Poke, long a favorite snack in Hawaii and on the West Coast, has made its way east to D.C. One of the businesses at the forefront of the poke rush is Poke Papa (806 H St. NW), a new fast-casual restaurant that opened in earl April. It aims to both acquaint Washingtonians with traditional poke and challenge perceptions of what the dish can be.
Poke Papa owner Kerry Chao started working in restaurants at age 13, when he helped his mother at her food court Chinese restaurant in Missouri. With Poke Papa, Chao has created something that he’s confident will attract D.C.’s health-conscious, discerning, and time-crunched eaters. DCist had the opportunity to stop by and chat with Chao about his new project and taste around the varied menu.
For the unfamiliar, the concept of poke is derived from the word’s meaning “to portion” or “to cut.” It’s often made with tuna and white rice, but fish is far from the only way to go. Poke Papa aims to satisfy many tastes by offering a variety of seafood, including tuna and salmon, as well as options for vegetarians (tofu) or those who prefer meat (Thai chicken salad) over seafood.
Poke Papa’s menu includes signature ($11.49 to $12.99) and custom bowls ($7.49 to $12.99) that are priced on a sliding scale based on the number of scoops of protein you chose, from zero to four. Flavors are rooted in both Hawaiian and Asian cooking.
Each bowl begins with a base of either salad or white, brown, or black “forbidden” rice ($1 extra). Next come the proteins, which include fresh ahi or spicy tuna, lomi salmon, shrimp, scallops, and more. Proteins can be dressed with eight different sauces, ranging from spicy “molten lava” and kochujang to yuzu ponzu and sweet or wasabi shoyu (soy). From there you can go to town on unlimited free toppings like edamame, jalapeno, pineapple, and watermelon radish (add $2 for avocado). And for a final flare, pick a crunchy garnish from shakers of furikake, fried garlic, seasame seeds, and other finishing touches.
With all the choices, it’s no surprise that Chao encourages mixing and matching, even when ordering a pre-selected option.
“I really push [customers] to try and create their own,” he says, noting that ahi tuna and the lomi salmon have been his top-selling proteins.
Chao says his favorite bowl is the Da Grinds ($12.99), a simple seafood mix of ahi tuna poke, lomi salmon, spicy tuna, ceviche, and jalapeno. The Volcano is also a good (albeit spicy) decision, with spicy tuna, jalapeno, masago, cilantro, scallions, cucumber, molten lava sauce, and seasame seeds.
It sounds like a lot to keep track of, but aside from running low on rice on one occasion in the early going, Chao says he’s been able to keep up with demand and keep the ingredients on the menu without running short.
Along with the food, Poke Papa offers a variety of craft sodas and other nonalcoholic beverages. There are also plans to introduce an ice cream bun dessert in the near future.
One big strength of Poke Papa’s concept is that it makes it easy for diners to experiment and even harder for them to screw up. All of the ingredients here work well together, so you don’t have to think too hard about putting together a cohesive and tasty bowl. Nothing on the menu seems out of place. With so many combinations available, Poke Papa is anything but boring, making it a prime candidate for a quick and healthy meal downtown that you can come back to time and again.
Poke Papa is located at 806 H St. NW. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
