The Poke Guy

The Poke Guy is the best poke place I have had. I was a little reluctant to get the tuna because many other restaurant’s tuna is served either mushy or half-frozen, but the freshness of their fish really surprised me. This place serves wild-caught, Ocean-wise seafood. After that first visit, The Poke Guy become my go-to place when I feel like treating myself. The Poke Guy is located on Richards Street near West Pender Street in Downtown Vancouver.

Strength: High quality ingredients, friendly staff.

Weakness: Can be pricy

Other Poke places

• Pokérrito (2.5 Stars)

Clean menu without no hidden cost

Aside from the wild-caught, ocean-wise seafood that The Poke Guy offers, I also admire how the menu is clearly laid out and they do not have any hidden costs. I got as many sides as I’d like and they just keep piling them on my bowl with the same price listed on the board.

Well-lit space that is very clean

Due to the sloped grade outside, the floor sinks into the ground. The interior is bright, and the staffs are very friendly. They removed most seatings due to COVID-19, and the space looks a lot more spacious.

A comfortable experience

Ordering is a comfortable experience. There are pre-determined items that you can order to make ordering simple, or you can choose to customize your poke bowl like any other poke stores. It is very thoughtful to label all the toppings to simplify communication with the server. I know a lot of poke places that don’t label their topping, and ordering cam become very frustrating.

Spicy Tuna Aburi $13.95

I ordered the spicy tuna aburi from the lunch special menu. This is a lunch special so I didn’t get to pick my own toppings or sauce. That being said, ordering was made very easy.

The Spicy tuna aburi is served in a lunch box with a divider to separate hot rice from the cold creamy macaroni salad. It is topped with seaweed powder and green onion. It comes with a large lemon wedge for added acidity. The tuna was very fresh. The lemon juice enhances the saltiness in the flavour. The tuna was a little spicy with a hint of sourness from the spicy mayo.

The Poke Guy’s aburi method torched the sauce instead of the fish to give it a charcoal taste. Tune was seared so I could still taste the hardened texture on the outside. The tuna also has very minimal chewy sinews, which is very good.

604 Food Critic Assessment

The Poke Guy is truly a poke shop with integrity in mind. They use high-quality rice that is comparable to Tamaki Gold. It is properly cooked to create that separate rice grains that are just a little sticky, but not lumped together. The fish are flavorful even without the sauce. They only use wild-caught, Ocean-Wise seafood, and the owner says they wouldn’t have it any other way. We highly recommended this place to any Poke lovers out there.

Menu

How to get in touch

• Phone: (778) 379-8455
• Address: 420 Richards St, Vancouver
• Hours: 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM