The Poke Lab

Everyone should definitely try this place it is so amazingly good! The staff is super friendly and the food is delicious! It’s a little pricey but I think it’s totally worth it!

Stopped here on our way through Monterey to Big Sur and this place came pretty well recommended. Though they’re only a little over a month open, they have the poke bowl business down pat. The menu is generally pretty simple in that you come in and make a poke bowl with a selection of toppings. It’s like the Chipotle or Pieology of poke but with higher quality.
I got myself a three scoop bowl with salmon and two scoops of tuna (hey, I like tuna), but there are other options for fish and seafood to put in. The fish is fresh and the toppings all mix really well with the flavors and include cucumbers, edamame, and furikake mix. You get a large portion of fish for the amount of money you pay. It’s great.
The staff are all very nice and the head chef, Jeff, even talked to us about good flavors and his menu. The restaurant itself is clean, but pretty small. They also don’t have restrooms, but it’s Monterey, there’s lots of public restrooms around the area.
This place is great to eat in the restaurant or as a grab and go poke bowl to take to the beach. Looking forward to eating here again.

I usually don’t crave one type of dish more than once a week but I find myself coming back to The Poke Lab more than once a week!
I’m able to customize a new Poke Bowl each time and the process gets easier and easier as I perfect my very own bowl and nourish by weekly cravings.
But I must say that the Marker Bowls have really hit the spot! It’s a collaboration bowl with the owner and head chef, they come together to create a weekly special that is out of this word!
Asian Pear Kimchi Octopus or
Ahi, Avocado Mousse, Monterey Red Limu and a Local Quail Egg.
And, there’s rumors of a Uni, Infused Tobiko, and Maybe even Caviar Market Bowl in the works!
Who does this?
The Poke Lab does and they do it well!
Check out their Instagram feed at @ThePokeLab #ThePokeLab for updates on the Weekly Market Bowls.
Do yourself a favor and stop in for a bowl, you won’t be disappointed.
Thank your for a great experience!

Went there Tuesday to try it out. I made my own bowl with sushi rice and adding almost everything. Food was good. Price is ok. Portions are small for what you pay but it was good.
My only disappointment is I really expected for of a Hawaiian poke. Fresh tuna mixed with seasonings already. Maybe mixed with seaweed salad. In the end the bowl was a rice bowl with sushi grade tuna pulled on top. If you look up what poke actually is than you will realize this isn’t poke it’s just raw fish.
Although it isn’t actual tuna poke it was still fresh and tasty. Just not quite what I expected. Maybe you can add a traditional already seasoned tuna poke to pick to add to my bowl?

Chipotle style poke In bowl comes to Monterey. We came here during off peak time around 2pm so the lunch crew has already gone and left and it was still a tad early for dinner. I heard there can be a line out the door… But luckily we did not experience it.
The interior is very nice and clean. A few bar stools and tables, probably can only fit about 20 – 25 for a sit down meal other than that this is a get and go restaurant when it gets packed.
The menu is very simple. You can either choose from their signature bowls or if you want the power in your hands, go and create what you want. Step 1. you choose the base, you can choose from sushi white rice, brown rice or mixed greens. 2. Choose your poke! A lot of options. Tuna, spicy tuna, salmon, octopus, shrimp, shiitake mushroom or avocado to name a few you can get three scoops for $ 9.50 or 4 scoops for $ 1.50 more. After that you can add cucumbers, onions, daikon or bean sprouts at no extra charge. Step 3. Choose your sauce sesame ponzu or chili ponzu. And if you want some spice they offer spicy mayo and Siracusa chili sauce. Step 4 toppings. Ginger, edamame, mad ago eggs and green onions.
It is a very fun concept and if you want your poke bowl quick this is the place to go. I have been to the poke bowl in the Bay Area several times since my niece loves that place and she lives near there.
Quality of the food, I give it an average. 3 stars
Quantity of food, it’s 3 – 4 mini ice scream scoops, you be he judge for yourself.
Entertainment was a five star. Again I did not have to wait if I had to wait this my rating might be slightly different.
Personally if I want fresh fish I can order a chirashi bowl somewhere else with for a dollar extra and sit down. But I am happy that this place is here, giving more options to Monterey. Would I eat here again, most probably, But not on a regular basis, I would like my friends to try this first hand, enjoy ordering and making their own bowl and not just have the chefs choice of fish…
Welcome to Monterey!

