A new poke place has blessed the Berkeley streets. Putting a modern twist on this classic Hawaiian dish, Hashtag Poki caters to seafood lovers with plentiful protein options, complimentary sides, and even special sweet treats — macaron ice cream sandwiches.
This new restaurant is the epitome of trending (#Poki? more like #clever) and appeals to everyone, but especially millennials — aka the hashtagging generation.
First impressions
Walking in, everything about Hashtag Poki screams “fresh” — the food, the clean-cut design, the theme of wood in the signs and tables. The workers had smiles on their faces while chatting happily with customers, not at all fazed by the line beginning to form out the door.
Menu
Instructions for ordering are written neatly on chalkboards on the wall, indicating the variety of combinations available. Their protein selection is impressive, with 7 different choices including a vegetarian option. Hashtag Poki also has add-ons right before the register too, such as 5 different sauces, sesame seeds, seaweed, ginger, and wasabi.
Taste
Hashtag Poki does a great job in providing options for their customers to create palate-specific meals. The seafood meshes well with the base and the sides provide flavor contrast while the sauce ties everything together, coating the meal with an underlying sweetness.
Location
It’s only 1 mile from campus, so grab your walking shoes and head down Telegraph. Or, take the Line 6 bus down to Ashby, since Berkeley students ride free with the AC Transit/Clipper card (holla).
Why you have to go
The build-your-own format of ordering food is arguably the one of the most popular today because it allows you to personalize your meal. Hashtag Poki takes a page from other successful restaurants, such as Chipotle, Pieology, and Toss — it gives complete control to the consumer.
For picky eaters or those with allergies and dietary restrictions, these types of restaurants eliminate awkward situations of asking the server to take everything off the plate except the one item we can eat. Plus, we don’t have food fomo anymore, since there’s something for everybody.
(A/N: Also, poke is bomb, so why wouldn’t you go?)