Ahi Assassins Fish

WOW and YUM!
Words can’t describe the positive experience I had at Ahi Assassins over the weekend.
We had a bit of a hard time finding the place, as it’s located UPSTAIRS above FrostCity in the corner.
My boyfriend and I were greeted warmly by the counter person, and we were given samples of their fresh poke. Everyone working there was extremely helpful and hospitable, and generous. They even gave us a nice sample of their stuffed fish with crab. It was delicious!
We both ordered poke bowls (we were able to mix-​n-​match different types of poke) and it only totaled $ 14! The counter person then offered us a taste of their smoked marlin dip which was to die for. It’s seriously addicting. I would recommend it to anyone.
Overall: amazing customer service and superb product. What more could you want?

The people who work here are really nice. But I got the marlin dip — since it was so highly recommended on Unilocal — and it was so salty it was nearly inedible. I am very disappointed as I feel like I wasted 8 dollars.

We got a recommendation from a local. The halibut dip is amazing. All the food was so fresh and unique. The proprietors were so generous and inviting. Ahi assassins is a must try!!!

a bit hard to find (no sign), top of the stairs and left side toward the end. have some pre-​mixed and will mix some on the spot for you to your liking. The Hawaiian style with limu as well as the spicy Hawaiian types were excellent. they do catering, B2B, or you can take if over to the beer lab. also have a sweet smoked ahi dip.

All I can say is that Ahi Assassins is dangerously close to where I live and work! It’s hard to resist a fresh poke bowl and they have probably the best poke on this island. The fish is so fresh and they have a good selection of different poke. I personally love the shoyu garlic ahi and the spicy ahi. I’ve also tried their smoked Marlin dip and it was sooo good! This place is a little hidden as its upstairs from Frost City. Be sure to grab your poke earlier on in the day before they run out!

Poke caught here. I’ve always wondered why places fly stuff in… Made fresh with fresh ingredients. The poke looked so good. No mushy slimy foodland crap flown in from somewhere else. The veggies so crisp and fresh and crunchy. Simple basic ingredients like auntie use to use before she passed away. Best poke I’ve had since.
I’m allergic to eggs, dairy and wheat. So I’m super concerned about what I eat. I hate going to restaurants because I have to be that person everybody hates that asks about ingredients or needs stuff prepared special for me. However, The young braddah behind the counter was awesome. He was able to recommend what I could try and was able to tell me what I couldn’t have because he actually knew what the ingredients were. His recommendations were perfect. And he made me some fresh poke right there. So helpful and pleasant.
Prices were great. Anywhere else you would pay twice as much for lower quality.
I highly recommend this place. I hope they keep it just like it is. I’ll be back again and again and again. When you go make sure you tip good so we can keep the good staff.

You won’t see the sign from the street because they don’t have one. It gives the place a hole in the wall feel. Just look for Copyhut on Beretania near University and go upstairs.
They open from 11am to 5pm, the owner said because they are usually slow. But in my opinion it’s definitely not because of the food. I rate their poke in my top 5 of all time.
If it’s your first time here you’ll want to try the aku bone, pake poke, or poi crunch. And the fact that they have brown rice is a plus!

You must try their smoked marlin dip. It’s to die for.
Their poke bowls also very good.
If you don’t know about this place you probably won’t know it exists. It’s near pucks alley in the building on the second floor next to burger king.
Use Google maps to find them
They do only takeout

I always come here whenever I’m in the area.
There’s so many things I love about this place. The fish is fresh… The cold and hot items are delicious.
My favorite item on the menu is the fried bones with the Shoyu vinegar sauce. So Ono. As the Japanese would say, Oishii Desunee!
One of their specialties is the smoked Marlin dip. That’s the stuff bruh.
The portions at this place, I’d say are a good size. May be big for some people. Ahi bones are huggee.
What really keeps me coming back to a place is the quality of service. The service here is a reflection of the quality of ownership and leadership of the owner and his wife.
Sometimes this place can get pretty busy so be aware that wait times can be a while, especially if it’s a hot item.
I am never disappointed with the food or the service at this place. I have never been let down and can almost guarantee that you won’t either.
Ahi assassins gets the 2 thumbs up, 100%, A+ review from me.
Oh, and if they ain’t open, they gone finishing my baddah

I’ve been wanting to try them for a long time. Wish I tried sooner. No lie the poke broke da mouth! The only negative is they let you sample and you can’t decide what to order. Best poke bowl on Oahu.

