noon on a Wednesday. A poke bowl with 3 scoops and toppings was about $23. read more

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The ahi is fresh and melt in yo mouth kine but the mayo onion and chili pepper poke had way to much sesame oil and wanted to taste the fish more but it was still very good read more

The Fish Express - Hawaiian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

The place is a little bare bones looking but the poke is super fresh and delicious. Great flavors and I think having the different flavors marinating is the way to go. Well done. read more

This was our first stop in Kauai after landing and it honestly set the standard as far as Poke went for the rest of our trip. They have a large selection and variety of fresh poke, obviously more options the earlier you arrive in the day as they are pretty popular. What really sets them apart is the do it yourself toppings bar for the poke bowls. Plenty of delicious toppings and sauces, customize your bowl just to your liking. Plate lunch was delicious as well, the fried chicken and shrimp were crispy and not overly greasy. Probably one of my favorite plate lunches on the island. Fish Express was probably the best portion, taste, and value as far as poke bowls and plate lunches went on our trip. Staff was all very friendly and helpful, and the store is clean and well stocked. Lots of local snack and drink options. read more

The Fish Express - Plate lunch and poke bowl - Hawaiian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

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Go here for the best and FRESH poke on the east side of Kaua'i. I tried other places on this side of the island and no other place compares. Friendly service and people. Lots of varieties of prepared fish to choose from. Different ahi tunas and tako (octopus) fresh or smoked. For smoked, you need to get the smoked tako. It's to die for. You can also try the smoked Aku or peppered ahi if you like Fish jerky chewy at its best. Any of the fresh ahi they have are awesome and you can't go with any of them. You can also add topppings for an additional $7.99 per lb and I love adding muscles, pickled ginger and cucumbers. Go here early if you want to beat the crowd preferably before 11am. The price for 3 scoops is affordable especially since the ahi is fresh. They also have fried fish and other hot foods to try. read more

The Fish Express - Poke toppings bar - Hawaiian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

Shocked at the bad experience. The guy taking our orders was rude, annoyed and unhelpful. The fish was too salty and fishy. We ordered 6 poke bowls and no one liked theirs. The lady at the register was nice but I would not find myself coming back here ever. read more

The Fish Express - Hawaiian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

There a good choice of food options. The team members are very friendly. The place is very clean. We ordered one Poke Bowl with Ahi Spicy Poke w/Crab, Ahi Spicy Poke, and Ahi Shoyu Poke. We also ordered another Poke Bowl with Ahi Spicy Poke w/Crab, Salmon Onion Poke, and Kimchee Shrimp. They are very delicious. read more

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The fish was okay and the selection was also okay. Our rice was crunchy. Their selection of toppings was awesome. Their seasonings on the fish lacked a lot of flavor which was disappointing. Some of the fish seemed fresher than others. Overall not bad but would go somewhere else instead! read more

Stopped in for a quick poke bowl and it hit the spot. The white rice was a little too sticky for me but honestly it was still pretty good. The people working were also very nice and quick. read more

Dried fish is the only thing we like.. most of the time. Place has gone down over the years. Got sick a few times and kept tryin to go back and support local. Most of the staff is rude and cater to the tourists. read more

Our first stop for food after landing in Kauai and I believe this was the BEST poke we've had on the island. The poke was extremely fresh and delicious! I couldn't stop eating and devoured it in minutes. We also got the fried chicken and shrimp plate with a side of lomi salmon. Both go well together since fried chicken is a heavy meal and the lomi salmon added a nice touch of freshness to the dish. I would highly recommend Fish Express for anyone coming from the airport. Great stop for amazing food. read more

The Fish Express - Hawaiian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

Can't go wrong with a Poke bowl here, fresh, local and taste as only Hawaiian Poke can be! read more

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We sampled a lot here. Not by choice though, to be honest. Our rental car's battery went dead in the lot. We ended up eating our lunch sitting in the car as we waited for a jump. The longer we sat, the hungrier we got- made multiple trips into the restaurant... So we ended up having the lumpia, lau lau, poke, kalua prk, etc... It was all pretty good in my opinion. Cheap too... The fried chicken wasn't the best- could've been fresher. But mostly everything was decent to good. And eventually we got a jump and made it out. Way too full- but at least we were semi-stranded at a good restaurant. Could've been worse. read more

