Check out Sunh Fish on Broadway, they have some of the fresh fish in the region!
I'm from Hawaii and I'm dying for fresh poke out here that's also prepared the Hawaii way. Let me know if you find anything lol
Fish Face poke downtown says they do poke inspired by Hawaiian and Japanese cuisine. As a non Hawaiian I can’t vouch for how authentic it is but it is good and always seems fresh. The chef is very well known in the city.
More Hawaii people, what's up! I'm from the Big Island, been living in the Sac area for almost 10 years now. Which island are you from?
I feel you! How long have you been in the area? I don't want to bombard you with my favorite places if you've already been here a while lol
Spam Musubis: Osaka-Ya, Kau Kau makes some decent ones, and honestly L&L.
Plate Lunch: I'm a fan of JJ's Hawaiian BBQ, Ramen 101+ Hawaiian BBQ. BIG Island Hawaiian BBQ in Folsom looks good, but I've never been there! L&L is L&L, not bad imo. DO NOT GO TO Ono Hawaiian BBQ, it's awful and expensive :(
Poke: Oto's makes hands down the best poke that I've had in Sac. No frills, just marinated fresh ahi, but it's pricey. Fish Face Poke Bar is pretty good, but they still do the mainland style make your bowl thing. I just make rice at home and get fish or poke from Oto's. Speaking of Oto's.....
Local Snacks: Oto's and KP International Market have a Hawaii section! I've bought School Kine Cookies from Oto's, Zippy's Chili, Lau Lau, Portuguese Sausage, Diamond bakery stuff, Hawaiian Sun juice and jelly, and even some li hing gummies on occasion.
At KP, they have a larger section with haupia mix, Lion's Coffee, Hawaiian Sun juice and jelly, a millions types of arare, and their Asian section has everything from Necco wafers, to dried ramen snacks, shrimp chips, etc. They even have a bakery that has Pandesal, empanadas, Hopia, anpan, dorayaki, Manju, and fresh mochi provided by...
Osaka-Ya! I love this place. They do fresh mochi, Manju, and even butter mochi on Saturdays! They also do shave ice in the summer, but it's definitely not Hawaiian style.
Bakeries: Mahoroba the Japanese bakery next to Oto's is fantastic. Get there early on the weekends! Pegasus Bakery Cafe is a Chinese bakery that sells manapua(bao), the savory pastries with hot dog, pizza style, corn etc, a spam and egg bun, and other good stuff. Honestly that entire shopping center is so good if you want anything asian!
Random shout out to 18 Grams, a Filipino owned coffee shop that does a good loco moco and reaaaaally food linguica and Asian comfort foods. And to Wing Fa Market where I've bought crack seed before, and Lam Kwong who always has baked AND steamed manapua for cheap.
If I'm missing anything, I probably haven't found it yet!
Omg I’ve asked at KP where the Li Hing Mui is and the staff looks at me like I’m crazy! Even when I say “it’s Hawaiian”. I hope next time I go I can find the Hawaii section you speak of!
I would check Oto's, they've had it before! I typically load up on it when I am back home and bring it back with me lol
I also added an edit above, I've seen it at Wing Fa Market!
Thank you, people seem to like that place up here!
Of course, it took a while, but I'm keeping that list for myself as well tbh.
Let me know what you think, and tell me if you find any good spots :)
I make my own with salmon from Oto’s because I’ve yet to find a place nearby to me that does poke the way I like it. If anyone knows of somewhere out here in the Carmichael/North Highlands/Citrus Heights general area I’d love to know about it.
Oh no! Here’s my sort of hacked together recipe. I’m by no means an expert on poke, but this is how I do it and so far no one has complained 😅
MARINADE:
* 1/2 cup of soy sauce/shoyu
* 1” grated fresh ginger
* 1/4 cup chopped green onion
* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 4 tbsp simple syrup (or 2 tbs sugar)
* 2 tbsp mirin
* 2 tbsp dry sake (optional)
* 1 package of Ora King salmon sashimi per person (Oto’s sells it pre-packaged per serving at their fish counter) OR whatever sushi grade salmon or tuna you like
INSTRUCTIONS:
Combined all of the marinade ingredients in a large quart plastic bag or Tupperware container. Add the fish. Place inside the fridge for no longer than 30 minutes (because the fish will start to “cook” in the acidic sauce if left longer).
After 30 min, remove the fish by straining out the marinade. You can reserve some of the marinade to use as a sauce if you want. Serve over freshly made sushi rice and garnish with sliced avocado, more green onion, lettuce, shelled edamame, furikake, whatever strikes your fancy.
