Coronado has just about everything a person could want, a small town with great schools, community and restaurants; and it recently got even better. Just a short drive down the strand is a wonderful new Poké place, opened by Coronado residents Kevin Shaeffer and Neil Capin in late October. Imperial Beach continues to bring in new and interesting restaurants and Shaeffer and Capin thought they needed a fresh, fast option like POKÉ 1-2-3 at the new Breakwater Town Center to join neighbors like the Grocery Outlet, Chipotle, Starbucks, Baskin Robbins and others. Poké means “to slice or cut” in Hawaiian and typically refers to chunks of raw fish.
On Monday, Jan. 15, I visited POKÉ 1-2-3 to pick up dinner for my family. This was not my first visit to POKÉ 1-2-3, but it was my first time ordering various different options off the menu. I lived in Hawaii for three years and love poké, I make it at home for my family and I enjoy trying new things, but I admit, I played it safe in my past visits and always ordered poké bowls because I knew what to expect, and they are delicious. In order to provide a more comprehensive review I tried the two other types of poké on the menu and I am glad I did.
The variety of options to choose from, from proteins to toppings to sauces, could be overwhelming at first sight, but the large menu breaks it down for you easily, and the friendly staff are there to offer a taste of something you are considering or recommendations of what is most popular.
There are three main options to choose from on the menu at POKÉ 1-2-3:
Poké Bowl – You start by choosing your base – rice (white/brown), salad, rice noodles or tortilla chips. Then you decide on the proteins (2 scoops, 3 or 4 of your choice) and it is not only raw fish, there is also marinated fish (123 style is a local favorite), chicken and tofu. I asked Kevin Shaeffer where they get their fish from and he responded with, “We strive to source all of our fish and produce from local San Diego wholesalers, and trust our customers appreciate our commitment to use only the best seafood, free range chicken, organic tofu, and vegetables.”
Sides and sauce choice come next and you can choose any or all, with a nice variety of avocado, crab, cucumber, seaweed and sweet onion sides. I recommend them all.
Finally you choose your toppings – again, any or all – including mango mix, edamame, masago, eel sauce drizzle, wasabi, ginger and more. To play it safe, I ordered my boys each a poké bowl. My older son loved the octopus and salmon with seaweed, cucumber, onions, mango and eel sauce. My younger son is partial to the 123 style ahi poké with avocado, crab, cucumber, seaweed, fukujin zuke and eel sauce.
Norritos – they look like a burrito with a seaweed wrap instead of a tortilla – and you have a choice of three options: Kapuni style – a Hawaiian “favorite,” Oishi Style – Japanese “delicious,” and Pono style – healthy Vegan. You have a choice of three scoops of proteins and they do the rest with pre-determined sauces, sides and toppings, just let the staff know if you want anything left out. My husband got the Oishi style and it was delicious, and enough to share.
Waves – three small tacos, again with seaweed instead of a tortilla wrap. You choose the two scoops of proteins and again the staff prepares the rest with a delicious pre-determined combination of sauces, sides and toppings. THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE! I ordered the waves with 123 style ahi poke and it was incredible. They really know how to mix flavors that will leave you wanting more. The only bad part was that I only got one of the tacos because my family saw how much I enjoyed it and they ate the rest. The portion sizes for all of the options is hearty and so I did not go hungry as I was able to share some of the Norritos and my son’s poke bowl.
Drinks, including sake, beer, water, fountain drinks and more are available, as well as Miso Soup for a warm side dish. Finally, finish your meal off with three yummy Mochi Ice Creams to satisfy your sweet tooth.
My recommendation is to go and enjoy a fabulous meal at POKÉ 1-2-3 while supporting your local Coronado business owners. If you find yourself over the bridge, you can also visit the new POKÉ 1-2-3 at Liberty Station in Point Loma.
