Pokéworks Is Boston’s Latest Food Trend & Your New Obsession

No, Pokéworks is not a new anime character for you to track down and “catch” in Davis Square. It’s the trendiest restaurant to hit the city this year, and it’s right in Somerville. Foodies and sushi lovers rejoice!

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Poké (poh-kay) is healthy, Hawaiian-inspired food that consists of a choice of proteins – typically raw fish – atop sticky rice, salad, or rolled in the form of a “sushirrito,” and then mixed with traditional sushi ingredients like pickled ginger and masago.

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The abundance of choices may be a little daunting and overwhelming for newbies, but with options for vegans, vegetarians and those focused on sustainability, the menu is sure to be a hit with Boston’s hip young students and professionals.

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Here’s how it works: It’s $12 for a regular sized bowl or sushirrito and $15 for an extra serving of protein. You choose from chicken, fish or organic tofu and begin agonizing over the whopping 32 additional options. These are broken down into categories.

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You’ve got your mix-ins like cucumber, edamame, ogo seaweed and blanched kale; your flavors such as  pokéworks classic, ponzu fresh, sriracha aioli and spicy ginger; toppings, including avocado, wasabi tobiko, sesame seeds and crab salad; and for those who like a little extra crunch, roasted macadamia nuts, wonton crisps, onion crisps, garlic crisps, lotus crisps and toasted rice puffs.

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Overwhelmed yet? Luckily there are several “Signature Works” to choose from that have been custom designed to please the palate. Once you are a seasoned pro, you can begin creating your own combinations using the “Poké Your Way” method.

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Chain co-founders and California natives Michael Wu, Kasper Hsu, Kevin Hsu, and Peter Yang saw the potential to bring the craze that is sweeping the west coast to Boston. They brought in California native, Joshua Cast to serve as the Somerville Pokéworks’ general manager. Cast says the food is not only delicious and healthy, it is also a way to escape the dreary New England winter and experience a piece of Hawaii vacation life.

“In Hawaii there are poké carts everywhere,” he told BC Heights. “When you visit, you eat it everyday because everybody does.”

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It would seem that so far visitors to Davis Square are digging the new dining option. At a promotional event earlier this month the wait for a Pokéworks’s BOGO poké bowl was maintained at two and a half hours, with Cast eventually shutting it down early to allow his staff to get home and out of the snow!

Cast revealed that the up-and-coming franchise has plans to open two New York stores in the next six months, and six to seven in the Boston area by the end of 2017.

Featured Image via Facebook/Boston Foodies