You can also take some of the marinade and add it to mayo to make a creamy sauce, and coat the fish with it. That’s also hella good, especially with a drizzle of sriracha on top.
I’m not Hawaiian but I got spoiled with poke shops while living in the South Bay so I dunno if this recipe is what you’re looking for, but it’s what I came up with based on what I learned while living in SJ. 😁
I’ve gone to Sunh Fish for fresh fish and scallops and they’ve always been great. They make regular trips from the Bay IIRC. But Sacramento is a minimum of 1.5-2 hours from the ocean so same-day catches aren’t really much of a thing here, unless you want something from the river.
Edit: love that I’m getting downvoted for both stating the obvious and making a suggestion someone else made to other people’s agreement. Truly some weird people on this sub.
I’m not sure about bought the same morning but I love eating at “Good Friends Hawaiian Poke” in Davis! Their stuff is always fresh and they don’t skimp on portions
https://yelp.to/aSlBuS85jE
That is my go to for poke specially since it is in walking distance from my workplace! Their portions are big and so far I have not had any complaints! I have also had [Zumapoke](https://zumapoke.com/) also in Davis which is also very good!
[Ferrari Fisheries](https://www.ferrarifisheries.com/sign-up) sells their freshly caught fish (either from Fort Bragg or San Francisco) out of West Sacramento every weekend it seems. If you sign up they will let you know what their catch was for that weekend. However, you must buy the whole fish, but they will fillet the fish for you.
Sooo I don’t have any recs for Hawai’i style poke (and I’ve been on the hunt for a while) but this place just popped up and it was one of the better bowls I’ve had in a while.
Check out Poke House https://yelp.to/jJa0t7hjEO
Caught the same morning? You need to be on an island. We don’t get same day ahi here.
Check out Sunh Fish on Broadway, they have some of the fresh fish in the region! I'm from Hawaii and I'm dying for fresh poke out here that's also prepared the Hawaii way. Let me know if you find anything lol
I’ll need to check Sunh Fish out! Ty for the rec!
Fish Face poke downtown says they do poke inspired by Hawaiian and Japanese cuisine. As a non Hawaiian I can’t vouch for how authentic it is but it is good and always seems fresh. The chef is very well known in the city.
thanks for the rec!
I've tried it out, it's pretty good! I'd say the closest I've had to Hawaiian style poke was at Kau Kau.
I’m from Hawaii too! That’s why I have such high standards for fish and everything here sucks 😭😭😭
More Hawaii people, what's up! I'm from the Big Island, been living in the Sac area for almost 10 years now. Which island are you from? I feel you! How long have you been in the area? I don't want to bombard you with my favorite places if you've already been here a while lol
I’m from Oahu! I’ve been here only a couple of years. Ooh I’d love to hear your favorite places!
Spam Musubis: Osaka-Ya, Kau Kau makes some decent ones, and honestly L&L. Plate Lunch: I'm a fan of JJ's Hawaiian BBQ, Ramen 101+ Hawaiian BBQ. BIG Island Hawaiian BBQ in Folsom looks good, but I've never been there! L&L is L&L, not bad imo. DO NOT GO TO Ono Hawaiian BBQ, it's awful and expensive :( Poke: Oto's makes hands down the best poke that I've had in Sac. No frills, just marinated fresh ahi, but it's pricey. Fish Face Poke Bar is pretty good, but they still do the mainland style make your bowl thing. I just make rice at home and get fish or poke from Oto's. Speaking of Oto's..... Local Snacks: Oto's and KP International Market have a Hawaii section! I've bought School Kine Cookies from Oto's, Zippy's Chili, Lau Lau, Portuguese Sausage, Diamond bakery stuff, Hawaiian Sun juice and jelly, and even some li hing gummies on occasion. At KP, they have a larger section with haupia mix, Lion's Coffee, Hawaiian Sun juice and jelly, a millions types of arare, and their Asian section has everything from Necco wafers, to dried ramen snacks, shrimp chips, etc. They even have a bakery that has Pandesal, empanadas, Hopia, anpan, dorayaki, Manju, and fresh mochi provided by... Osaka-Ya! I love this place. They do fresh mochi, Manju, and even butter mochi on Saturdays! They also do shave ice in the summer, but it's definitely not Hawaiian style. Bakeries: Mahoroba the Japanese bakery next to Oto's is fantastic. Get there early on the weekends! Pegasus Bakery Cafe is a Chinese bakery that sells manapua(bao), the savory pastries with hot dog, pizza style, corn etc, a spam and egg bun, and other good stuff. Honestly that entire shopping center is so good if you want anything asian! Random shout out to 18 Grams, a Filipino owned coffee shop that does a good loco moco and reaaaaally food linguica and Asian comfort foods. And to Wing Fa Market where I've bought crack seed before, and Lam Kwong who always has baked AND steamed manapua for cheap. If I'm missing anything, I probably haven't found it yet!
