Poke Restaurant

Have been to this BYOB sushi haven many times and consistently love the sushi. They do not take reservations and there is usually a wait.. but most definitely worth it. The ambiance is mediocre but that's not why you come here. The Truffle Roll is UNREAL. But honestly, I have never tried a roll I haven't liked there (X'mas, Manhattan, ninja, crazy dragon, pearl etc) I have also had the shumai and grilled mussels to start, which were both excellent. Pros: Truffle Roll, BYOB Cons: Saturday Night -come on a less crazy weeknight more

- Don?t let these negative reviews fool you. POKE is by Far the best Sushi on the UES and all of Manhattan. Go to Yelp or MenuPages if you want to read real reviews of this Restaurant. more

I have known Poke since BJ and his then pregnant wife opened it on 2nd avenue, years ago. The initial success of the restaurant had everything to do with the warm and inviting atmosphere and very well prepared sushi. Unfortunately, In its new location (much larger, more crowded and terribly noisy) the only characteristic that remains is good sushi (which by the way is a huge commodity in NYC and not the basis for the long term success of a restaurant). To say that the staff is inattentive and rude doesn't give justice to truly disenchanted waiters that ignore because they just don't care. This is almost an act of aggression shared by the entire staff, the 15 year old hostess who can't handle a low flow of customers, the multitude of wait staff that may have a single table yet fail to show themselves for exceedingly long periods of time, or the ""manager"" that is able to dismiss a politely mentioned concern as readily as an angry quip (I've tried both to check the reaction). An aggressive corkage policy that was implemented in an attempt to turn tables only serves to create negative tensions between customers and staff. It's only through the self-flagellation of multiple visits that I can now turn people away in order to preserve their dining experience. Owners of Poke, do yourselves and the rest of the local dining crowd a favor and dismiss the staff (keeping the sushi chefs) and start fresh, find BJ and make certain he has some hand in managing not only the food but the ambiance. I want this to be a successful and inviting locale but there are miles of improvements to go. Sincerely disappointed and hoping for the return of the original Poke. Pros: Great food Cons: Terrible Service more

Terrible Experience. 7 of us girls called a month in advance to make a reservation for dinner at Poke. We were told on the phone that it was first come first serve and that we could come in and put our name down the night of our dinner party and we would have no problem getting a table. Well last night on a MONDAY we went to poke and put our name on the list, they said there was a wait and to come back in 20 minutes So we went across the street to Ryan?s Daughter?s Pub and continued to wait till our table was ready. At 7:15 we called and they said come over we are ready for your party at 7:16 we walked across the street and they said sorry we just gave your table away to 4 people. When we asked for the manager the hostess who was probably about 15 years old and so unprofessional said that we would have to wait another hour or two for a table to free up so they could push 3 tables together, to fit 7 people. Another hour or two is RIDICLOUS! Not to mention there was a huge table in the middle of the restaurant with 3 people sitting at it when we asked the manager if we could sit there he said NO they were friends of the owners.. We have been going to Poke for years and always enjoyed the sushi and service- But this place is now on a power trip charging $20 to open up your wine and making you wait around for a table is extremely rude! For great sushi and amazing service try: Cube 63, Sushi Hana, Geisha, Totya, Koi, OR Wasabi Lobby!! Pros: Wasabi Lobby was so close and we had a WONDERFUL TIME THERE Cons: service, manager, $20 to open your wine more

I have never taken the time to fill one of these out. HOWEVER, after my recent experience I strongly felt the need to relay. After reading great reviews about Poke, my boyfriend and I decided to check it out last night. BEWARE BEFORE YOU GO-- they charge $20 to open your bottles (restaurant is BYOB). After speaking to 3 different people, including the manager (supposedly), the restaurant explained a policy they implemented last year-- in order to increase the table turnover they ""allow"" one bottle per 3 people to be opened for free. HOWEVER, to open anything over one bottle, they charge a $20 fee. Keep in mind they are already saving money for being a cash only restaurant AND are not paying for a liquor licence. When we questioned the staff, instead of giving us a straight answer, they literally walked away mid sentence and sent someone else over...only for the next person to have less than a satisfactory answer. Making matters worse, we sat down at 9:45-- their kitchen closes at 10:30-- with 45 minutes remaining before they stopped serving AND several empty seats, they still wanted to enforce their policy. The sushi was OK-- however, in a city not lacking japanese restaurants- esp on the upper east side, service is what differentiates one from the next-- and with the way we were treated ON TOP of the staffs inadequate explanation of their policies, we will not be returning to Poke. Pros: BYOB Cons: BYOB more

I would NEVER go back to this restaurant. Ever. The hostess was a total bi*%#, bluntly explaining to me and my friends that there is a two-bottle per table maximum. Oh, and no hard liquor. And to top it off, our regular sized bottle of wine was ""soooo big"" that it counts as two, so ""we're sorry, but you are only allowed that one."" To make matters worse, we waited over an hour for a table and they proceeded to seat us AT THE CASH REGISTER. And told us that our other option was to wait another half hour for an actual table with privacy. It goes on. We were then rushed out of our seats, with waiters clearing our plates before we were even finished. A check was placed on the table before we were ready and dirty looks would surely have come our way had we not promptly left this nightmare of a restaurant. \r If you are interested in BYO/sushi, try Cube 63 in the LES, they are friendly, take reservations and do not limit your alcohol intake. Pros: I am biased, I do not see any. Cons: See my review. more

We came here for dinner. The wait was not terribly long and the host was accomodating. The restuarant was extremely crowded and extremely loud. It is BYOB and perhaps therefore everyone is drunk. We had essentially no contact with your chef. We attempted to order one piece at a time, but the order backlog was so big that the wait was unbearable. The waitress barely spoke English and kept messing up the order. In the end, we broke down and ordered a bunch of pieces at once. I must say the sushi was better than average, though it certainly could not compare with that in the upper echelon of NY sushi bars. Overall, I thought the decent food was not worth an otherwise unpleasant experience. I would not go back. more

tiny tiny sushi restaurant, totally hidden in a neighborhood. great eel-ated rolls (get it?), barely any... more

tiny tiny sushi restaurant, totally hidden in a neighborhood. great eel-ated rolls (get it?), barely any decor but really don't care as long as you... more

I've heard so many people rave about this place. So as a Japanese person living in the neighborhood, \r I thought I'd give it a try. Their food was just awful, awful, awful!! I was appalled. \r Fish was not vey fresh, rice was just squished hard. The sushi was very americanized, \r but if you want Americanized sushi, there are so many other choices who serve better food than that place. \r Then it occured to me that all my friends who were raving about this place were Americans, \r and when I was there, there were no Japanese people eating there other than myself. \r \r If you want authentic sushi in that area, go to Gajumaru or Inase. \r \r \r Cons: long wait, not fresh, not authentic, rushed service more

I love Poke. Theyre new location is great and looks 100 times better than the old one. They don't take reservations, sushi was fresh and really mouth watering. I get the tuna which was super soft and buttery the way it should be. Service was attentive and polite. The best part for me was the Mochi ice cream, every sushi place needs to have that on the menu! more

We had a great dinner at Poke. They don't take reservations, but seated us right away at the sushi bar which was fun. I ordered the sashimi and sushi combo and enjoyed everything. The seaweed on the sushi was fresh-crisp and delicate. The yellow fin was fantastic, fresh, rich and buttery. Service was attentive and polite. \r And the best part? Byob... ;) Pros: Fun atmosphere, great value Cons: Don't take reservations more

I have heard a lot of good things about Poke sushi being fresh, authentic and amazing. What I didn't expect was for all those things to be true. Poke has the freshest, most authentic, innovative sushi I have had in a long time. They don't take reservations so there might be a wait and the restaurant is small but, the sushi is phenominal. Things you MUST try....the truffle roll, pearl roll......too many of the special rolls were too delicious to remember. A MUST TRY RESTAURANT! more

We recently went for our first visit to Poke in its new, larger location. Instead of a hole-in-the-wall (the old Poke), the new room is basically the same as you would expect to find at any sushi restaurant in town. It is too noisy, but not overwhelmingly so I suppose. The service was fine, we didn't have to wait for a table and ended up seated in a nice spot by the windows.\r \r The food was good, but uneven. The salmon preparations were outstanding, as was the eel roll that we had. The yellowtail was not very good in either of the preparations we sampled, and the oyster roll we got was a bit mealy. Overall I'd rate it as slightly better than most of the other sushi restaurants in the neighborhood but not exceptionally noteworthy.\r \r The nice things about Poke are the price, which is lower than most of its competitors, and the BYO policy, which is another money-saver. The down sides are the noise and the inability to make a reservation. Pros: Value, BYO Cons: Noise, no reservations more

Poke has moved to a bigger and better place. This makes the entire experience much more enjoyable. Before the move the biggest con in my opinion was the size, it was just to small for the number of people who wanted to enjoy the wonderful sushi. 343 E 85th Street (Bet. 1st & 2nd) It's just down the street! Pros: Sushi, BYOB, Friendly Environment Cons: cash only more

The rolls didnt look as impressive as I expected but they tasted great. In comparison to Tenzan (UWS) Poke's rolls seem downright skimpy... but they were really well balanced. So if you like a lot of fish with your rice go someplace else... if mouthfulls of raw fish isnt your thing.. got to poke. Another plus is their variety of special rolls. I had the gyoza as an appetizer and it was just average. Bottom line is: I will go to Poke again because it was really fresh fish...I just wished that they used a bit more of it. You can beat the crowd if you go early. I thought the decor was kind of cute...but thats just me. Pros: BYO Cons: tight seating more

Tried Poke for the first time last Friday evening and was GREATLY disappointed. The actual pieces of sashimi were the smallest I have ever been served, and the rolls were sub-par to say the least. Now I understand it's a small place and it's BYOB so they need to turn tables over quicker than most places...but the waitress was literally at our table every 5 minutes pushing us to order. Stick with Upper E staples like Sushi Hana, MUCH better for your $$$. Pros: BYOB Cons: Small PIeces, Rushed Service, Cramped more

It's cash only, so you know what that means :). It's not cheap, but it's not expensive, either. The upside is that the fish is fresh and you can BYOB... any kind of B, including wine, sake, hard liquor-- you name it, they'll open it. The downside is the wait, the decor, and the prices aren't as ""cheap"" as you would expect. A sushi platter ranges from $17 (for 7 peices) to $24 (for 10 peices plus a roll). The rolls are anywher7e between $7-12, and their fish is about $3-4.50 per peice. The uni and toro is the usual $7-8 per peice. Now, explain to me-- how is this ""cheap""? I would call it average-priced! Pros: fresh fish, BYOB Cons: not cheap, small, long wait more

This place is such a find!! My friends and I found it about 8 months ago, and have been in love ever since. The sushi is amazing-have yet to try something that I didnt like. The fact that its BYOB rocks!!! Poke is a rare find in the city!!! Pros: sushi is so fresh, BYOB Cons: small more

Poke is our favorite Sushi Restaurant in the city! Lauren (the waitress) is awesome and so is DJ the sushi chef. The rolls melt in your mouth! Once you start going here you get hooked. The restaurant itself is small but the sushi makes up for it. And it's BYOB which makes it even better! This is by far my favorite restaurant in the city! I highly recommend :-) more