Restaurant Review – Poke Burrito

I’m always in search of healthy, cheap, and most importantly, delicious food! This week took me to Poke Burrito in North Center, located at 4301 N Lincoln Ave. Poke Burrito has two other locations in the city, one in the South Loop and one in Oak Park. They boast fresh, healthy, ingredients that allow you to customize your meal. The restaurant itself is adorable. There’s a giant lighted marquis sign “Poke Burrito”, a row of tiny potted plants, polished wood tables, and brightly colored chairs. It is counter service, so we walked right up to check out the menu. The menu at Poke Burrito is simple. There’s a BYOB section, to either build your own bowl or build your own burrito. Flip to the other side of the menu for the House Creations section, tried and true combinations that can either be packed into a bowl or a burrito. I decided to build my own! You start by picking your size: small, medium, or large and choosing either a bowl (with a base of mixed greens, white rice, or brown rice) or a burrito (wrapped in either soy or seaweed paper). I decided to do a medium bowl with brown rice. Next, you pick from a list of ingredients (and there’s no limit to how many you can choose!). I chose to add cucumber, pineapple, sweet onion, edamame, ginger, jalapeño, and avocado. I was pleasantly surprised to see that avocado carried no extra charge! Next, you choose your sauce. They suggest you choose no more than three sauces. I chose the Spicy Aioli: spicy Sriracha blended into creamy mayonnaise and Sweet Chili: a distinctive and slightly sweet chili sauce. Next, you can choose up to THREE proteins! I chose marinated tuna and salmon. Finally, you choose what to top your bowl with; I chose tempura crunch, green onion, sesame seed, and masago (capelin roe). Since I got to choose all of the things I liked, it’s no surprise that my bowl was fantastic! But I was very impressed with the quality of the ingredients. The fish was fresh, flavorful, and plentiful. The vegetables/fruits were crispy, crunchy, and also very fresh. I especially loved the Spicy Aioli sauce! Now, I want to come back and try some of the House Creations. And I’ve got to try a Sushi Burrito at some point!

Poke Burrito is open daily from 11 am to 10 pm. They are available for delivery and take-out as well as dine-in. Find more information on their website.

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO