Hikari Poki

Decent poke place. I was surprised when the guy seated us at a table because I’m used to making my poke bowl cafeteria style. You circle what you want on a slip of paper and give it to your server instead. The wait for the food was slower than I expected.
My favorite sauce for poke is spicy mayo so I was bummed when they didn’t have it. Their closest sauce to it is the screaming sauce. It wasn’t as creamy as I’d like it to be and had a pretty big kick to it in terms of heat. Their spicy garlic sauce is also more on the liquid/​oil side. The salmon was cut into uneven cubes and slices. It’s nice you’re able to choose a base of rice, salad, or half rice half salad. I like how avocado, masago, and imitation crab meat are included in the bowl. However, the poke bowl just didn’t completely satisfy me.

Quick, clean and yummy spot. All I can ask for! Unilocal lead me to this spot and I wasn’t disappointed. I love spicy flavors and got the poke bowl with screaming sauce; it was so good and the perfect amt of spice. They don’t skimp on the fish or avocado. Give this spot a chance, great new lunch or dinner place for us to add to the list.

Went during lunchtime so I wasn’t expecting too much considering that they were gonna be busy. Ordered food to go and it came out very quickly. I am a first timer so I got the Hikari bowl. The Hikari sauce was very good and packed a lot of flavor. Definitely will come back if I am in the area again. The bowl had much more fish than any other poke spot that I have visited. Biggest downfall is the lack of seating. There is only a handful of tables inside and outside. They barely had any room for me to wait for my to go order. Despite the lack of space, the Hikari bowl was spectacular.

Definitely a regular here. There are many different poke spots popping up around but I think I like the variety that they have here at a reasonable price.
My go to poke bowl has both rice and salad and it’s nice because a lot of the extras that other places charge for come standard here. (krab, avocado)
They also have a nice variety of sauces that you can choose from as well.
The kicker, and my go to here, is that they have fresh sushi as well. Limited but their chef does prepare very well made and generous cuts of sushi/​sashimi.
I always go with the kanpachi, slightly seared nigiri.
The hand roll sets are very generous and all prepared very nicely and delicately.
They aren’t your typical cone shaped rolls but nicely balance cylindrical rolls that give you a good bite each time.
Oh, and not to mention, their happy hour menu is one of the best values I’ve seen in a while at a Japanese restaurant. They do not cheap out on portions and a couple appetizers from the HH menu turns dinner into a nice little izakaya experience (they are Japanese owned as well, so that’s always a plus.)

First time here. Food was so good. Jim spent time going over the menu, how to order and provided suggestions. The service was very good and Jim continued to check on us to make sure all was good.
There was 4 of us and we all ordered bowls. I ordered the salmon, tuna, spicy tuna and octopus bowl. I’ve eaten a lot of sushi and the fish was very fresh and very tasty.
We’ll definitely be back! Thanks Jim for taking the time to make this a great meal for my family!

Wonderful service and super yummy poki bowls!
I got a 3 pick, salmon yellow tail and spicy tuna. Pretty good portions and I got the gluten free sauce in the side.
Quick to make, and has options for people with celiac disease like me :) definitely will be returning!

Came here thinking it was like all the other poke places but it’s actually a full service restaurant where you sit down and they take your order. They have an order form for poke bowls as well as a menu for sushi and other dishes. Check in on Unilocal for free edamame!
The restaurant is pretty small and can’t fit that many people. They had about 4 or 5 workers but the food came out kind of slow. The poke bowls were bland and pretty disappointing. Overall, it was overly priced for mediocre food and service was super slow!

I came here for my lunch break with a coworker and to be honest, I was no impressed. I was genuinely not a fan of this place. The poke is alright, but for the price, it isn’t worth it. It’s 3 scoops of fish for $ 10 and 4 scoops for $ 12. It’s cheaper everywhere else so I didn’t like it too much.
A lot of the extra add ons come at an extra cost, so I wasn’t too interested. I ended up paying $ 15 for my bowl in the end. There are plenty of places with much better poke bowls. Also, this place is extremely slow. It took 10 – 15 minutes to get our bowl and it was underwhelming in the end.
I’m hoping it’s because my sauce wasn’t very good. I got spicy garlic and it tasted like nothing. I know poke seems like a simple dish but the sauce is very important. Not everyone can make a great poke bowl. I thought I’d try a new poke place since I work in the area. I actually regret it. I would much rather go to WowBento in Laguna Hills.
I won’t be back.

Although the poke tasted fine, my issue is with the price and portions.
My husband and I paid $ 30 for rice with some fish on it. Seriously the bowl was about 75% rice. Small servings of fish and avocado and they charge extra for everything!
Poke Dot in Newport Beach is WAY better. Yes, its further away but you get alot more for you money there.
I probably will not be back unless I have a major craving for poke and my car wont make it to Newport.

Lunchtime price for Poki bowl to go with 4 portions sashimi is $ 12 (3 for 10). When I forget to pack my own lunch, or I have some extra jack to splurge on myself, this is where I come.
You can go somewhere else and get a sandwich cheaper, but then you have to actually eat it.
I don’t think dining in is the greatest. The place is too small.

