Poke King & Pola Poke – The Ultimate Poke Showdown
If you love poke and live in Reno, then you’ve probably noticed there are a few poke restaurants to choose from in the area. Besides Pola Poke, other popular poke restaurants in Reno and Sparks include 2 Poke King locations, Hinoki Poke, Bluefin Poke Reno, Finbomb Sushi, and Loco Ono. Today, we’ll compare two poke restaurants: Pola Poke Bowls & Poke King!
To figure out which poke restaurant in Reno is the best option for feeding your poke fix, we’ll compare customer reviews to see what the local community has to say. We’ll also discuss the convenience of each respective location. Finally, we’ll compare each poke restaurant’s dining options and see who’s got the best poke menu in Reno! And we’re not going to be biased here. It’s time to find out once and for all! So strap yourselves in and start getting hungry!
Real Sparks & Reno Poke Restaurant Reviews
So, when it comes to poke restaurant reviews in the Reno area, we’ll compare Google Reviews to get a good idea of how diners feel about each establishment. That’s usually a great indicator of not only dining options but customer service experience, food quality, and more. Additionally, Poke King has two locations – “Poke King Northwest” and “Poke King Pyramid”. Therefore, it’s important to look at both.
Overall, if we’re simply comparing the numbers, Pola Poke wins the customer reviews contest right off the bat with an overall 4.7 out of 5 stars. On the other hand, Poke King Northwest comes in with a lower but respectable 4.5/5 stars. Poke King Pyramid ranks slightly lower with a 4.4/5 star rating. You can see screen captures taken at the time of writing this article below. However, we’re going to delve a bit deeper than that. We’ll explore the good and the bad reviews to see why the ratings are what they are. After all, that’s only fair.
Google Reviews for Pola Poke Bowls
For this comparison of reviews, let’s look at the highest-rated poke restaurant first. Us! Yes, Pola Poke Bowls comes in 1st place here with an impressive 4.7/5 stars and 249 Google reviews at the time of writing this article.
Of of the most common themes with 5-star reviews of Pola Poke Bowl is the quality of seafood we offer. We cut and prep our seafood right here in the restaurant. And that extra effort shines through as our customers comment frequently on the cuts, flavors, selection, and above all, quality. Additionally, we get a lot of compliments on our big, filling portions. Our poke bowls are packed full of food and flavor, and poke lovers all over town know we’re the place to go if you’re craving a big poke bowl in Reno. Finally, we’re constantly getting compliments about our fantastic staff members.
Positive Reviews:
“Fantastic. I’ve had poke from coast to coast and in Hawaii and this place is great. Everything was fresh, big portions, nice workers.”
– Bryan
“This is the best poke place in town. Always fresh ingredients and a good value. Staff are friendly and a nice environment to eat inside or on the patio. My favorite part is that their spicy tuna is just the regular tuna chunks with spicy sauce instead of the mashed thing that most other places do. Highly recommend!”
– James
“The staff upon entering is friendly and attentive. They are eager to help you get the food you want and do it with a smile. The place has good seating (in and outside) located in a nice building and area. The food is delicious and fresh, the prep and serving areas are clean and neatly arranged as well. If you are looking for a good place to get food like this I highly recommend this place.”
– Kristopher
“Excellent choices, friendly staff and they do take out. Now i got a custom large salmon and seaweed salad poke bowl over brown rice with a generous amount of wasabi soyju or soy sauce and believe me when i tell you that these people do not skimp on the fish or any other ingredient. Far from it! They give you loads of whatever you ask for. Highly recommend this place!”
– B-Rye
Negative Reviews:
Pretty awesome right? We think so. However, like most things in life, you can’t please everyone. And some days, things just don’t go well. You can run out of items due to supply chain issues (especially due to COVID). Staff can call in sick. New highers may be slower than normal or make things wrong. And communication issues can happen as well. Hey, we’re all human.
Additionally, you might even run into the occasional COVID-denier or anti-masker who’s always happy to start an argument with anyone following safety mandates. Trust us. That happens more than you’d think. Some people take issue with our commitment to follow the safety mandates. We’ve even had people complain about the generous portion sizes we offer. You’d think people would enjoy having some poke to take home for later. Most do. Others…, well I just don’t know how to respond. With that said, here are some of the complaints we’ve had over the years.
Decent food but unorganized and very slow. Most of all, one girl was very forceful, that everyone wears a mask. I can’t recommend this place.
– Alexander
“We stood at the counter and waited for someone to greet us, seat us or offer us some takeout… we looked around. There were no employees behind the counter or in the dining room. The guy who was waiting in line behind us also left hungry.”
– Natalie
“I really love the look this place has, and a couple of my friends highly recommended it. However, BOTH times I’ve eaten here I’ve felt extremely sick. The first time I felt sick I assumed it was just a coincidence because the fish tasted just fine. The second time my boyfriend and I both felt sick — so I don’t feel comfortable going back.”
– Sarah
“I was refused service due to a medical condition and the owner kept pressing for personal questions about my disability after I told her I was not wearing a face covering because of my medical condition.”
– Scott
So, there you go. Many compliments and some snags along the way. Furthermore, sometimes certain foods just don’t settle well with others. Again, it’s fair to say you can’t please everyone. However, in the end, Reno poke lovers keep returning to Pola Poke Bowls for more. And our patrons love everything we offer here including delicious fruit smoothies, acai bowls, and delicious drinks as well. It’s not hard to see why Pola Poke offers the highest rated poke in Reno. Even with dissatisfied customers factored in, we still hold the highest poke rating in the area.
Google Reviews for Poke King Reno
While Pola Poke Bowls does have the highest rating compared with Poke King, it’s important to note that the number of customer reviews are not the same. Pola Poke currently has 249 reviews while the Reno Poke King location has 422. That’s worth mentioning because the more reviews you have, the more of a statistical chance you have of having negative ones as well. However, 249 is plenty of input to see the average customer satisfaction level. And to be fair, a .2 stars difference is not a far cry from matching Pola Poke’s 4.7 star rating.
With that said, let’s find out why Poke King is such a popular poke restaurant in Reno. According to many of their 5 star reviews, Poke King also offers plentiful portions at a great price point. Additionally, most of their customers rave about the flavor and quality, just like us at Pola Poke Bowl. Finally, they too find praise for the helpfulness of the staff, although others seem to disagree at times. Either way, here are some positive reviews about Poke King in Reno.
Positive Reviews:
“Super impressed with Poke King. Had to drive 30 miles to Reno just to get here. Ordered a large with 5 scoops of protein for $15. They truly stack & pack the bowl right when I told them I wanted everything on it. Wish I took video when she put the lid on the bowl. That’s how you make a Poke Bowl!”
– Raymond
“B & Kay were absolutely amazing. I came in to grab some delicious poke and not only was the service fabulous they made sure that they listened and got my order one hundred percent correct. Okay I just tried it and it’s freaking amazing the salmon is awesome Super Fresh.”
– Anastasia
“My first poke experience and it was great. The staff helped with suggestions, explained the ingredient and our bowls turned out great. Thanks for the wonderful dinner.”
– Bill
“Super delicious fast casual place with a great concept and good food. The interior is simple and nice, the customer service was fast and friendly and the food was fun and tasty.”
– Mina
Negative Reviews:
“I wish I could rate the food and service separately. Food is great. Customer service is ATROCIOUS. I have frequented this place 5 times now and have never gotten a smile or a thank you or anything that makes me feel my business is welcomed or appreciated.”
– Brianna
“Ordered through their website at 4:45pm. Didn’t get our food until 6pm. Watched as other people came in, got their food and left as we continued to sit around and wait. They were out of white rice, cucumbers, and gave small servings of fish for the price. Didn’t get any of the dried toppings either OR even chopsticks! Not to mention there were children running around behind the counter where the food is.”
– Kimberly
“I really used to like the Poke King but they’ve gone downhill. Most of my orders that I make online are incomplete. The quality of the ingredients has gone downhill. And they do not prioritize their online orders so if they get busy for walk-ins they will not make your food until you show up and get in line which negates the whole point of ordering online. It’s the closest poke restaurant to my house and I really wish they could get it together but I will not be back anymore.”
– Tom
“I was a regular here since they opened and was generally pleased with service and quality of the food. It has severely declined as of late, my last few visits were extremely disappointing. They are regularly out of proteins or it’s slimy and not fresh, they run out of sauces, crab and avocado routinely and don’t make you aware until you’re already half way through your order. To top it off the female employee is extremely rude and acts entitled to your business.”
– Ray
When it comes to negative feedback, the biggest stark comparisons include the frequency in which diners complain about staff members. While there are some reviews praising them, there are more negative reviews specifically mentioning staff attitude and a lacking in friendliness. Another point of note is that customers who feel the quality has dipped over time. That’s possible due to having 2 locations, which might put a strain on the owners if they have to spread themselves thin between both locations.
Cleanliness or lack thereof is also an issue it seems. Frequently, that can be an issue of customer timing. For example, if there’s a huge lunch rush and diners are making a mess on the tables, it may take some time for staff to stop focusing on direct customer service and begin cleaning up the messes they leave. I’m not sure, but I have a feeling that’s the case. Finally, it appears they are out of ingredients a lot. However, knowing how often we run into supply chain issues these days, it’s a little bit difficult to hold that against them. COVID has turned the whole world upside down.
Ultimately, the Poke King Reno location does have a very positive rating and it appears their customers are more frequently pleased with their experiences at Poke King than they are displeased. So far, so good.
Google Reviews for Poke King Sparks
The Poke King in Sparks NV has a smaller number of reviews, coming in at just 60 at the time of writing this article. This location also ranks .1 star lower than their sister store in Reno, coming in with a 4.4 rating. This is .3 stars lower than Pola Poke’s Google rating. To be honest, this is still a pretty positive rating, all things considered. However, it is lower than both Pola Poke and the Reno Poke King location.
But, customers of the Pyramid Poke King location have plenty of positive things to say about the Sparks Poke King. Just like Pola Poke, they have a compliment from a traveler who’s sampled poke from all over the country and claims this Poke King location offers the best poke they’ve ever had. That’s awesome to hear and always a very nice compliment. One that really means a lot. I recently had the best massage of my life and was happy to immediately let them know and start spreading the word. It’s a big deal when you can reach a customer on that level.
Additionally, we did notice fewer customer service complaints at the Pyramid Poke King location than the Poke King Northwest location. That’s always a good sign because poor customer service (prepare for a pun) leaves a bad taste in your mouth. So good on them for having people compliment their commitment to their patrons. Finally, people rave about the taste and quality of their food. While other negative reviews seem to take issue with the quality, for the most part, we’d say it’s overwhelmingly positive.
Positive Reviews:
“I’ve been to many many poke places around the country and this one is right up there with the best ones I’ve ever been to. The girl who helped us was incredibly helpful and kind. She had great recommendations and made us one of the best poke bowls I’ve ever had. The portion sizes here are the biggest I’ve ever seen so you will definitely get your money’s worth. I highly recommend this place. 5 stars all day for me.”
– Elijah
“I absolutely love this place. The food is consistently good, quickly made and delicious. Each person I have talked to here has been very friendly and kind. The place itself is clean and well organized and is run efficiently. The one time my order was not quite right they quickly corrected it and were gracious the whole time. I truly appreciate the awesome customer service and yummy food this place provides.”
– Sarah
“I have been here several times. The staff is quick and super friendly. The food is healthy, fresh and filling. If you like fish and rice this is one of the best places to go.”
– Sierra
“Best poke bowl I’ve ever had. They are very generous with their serving size and they don’t limit the number of toppings. Their house sauce is also very good. For what you get, prices are very reasonable.”
– Spencer
Negative Reviews:
When it comes to the negative reviews, some do get pretty detailed into what happened. And once again, it’s important to take things with a grain of salt. People have off days and due to supply issues, there’s nothing that can be done to please some people or explain the nuance of a situation. They also had anti-masker comments and complaints. And speaking from experience, there’s not much we can do as food establishments to change this. And in our opinion, it’s just thoughtless and rude for people to complain about.
However, it’s important to note that their lower overall rating may have to do with just how displeased some of their customers were. This is especially true in regards to food quality and food safety. Below, you’ll find a sample of complaints about the Poke King on Pyramid Way.
“The white rice I received went bad. Tastes stinky and sour. I ordered two regular bowls today, both bowls have the same situation. I am shocked to have bad rice and cannot stop wondering how can the sashimi be fresh even when the rice is bad? Raw fish needs to be fresh and of good quality to prevent food poisoning. I am not sure whether I am safe to have food from this restaurant.”
