Want to bring Hawaii home? Poke, meaning “to cut or to slice” in Hawaiian, takes marinated chunks of raw fish, typically ahi tuna, and incorporates them into different dishes such as bowls, wraps, tacos and more. The bright red fish along with colorful vegetables and rice makes for a delicious and nutritious meal.
Restaurants from around Marin have taken different spins on poke and added their own flair. Whether it’s the traditional bowl at ALOH-O or a taco twist from Hook Fish Co, one can’t go wrong with a poke bowl! This list ranks Marin’s poke restaurants from worst to best.

Gott’s 3/5
Gott’s Roadside in Bon Air shopping center has perfected its burgers and fries, but not quite its poke. The sushi-grade tuna is packed into a wonton-like taco shell after being tossed in spicy mayo and accompanied by sliced cabbage and avocado. Although the fish is top-notch, the tacos could use more flavor as the spicy mayo doesn’t do the dish justice. The hard shells also break apart easily, causing the toppings to fall out and your stomach to feel empty. For three tacos, the price is quite reasonable at only $11.99.

World Wrapps 4/5
Only a 10-minute walk from Redwood, World Wrapps is known for its variety of wraps, bowls and boba. Their Hawaiian poke comes in a nori wrap or a bowl, packed with ahi poke, sushi rice, avocado, rainbow slaw and peanuts. The sesame-soy vinaigrette gives the poke a salty edge, which the additional toppings complement. However, the bowl is packed with rice and lacks enough poke. This made the meal less enjoyable as after only a few bites, all that was left was rice and vegetables.

ALOH-O 5/5
Unlike the other reviewed locations, ALOH-O, located near Northgate Mall, allows you to customize your own poke bowl. With a range of different poke meat, bases, sauces and toppings, you can choose whether you want to go sweet or spicy. There was a perfect balance of rice to poke, with a generous amount of each topping. Every bite was bursting with different flavors, whether it was the sweet mango or unique seaweed salad taste. Although it didn’t taste as fresh as other places, overall the bowl was spectacular.

Hook Fish Co 5/5

Hook Fish Co definitely knows how to make its fish tacos, as it has the best poke in Marin. Located near Proof Lab in Mill Valley, Hook Fish Co takes a twist on conventional rice bowls and meshes poke with tacos. Their poke was thoroughly seasoned with spicy mayo and topped with a generous amount of cabbage slaw, pico de gallo, avocado and spicy aioli. Despite only serving two tacos, each one was packed to the brim with poke, resulting in a messy face and plate. But how could I complain? The only thing that left feeling unsatisfied was my debit card balance, as $14 for two tacos is pricey, but, in the end, was worth it.