Umeke’s

Hands down my favorite place for poke on the Big Island. I’ve been many times and tried many different plates and have been absolutely floored every time. I always get the Avo poke with white rice and crab salad, super great flavor combination. If you’re a cocktail person, the Raspberry Lemon drop is a MUST have! If you’re not a fish person, never fear. Their teriyaki chicken bowl is some of the best I’ve ever had. They have a great happy hour for beer lovers, I think it’s $ 3 schooners and they are massive.

Been back several times. Everyone is now trained and much nicer. Lesson Learned. Give a new place at least a month to get the kinks out.

The poke is super fresh, the sides are great and the people are so incredibly nice! This is my favorite place in kona for poke

The food was excellent, the waitress person was really patient when helping us out. I was surprised on how good the poke was, there were many kinds, I really liked the third one from the left (yes, I forgot.) I even got more of it

I’m vegetarian, and I love to try local food. But often local food is meat or fish based, so I am extra appreciative of restaurants that offer vegetable versions of their favorites. Umekes offered a delicious veg poke, brocolli, avacadoes, and other stuff, with a delicious garlic aoili, brown rice (or quinoa) and 2 veg sides. All super delicious. Also amazing were the cold homemade juices they served in chilled mason jars. The woman at the counter basically ordered me to try the lemonade with passionfruit, so I complied and OMG it was so good! My husband had a fish poke and regular lemonade and also live his meal too.

I had my fair share of poke during my trips to Hawaii, and Umeke is by far my favorite on the Big Island. Not only are the pokes fresh and flavorful but the sides are also top-​notch in flavor and freshness. I loved da hotty and grilled ahi belly. Da hotty spiciness was balanced out by the creaminess of the sauce. The lomi lomi, seaweed salad and rice were all perfectly seasoned and prepared. I’m getting hungry just thinking about my meal there.

I love umekes! Their food is great and their staff members are nice. In winter 2014, their poke bowl was $ 10. When I went in winter 2015 it was around $ 12. A poke bowl comes with 1 choice poke, 1 choice of a side and then a scoop of rice. I love their «Da Hottie» poke and their garlic edamame side is awesome. They put furikake on their rice which is yummy.

Delicious poke, I had spicy, with a salad «I forgot name» but tasty and sesame tasting. I’m full not stuffed at all. I tipped 15% and my meal about $ 15.50. A tad on the pricey side but I did have ahi tuna :-). This was my first poke but I enjoyed my meal. Free water and a few outdoor seats. Btw, tiny parking lot.

A poke bowl so nice, we ate it twice!
After arriving in Kona, our first meal was poke bowls at Umeke’s. I have never tasted ahi poke so fresh before! My boyfriend cannot stop thinking about their teriyaki beef, and we both loved their crab broccoli salad.
We loved it so much that Umeke’s was also our last meal in Kona.

They were in my dream last night so I’m gonna write a review.
Obviously if poke bowls and local plates are not your thing then move along.
If you love poke you might just fall in love with everything about this place. I kinda did and they never disappointed yet. They’ve stayed consistent in portion size, freshness and taste for quite a while now… since they opened. If it were a perfect and sustainable world, every coastal area would be blessed with guys like these serving up «sea to table» local food. As in they go out themselves on a boat and catch the big fish and then open up shop and give you the freshest poke bowls around, and even get a little fancy. That’s some long days folks, they deserve some props. They really are very fresh. The selling point for me. That and furikake all over my rice. Yum. The fish tastes as good as the fish is himself/​herself, you know the deal. Before they died. Which was seriously just a little bit ago. Which is awesome.
I want some so bad right now. Struggles.
This is where I’d like to transport to when I’m feeling like a California roll style poke bowl but not quite on point… because then they do it perfectly. Everything is like something but not quite here. The fish might be too fresh if you like California roll style and serious dollops of mayo dressing or marinade on your poke. Just saying. Me personally, I’m obsessed with anything spicy ahi flavor and so I’ll order bowls that resemble it the most. This place does a few and none blew me away, probably because I don’t need a substitute for spicy ahi unless you force me to. So note that they don’t have your traditional poke combinations, they’re similar but they create their own twist. To be honest I’d take their fish any day because that’s the best for my dollar, but then some days I wouldn’t mind taking them into a poke shop or even the local grocery store to have them mix me some spicy ahi or whatever else. Point: I really think it’s the freshness that shines here, not their flavor combos.
They have all the normal sides. Ocean salad, mac salad, crab salad, warabi salad, kimchee cucumber, etc. All cold, extremely fresh and possibly my favorite part. But I’m a big fan of sides.
Actually my favorite part might be the owners and workers. They are such nice guys and that’s the mildest thing I can say about the customer service.
They are pricey for sure, but if you know your way around raw fish, it won’t surprise you. What might surprise you are the portions and just how much poke you get scooped onto your plate. It’s heavenly. Especially compared to most poke bowls out there.
Anticipate a line, especially during peak lunch hours. Getting there as early as possible is always the best idea.
Oh. Their strawberry lemonade is my favorite around. Duh, it’s super super sweeeeeeet. Fun for the whole family! Unless you don’t like to give your kid sugar. I try not to get one, but I always do. Like every time.