Anytime there is a poke restaurant nearby, I’m going to test it out. This one was pretty darn good.
I really liked the innovative idea of a «sushi burrito.» So much so that I opted away from the norm of getting a standard poke bowl and gave it a try. And they offer brown rice! Decent portion size, fresh fish and reasonably priced. It also came with a side of dipping sauce.
Not sure if this place is new, but they do have a few kinks to iron out. The inside of the place needs a bit of TLC, and there are only a few tables so it appears the preferred option is take out. They also got my order wrong but promptly fixed it.

Another fine experience thanks to Unilocal reviews. I enjoyed my poki bowl and the service was friendly. Unlike other poki places I’ve visited, you actually sit at your table then order the poki bowl using an order form. In a way I miss watching my bowl coming together in front of me and the inevitable wait because of it. This place was doing good business even on a Saturday in a business district. It is on my list to visit again another day.
The table next to me ordered sushi and rolls that looked pretty good. By the way, your Unilocal check-​in special is a free order of edmame beans.

I’m sure it would’ve been a great meal, but I left after waiting for a while. I was visiting my mom in OC and thought it would be a good idea to take her to a (seemingly) good Poke place. maybe I just chose the wrong time and place.
I asked the server if I should sit in an empty table or order from the counter to which she simply replied «wherever. its going to be a long wait.» hmm OK granted it was lunch hour, I waited a few minutes, then waited a few more minutes, then finally peaced out.
The servers… er I mean the ONE server in the entire restaurant looked like she was exhausted, stressed, and overworked to the point where customer service was no longer a priority. Word of advice to Hikari– you could have the best Poke bowls in the world, but you won’t get the business you deserve running it like that.
I wish I got to try this place, but not really

A+ all across
Japanese chef
Sashimi omakase
Sweet shrimp
Sapporo on tap
Tamago
Poke bowl
Specials
My favorite spot in OC.
Just go already…
Also solid to go game

I love getting Poki bowls when I travel for work. I feel it is a healthy option when I am traveling. I also like to try unique, non-​chain places.
I stopped in here and was surprise how quick i was able to get an amazing bowl of Poki. It simple, you pick your starch, your meat, your sauce and your vegetables. Very simple and fast.
The fish was super fresh here — I went back the next day for lunch it was so good.
The only down side is the parking, since it is a share parking lot with other chain restaurants.

3 stars for food/​price but –2 stars for time/​overall customer service.
FOOD:
We were there for almost 45 minutes JUST for 2 poke bowls. I honestly would not mind coming back during a down time because the poke bowls were actually pretty good!
HOW TO ORDER:
1. Bowl or Burrito
2. Pick your base-​white rice, brown rice, salad or ½−½
3. Pick your mains! For bowls-​2/​$ 9, 3/​$ 11, 4/​$ 13 (salmon, spicy tuna, tuna, yellowtail or shrimp) For burritos-​$ 10 (poki mix, shrimp tempura, chicken, eel or steak)
4. Pick your sauce-​original, spicy garlic, screaming, sesame, gluten free or no sauce. (I recommend screaming!)
5. Add extras for $ 1/​ea.
**all bowls come wit avocados, cucumber, onions, sprouts, masago, crab mix and sesame seeds**
Definitely a good amount of food for the price. The screaming sauce had a great spicy kick to it, and I also asked for a side of their spicy garlic sauce to add on my own. I do wish that they’d add the fish ontop of all the toppings instead of directly over the rice because I prefer my fish to be cold rather than warm :(
CUSTOMER SERVICE & ETC:
It was really hard for me NOT to give this place a 1 star review for multiple reasons but solely based on their lack of customer service. I work nearby and wanted to order for pick up during lunch but wow big mistake. DONT BOTHER CALLING DURING LUNCH– they dont pick up the phone. I called FOUR different times to order but nothing. And also, while I was there waiting for my food, I heard the phone ring two different times and none of the servers even flinched.
My coworker and I arrived and it was clear that they were in the middle of their lunch rush– all their tables inside and out were occupied. We awkwardly stood at the front by the door because none of the servers even acknowledged us, not even a glance. We noticed a sign that said to fill out the order form for to-go’s but the box was empty, great. We walked up to the cash register and still, no acknowledgement. We found the to-​go order form ON OUR OWN. Once we were done, we stayed put by the cash register because 1 – 2 servers were ringing customers up, but yet not even a word to us at all. Of course they saw us but they literally went around helping EVERYONE in the restaurant except for us. Just. Wow. FINALLY, someone rang us up and our order was in. To the older grumpy male server-​try not to size your customers up and give them dirty looks just because you hate your job. Literally SO rude. Also, we saw couple more customers walk in and the same thing happened to them, they all stood around awkwardly waiting for a server to acknowledge them.
Eh so either come when theyre not so busy or come prepared for terrible service.

