Ono Poke is a taste of paradise in Edmonds
Gaard Swanson
May 13, 2023
You could say Steven Ono is armed and dangerous, in a good way. He wields a sharp sushi knife as the owner and brains behind Ono Poke in Edmonds -- and his dishes are dangerously delicious.
After being in the tech industry forever, Steven wanted to follow his dream of opening an authentic poke shop. Poke (pronounced po-kay) is raw, diced and spiced fish, and is a wildly popular dish from Hawaii. And Ono Poke has become destination dining in the PNW.
"I think I am one of the few to be born and raised in Hawaii and come up in this culture just knowing what flavors are prevalent and what I look for when I eat poke and what I want to eat, so I think that's a big difference. I definitely try and give our customers this great high-end experience because of the volume that we do; that it's a very accessible price, it's even cheaper than going to a standard sushi spot," said Ono.
The shop goes through 200 pounds of fish daily, using a knife that has special family ties.
Ono's uncle, who is a commercial fisherman, gave it to him when he was just eight years old and said, "If you can use this knife to cut any fish, you can use it your whole life and use it to cut anything."
And that's precisely what he did, "I think about that every day,I and I take it to heart. It's been my daily knife."
The ahi is a popular menu item, but everything at Ono is fresh and fantastic. The fish almost melts in your mouth; even the tofu is incredible. Steven made us his spicy salmon with mac salad and we were sold.
"For really high-quality fish, if you smell it, it doesn't smell like fish. I think it should smell clean like the ocean, and if it doesn't... don't eat it!"
Every day, the moment Ono Poke opens its doors, the line starts up. It's worth the wait to try this poke gold.