This was a small local spot that I initially almost walked on by. It was situated really close to both of my airbnbs during my 5-week stay in Oahu. At first glance, you don’t think much of it. During lunch on the weekdays, it didn’t have as long a line as some of their other neighboring restaurants. However, it’s usually these “hole-in-the-wall” looking joints that have some of the best food. Maguro Spot definitely fit that bill!
I was so hungry after my first surfing class. After waking up at 330am to work east-coast hours and then going straight after to a surf class, a girl got super hungry. I was trying to find something that wouldn’t be too long of a wait and would also be relatively healthy. Maguro Spot was a walk-through restaurant. You basically get to create your own poke bowl – picking either just poke, a bowl, or a salad. Everything is customizable. I would like to add though, that some of these items (like my salad) had macadamia nuts. I LOVE mac nuts, but I am also reminded of my nut-allergic friend and would like to recommend that they post a notice on their door. Some individuals can get a severe reaction just from breathing in the nuts, or if there is cross-contamination of nuts with other food ingredients.
It’s really hard to write a pros and cons list since poke, especially customizable poke. But I will just give an overall review for what I ordered:
PROS
- Super fresh fish – I would find it hard if I found not-fresh or stale/spoiled poke fish here on this island.
- salad/vegetables were also very fresh, not wilted
- evenly tossed with dressing – not soggy but also not too little in amount
- good balance of salad, fish, mac nuts, and salad dressing
CONS
- none
There is very very limited seating. You’d have to go early to snag one of the tables right outside, and even then, you’d have to be brave enough to share the spot during COVID times. Everyone wears a mask of course.
One thing that I want to highlight is the customer service. I actually came here three more times, one of the times I tried ordering in advance. The manager called me personally when they realized that they ran out of salmon and wouldn’t be able to fulfil my order. Who does that these days!! I was happy enough that they reached out to me versus canceling the order last minute and was willing to wait an hour or two more for my order. This just goes to show that going the extra mile and being personable in your customer service really makes a difference!
I hope this restaurant makes it through the pandemic. The good thing about poke is that it carries out well and also can be stored well. Okay perhaps not the salad, but you can definitely get poke by the bowl here so still a great option! You can find them here off Kuhio Ave in downtown Honolulu:
2441 Kuhio Ave. Honolulu, HI 96815 | (808) 924-7653 |
Enjoy!
R/g
Rammiegirl 2.0 