Let me sum up our experience in one word;
(wait, does that count?) :)
Seriously, our first visit began with friendly welcomes, samples of EVERY poke variety, and a magical sweet desert treat.
Probably the best poke I’ve ever had and I took their recommendation on the crab stuffed ahi, which was to die for.
Delicious food and amazing customer service got this place my 5 star rating.

Stayed here for 6 weeks and towards the end of my trip I’m kick my myself for not coming here daily for my poke.
I ate poke from everywhere for lunch. Ahi assassin I’m told catches their own fish. Their prices for fresh fish is cheaper than the markets. Definitely go to these guys.
I didn’t try the hot food, but I’m sure it’s good. I only went for poke.
If you see that it’s or just ask them to make some more.
Defiantly coming back here when I come back again

Fresh poke at reasonable prices with very friendly staff, willing to let you taste test all of their selections. The poke was definitely fresh and I liked their different take on poke style like the pake poke.
I can’t say that it was the best but it was very good and I will definitely come again. As for some constructive crticism, I didn’t like that there was no where to sit down to eat and the poke was over hot rice. By the time I got to eat, the poke was warm. I recommend asking to have your poke in a separate container.
Also, 3 scoops of rice is overkill. I would suggest 2 scoops with a side of kim chee or mac salad. I think that would make the poke bowl a lot more balanced.
Now back to the good stuff. Their ahi and marlin dip is amazing. I tried both at a party and loved it. Overall very good place for poke and will be back to try the cooked dishes.

Whoa! I walked into this nondescript storefront and there were a couple of fresh ahi being cut up. My kind of place! Now I know how the tourists who frequent the harbor in Homer feel when they see me filleting halibut and salmon on the back of my boat.
Excellent selections of different poke, and a hot plate menu to boot! The thing that caught my eye was the fried ahi bone plate. My mom and dad used to make this all the time. There is nothing quite as heavenly as ahi bone seasoned with Hawaiian salt, fried crispy in a cast iron pan, and accompanied with generous scoops of poi. A little Maui onion, chili pepper water, and alae salt, and I’m done!
Next time I come, I’m bringing poi and all the fixings.

The fish is fresh but the seasoning is WAY too salty in my opinion (at least for the Hawaiian style one). Felt like I was spooning salt into my mouth. Which is such a pity because the fish was clearly quite fresh. I will give this place another shot sometime, but maybe try one of their cooked/​grilled items…
I also requested for brown rice instead of white but that didn’t happen.

Whenever I need a quick fix on fresh fish I will run for Ahi Assasins. Located at the corner of Puck’s Alley in Moiliili on the second floor above Snow Factory. Often times you park and see a line. This is a PICK UP no dining tables or chairs.
I have yet to try the cooked fish, they have furikake coated, kama and many more. You can also buy a bag of bones. There is a selection of poke from my ultimate fave as the «Hawaiian.»
The guys there are super friendly and make you feel comfortable. The last 3x I have been there the Ahi served was freshly caught the night before. Oh and I will tell you this will melt in your mouth. Don’t forget to grab the smoked ahi or marlin dip to eat with chips, as they say here on the islands «broke da mouth»

For my 700^th review I wanted to write about a 5 star business, and so the timing is perfect to tell you about this amazing hole-​in-​the-​wall establishment.
Ahi Assassins has been in business for almost a year now, and they have recently experienced a surge in business thanks to being recently featured on Cheap Eats (local TV show on K5/​Hawaii News Now). That is good for them, but bad for us because now it’s harder to find parking and the wait for food is longer. But, that should not dissuade you from coming here! It’s well worth the effort.
The ahi here is fresh as can be. How can? Because it’s fresh off the boat, literally. They catch their own fish, and it goes straight from the boat to the business.
What else is great about this place? It’s hella cheap! $ 12 for a pound of fresh poke. WHAT?! Yup.
If raw fish is not your thing, they do have several cooked items on the menu. These take longer to prepare since everything is made to order, so scan the pics on Unilocal and phone in your order ahead of time.
Don’t leave here without taking home their smoked marlin dip!

