Saturday’s Honolulu PokeFest: All the poke you’ll eat

Feast your eyes on this ultimate parade of poke at the pokevent of the year

September 27, 2018

Frolic Hawai‘i,

Clear your Saturday, poke lovers, Frolic’s 2nd annual Honolulu PokeFest is almost here! From 4 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 29, your biggest problem will be choosing from dozens of poke varieties from your favorite poke shops all across Oahu, including all-new creations unique to PokeFest. Plus there’s the Poke Pound eating contest, voting for your favorite poke of the day, craft beer, shochu cocktails and more!

Here’s a quick guide, and a photo gallery of the poke creations below. The Frolic team will be there in our red Frolic shirts and hats, so come say hi!

Honolulu PokeFest
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
4 to 8 p.m.
Ala Moana Center, Mall Level covered parking makai of Morton’s Steakhouse
Free admission
PokePass pre-orders and info at honolulupokefest.com

POKEPASS: All poke shops will be selling poke bowls and other poke creations, but a PokePass gets you maximum poke-faction with up to 10 appetizer-size portions from the vendors of your choice. Plus you get to bypass long lines with PokePass express lines at each booth! These are selling fast; click on the link above to pre-order yours

POKE POUND EATING CONTEST: 6:30 p.m. on the stage. Sign up at the Frolic booth by 6:15 (signups will close earlier if contest fills up). Come see the fastest poke eater in the west! First person to finish a poke bowl wins a pair of round-trip tickets to Las Vegas from Vacations Hawaii sponsored by nom nom

EATERS’ CHOICE CONTEST: Whose poke will reign supreme? Vote for your favorite poke of the day! Voting automatically enters you in a contest to win this $349.99 YETI Hopper 40 cooler courtesy of POP Fishing & Marine

LIBATIONS: Responsibly sip at the craft beer bar by Kona Brewing Co., and a shochu bar by Iichiko

DO GOOD: A portion of proceeds benefits Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, a local non-profit that helps our oceans

THE LINEUP: At last, the poke! Yes, Hawaii owns poke, and we do it better than any other place on the planet. Scroll on for a visual feast of Saturday’s poke creations.

Aloha Cones

Spicy garlic salmon poke with crab salad on a bed of premium sushi rice
Thai chili shoyu ahi poke with crab salad on a bed of premium sushi rice

Aloha Poke Shop

Hawaiian ahi, hamachi, New Zealand salmon

Cooke Street Market

Creamy sesame poke made with kajiki, salmon and ahi
Spicy mayo and habanero poke
Spicy mayo with masala (curry flavor) poke
Spicy mayo and garlic poke
Sirloin poke (regular or chimichurri option)
Also: Iced lemonade with honey from Big Island Bees, iced green tea with matcha from Kyoto, and five flavors of Uncles Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches (Mud Pie, Green Tea, Sea Salt Caramel Swirl, North Shore Coffee and Cookies & Cream

Sirloin poke (available in regular or chimichurri flavors)

Iced green tea with matcha from Kyoto and iced lemonade with honey from Big Island Bees

Fresh Ahi Off the Boat

Sushi donut featuring a donut-shaped sushi roll with raw fish and toppings
Pop Pop Bowl made with spicy ahi, spicy mayo, unagi glaze and nori flakes

Gochi Grill

TRI-dispoke: A mix of ahi, hamachi and marinated dried aku tossed with cherry tomatoes, ogo, Maui onions, nori and chiso on top of yukari-tsukemono rice

TRI-dispoke is a trifecta of fish over a yukari-tsukemono rice blend

Hawaii Sushi

Namida ahi poke bowl
Unagi poke bowl
Salmon belly poke bowl (shoyu and spicy)
All bowls include premium sushi rice

Off the Hook Poke Market

Shoyu ahi poke
Spicy ahi poke
Japan Deluxe (miso shiso ginger ahi)
Cold ginger ahi poke

PokeFest will be Off the Hook’s debut, since the Manoa poke shop just soft-opened this week

P.F. Chang’s

Fresh Hawaiian Ahi Poke Salad: Fresh ahi diced over organic field greens, cabbage slaw, radish, kaiware sprouts and green onions, topped with P.F. Chang’s signature poke sauce, cilantro, crispy won ton strips and dressed with P.F. Chang’s sesame vinaigrette
Poke Crisps: Fresh ahi served on a crispy wonton chip, topped with spicy aioli and sesame seeds