The Poke House fast casual eatery offers South Florida diners a fresh take on the wildly popular traditional Hawaiian seafood dish already well established on the West Coast. With an all-star team led by former Director of Operations of SBE Hospitality (SLS Hotels, Katsuya, Hyde) Memphis Garrett, coupled with a relaxed ambiance and the freshest seafood and ingredients, The Poke House is poised to become one of Fort Lauderdale’s go-to eateries for fast, fresh and affordable cuisine.

For The Poke House, Garrett has partnered with an impressive roster of talent including Chef Jeremy Powell, formerly of Hyde Beach Kitchen & Cocktails and Katsuya South Beach; restaurateur David Cardaci (Whole Enchilada and Rhythm & Vine); Jason “Archie” Armstrong (Avoir Caviar and The Distinct Company, Inc.); LA-based Artie & Sara Baxter and Peter Walsh; and actor AJ Buckley, most known for his role as Adam Ross on “CSI: NY.”

While the Fort Lauderdale location is the first, Garrett and his team have plans to open five additional outposts throughout Florida.

“We are excited to bring the poke concept to the Fort Lauderdale community and give our customers healthy, delicious food and attentive service seven days a week,” says Garrett.

All images appearing in this post photographed by Holli Lapes, property of TheSoFlaSage.com

With seating for up to 45, The Poke House is a vibrant, casual eatery combining rustic charm with a clean, modern edge.  Reclaimed wood and grass walls frame the space, while white subway tiles, whitewashed flooring and quartz countertops create a fresh contemporary feel.

Sea blue ceilings, neon signage and parrot wallpaper add a fun sense of whimsy and guests can enjoy their meals at the communal surfboard tables, one of the butcher block tables with taupe leather banquettes, or at the back bar.

Traditionally, a poke bowl is a Hawaiian based dish featuring diced sushi grade tuna marinated in soy and sesame, but poke has evolved into an explosion of styles and ingredients. At The Poke House, Chef Powell has created an innovative poke-centric menu.  Guests can begin their culinary experience by choosing from a selection of proteins including tuna, salmon, Hamachi and tofu.  From there, diners can build their own bowl by selecting a base of steamed white rice, quinoa or kale and then choosing from over 20 sauces and toppings including chipotle mayo, aji amarillo lime, crispy lotus, black radish and more.

Those seeking direction in their poke experience can opt for one of the creative poke bowls, each inspired by a different region!

Sunset Beach Hawaii

Venice Beach Cali

Punta Hermosa Peru

In addition to poke bowls, the restaurant also features creative culinary delights like Pipeline Nachos – pico-marinated fish served atop wonton chips with baby kale, avocado, cream cheese, chipotle mayo, black radish and masago; Mavericks Tacos – fresh catch served in house made crispy tortillas with chipotle mayo, purple cabbage, avocado mousse, green onion, sour cream and red radish; and North Shore Steam Buns – daily catch marinated in spicy passionfruit-ginger sauce cushioned in a Togarashi steam bun, topped with Kimchi, avocado puree, seaweed nori and crispy sweet potato.

Pipeline Nachos

North Shore Steam Buns

With a beverage program overseen by Chevy Farrell, formerly of Hyde Beach Kitchen & Cocktails, The Poke House offers a large selection of sake, available both on draft and by the bottle; white and rosè wine on draft and Big Island microbrew beers from Kona Brewing Company.  Farrell also features a rotating selection of sake infusions such as mango-habanero sake and charred pineapple sake, as well as specialty sake cocktails.

Rounding out the menu are sweet treats including Chocolate Mousse with reese’s chips, vanilla whipped cream and shaved chocolate and Poke Sweet Fruit – sake infused fruit, poke sweet gelée, coconut foam and hazelnuts.

We love the concept and are so happy to have The Poke House join the multicultural landscape in Ft. Lauderdale! We are pretty obsessed with the pipeline nachos and will be back for more 😉

Located at 666 Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale in Victoria Park / close by Peter Feldman Park/ FAT Village area, The Poke House is open for lunch and dinner seven days per week from 11AM to 10PM. Instagram: @thepokehouse. Website: www.thepokehouse.com

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All images appearing in this post photographed by Holli Lapes, property of TheSoFlaSage.com

Disclaimer: I received complimentary dinner tasting at The Poke House.