– Sy
“Got the order all the way home and my poke bowl had three small pale pieces of tuna. When I called to let them know I wasn’t happy, he suggested I drive all the way back to pick up some more. Just what I was looking to do. Rude in person rude and on the phone. Other items in our order were also missed and incorrect.”
– Matthew
“If I could give zero stars I would. Still have to wear a mask even if youre fully vaccinated, and the CDC guidelines stated that you can opt not to wear one now. Very unprofessional and rude service from staff. Stay away.”
– Erick
“I would give it 0 if I could. I had schedule a food deliver thru Grub Hub and I not able to have lunch today due to their careless, unprofessional and zero sense of urgency to confirm my food order deliver. Yes food is great and very demand although the customer experience is poor, they’re focusing on the quantity of selling food than quality of customer service.”
– Jeannette
There’s a range of complaints about this Poke King location but to be fair, there are far fewer of them than either of the other locations we’ve reviewed thus far. However, that’s likely due to the fact that they have only 60 reviews compared to 400+ with the Reno Poke King and 250 reviews of Pola Poke. It’s also important to note that having fewer reviews presents the opportunity for bad reviews and negative experiences to have a greater impact on the overall rating. Additionally, take-out orders can slip through the cracks, especially when you have customers, live in-store. We know how that goes. And again, sometimes mistakes happen.
In the end, while this location of Poke King does rank the lowest of the 3 locations we’re comparing, it still holds a very respectable score. With that said, Pola Poke comes in as the winner of this very important category, boasting the highest score of 4.7 out of 5 stars. The Reno Poke King location is close, but still .2 below.
Winner… POLA POKE BOWLS!
Poke Restaurant Convenience Compared
We think it’s fair to say that when it comes to convenience for customers, two locations are better than one. After all, with two locations, one in Reno and one in Sparks, Poke King has the upper hand in serving a larger selection of diners. If you’re looking for poke in Sparks Nevada, then Poke King will be the most convenient option as Pola Poke and the other Poke King restaurants are located in Reno.
Poke King Pyramid (Sparks, NV)
The Poke King Pyramid location can be found in the Sparks Merchantile complex on the corner of Pyramid Blvd and McCarran Blvd. The address is 2835 N McCarran Blvd Ste 101, Sparks, NV 89431, and it’s located near CosmoProf. They offer dine-in, take-out, and delivery options which all add to the customer convenience experience.
They are open from 11am – 9pm on the week days and open till 9:30pm on Friday and Saturday. It is in a very busy intersection with tons of traffic. Additionally, this location is centered right near old Sparks and the Wingfield Springs/Spanish Springs area. Therefore, I’d say it’s a very convenient location for poke lovers to visit.
Poke King Northwest (Reno, NV)
The Poke King Reno location can be found at 10490 N McCarran Blvd #103, Reno, NV 89503. It’s actually not too far away from Pola Poke Bowls, just a bit further up the street near WalMart and right next to SaveMart. It’s in a very busy area of town, and therefore has the advantage of increased visibility and foot traffic. This location makes for a very convenient customer experience.
Additionally, they offer dine-in, drive-through, and delivery options. According to Google, they do not offer take-out, however, I have to imagine that’s not accurate. Therefore, these four options again make for an extremely convenient customer experience. However, they are not open for as long as Pola Poke Bowls. They open at 11am most days and close at 9pm, however on Friday and Saturday, they stay open till 9:30pm. Overall, a very convenient poke bowl location in Reno.
Pola Poke Bowl (Reno, NV)
Pola Poke Bowls is located at 3594 W Plumb Ln Ste A, Reno, NV 89509. It can be found right on the corner of Plumb Lane and McCarran Blvd and has plenty of parking for customers. It’s right at the bottom of the hill when you’re near 4th street and heading up the Caughlin Ranch area. Additionally, our poke restaurant is open from 9am-8pm EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK! This means that we’re open for longer hours than Poke King Northwest and Poke King Pyramid. In other words, customers convenience is greater due to extended hours of operation.
However, we are further away from the standard hustle and bustle of the Reno/Sparks regions. And because we’re located in a smaller shopping center, some might consider us a “hole in the wall” poke restaurant. But don’t discount us because we’re the diamond in the rough of poke restaurants. As you can see from our countless customer reviews, plenty of people know we’re here. The word has spread far and wide and Pola Poke Bowls is no secret.
Who’s the Most Convenient Poke Restaurant?
