Poke in Palo Alto

Poke is Hawaiian in origin: cubes of raw fish, usually ahi tuna, dressed with soy sauce, sesame oil, onion and seaweed. On the mainland it turned into a build-your-own bowl, with rice or greens at the bottom, a scoop or two of fish, then sauces and crunchy toppings. It is quick, filling and easy to eat at a desk, which is why it took off around Palo Alto's offices in the mid-2010s.

The city now has two dedicated poke counters, a fish house that serves poke as a plate and a campus counter at Stanford. Two more branches of the same brands sit a short drive away in Redwood City and Mountain View. Every place below was confirmed through its own website or a verified page in our business directory in October 2026. For the wider world of grain bowls, see our salads and bowls guide.

Poke at a glance

Poke counters in Palo Alto

Go Fish Poke Bar, Stanford Shopping Center

Go Fish Poke Bar describes its food as Hawaiian-inspired poke. Co-founder and executive chef Jerome Ito trained in sushi and, according to the company, was head sushi chef at what it calls Google's first full-service sushi bar before starting Go Fish. He later opened Taro San and Yutori in Palo Alto too.

The build-your-own bowl comes in regular or large. Bases are sushi rice, brown rice, mixed local greens or chilled yam noodles. Proteins include ahi tuna, salmon, seared albacore and a vegetable mix, plus dressed mixes such as sesame shrimp and spicy scallops. Sauces include ponzu, sesame gomae, spicy togarashi mayo and ginger soy. Hand rolls are the other half of the menu, along with cooked chef's specials and Bubbies mochi ice cream for dessert. The shop lists indoor and outdoor seating. Online orders go through the Square site linked from the Go Fish locations page, which serves all three branches, so check that Palo Alto is selected.

Poké House, Town & Country Village

Poké House is part of a chain that began in 2016 with a single shop in San Jose. The menu splits into signature bowls and build-your-own bowls. The House Salmon Bowl, with salmon, masago, edamame, cucumber, onion, furikake and citrus ponzu, is the one the company calls its original favorite. Others include a charred salmon bowl, a three-tuna bowl and two chicken bowls for people who skip raw fish. Build-your-own bowls come in three sizes with two, three or four scoops of protein.

The chain is unusually specific about sourcing. It says its seafood is rated Best Choice or Good Alternative by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program or carries third-party eco-certification. Town & Country has its own parking lots, which makes this the easiest poke pickup in town by car. Our Town & Country Village guide covers the center.

Poke at a sit-down restaurant

Pacific Catch is a West Coast fish house chain at Stanford Shopping Center that draws on cooking from around the Pacific. Poke comes in several versions: an original ahi poke with sesame and soy, a serrano version and a guaca-poke with guacamole. A wasabi poke bowl sits among the rice bowls. The rest of the menu covers grilled fish, sushi rolls, tacos and ceviche, so it suits a table where not everyone wants raw fish. The company says it serves no fish rated Red by Seafood Watch, with an exception for lobster. Its Aloha Hour runs in the afternoon on weekdays and weekends. See our seafood guide for more fish restaurants.

Poke on the Stanford campus

Kikka Sushi has a counter in Tresidder Union, the student union beside White Plaza, where it sells poke bowls and grab-and-go sushi. Stanford lists it as open on weekdays, from late morning to early evening. It is open to visitors and it is the easiest poke stop if you are already touring campus. Our guide to where visitors can eat on campus lists the other Tresidder counters and their hours.

Poke a short drive away

• Go Fish Poke Bar, Redwood City. The chain's branch at 823 Hamilton Street in downtown Redwood City keeps the same hours as the Palo Alto shop. It is a short walk from the Redwood City Caltrain station.
• Poké House branches. The company's location finder lists other Bay Area branches in Mountain View, San Mateo and San Jose. The bowls are the same across branches, though seasonal items can differ.
• Go Fish Poke Bar, San Jose. The third branch is on South De Anza Boulevard, useful if you are heading to Cupertino or west San Jose.

How to build a good poke bowl

1. Pick the base for the day. Sushi rice is classic. Greens or a half-and-half base keep the bowl lighter. Brown rice adds chew.
2. Choose one main fish. Ahi tuna or salmon carries the bowl. A second scoop adds more if it is a contrast, such as spicy tuna with plain salmon.
3. Go easy on sauce. Two sauces is plenty. Mayo-based sauces overpower delicate fish fast.
4. Add crunch. Furikake, fried onions, garlic chips or masago give texture.
5. Add something fresh. Cucumber, seaweed salad, edamame or avocado balance the richness.
6. Eat it soon. Raw fish and warm rice taste freshest within about 30 minutes. If you are driving far, ask for the sauce on the side.

Vegetarian, cooked and allergy options

Poke is easy to adapt, which makes it a good lunch for a mixed office group.

• No raw fish. Poké House lists a crispy shoyu chicken bowl and a roasted miso chicken bowl. Go Fish lists cooked chef's specials such as a shoyu ginger chicken and a miso-braised short rib.
• Vegetarian and vegan. Go Fish offers a vegetable poke mix, an I Heart Veggies bowl and a veggie hand roll. It says it has vegan and gluten-free options. Poké House offers a veggie bowl with four mix-ins in place of protein.
• Gluten. Soy sauce and many marinades contain wheat. Ask whether tamari or a gluten-free sauce is available, or see our gluten-free guide.
• Kids. Poké House has a Kid's Krab Bowl made with imitation crab salad, seaweed salad and avocado.

Other ways to eat raw fish

When you want raw fish without the bowl, Palo Alto has plenty of choice.

• Chirashi. A Japanese bowl of sliced sashimi over sushi rice, the closest cousin to poke. Sushi House at Town & Country Village lists chirashi on its menu.
• Sushi burritos. Sushirrito on University Avenue rolls fish, rice and vegetables into a hand-held roll wrapped in seaweed.
• Hand rolls. Go Fish makes temaki to order alongside its poke.
• Market sushi. Yutori on El Camino Real sells sushi from its Japanese market and cafe.

Our sushi guide covers omakase counters and sit-down sushi bars across the city.

Frequently asked questions