Local Cravings

Yup, this place is good. My work place is in the building behind these guys so I’ve been coming here since they opened. Every time I go in there thinking that I’m going to try something different, something takes over me and all of a sudden the only words that I’m able to spew out of my mouth is «spicy ahi bowl with sushi rice.» I don’t think I’ve uttered any other words in that place. That’s okay though, because the spicy ahi bowl with sushi rice is awesome!!! They use just the right amount of ingredients. I like how it comes with nori on the rice, and they also throw in some teigu and like a kim chee cucumber thing.. . super good!
Seems like a family run business with really good customer service. The place is clean and now you can eat in the joint as well as outside on the benches.
The price is good for what you get.

First timers! All I can say is I had great service! The staff was very welcoming & friendly. Had to give 4 stars bc our poke didn’t taste that well. We ordered spicy crab & ahi. I mainly had crab, barely any ahi in my bowl. But other than that, I’d go back to try something else

I don’t know how I have missed this place! I went to buy pet supplies and while I was leaving I saw «Poke Bowls». I thought «Hmm. Perfect for lunch!» I can admit, I cannot handle very spicy, so when I asked how spicy the spicy ahi was, they let me try a sample. It was delicious! Best tasting spicy poke ever with a mild-​moderate heat. You can pick from white, brown or even sushi rice. They also have a lot of local kine snacks, as well as every flavor of F’reals.
Honestly this was the best poke bowl I have ever eaten. As I am writing this, I am craving another one. I am super glad I found this place to satisfy my raw seafood cravings!

Delicious! We got the spicy crab and ahi and just ahi bowls with sushi rice complete with a strawberry milkshake f’real. Everything was tasty and so fresh. Loved it and highly recommend.

I went here for the first time for lunch today with a few of my coworkers and the quality of fish was very fresh and serving size is really good for the price! The only thing I would say is that the service was a bit slow. Luckily, we were the only ones there when we arrived and can’t imagine how long it would be if they were slammed with customers. But overall, good experience and great poke!

Wasn’t very impressed with the spicy ahi, it had a lot of mayo taste .
But I still willing to come back one day and try something else so I wouldn’t say I was disappointed, the place was very clean and open which I like, maybe next time I’ll try the spicy crab poke.
Till then I have to give three stars hopefully the next visit will be better
Btw as for customer service pretty good the guy was very nice he even made sure I grabbed a stamp card (if you buy so many poke bowls the next ones free)

What a big poke bowl they sell! If you’re hungry and in this area you gotta stop by this little shop!
They give a huge ice cream scooper scoop of your topping of choice, mine happened to be spicy ahi. But my husband ordered the 2 choice, I was expecting her to just put half and half on top. But NO! She put one school of the first choice. (Equivalent to my spicy ahi) and then another scoop in a whole different container! This is the first time it’s happened to me! I was so happy and surprised at the same time! Plus! They put a little bit of taegu and kimchee cucumber on top! Also you get to choose white or brown rice. Only down side is their spicy crab is imitation, I don’t like that at alllll. And I wish they had more to choose from!
I didn’t really look around the shop too much to see what else they had. But I did see a F’real milkshake machine and freezer full of different flavors! Good to know!

This is my go to place for poke bowls! Cute little shop. Family owned and they are all nice people! They give everyone a sample of samurai soft serve! Today was a big sample because they knew it was so hot outside haha.
As for the food, I only go there for the poke bowls! The price is really good for the amount that they give. Not a lot of choices poke wise but that doesn’t matter because it’s all made fresh in-​store and they are all awesome! If you’re in need of a poke bowl this is the place to go to!

5 star service. The two ladies that worked there were really nice. They offered me samples of all the poke, and I even got a sample of the samurai ice cream! I had the spicy ahi and crab poke bowl on sushi rice, which was pretty bomb. They loaded the poke bowl up. Definitely coming back here. Highly recommended if you love poke. Ample amount of parking available. They also have freals and snacks for sale.

Ahi crab poke with sushi rice is da bomb! I just loved it, just enough spice and nothing but best food mayo!

I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into Local Cravings. It’s more like a deli than a restaurant. It was about 10:15am and their regular ahi poke bowl was not ready yet. The girl behind the corner was very nice and sampled me practically everything on their menu without me asking. I especially enjoyed the char siu chicken and spicy ahi poke. I am not a spicy fan so I was leary of ordering spicy ahi but it was barely spicy at all. Perfect. So I happily got the spicy ahi poke bowl, paying 50 cents extra to have them package the fish separate from the rice since I wouldn’t be eating it for a couple of hours. They offer a choice of white rice, brown rice and sushi rice. I got sushi rice and they added some marinated cucumber and taegu on the side. It was delicious!
Next time, I want to try their F’real shakes!