Considering everything we’ve gone over above, we have to rule against ourselves and give this one to Poke King. After all, they do offer two locations. One in Reno and one in Sparks. That means they have customer proximity on their side. Additionally, both of their locations are centered at some of the business intersections in Reno and Sparks, giving them the ability for more passers-by to stumble upon them or visit a location. Finally, while they aren’t open for as many hours as we are, they’re open with plenty of time to serve their customers early lunches and late dinners.
While Pola Poke Bowls is frequented by many people every day, we’re tucked away in a smaller shopping center with much less traffic and visibility. And while we’re open for longer hours, I think it’s only fair to declare Poke King the clear winner in the convenience category. Congrats!
Poke Menus Compared
Moving on, we come down to one of the most important deciding factors. And going into this, it’s still anybody’s game. Let’s see if Poke King or Pola Poke offers the best, most extensive dining options for their guests. We’ll look at Poke King first to see how they stack up.
Poke King Menu
Both Poke King locations offer the same menu options. They offer 5 different bowl options including a Regular bowl (3 protein scoops), a Large bowl (5 protein scoops), Rice & Imitation Crab bowl, a Tofu bowl, and a Kid’s bowl. Right off the bat, I noticed that their bowls come with a larger amount of protein than ours do – 3 scoops in a normal compared to our 2, and 5 scoops in a large compared with our 3.
I can say that when we’re serving our proteins at Pola Poke, a scoop means a HEAPING SCOOP. I’m not sure if they do the same or if they keep the scoops leveled off, thereby increasing the number they can offer at the same price point. Again, I’m not sure so I’ll just have to say I don’t know about that. However, it does sound nice to get that much fish, even if it may not be any more than we serve at Pola Poke. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, more poke is always a good thing.
Build Your Poke Bowl
When it comes to base options, they offer white rice, brown rice, mixed greens, or wonton chips. For protein options, Poke King offers scallops, octopus, salmon, cooked shrimp, tuna, yellowtail, spicy tuna, and tofu. However, I’m going to cut tofu out of the protein options since that’s a condiment we offer without charge as a standard ingredient. It’s available with any bowl we make at Pola Poke and doesn’t dip into the real meaty protein sources our poke patrons come for.
Next, we come to the sauce options. Poke King offers eight sauces including Creamy Miso, Sesame Shoyu, Truffle Ponzu, Wasabi Yuzu, Mango Habanero, Spicy Mayo, Unagi, and Sriracha. I can’t lie. Those sound like some delicious options. Finally, we come to the toppings and Poke King boasts an impressive selection. They offer sweet onion, edamame, fried garlic, tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), green onion, white onion, seaweed salad, fried shallots, mango, masago, crab salad, furikake, pineapple, tobiko, wasabi, cilantro, cucumber, jalapeno, ginger, and sesame seeds! Nice! They also offer avocado for $1 extra. Additionally, they offer macaroni salad at the Poke King Pyramid location for an extra $1 charge.
In regards to other menu items or options, it appears, at least from their online menu, that they do not offer any specialty bowls and it seems to be a “build-your-own-bowl” poke restaurant. Furthermore, poke bowls are the only thing that appears on their online menu. While I have to imagine that’s not the case and that they at least offer drinks in their restaurants, they don’t have any on their menu and therefore, I have nothing to go off of.
Pola Poke Menu
Well, it appears we’ve got a worthy opponent in Poke King. Let’s see if we can pull ahead. The first thing to mention about the menu at Pola Poke is that we’re not a “poke only” establishment. Even though that’s what most of our customers come here searching for, they soon find we offer so much more. And they love it!
At Pola Poke, we actually offer a wide selection of specialty poke bowls, customizable poke bowls, a selection of palate-cleansing acai bowls, refreshing fruit smoothies, and a wide selection of fine teas, coffees, and beverage selections. Sometimes, we even offer clam chowder bowls and during the holidays, we offer specialty sushi platters to take to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s parties. Right off the bat, the diversity of our overall menu puts us in the lead. However, let’s continue and see how things progress in the poke bowl department.