After finishing some errands earlier this morning in downtown Honolulu, we went out in search for lunch. I opened my handy-​dandy Unilocal app to my bookmark list as we started to drive East towards the University area. I noticed the entry for Ahi Assassins Fish Co. popped up as we neared the McCully-​Moiliili neighborhoods.
We were drawn to this shop because they feature fresh line-​caught ahi tuna, mahimahi and ono (Wahoo) in their Hawaiian poke, sashimi or fillets as well as in several of their daily hot or cold specialties. Previous reviews from fellow Unilocal friends who have been here either raved or pooh-​poohed them. So, it was about time that we’d give them a try. The shop is located UPSTAIRS in this older small strip mall. Warning: There are No elevators in this ADA non-​compliant building. There are several parking stalls that can accommodate the several businesses here.
When we arrived there were two people standing outside of the door front waiting for their orders. Mind you, we understood that this shop is a NOT a restaurant, so there are no tables or chairs for you to sit and dine. It is strictly a shop that cleans, prepares and sells fish. Immediately upon entry, we were greeted by a friendly and cheery woman who offered us samples of poke as we quickly studied their chalkboard menu and gazed into their display case. She even offered us samples because this was our first visit and we showed our indecision. There were several «flavors» or styles of ahi-​tuna based poke to choose from ranging from soy or oyster sauce to spicy. Also, there is an option for either steamed white rice or brown rice.
We drove over to Kapiolani Park to sit and dine under some shady trees with our impromtu picnic.
THE FOOD:
Both of our poke bowls were based with hot steamed white rice. The cost per bowl was $ 7 for generous portions and $ 1/​canned beverage of your choice, non-​alcoholic, of course.
— Combination of Shoyu (soy sauce) Garlic and Spicy Hawaiian poke: I found the fish texture of the Shoyu Garlic poke to be a bit mushy, but it was flavored quite well. I suppose that the enzymes in the soy sauce broke down the fish flesh as the pokes were pre-​made. The Spicy Hawaiian had a good chile kick, sliced round onion, limu (seaweed), inamona (roasted kukui nut & salt) and mayonnaise. Both pokes had nice big chunks of fish… both flavors/​styles were different (in a good way) from our usual spot, Ono Seafood.
— Combination of Spicy Ahi and Spicy Hawaiian poke bowl: My husband ordered this as his lunch as comparison. He usually can tolerate eating hot chile peppers, hot sauce (Sriracha, Tabasco, Red Devil… etc) better than me and from the sample that we tried, the spice level was just right. His spicy ahi poke also had nice big chunks of fish. But, after several bites, he said that he couldn’t taste anything OTHER than the spicy-​hot chile and to make it worse, I noticed that there were several thick strands of inedible fish sinew (?) that he pulled from several chunks of fish. Perhaps the excess sinew was an indicator of the part of the fish used in the poke or less diligence with trimming the fish??!
Service, prices and value was good for this shop. However, for us, the poke flavor-​style and texture of the ahi missed their mark.
#363

