In addition to hoards of students who are just now getting settled into their houses and apartments, The Corner has a new guest who seems like they’ll be here for the long run: Poke Sushi Bowl (“Poke,” as many customers have already dubbed it). Already a new favorite for many students, Poke Sushi Bowl offers a fast-casual sushi dining experience that is within budget for many people.
In September, I stopped in Poke for maybe the tenth time this school year (yes, I’m a bit of a fan) to meet Francisco, the store manager, and interview Mike, the owner. If you haven’t had the chance to experience Poke yet, let me set the scene for you. The interior itself is an impressive upgrade from the store’s former occupant, Two Guys Tacos, if you’re familiar with that. What used to be an empty, dimly lit Mexican restaurant is now a bright, sleek sushi bar with a contemporary playlist and an upbeat staff.
While I was talking with Francisco and Mike, the team was preparing that day’s haul: the salmon had just arrived and employees were putting in orders for the already-famous organic, gluten-free soy sauce that they use. As we talked, we would sometimes be stopped for a brief moment so that Mike could confirm the ingredients orders that were being sent out for the next day’s dishes. One thing that stands out to me from the dining experience that Poke offers is the freshness. The food that I saw being cleaned and prepared that morning was to be served by the end of that day and tomorrow, if it was not all eaten today (which it sometimes is). Poke regularly orders food twice a week, some locally, making for a meal that you can feel good about.
Mike, the owner of the store, has worked in the food industry for over 25 years, following in his family’s footsteps. Now, he and his wife are no strangers to the Corner food industry: in addition to Poke, they also own Got Dumplings, a favorite go-to snack for students in between classes. He credits his wife for helping him to research the concept of Poke Sushi Bowl, and he brings her ideas to life by serving as the restaurant chef and pulling all of the ingredients together. He says the concept of a fast-casual dining experience was popularized by Chipotle and that many customers enjoy it because of the multiple selections and the ability to customize one’s dining experience. Currently, Poke Sushi Bowl is the only poke restaurant within a 300 mile range, perhaps explaining why students enjoy it so much.
So what is poke, exactly?
Mike explained that poke originated in Hawaii, where people would mix raw food, sesame oils, and soy sauce. Simply stated, it’s a way of mixing food with raw fish.
For Francisco, he described poke as “the new way to eat sushi,” which he believes will rival the many other new sushi dishes that have become popular, including the pokerito.
Mike highlighted that one of his favorite products that Poke offers is organic soy sauce. Although organic soy sauces costs 4-5 times more to make as compared to other types of soy sauce, Mike believes that the cost of whatever Poke makes will be paid back in quality food and customer loyalty.
In addition to their organic soy sauce, Poke is committed to keeping a completely oil-free restaurant. “Because the concept is already healthy, we don’t want to cook anything with oil. In fact, you can’t find any oil in this restaurant,” Mike explained. He went on to say that their commitment to healthiness and honesty does not stop there: Poke lists the ingredients for items so thoroughly that another restaurant could easily try to replicate the flavors. But, Mike said they “list it without any fear,” because he knows that his customers will feel more comfortable when they know exactly what’s in their food. By the same reasoning, Poke is designed as an open kitchen, where customers can watch food being prepared while waiting in line to order.
As for ingredients and favorite foods, Mike’s favorite menu choice is to create his own bowl, which varies depending on the day and his appetite. For a protein, he recommends the yellow tail, salmon, ahi tuna and the organic tofu (for vegetarians). The salmon is brought to Poke from the Faroe Islands and is very high-quality, with many omegas and high in protein.
So, how has been business been on the Corner?
Mike continually emphasized how unbelievable business has been on the Corner. And, although he’s “not a social media guy,” he says that the restaurant has received lots of comments on Facebook, in addition to many return customers. While he said they originally noticed a large number of boys coming to eat at Poke in the first few weeks after opening, there is now a larger number of girls who enjoy eating there. Mike loves meeting UVA students, his wife being a former student herself, and says that they are so nice and easy to work with.
And what’s Mike’s favorite part of running Poke? Easy. He says that he is “grateful that we can create something without oil that has quality and healthier food to offer. That’s my happiest thing is that I can create something like that.”
Thinking of eating at Poke? The lunch and dinner rushes occur from 11:30 am until about 1 pm, and that the dinner rush hits right after many classes end for the day, around 5 pm until 7 or 7:30 pm.