I feel that I should give a restaurant five stars if I cannot find anything that could be improved upon with regards to my meal, and the service was good.
Umeke’s was spot on.
My wife and I stopped in for a late lunch, around 2pm. There was no line and they immediately asked if I would like a sample of poke. I tried the avocado poke which I really liked so I ordered a bowl of that with two scoops of brown rice, with furikake, and the seaweed salad.
Everything was fresh, delicious and I quickly devoured the whole thing.
My wife had a fish bowl of grilled Ono, two scoops white rice, also with furikake, and the seaweed salad too. The fish was topped with a really delicious garlic aioli type sauce and the fish was cooked perfectly.
She loved it.
Portion sizes were good and we both left pleasantly stuffed.
We live up in Waikoloa and will definitely be returning to Umeke’s to try some of their other menu items.

Ok I feel like I’m committing blasphemy by giving Umeke’s anything but 5 stars. This place came high recommended by my Hawaiian friends and was certainly very good. The crowds (locals and tourists) alike certainly support the superb reviews here. They have a huge selection of different flavors and the tuna is certainly super fresh. So why not 5 stars for me?
I was starving when I came here after a morning dive trip, so most things will taste good already. I got the avo-​ahi which was pretty good but I really hoped for a little more wow factor for being supposedly the best poke around. I don’t know if «juicy» is the right word but it wasn’t quite that for me. And being Asian, I don’t like dry rice and Umeke’s rice was exactly that.
The best poke I had on my Hawaii trip was actually out of a food truck in Maui, got the zing and fluffy rice. Don’t get me wrong, I will still come back to Umeke’s if back in Kona but just can’t say it was superb for me.

I’m very tentative about giving Umeke’s 3 stars as the overall rating is so high, but I do have my reasons for giving it a lower mark.
We purchased four different poke bowls and the general consensus was that the poke was too… saucy? The taste was overwhelming and it was hard to enjoy the fish. As well, the side dishes that accompanied the ahi were also incredibly overpowering. I couldn’t finish my portion AT ALL. The strawberry lemonade was delicious and refreshing on such a hot day, but it was also greatly sweetened.
If you’re not into heavier tastes, perhaps you shouldn’t come to Umeke’s. As well, the lineup for the place was crazy– at least Umeke’s provides a cup of icy water while waiting.
Good stuff: sweetie ahi poke bowl (honestly quite good!)

Bottom Line: Good non-​traditional «designer» poke bowls with convenient access and hours.
8^th stop on my ono grinds tour takes me back to Kona for the best poke bowl throw down. Umeke’s comes to the top of a short list for the best poke bowl in Kona. There are no shortages of discussions about which has the best poke bowl, Umeke’s or Da Poke Shack. Both produce high quality poke but I left somewhat conflicted with both having strengths and significant weaknesses.
I arrived around 1PM on a Monday and it was quite busy. This was my first time here and as other reviewers have said, the signage isn’t great and ordering is a little confusing although they did post prices. The signage were 8.5X11″ paper in sheets protectors stuck on the wall above the counter. It’s one of those places where your supposed to know what you want to order and if you don’t, well you are kind of on your own. It wouldn’t be so bad except that they don’t use the standard nomenclature for poke, shoyu, limu etc. They developed their own names, da kanaka, da hottie, da sweetie etc. Unfortunately there are no signs which tell you what is in each and they don’t seem very happy if you ask them what is in each, at least during rush hour. I ordered da kanaka poki bowl with seaweed salad and white rice with furikake. I chose da kanaka because the counter woman said it was closest to shoyu poke. It was about $ 12. I got it home and it was good but not great. Not quite as fresh as expected and the taste was a little off point. The seaweed salad and rice were very good as was the presentation. Overall I was a little disappointed. I will give it another shot when I return and go at a less busy time.
So how does it stack up against the Da Poke Shack, here is how I would break it down:
Umeke’s: better convenience, poke supply (they won’t run out), rice, salad, and presentation
Da Poke Shack: better poke selection process (uses conventional poke names, better menu board), better poke in terms of freshness and taste
I don’t think you can go terribly wrong with either. Both produce a high quality poke bowls but the styles are quite different.
Tip: if this is your first visit, go at a less busy time and ask to sample before buying. It’s hard to know what you are buying based on the name and appearance alone.

