Big Daddy’s Poke Shack

Unfortunately I had an awful experience. I ordered a few bowls of poke from their website to be delivered in advance at 12:00PM. The online ordering was seamless thanks to ChowNow. However what followed afterwards was all Big Daddy’s. At 12:05PM I get a call from Jamie and he tells me that he’s on the way, I clarify with him that he’s running late– but honestly that’s okay life happens right? He communicates that he will be there in less than 10 minutes. Meanwhile I’m at work stepping in and out of meetings. He calls me again 15 minutes later completely lost. He sounds like he could have been inebriated, which honestly no judgment– but maybe you shouldn’t deliver food in that state. That being said I try and provide some landmarks to him and he’s still really struggling. By now it’s 12:30 and I had to step into a meeting with my boss. During this time he’s called twice– still lost.
Finally he finds the building, delivers the food but he’s almost an hour late carrying raw fish which is not a good combo in a hot car. I call Big Daddy’s 3x before I get someone on the phone. I inform the person who answers of my situation and he lets me know that he will refund me completely.
Meanwhile Jamie drove back up to my office, started speaking to the receptionist and saying, «I just delivered food to you… I just saw you… I just wanted to know where the front was.» To which she kept responding, «I don’t know who you are, you’re confusing me with someone else, I’ve never seen you before.» She said he seemed very confused and disoriented. Not to mention that’s completely strange, I already got my food why would you walk back in?
The food itself was decent, but I’m native Hawaiian so you know I’ve had better poke.
I wish this was over but it keeps going. I get a call from Jamie again at 2PM or so but I’m at work so I call him back around 4:00pm. He apologizes to me about earlier and informs me that he’s actually the owner. I let him know it’s okay as long as I’m refunded in full. He then is confused on how that was authorized and doesn’t think it’s reasonable to refund me after he was almost an hour late and completely unprofessional. He tells me I should’ve left detailed directions but we deliver food to my office all the time and never have issues. We finally get to an agreement that he will refund me but two days later no refund. So hopefully I will get my money back eventually but I thought I should let people know the unsatisfactory experience I had.

Have eaten here three times and I have throughly enjoyed their food each time. I decided to write a review because of a recent incident.
I ordered via grub hub one day and our food was about 2 ½ hours late. I wound up cancelling the order and was super upset bc I really love their food. Someone from big daddy’s poke actually reached out to us, apologized, and promised to fill our order for a us at a discounted price whenever we wanted it.
Bottom line, they have great food and great customer service!

I think eating here twice in one day should say quite something.
The food is absolutely amazing, everything taste fantastic. There are items on the menu that are already planned for you and what makes this place more unique than other poke shop is that you are able to customize your own bowl with different varieties of toppings and a main base (white rice, brown rice, Udon, Seaweed, etc.).
The place could get a little crowded and busy but the food is definitely worth the wait. These guys do deliveries up to 5 miles and up to 15 miles if there’s a heads up and no rush. Quality of the ingredients are amazing and I absolutely suggest checking this place out when you are in Venice Beach.
Trust me, this place is definitely worth checking out.

I came here during a day trip to LA with my sister and cousin… It’s conveniently located right off the boardwalk. It’s small and seating is limited but we were lucky enough to grab a table inside before the rush.
The cashier was very nice and polite as she took our order, so that was a good first impression. I ended up ordering the lil daddy tuna bowl with spicy mayo, seaweed, and avocado. Considering that poke does not have extensive cooking time, I was not happy that it took about 30 min to get. When I finally did get my order, the bowl was very mediocre. Probably the best thing about my bowl was the seaweed and avocado which is pretty sad. The tuna did not taste fresh, and the spicy mayo was too mayo-​y.
Waiting 30 min for a mediocre bowl is not my idea of fun, so I will not be back.

Tonight my girlfriend and I went to Big Daddy’s Poke Shack for the second time… we absolutely LOVE the poke bowls, and wish we would’ve discovered this place sooner!
In terms of our experience this evening…
My girlfriend is extremely indecisive and tends to take forever to order, so that can be a struggle. Then, our coupon wasn’t working correctly at first, so we ended up taking quite a long time to place our order. The whole time; Kristina, who was working behind the counter, was beyond patient and helpful. She is absolutely Lovely!
My girlfriend worked in service & hospitality for nearly a decade (primarily fine dining; management), and always critiques the restaurants we go to. Either good or bad, she will form an opinion and state it if she considers it necessary. That’s why I’m writing this post… she was so stoked on the entire experience that it simply had to be done.
As for the food: AMAZING. Fresh, tasty, and authentic. Both the ahi bowl and the salmon bowl are entirely awesome. For toppings we have tried; white mushrooms, avocado, kale, seaweed, and macadamia nuts, on white rice. All of the ingredients rocked, though we opted out of the nuts the second time around. We like all of the sauces, but the the wasabi tops the list. If you’re not sure what size to get, go with the «Big Daddy». It’s totally worth the small up charge.
As for the counter employee Kristina: very helpful, with a bright smile and upbeat attitude! She handled all of our silly little issues with ordering very politely, and was just all around Lovely.
Looking forward to going back to this place many more times in the future!