This place is crazy busy during weekday lunch hours but their happy hour at night is pretty quiet! That’ll probably change as more people find out about this place.
POKE: the main item here, in the form of a bowl or burrito. You will have a base of either white, brown rice, or spring greens… or you can pick halves. I always get spring greens and brown rice. Choose from yellowtail, tuna, salmon or shrimp, in servings of 2/​¾ scoops for $ 8/​$ 10/​$ 12.
(UPDATE: now they’re $ 9/​$ 11/​$ 13)
Choose from these sauces: original, spicy garlic, screaming, sesame, or gluten free. Add-​ons are $ 1. I get sesame sauce with a side of spicy garlic. Let me tell you that everything here is added in proportionally and your bowl is served to you over the rim with plenty of fish. The fish is fresh, buttery, and mouthwatering. (I just started liking raw fish less than 2 years ago but my parents have always eaten it and they love this place just as much as I do).
HAPPY HOUR: 5−7pm M-​Saturday, yes, Saturday! For $ 7 you can get a sake or beer combo with a snack like edamame, gyoza, or a california roll. Or you can get a sake flight/​sampler! For $ 10 you can get a sushi combo box or teriyaki chicken combo box. All appetizers are ½ off. I recommend the baked muscles!!!
Their sushi and roll menu is huge, but I haven’t given that a try yet

Hikari Poki gives you the option to build your own bowl or burrito in a 5-​step process.
The 5 step process:
Step 1: Choose Bowl or Burrito
Step 2: Pick your base (white rice, brown rice, salad mix, or ⁵⁰⁄₅₀)
Step 3: The main items for your bowl or burrito
Step 4: Pick your sauce
Step 5: Additional toppings for $ 1.00 each
**NOTE: All bowls come with avocado, cucumber, onions, sprouts, masago (roe), crab mix, and sesame seeds.
Service:
The staff tried to accommodate all of the customers, but they can be oblivious of customers who are seating at the patio area. Our waiter was attentive with us, but for some reason he did not notice the customer who was waiting to order for over 30 minutes. I do understand what other reviewers are talking about with the service, but I have to give the staff the benefit of the doubt for trying.
Décor:
The restaurant is small with a few tables inside and out. The décor reminds me of the old Japanese restaurant that was once there before it was bought out by new management.
My Experience:
My boyfriend and I chose the bowl with white rice, yellow tail, tuna, salmon, screaming sauce, and crispy onions. It took us by surprised that our bowl was huge and full of food. I actually had to take the rest of mine home. We also tried their happy hour menu of garlic edamame (pretty good) and gyoza (A-​OK).
**NOTE: Happy Hour is from Monday thru Saturday between 5 pm to 7 pm!
Overall, the poke was A-​OK, but the next time I am hoping to try their spicy garlic sauce to see if it will give my taste buds a kick! Also, getting a huge bowl of food is always a plus! WOO-​HOO!
As always, NOM FOR LIFE!

All these great reviews got me all g-​damn excited that *maybe* *possibly* a new restaurant in Lake Forest — within easy distance of work — was producing great poke.
Hikari Poki lived up to my life motto today. Aw wait, did you expect it to be all delightful and positive? Nope. My life motto, believe it or not is: «Expectation is the mother of disappointment» And they spell it wrong, too. It’s poke, people.
And disappointment so forthcomes… they won’t honor the check-​in Unilocal deal of edamame for non-​in house diners. I specifically request no cucumber. I got a crapload of cucumber. I added crispy onions to the bowl which were more soggy than crunchy. The fish was lacking quantity and of questionable freshness.
I’m over Hikari. One and done.

So we came here on a lunch rush on the last day of their buy one get one free poke bowl promo. We walked in to a room that had some open chairs in the bar and a table that needed cleaning. Patio seating was available but no one wanted to sit outside in the 90 degree temperature. So we waited and stood by the entrance… and waited… and waited some more. Until finally one of the servers acknowledged our presence and asked us «table for how many».
Shortly after, a table cleared out and we occupied it as soon as the customer stood up. Again, we waited for someone to approach us to clean the table and give us menus. I was done playing the waiting game and walked up to the counter to ask for the menu. The waiter grumbled something about him being on his way to clean our table. Ok, I get it, you’re new, and you’re busy. I should cut you some slack but lay off the attitude man. It was that way the entire time we dined. One of us had to get up to ask for either napkins, wasabi, or water. It was terrible. I don’t know if that was the manager I saw or the owner but he was just standing there at the back and watching everything take place. Dude, pick up your weight and do something!
Food came out fairly quickly, thank God for that. Two of us got a large bowl for $ 12 each on a normal day but fortunately that day, it was two for the price of one. A large has up to four choices of fish. I got yellowtail, tuna, and doubled up on the salmon with half white rice and half salad. Sauce of choice was ‘screaming’ but it wasn’t spicy at all. There were cucumber slices, pickled red onions, avocado, and lots of imitation crab. All in all it was a decent bowl. I needed more flavor which the wasabi and soy sauce fixed for me easily. However, with so much competition out there, I’ve certainly had way better. I don’t think I’m coming back here unless in the area and with no other options. Because of the BOGO deal, 3 stars seems fair.