Love Poke. The Poke shack had a line into the drive of the parking lot and looked to be at least a half hour wait.
Drove into town to try this place and it was delicious. We got our order to go because all the tables were taken outside.
There is a good selection of poke and you can taste it all but there will be a line of hungry people behind you.
Great poke and fast.

Poké!
This one I visited is really just a hole in the wall. There is a simple counter where you choose your Poké and sides and take them out to the side outdoor area to eat them. Hey, simple, fresh, well seasoned, good portion, and Hawaiian air.
You can also sample the different kinds of Poké as you wish.

Wow, we were super impressed with their poke! I loved my meal (grilled chicken with rice, furikake, sides, and avocado poke) and would gladly come back for more. The poke was fresh and not salty, so you can taste the sweetness of the fish which pairs nicely with the creamy avocado.
The only down-​side is that there isn’t any dining space, the patio tables (community dining style) were full but luckily we found some seats.

Today was the day, we FINALLY got to check and experience the hype of what Umeke’s is all about. After seeing hundreds of food posts for Umeke’s, I made it a goal to one day try the poke and food for myself.
The inside of the store is pretty small with no tables and chairs. There are tables/​benches with umbrellas outside where you can enjoy your poke bowl and lemonade and watch the continuous flow of customers go in to Umeke’s.
The service was outstanding! Being our first time there, the workers were really patient with us. There was this cool dude behind the counter (didn’t get his name) who I thought really embraced and defined what the «Aloha Spirit» is. He and his coworker let us sample all of the poke they had to offer. 10 stars for that!
Okay now for the poke, it was good but not great. Don’t get me wrong, the Ahi is freshly cut, the flavor profile is on point but it didn’t do it for me. It kinda lacked that «wow» factor. Market price was $ 21 per pound and that’s really high so of course the prices of the poke bowls were up there. The one choice was 13.44 and while the 2 choice was 22.99. I got the 2 choice or «Big Boy Bowl» with «Da Kanaka» and «Da Avo Ahi» with my 2 sides, Kim chee cucumber and Imitation Crab Broccoli salad. My dad got the 1 choice and he also got «Da Kanaka» with Ho’io (warabi) salad. My mom got the Teri Chicken bowl for 9.99 with Crab Broccoli Salad. Their Teri chicken bowl is wicked! Flavor was nice and umami, savory which is the way I like it! I like that all the portions were nice and hefty.
I love my Ahi poke, let’s just say poke in general. I would definitely be back here in the future. The dynamics for the whole Umeke’s concept seems to work. It’s fresh Ahi poke from «ocean to table»! For anyone visiting the Kona side this is the place to be at!

Loved my first time here at Umekes in Kona. I was told that this was the original location.
Get in line behind the poke counter and it flows through to the register. We had no idea and got in the wrong line and almost had to wait all over again.
Overall, the food was great! The Kalua pig was little dry. But, not bad enough to be bummed. The salads were so awesome! Since we couldn’t decide on which salad to get, we got the spicy crab, seaweed salad, warabe salad and a side of Da Avo Poke. As anticipated everything was broke da mouth! Lol

My first meal in Hawaii was the Big Boy poke bowl ($ 19.99). I shared this with my traveling buddy because the portion was meant for 2 people to share. It came with two choices of ahi — I think we got the avo ahi and spicy Hawaiian-​style ahi. It also came with 2 sides and 2 scoops of rice (your choice of brown or white). As for our sides, we chose seaweed salad and crab salad. The meal was fresh, filling, and delicious. We also tried some Kombucha. It’s fermented tea made from Hawaiian fruit like lilikoi, etc. It’s not sweet like Arizona Iced Tea, but very interesting to try.
This restaurant doesn’t have indoor-​seating. There are some picnic tables and benches beside the restaurant on a patio. I would totally recommend this place for some fresh ahi poke bowls!

Meilleur fruits de mer que nous avons gouté de notre vie. Mille fois plus bon que la bouffe degeulasse ameriaine. Sérieusement, les meilleurs plats que nous avons mangés sur les iles hawaiennes de loin. Nous commencions à etre vraiment desespérés côté nourriture à Hawaii. En plus c’est local, hawaïen et délicieux. Ca vaut le coup de payer 10 $ pour chaque plat. Les plats ont l’air petit, mais ils bourrent vraiment (car ils sont généreux en poissons et fruits de mer). Je conseil le riz brun, car il est moins collant que le riz blanc (texture ideale pour les sushis par contre). Par contre, il faut manger dehors (tables de picnic dispo) ou prendre pour emporter puisque c’est une gargotte (vous voyez le poisson se faire couper devant vous).