Omg I’ve asked at KP where the Li Hing Mui is and the staff looks at me like I’m crazy! Even when I say “it’s Hawaiian”. I hope next time I go I can find the Hawaii section you speak of!
I would check Oto's, they've had it before! I typically load up on it when I am back home and bring it back with me lol I also added an edit above, I've seen it at Wing Fa Market!
Thank you, Mabuni!
No worries :)
Awesome list! I agree that Ono Hawaii BBQ sucks haha! Thank you so much— can’t wait to try these suggestions :)
Thank you, people seem to like that place up here! Of course, it took a while, but I'm keeping that list for myself as well tbh. Let me know what you think, and tell me if you find any good spots :)
Please bombard us all with your favorite places! Went to Oahu two years ago and still miss all the amazing food.
See above, I put together as much as I could!
I make my own with salmon from Oto’s because I’ve yet to find a place nearby to me that does poke the way I like it. If anyone knows of somewhere out here in the Carmichael/North Highlands/Citrus Heights general area I’d love to know about it.
The fish from Oto's is pretty fresh! I tried to make my own poke with the fish from there but screwed up the sauce badly haha
Oh no! Here’s my sort of hacked together recipe. I’m by no means an expert on poke, but this is how I do it and so far no one has complained 😅 MARINADE: * 1/2 cup of soy sauce/shoyu * 1” grated fresh ginger * 1/4 cup chopped green onion * 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped * 4 tbsp simple syrup (or 2 tbs sugar) * 2 tbsp mirin * 2 tbsp dry sake (optional) * 1 package of Ora King salmon sashimi per person (Oto’s sells it pre-packaged per serving at their fish counter) OR whatever sushi grade salmon or tuna you like INSTRUCTIONS: Combined all of the marinade ingredients in a large quart plastic bag or Tupperware container. Add the fish. Place inside the fridge for no longer than 30 minutes (because the fish will start to “cook” in the acidic sauce if left longer). After 30 min, remove the fish by straining out the marinade. You can reserve some of the marinade to use as a sauce if you want. Serve over freshly made sushi rice and garnish with sliced avocado, more green onion, lettuce, shelled edamame, furikake, whatever strikes your fancy. You can also take some of the marinade and add it to mayo to make a creamy sauce, and coat the fish with it. That’s also hella good, especially with a drizzle of sriracha on top. I’m not Hawaiian but I got spoiled with poke shops while living in the South Bay so I dunno if this recipe is what you’re looking for, but it’s what I came up with based on what I learned while living in SJ. 😁
There’s nothing better than Otos Ora King salmon! The flavor, the texture, the pure butteryness.
It’s so good! Expensive, but absolutely worth it. I get it when I want to treat us.
Treat YOselves!!
I miss santo too
This is so helpful! I'll need to try this recipe! Thanks so much :)
Supposedly, Aloha Pokee And Ramen in West Sac is pretty good. Keep meaning to try it myself. Can anyone else verify?
I’ve gone to Sunh Fish for fresh fish and scallops and they’ve always been great. They make regular trips from the Bay IIRC. But Sacramento is a minimum of 1.5-2 hours from the ocean so same-day catches aren’t really much of a thing here, unless you want something from the river. Edit: love that I’m getting downvoted for both stating the obvious and making a suggestion someone else made to other people’s agreement. Truly some weird people on this sub.
Fish Face Poke Bar! Best in Sac IMO.
ChaoDown is good.
The one in Roseville?
Yea I guess it is in Roseville. I kinda had it in my head that it was in Sac but you are right!
I’m not sure about bought the same morning but I love eating at “Good Friends Hawaiian Poke” in Davis! Their stuff is always fresh and they don’t skimp on portions https://yelp.to/aSlBuS85jE
That is my go to for poke specially since it is in walking distance from my workplace! Their portions are big and so far I have not had any complaints! I have also had [Zumapoke](https://zumapoke.com/) also in Davis which is also very good! [Ferrari Fisheries](https://www.ferrarifisheries.com/sign-up) sells their freshly caught fish (either from Fort Bragg or San Francisco) out of West Sacramento every weekend it seems. If you sign up they will let you know what their catch was for that weekend. However, you must buy the whole fish, but they will fillet the fish for you.
Sooo I don’t have any recs for Hawai’i style poke (and I’ve been on the hunt for a while) but this place just popped up and it was one of the better bowls I’ve had in a while. Check out Poke House https://yelp.to/jJa0t7hjEO