Poke Bowl Offerings
When it comes to our poke bowls, we offer 5 specialty bowl options including our Vacation Bowl, Aloha Bowl, Superfood Bowl, Otherside Bowl, and our Love That Beet Bowl. The Superfood Bowl is a salmon-based protein bowl, the Aloha is an octopus & tuna bowl, and the Vacation Bowl (my personal go-to) is a salmon & tuna combo bowl. We offer the Otherside Bowl which is for our patrons who aren’t too keen on raw fish but still love everything else a poke bowl has to offer. This bowl is a spicy teriyaki chicken bowl. Finally, the Love That Beet Bowl is for our vegan and vegetarian diners – a light, delicious bowl heavy on beets, avocado, and of course, flavor!
Next, we come to the build-your-own bowls and the options available. We have regular bowls, large bowls, veggie bowls, and kids bowls available depending on your dining preferences. For the poke bowl bases, we offer brown rice, white rice, kale, and mixed greens. After that, we come to the protein selections. YES!! At Pola Poke, we offer deep sea crab, spicy tuna, cooked shrimp, octopus, ahi tuna, salmon, and of course, chicken. For sauces, we offer Chili Garlic, Wasabi Sesame Shoyu, Teryaki, Pineapple Citus Ponzu, and Cream Togarashi every day. However, on average we usually have about 3-4 additional seasonal or specialty sauce options. If I had to guess, we usually have about 10 sauces at any given time and we’re always coming up with delicious new options.
Before we get to our vast topping selection, it’s worth noting that we offer cucumbers, purple onion, and scallions as options to mix in your protein and sauce before building the rest of your bowl. I’m not sure if Poke King does the same since it doesn’t say anything about it on their website.
Next, we come down to the toppings. At Pola Poke Bowl, we offer heaping scoops and servings of fresh toppings including Carrots, Corn, Imitation Crab or Spicy Crab, Cucumber, Edamame, Fresh Jalapeno, Masago (fish eggs), Red Bell Peppers, Roasted Beets, Scallions, Seaweed Salad, Shaved Red Onion, Pickled Ginger, Soy Sauce, Pineapple, Tofu, and Wasabi. We also offer Avocado and Mango for an additional $1 charge. However, they do come on some of our specialty bowls without additional charges. Sounds good but we’re not done yet. Finally, we dress the top of your flavor-packed super-stacked poke bowl with options including Coconut Flakes, Crispy Garlic, Crispy Onion, Crunchy Garlic Sauce, Dried Seaweed Flakes, Furikake, Macadamia Nuts, Sesame Seeds, Wasabi Sesame Seeds, and Wonton Strips! Talk about a vast selection!
Other Menu Options
You thought we were done? Ha! At Pola Poke, we provide a number of other dining options for our guests. When it comes to our acai bowls, we have 4 to choose from including the Tropical Paradise, Berry Good, Coco Berry, and Al Nutty. Ingredients in our various acai bowls include acai, dragon fruit, mango, pineapple, coconut milk, granola, blackberries, coconut, hemp seeds, agave syrup, blueberries, raspberries, sliced almonds, strawberries, almond milk, goji berries, cashews, honey, bee pollen, cacao nibs, banana, cacao powder, and almond butter. If you have the option to dine in, these bowls are not only delicious, healthy, and flavorful, but served beautifully as well. A personal favorite of mine is the Al Nutty Bowl. Try one out and you won’t regret it.
We also offer 5 smoothie options including the Island Dreamer, Berry Charmer, Pineapple Hula, Almond Berry, and Blueberry Lagoon. Our fruit smoothies include a specific selection of ingredients including strawberries, raspberries, banana, mango, apple juice, passion fruit juice, pineapple, kale, pineapple juice, blueberries, raspberries, almond milk, and almond butter. They’re the perfect summer treat but a satisfying drink option any day of the year.
And speaking of drinks, Pola Poke offers a wide selection of cold and hot drink options for our guests. For cold drinks, we offer spiced root beer, Mexican cola, blackberry soda, peaches & cream soda, ginger ale, black cherry soda, sparkling grapefruit, sparkling lemonade, mandarin key lime soda, sparkling apple, and strawberry rhubarb. The coolest part is these are all specialty sodas fresh from the tap! Additionally, we also make fresh-squeezed lemonade during the summer months. Not in the mood for something cold? Try something hot! We offer locally-roasted coffee, espresso (double), cappuccino, latte, caramel latte, vanilla latte, mocha, americano, chai latte, hot chocolate, a variety of hot teas, and a selection of specialty milks (coconut, oat, macadamia nut, almond, cashew, and hemp) to add to your steamy beverages.