It's not worth it to come here at 3pm. We were hungry after our flight and just wanted something quick. There were hardly any poke choices left.  I got the limu poke with room temperature white rice.  Then they tell you to put whatever toppings you like however it goes by weight including the rice and the poke already in the bowl.  I'm not sure if that's a fair system at all.  I mean this is not Yogurtland and I don't see how white rice can be the same price as the poke along with toppings such as carrots and yellow radish. The worker gave me a couple small spoonful of poke with a lot of white rice.  It is too expensive for just a little bit of poke fish. This is my honest review, even though I can see other low score reviews will get a comment from the owner. read more

The Fish Express - 2 items - Hawaiian Near Me - Lihue, Hawaii

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Poke bowl heaven!!! We got it right off the flight, and it was the perfect welcome card to Hawaii

Arrived in Kauai around lunch time looking for some poke. Yelp recommended Fish Express but I was very disappointed. Whilst the poke was okay in terms of flavor, nothing exceptional compared to what I had on other islands. They also appear to weigh everything, even the condiments like kimchi or seaweed salad. Then my wife ordered the sautéed mahi mahi with garlic butter. Only to have to wait 20mins or more cause they couldn't recall if the chef acknowledged the order. And one we got the order it was breaded. Something wrong here. I also found this place to be expensive as I paid over $60 for a poke bowl (3 scoops) and the sautéed mahi mahi with a large can of ice tea. read more

This place was one of my favorite spots on the island... I actually came for lunch two days in a row! They've got just about everything you might want. You're able to make your own poke bowl and add toppings by weight, as you'd like. Personally, I found it to be a better deal to get fish by the pound (with musubi on the side for some carbs to fill me up). My favorite item here was some variety of fish jerky, which I didn't get to snap a picture of, but it was absolutely delicious! This is definitely a local spot, so come for the food, not for five star service. It's a casual spot, nothing fancy. There isn't really anywhere to sit, but I was so excited that I ate my lunch in the parking lot. If you're coming to/from the airport, this place is a must! read more

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Solid poke spot with a novel toppings bar that's charged by the pound. Look for the tall blue building with a few parking spots on the left! We picked up a couple of poke bowls to take with us on the Kapaa bike path. Choose two or three scoops on white or brown rice, and load up with your choice of toppings from the bar. Workers were friendly and sprang into action when it got busy. Cash discount. They'll let you sample if you're not sure. Ask about prices, hamachi was $1.25 extra per scoop. Looks like small batches are made at a time, as the person in front of us wiped out the wasabi shrimp with a 1 pound order. I tried the spicy ahi with crab, spicy salmon, and hamachi with sea asparagus. To be honest, none of the sauces were very special, but it didn't matter as much because da buggah was FRESH. The hamachi so rich and buttery, it was worth the premium. The ahi and salmon were both delicious as well. It was nice to be able to toss in some edamame, ocean salad, and spicy mussels at will. They also have hot plate options like furikake salmon or laulau, and I heard aunty saying they had an order for 45 sushi rolls. There's a little bento corner on the side with lots of options as well. If the limited hours work out for you, it's a great little place to stop in Lihue. read more

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Oh my! Came across this place by accident! I am glad I did! Probably one of the best Poke places ever! The sushi rice was amazing, the scoops of poke were generous and delicious! I wish they had a restaurant! We ate our poke in the car and went back for more! The best! read more

Pros: best poke on the island! Flavor is right on and fish quality is top notch! I have had all pokes on the island, but I was there for a week and had poke every...single...day! This places as the best quality. They do run out food way before closing time and they just won't have more until the next day. Don't go there late if you can help it. Cons: it's cheaper paying with cash and more expensive when using cards. I mean, conceptually I understand this practice, but there is something fishy about it, just saying. read more

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