YES! Monterey desperately needed a poke spot and I’m so happy I happened upon this one.
You get 3 scoops of fish for $ 9.50 — very reasonable for a decently sized poke bowl. They have raw fish, cooked seafood, as well as vegan options!
I got 2 scoops of salmon and 1 scoop of ahi tuna. The tuna was kind of dry but the salmon was so fresh and fatty! It melted in my mouth ugh so good.
I also got the chili ponzu sauce with spicy mayo, and added cucumber, masago, and furikake. I should have added edamame or some other veggies, because my bowl wasn’t as filling as it could have been.
My bowl was absolutely delicious though, and I’ll definitely be back! I just wish they had more topping options, like maybe seaweed salad or something else. Overall it’s great quality for a decent price!

cried in tears of how good it is, just like poki bowl in san jose!
Its a perfect sized bowl to eat it from too! Gets you full REAL fast. Fully satisfyed!
One thing tho; since the ponzu sauce is real sour, ask for less of it.
Deffinatly will come back again!!!

I don’t usually write a review after the first visit, but there’s always a first ! I was compelled to do so after I had the best poke on the mainland. Nothing beats the poke my friend Krystal makes on the big island, but this came close.
I could tell the word had got out because the place was packed just after it opened the morning I visited. The menu is well laid out and it’s very intuitive. Only thing that bugged me was that they have a «Market» bowl, but they had not decided what the item was when I visited. I’m assuming that the «Market» bowl is the freshest catch from the bay that day ?
The food ! I opted for the Lab bowl over white rice with an exta scoop of ahi, spicy ponzu sauce, ginger and green onion. The total was about $ 13.50 a little pricey, but the portion was just right. I probably would have paid the same price at a regular sushi restaurant. I felt satisfied with the flavor and the portion size. I would definitely recommend it and I will be back when ever I am back in the area !
Keep up the good work

Up front, the cost reflects Alvarado St prices, is what it is. You get your money’s worth — the service is warm, friendly, and patient and the food quality was excellent. Poke bowls are new to me, so it was helpful to get advice from the staff. I made a bowl and recommend going for all the add-​ons with the sushi rice. I ended up scraping the bowl clean. The cost was the only thing that kept me from seconds.
The restaurant is cafeteria style with 8 bench seats at the window and a 4 top. If you’ve got a large group, opt for carry out. The space was very clean and the staff seemed to have things running very smooth for a grand opening. I saw several news articles promoting the opening and the web front is simple but elegant, which suggests very capable management. I would recommend listing the prices on the menu online though, you got to do that for the call in carry out business.
Altogether, great addition to Alvarado St that seems very popular with the local business folks seeking lunch. Highly recommend giving it a try and we’ll be back soon!

Wonderful new addition to Monterey’s restaurant selection. I inadvertently became their first customer today after not realizing it was the grand opening day when I arrived at 11:30! After living in Hawaii for three years, Poke is now one of my favorite foods, but it is hard to find outside the islands. In fact, I just returned from Christmas vacation in Hawaii where eating as much poke as possible was one of my top priorities. So I was especially excited to read in the Monterey County Weekly about the impending arrival of The Poke Lab and it did not disappoint.
The Poke Lab does poke justice on the mainland. You can select from their recommended bowls of build your own, where you choose from an excellent selection of raw ahi tuna, salmon, tako (octopus) and fresh, local veggies. I made my own spicy tuna bowl and it was exactly what I hoped it would be. The sushi rice was perfect and clearly not just an afterthought. Everything tastes fresh and had exactly the right amount of spice. My only suggestion would be for a wider variety of sauces or some pre-​marinated selections with seaweed, shoyu and sea salt.
Looking forward to bringing my wife and friends soon!

All the things I like and expect when dining poke/​sushi style. Standard proteins and accompaniments given the style but put together quite well! Start your bowl with brown rice, white rice or lettuce. Rice was nice and warm which gave it a nice temperature contrast with the cold seafood and veg. Order a pre select menu item or customize your own, any option is a good choice! I customized mine. had brown rice with salmon, spicy tuna, octopus, and extra masago. All were generously portioned! Topped with daikon, cucumber, avocado, ginger, sprouts, chili ponzu, spicy mayo, and siracha. Delicious, fresh, filling, and reasonably priced! Definitely will visit again even though I can make this at home… they do it that well!