The Restaurant Recap
Reviews & Convenience
So, here we are. We’ve looked at 3 important factors to determine which poke restaurant is the best. Poke King or Pola Poke Bowls. When it comes to customer reviews, as mentioned before, Pola Poke Bowls has the highest rating on Google, coming in with an impressive 4.7/5 stars. Both Poke King locations score lower with a 4.5/5 and 4.4/5 respectively. The customers have spoken, and in this case, Pola Poke wins that round.
Next, when discussing convenience, we had to give it to Poke King. With their 2 centrally-located poke restaurants, it’s easier to end up at Poke King. Hey, it is what it is and we call a spade a spade when the writing is on the wall. However, when we circle back around to menu offerings, we’re proud to say that Pola Poke Bowls comes out ahead.
Food & Drink Options
First beginning with the poke bowls (the reason everyone goes to a poke restaurant), Pola Poke and Poke King offer a similar list of base ingredients. Both restaurants offer a similar number of protein selections but we have to give a “tip of the hat” to Poke King for having scallops on their menu. I love scallops! They also offer yellowtail, which we only offer for holiday platters. However, Pola Poke offers deep sea crab, and Poke King does not. Furthermore, poke king considers tofu a protein option and we offer that as a standard topping. On the other hand, they do offer more scoops of protein compared to us. However, knowing just how big our scoops truly are, I would guess they’re about equal. But I can’t be sure so I’ll have to give them some points for that.
With all that taken into consideration, I’ll call that a wash, although it’s very close with me giving the points to Poke King (having 2 ingredients we don’t offer regularly compared to our 1 that they don’t). When it comes to the protein scoops per bowl, I’d give the point to Poke King if I knew just how big their “scoops” really are. But because I know for a fact that Pola Poke Bowl’s scoops are essentially double scoops, I’ll have to call that a wash as well.
In the sauce category, even though we regularly have a larger selection of sauces in store, I’ll give this one to Poke King. They have a big selection and they all sound delicious. Finally, we come to topping selections, and while Poke King has an impressive 20 standard options (22 including paid), Pola Poke comes in strong with 27 standard options and 29 including those with an additional charge. BAM!
At this point, I’d say it was very close but then, you’d have to forget about the rest of our amazing menu offerings including fresh fruit smoothies, acai bowls, chowder bowls, seasonal sushi platters, and a vast selection of high quality hot and cold drinks. Pola Poke offers a much wider selection of dining options, both for food and drinks.
Pola Poke Vs. Poke King – The Final Takeaway
Taking everything into consideration, while it’s fair to say that it’s not a blow-out contest by any means, Pola Poke Bowls in Reno comes out ahead.
Pola Poke offers a bigger selection of foods, poke bowl toppings, smoothies, and acai bowls as well as an impressive hot and cold drink menu. Poke King comes close in some areas and beats us in others, but when it comes down to it, Pola Poke has the better menu. Additionally, the customers have spoken and Pola Poke has the best reviews on Google. And while Poke King offers a more convenient dining option, that doesn’t matter much if the menu is lacking or customers aren’t pleased as frequently as your competition.
So again, POLA POKE WINS! However, Poke King has a number of positive traits as well, and quite honestly, we think you should visit both restaurants and see who you like best. That’s the only true way to know which poke restaurant you think deserves the title of Best Poke Restaurant.
Get Your Fresh Food Fix!
Pola Poke is proud to bring fresh poke, acai bowls, smoothies, and craft coffees to Reno, Nevada! We’re a locally-owned business created and operated by a Reno native. Furthermore, our palate-pleasing sustainably sourced bowls offer the perfect combo of healthy and tasty.
Customize your bowl to kick start your wellness and nutrition for the day. Choose from our menu or make it your own poke bowl with a variety of fresh, delicious ingredients. Our menu offers the perfect selection of healthy lean meats, veggies, and toppings to satisfy every fish-lover. Additionally, we’re the perfect choice for keto and protein-rich diets.
So what are you waiting for? An invitation? Well, here it is! Come join us and see why everyone in Reno is raving about Pola Poke Bowls! And if you’re too busy to come say hi, we also offer online ordering for your convenience. What more could you ask for?
Enjoy Fresh Poke in Reno
Pola Poke Bowls
3594 W. Plumb Lane Ste A
Reno, NV 89509
(775) 683-9901