Ever had a blind date go wrong?
Promised MEGAN FOX, but instead end up with MARGARET CHO?!
No, like you, I don’t do blind dates, but just wanted to be Mr. Melodramatic!
And Margaret’s not THAT bad in certain angles. Really.
Really tho… This tiny «store», NOT «café», NOT «restaurant» was NOT what I was expecting. Yes, I read the reviews and know what «take-​out», «to-​go», and yes, I LOVE my friends, but…
LOCAL CRAVINGS…
Did NOT satisfy my cravings. Hmm.
Maybe, just maybe…
— I expected too much?
— I ordered the wrong stuff?
— I got the tail-​end of the entrée?
Okay, after a morning of errands for my Dad. He and I have… well… «Local» cravings, so I convince my Dad to skip Zippy’s and come here instead after reading all the stellar reviews! Oh please. I’m sorry Dad.
So, I know LOCAL CRAVINGS is known for the Poke Bowls and F’real & now Samurai treats too, but being hungry I order the special Teri-​Chicken and Dad ordered the Summer Rolls. I asked Dad three times, are you sure? Knowing that Summer Rolls is like rabbit food in a wrap, but he wanted it, so…
TERIYAKI CHICKEN BOWL:
Sorry friends, but I was disappointed with this order. The chicken, the centerpiece of this bowl, was dry and not much chicken! I love how it’s seasoned, but anytime the sauce & rice is better than the meat… Well.
SUMMER ROLLS:
Dad ordered this and in fairness ate it all. However, I asked him how was it after the first roll, and his response «okay». Oh well, it was his choice.
Again, I suspect we ordered the wrong here, but if it’s on the menu it should be ono, right?
In fairness to LOCAL CRAVINGS, it wasn’t exactly bad, but IMHO it wasn’t anywhere near perfection as the reviews suggest. Just average at best, but «okay», as Dad would say.
I’ll give LOCAL CRAVINGS another shot, but I’m in no rush to get back! I’ll definitely play it safe next time with the poke, F’real, or a cup of Samurai ice cream.
Again, don’t set your sights high on MEGAN FOX! Maybe, just maybe, you might wakeup next to MARGARET CHO…
I mean it could be worse, right?
Oh yeah, on the flip-​side if you want a über cool T-​Shirt or Jumbo Kendama they have a nice selection of that type of stuff too!
OVERALL GRADE: 3.2-STARS!
LIVE ALOHA…
Unilocal REVIEW #307

Great place to pick-​up fresh poke bowl combo’s (not the previous frozen fish with added color). The Quinoa is very delicious too (the best I ever had)! They also offer F’real shakes, samurai shave ice and many local goodies!
Love the friendly & welcoming atmosphere that the wonderful staff provides. Thank you everybody!!!
Will be back again soon!!!

After having a rather «meh» poke bowl and a rather well known establishment a few weeks ago, after being placed in charge of picking where to bring back lunch from for the office, I suggested we try this place out due to the good reviews on Unilocal (because like I always tell my co-​workers, you must trust the Unilocalers).
Its a running joke in the office that I can get lost going just about anywhere, but if you ask me where to find a good donut, slice of pizza or a poke bowl, I can make suggestions anywhere on the island because I spend too much time researching food. Needless to say, they were surprised when I pulled into this shopping center.
The staff were incredibly friendly, and offered samples of the poke to ensure we would be happy with whatever we ordered. I ordered the spicy ahi bowl for myself and another coworker, and my other coworker got the spicy salmon and crab bowl. The fish was super fresh, and I really enjoyed the texture and flavors.
They also have a nice selection of other items, and I appreciated the fact that they were open about the fact that the pork and lau lau aren’t made on premises and they specialize in poke and let others make what they’re good at and sell that too.
Will definitely be back for more delicious poke sold with a smile.
They also have a stamp card when you get 10 stamps you get something… don’t remember what it was though… :)

They’ve upped their game!
Less sweet tasting shoyu poke and they separate the poke from the rice in different containers so the fish doesn’t get too hot.
Poke bowl prices are now $ 7.49.