Came here in the early evening after work and was excited to give this place a try :) I’d read such great things about this place here on Unilocal :)
Staff are really nice and welcoming, and humble and unassuming. So humble that you really wouldn’t be able to tell the owner IS the owner .)
NOPE, NOT A RESTAURANT: It’s a buy fish, plate lunches, and poke kind of place! A very small hole in the wall, the order counter is straight ahead immediately when you walk in with the poke case on the right. There is just enough room for a few bodies.
PLACE YOUR ORDER: Order at the counter, pay for it, and if you order something from their hot items menu, you’d wait outside in the walkway until done. There is no place to eat inside the store or outside the door. Please note they’re CASH ONLY.
MENU: They have 2 black menu boards on each wall, 1) one on the left for hot (cooked) items, and 2) another to the right for their poke case which holds various flavored poke choices.
MORE SEASONING: Simple unsalted Diamond Head soda crackers taste really good to me and I don’t like over-​salted foods but there’s something about their seasoning methods that needs some adjusting. Seasoning is important to bring out the flavor in food ingredients. Perhaps their foods just need a little more salt and pepper?!
Here’s what I ordered or tried:
1) FISH BONES —
For the price, this would be a really good deal if there were more fish meat on the fish bones! Their fried fish bones needed a bit more seasoning (salt and pepper). It was almost fishy.
2) AHI CURRY NUGGETS —
What you get are bites. They’re poke-​sized chunks of ahi that have been battered and fried then added to a bed of rice with curry on top of the bites on top of the rice.
The ahi bites were dry and over-​cooked. They were not seasoned well-​enough and did not taste like they were made from fresh fish.
The curry taste and fries were good. (I got fries instead of rice.)
3) POKE —
If you ask, they’ll let you try their poke. The poke flavor names were nice and tasted ok but were kinda dark colored rather than a nice red and somehow didn’t quite hit the tastes-​really-​good mark so I didn’t buy any. Again, probably just needed more seasoning?
PLEASE ANSWER THE PHONE —
They don’t answer their phone so if you have an issue with your order, you’d have to go there. I still need to go there to let them know what happened with my order.
PARKING/​STORE LOCATION IN BLDG —
Located across Kinko’s (now FedEx) and the triangle-​shaped park that Longs Drugs Moiliili sits on along one-​way Beretania Street.
Parking seems to always be quite full but there’s always 1 or 2 spaces open. Park in the lot fronting the bldg then walk to the left to reach the bldg stairs. Go up the stairs to the 2^nd floor, take a right, then walk to the end of that walkway. Door is on the left just before end of that walkway.
2 STARS —
I really enjoy the taste of the poke at Foodland, Safeway, various restaurants, and made by my more culinary friends so I do know what really tasty poke is like plus I consume raw and cooked fish all the time. Perhaps this is a lot about their seasoning methods. In any case, I’m going to rate them with 2 stars for now. I am hoping that the taste of their products improve next time I’m there. Wondering whether I was just there on a bad day?!

It happened AGAIN. With many of my Unilocal friends raving over this place I had to try it so I came with a friend on a weekday for lunch. Sad to report I walked away so disappointed…
Luckily we found parking so we ventured up the stairs to the door with a short line outside with promising aroma. I glanced at the menu as well as the showcase of the premixed poke selection. We ordered our food and here’s what we tried:
Baked Ahi Stuffed with Crab (²⁄₅)
Overkill. Too much seasoning with various sauces and toss in furikake equal confusion. Couldn’t taste the ahi. You order fish and see imitation crab and an assortment of eye catching colors. Some people may enjoy this type of dish but wasn’t to my liking. I do like that you have the option of white or brown rice here but regardless I want to taste fish when ordering fish, not a powerful mixture of seasonings.
Spicy Ahi Poke Bowl (¹⁄₅)
I don’t know where to start. Perhaps I’m spoiled by made-​to-​order fresh poke at Kyung’s or Maguro Brothers? I lived 3 years in Japan along the Sea of Japan and ate fresh fish of good quality all the time? My poke bowl was so awful.
My spicy Ahi was premade so they scooped generously over the rice and I paid for it. With nowhere to sit we drove to Ward McDonald’s to order a drink and ate our food. When I took out my poke bowl it was so warm. I then realized the poke was served over HOT rice and covered with a lid and this partially cooked the fish!
My first impression: mushy. Texture was awful. It was not the fish quality that I am used to eating. Flavor of the spicy Ahi was okay but nothing to write home about. But as I ate I would recall the soft mushy texture of the tuna. MAJOR FAIL.
SMOKED MARLIN DIP (⁴⁄₆)
With high ratings I’m glad that this was decent. I enjoyed the smoked flavor along with the marlin. Good balance but I was hoping for some texture contrast. It was smooth but wanted a crunch to go along with it.
Service was really good and the wait wasn’t that long. When I came here it was CASH ONLY so make sure to stop by the ATM.
Although the poke may be cheaper here I’d rather pay extra and eat at Maguro Brothers or Kyung’s poke.
I believe in giving businesses another chance but I’m not eager to return here soon.