Poke Bar

January 2023
What, for heavens name, is a Poke?
A Poke bowl is a meal-in-a-bowl that includes all the food groups - a carb, a protein, vegetables and sauce. This trendy fast food that has taken the world by storm is finally catching on in Israel. When i figured out what Poke Bowls were I wondered what took so long for them to gain popularity in Israel. Poke bowls have to be the most Israeli non-Israeli food ever.

In Israel we love our fast food. We like it cheap, we like it to go, and we like it made the way we want to eat it. Poke bowls are all of this in one, and they are healthy to boot.

Poke means "to slice" or "cut" in Hawaiian and refers to the cut chunks of fish. The original Hawaiian Poke bowls contained rice, fish, and vegetables. As Poke Bowls hit the mainland they were influenced by Japanese cuisine and sticky rice, soy sauce and wasabe made their way into the bowls. Then came avocado, cucumbers and a host of other foods from the sushi world. Poke bowls are now an all-in-one meal, they are parve and can be prepared gluten free.

If you are thinking that sticky rice, cured fish, avocado and vegetables sounds like deconstructed sushi, think again. Poke Bowls are second generation sushi, or as we think of it, sushi with a college education. There are a wide range of add-ons. more vegetables, more sauces, more options, and more flavors than sushi.

The cool part is that the add-ons are totally customizable. Choose what you want in your poke bowl from a big selection of bins, A little this, a little that, and before you know it you have a meal. And a healthy one at that.

Poke Bar Raanana
There are two Poke Bar locations in Raanana: Ahuza at Kazan St and Hanesiim off Weizman. Both shops are under the baton of Asher, the hansom young owner and the driving concept behind the shops. The branch on Hanesiim is mostly for take away. Customers can also sit at tables outdoors under an awning, Online take away orders are also filled at the Hanesiim branch.

The Ahuza Poke Bar has evolved into a full fish restaurant where, in addition to the poke bowls there is a full menu of cooked fish and cocktails. See Poke Fish Bar.

The two Poke Bar locations are part of a larger family enterprise that also includes two fish stores: La Criee Israel. The Poke Bars source the fish from these fish stores.

The Story
The story begins in Italy, with a love of fresh fish. The family patriarch, living in Milan, imported fresh fish to his Italian store from Morocco, parts of African, Asia, Norway, etc. Some 15 years ago the whole family came on Aliya including their fish enterprise. In Israel they established two La Criee Israel fish stores in Raanana with beautifully displayed fresh and frozen fish imported daily.


Ordering a Poke Bowl:
Step right up to the counter and construct your meal. Just tell the server what you want, and he/she will add it to your bowl. The first decision that you make at Poke Bar is the size of your bowl. A small bowl is NIS 49 and the large bowl is NIS 59. Of course the large bowl holds more so you can either choose a larger variety of foods or get a larger quantity of the foods that you choose.

Step right up to the counter and choose the contents of your bowl. Choose your carb which is the base of the bowl: rice or noodles. Choose your protein: fish (different types) or tofu. Choose your vegetables from a very big selection. All the vegetables are chopped fresh at the shop every day. Top it all off with some crunchies and sauces.

Now you have an all-in-one meal. a carb base, a protein, vegetables of your choice, crunchies and sauces. Eat it at the tables at the Poke Bar or take it out. As you like it. Enjoy!

Poke Fish Bar
The Poke Bar on Ahuza offers both Poke Bowls and a full fish menu. See Poke Fish Bar