There’s a new poke bowl spot in town! Blue Ocean Poke recently opened in Deerfield Beach, located on Federal Hwy. & Hillsboro Blvd. They are already expanding into Boca Raton with pop-ups at the Boca Resort Beach Club and another permanent location on the way in East Boca Raton.

Blue Ocean poke was started by the Palermo family and overseeing the menu is Chef Dean Max who is a restaurateur and is about to open another restaurant called Even Keel in Ft. Lauderdale at the former Cibo location. He is well versed in seafood and sources quality fish with some seasonal variation to ensure freshness.

What is Poke?

Poke (‘POH-keh’) is Hawaiian for “to slice or cut,” poke is a raw fish salad served as an appetizer or main course in Hawaiian cuisine. The main ingredient is traditionally tuna, but variations include salmon, octopus, and shrimp. Placed on top of a bed of rice and garnished with fresh veggies, seasoning, and sauces, this is “next generation sushi”!

Blue Ocean Poke Menu

I checked out the flagship location in Deerfield. Like most fast-casual restaurants, you can choose from one of the speciality bowls (prearranged flavor combinations) or you can build your own. My sister and I decided to build our own during our visit.

There are a ton of options to choose from when building your own. First, choose a base: White Rice, Brown Rice, Quinoa, Mixed Greens, or Spinach. Then, pick your protein: Tuna, Salmon, Spicy Tuna, Shrimp, Tofu, Marinated Tofu.

Here’s the selection of toppings: Edamame, White Onion, Cucumber, Scallion, Ginger, Jalapeno, Hijiki, Carrots, Cilantro, Zucchini Noodles, Radish, Pickled Jalapeño, Pickled Cucumber, Pickled Red Onion, Alfalfa Sprouts, Sesame Seeds, Crispy Shallots, Wasabi Peas, Crispy Garlic, Furikake, Avocado, Seaweed Salad, Imitation Crab, Kimchi, Calamari Salad, Masago, Wasabi Tobiko, and Kimchi Cucumber.

Pick a sauce to bring it all together: Shoyu, GF Soy, Citrus Ponzu, Eel, Spicy Mayo, B.O.P Ginger Turmeric Sauce, and Spicy Sesame Soy Sauce.

To drink, choose from cold pressed juices, smoothies, and more! I tried the dragon fruit, coconut water, pineapple, and ginger juice. It was a good balance of sweetness and zing.

(L) white rice, salmon, cucumber, scallion, pickled ginger, sesame seeds, wasabi peas, avocado, mango, edamame, soy sauce, and spicy mayo.

This one was my bowl and it was perfect because any topping that I would want in a poke bowl was available to me.

(R) brown rice, spicy tuna, pickled ginger, sesame seeds, edamame, avocado, seaweed salad, kimchi, calamari salad, and ginger turmeric sauce.

This was my sisters bowl, I tried it and it was very good, too. On my next visit I’m going to try the ginger turmeric sauce on my bowl. I love when restaurants take super foods like turmeric and offer something interesting with it such as a sauce option.

I had a great experience at Blue Ocean Poke. The fish was fresh and they had all of my favorite fixings. The staff was nice and knowledgeable about the menu. The oceanic inspired ambience makes for a nice setting to eat in. Looking forward to going back!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary tasting at Blue Ocean Poke. All opinions are my own.

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