This is one of those small local businesses that I love! I first tried their poke bowls out at the Makiki Farmers’ Market at St. Clements (and I think they still go there), but once they opened up a brick & mortar spot in the City Square Shopping Center, I couldn’t believe it! It’s SO rare for something new & awesome to open up in Kalihi, my own hood!
Parking:
Depending on the time of day, sometimes the shopping center parking lot can be ridiculously crowded, what with a bunch of other restaurants, Chuck E Cheese & the Dillingham DMV all being in the same place. On the other hand, there always seems to be some open street parking just outside the parking lot entrances.
Poke for Days:
Sure they have Hawaiian food and salads and stuff, but I always go for some poke! They always have great choices, from basic shoyu ahi & spicy ahi, to spicy salmon or spicy crab & ahi poke! Whatever it is you choose, you can taste the freshness of it!
Initially, I started out trying a two-​choice Poke Bowl ($ 11.49), and I realized two things: 1) WAY too much poke for this girl in a two-​choice bowl because there’s so much poke they put the second choice in a separate container; and 2) I LOVE the rest of the bowl! You think the poke would be the star (and it IS awesome), but you get the option of white rice, brown rice or sushi rice that’s topped with nori strips, your choice (s) of poke, and topped with both taegu and pickled cucumbers! The sushi rice is a GREAT match for poke bowls, but my tryna-​be-​healthy self always goes with brown rice these days. If you want actual sushi, they make that with their poke, too, and it just seems like such a natural progression!
Don’t like rice or trying to go with fewer carbs? They ALSO use their poke to make summer rolls or salad! I’ve tried the summer rolls and, while it can be messy, I feel like it’s a great alternative! I really want to try the salad next time!
That Other Stuff:
7 – 11 watch out! Local Cravings has an F’real machine in their store AND samurai soft serve! WAAAAY too much sugar for me, but maybe you’ll want some. They also sell some other things in the shop, but I’ve gotta be honest, I have no idea what it is. I’ve always been purely focused on the poke every time I’ve gone in… oops? ^_^”

Had their Spicy Salmon Poke. Not available everyday but really creamy, fresh, good texture and nicely balanced. Great friendly staff again!
Also, prices got raised by 50 cents so normal poke bowl is $ 7.50. I still give five stars but my only suggestion is to cool the rice. They leave it in the rice cooker so when they put poke on it it makes the poke warm which I don’t care for.

I came here to try the fo’real shakes to see what all the craze was about. But as soon as I walked in I saw the poke’ in the display window and completely forgot what I came in there for.
I guess I’m a sucker for poke’ bowls because I ordered three. No I didn’t eat them all. Two was for my kids and I sampled both.
All three were ono (delicious) but all three cant be # 1 to me. Everyone has their own taste. My favorite of the three was the shoyu poke’, spicey poke’ then the limu ahi poke’. The limu ahi would go better alone as a pupu with beer. The spicey poke’ was a little mashed with chunks but some people like it that way. The shoyu poke’ was a little on the sweet side but it was soft and fresh. I should’ve had it with the regular rice instead of the sushi rice because everything ended up sweet but still ono.
The garnishes with taegu, nori strips and the pickled cucumbers were a great complement to the dish.
What I really like about it was the idea of keeping the shoyu ahi separate from your rice so its not soggy when your ready to chow down. You need to eat it quick or what little heat there is from the rice will sort of cook it a little and the color will change.
For a small place, the inside is really spaced out and white.
Everybody in there were really friendly, greeting you as you walk in the door.
Dont forget to get your card stamped before you leave. Ten stamps and you get a free round trip ticket to Maui. Just kidding! Just a free poke’ bowl. But while your eating it you can dream your on Maui.
If your in this area and want to fill up on some ono grinds, this is the place to be. I’ll be trying the fo’real shake another time.

They have been here for a while now but just recently started carrying F’real shakes. Before last week they had their «F’real shakes coming soon» banners up for a bit and now it’s finally here. This is a small but yet a really nice store. When I tell my friends about this place, I would describe it to them like this in my pidgin accent «ho cuz, they get choke good grinds, bu!» haha
Give this store a look, it’s worth it. FYI, It’s located in the City Square shopping center on the ewa side of the property

This is a fairly new store in the old Gem’s area near Chuck E Cheese and Kalihi Pets. Parking is fairly plentiful. as long as the student driver’s from the DMV don’t bang your car on they way in or out.
It’s a small store, but they offer yummy poke bowls, lau lau/​kalua pig bowls, dried aku, snacks such as li hing mui and ice cream and of course the infamous F’Real shake machine.
The staff is friendly and will give you a sample of poke if you are indecisive about which poke to choose for your bowl. At $ 6.99 a poke bowl, it’s cheaper and tastier than Nico’s or Foodland.