This week for EC Eats, I reviewed Eau Claire’s newest restaurant.

The Hawaii Poke Bowl opened on Sept. 21 on Clairemont Avenue directly across from upper campus.

I visited the restaurant at around 6 p.m. on Sept. 22, one day after it opened during what I hoped would be peak business hours. If you want to know how good a restaurant really is, go there when it’s busy.

My rating

4.5/5, highly satisfied

I was very pleased with my first poke bowl experience. I really didn’t know what to expect when I walked in but when I looked up at the menu, I was met with many delicious looking options.

First impressions

When I walked through the door, I immediately noticed how clean the store was. The white floors were shiny, the tables were clean and the food counter looked tidy.

Then I got in line and started to look at the menu. I was almost immediately overwhelmed with options. You can build your own bowl by choosing a rice or quinoa base, a protein, vegetables, sauces and other toppings.

After spending a minute or two trying to decide between the 10 to 15 different seafood and protein choices, I noticed the signature bowl options with the ingredients already chosen for you. If you are like me and don’t know what you’re doing, order a signature bowl. 

My order

I ordered the Hawaii Signature Bowl, which had white rice, chicken, shrimp, tofu, pineapple, onion, edamame, avocado, crispy onions and a sweet ginger sauce.

I was very pleased. Countless different flavors created a new taste with each bite. 

When I go back I will try more of the raw seafood options including tuna, eel and octopus.

Criticisms

I have only two criticisms from my experience at Hawaii Poke Bowl. 

Criticism number one: price. The signature bowls were all around $15 to $20 each. I get it, seafood is always more expensive but I think the price is a little too high for the amount of food you’re getting.

Criticism number two: limited seating. There is very little seating and all the booths and tables were full when I went on Thursday. Granted, I went when it was busy but if you go during the busiest times, you might want to plan on taking your food to go. Might I suggest going to a local park for a picnic?

Check it out for yourself

Overall I was incredibly pleased with my first visit. If you’re getting sick of food from Hilltop or craving something different from typical convenience food, go check out the new Hawaii Poke Bowl in Eau Claire. 

Mohr can be reached at mohrte0430@uwec.