The age old debate rages on: Big Daddy, Poke Poke, or Sweetfin?! What makes this place 4 stars? Glad you asked!
The bowl: I got the Big bowl of tuna. It’s a pretty good size and comes loaded with fish. A heaping helping of tuna, with the standard onion, sesame seeds, shoyu, seaweed, and I added avocado, kimchi, and watermelon radish, all over a bed or rice. The presentation was nice and it was very flavorful without the feeling of being saturated with sauce. Would have like the avocado in cubes instead of big think slices, but it was still good. Lots of textures going on in the dish. Chowed it down and felt satisfied. At 6 ft tall and 210 pounds, I was definitely enough food for me. And did I mention it was packed with fish?!
The Ambiance: Typical Venice beach vibe. You have to look for parking, fight for a table, deal with the Venice crowds, and the occasional smelly vagrant and their dogs cruising by your table (while you eat raw fish).
The service: it’s Venice… So it’s packed and they are doing their best. People taking orders were nice and helpful and they bring the food to your table with a smile. Can’t ask for much more.
The final verdict: I haven’t had Poke Poke yet, but I don’t think you can directly compare Sweetfin and Big Daddy. All I can say they are both great! If you are in Venice and want some poke. Hit this place up!

I just got back from Kauai and discovered poke. So happy to see there is a place in the mainland that taste just as good as in the island. The aloha bowl was by far one of the best things I’ve had to eat in California this year. So glad this place also delivers in my neighborhood

Incredibly slow service!!! I saw that it’s free to add masago and ordered it but they forgot. I also asked for mangos as a side and they forgot that as well.
We were waiting and waiting for the food to come out but they never called my name. So I finally got up to ask on the status of the order and the cashier said its been ready and it was just sitting out. !!!
The food itself is decent. The portions are huge if you get the larger size. Price is decent. Just really bad service.

Had the ahi poke with pineapples. It was delicious – in fact, it made me contemplate moving to SoCal. I asked for the tuna to be seared a little bit, but they cooked it all the way through. No complaints though, I still gobbled it up. Also ordered a spam musubi, and was surpised it came with a salad. That was good as well.
Got the Unilocal check in deal with the free juice. The lady at the counter was helpful and enthusiastic, and seemed quite enthusiastic about my first time being there. Definitely check this out when you’re in the Venice/​Santa Monica area. Well worth the (short) drive.

Went back for a second time and had a great experience. Like before the staff was nice and happy, but the music was lower. I just felt my overall experience was great. It’s still a bit shacky for my taste and wish they had some pre-​designed bowl options, but my poke was super fresh and left really satisfied.

Me and my sister came here today and it was DELICIOUS! I got an ahi tuna bowl with pineapple seaweed rice tomatoes OMG my mouth is watering typing it. Hands down best poke ever and the people that worked there were so nice great first experience.

Ordered a big daddy with tuna, all the free house items, plus seaweed and mango. The tina was fresh and plentiful and there were a lot of mango pieces. They did not skimp on the sides.
We also ordered another big daddy with tuna and brown rice, with seaweed and watermelon radish. Again, there was plenty of tuna but I didn’t get that many watermelon radish. Would’ve liked a little bit more of this side.
We ordered lot dishes with the sriracha aioli and it did get a bit spicy in the end. Not complaining though because it went well with the fish.
This place is cute and I would come back if I was in the area. The service is quick and everyone is nice.
Bang for your buck: definitely get the big daddy. It comes with a lot of fish and sides and will fill you up. It’s pretty easy to order with pictures and step by step direction on the menu.

Did a day trip to LA and decided to hit up Venice. Unilocaled for a poke place and this place caught my attention! This place was right next to the boardwalk and since we did bike rentals it was even closer getting to the destination.
First poke place to have edamame in my poke and I was amazed! And decided to be bold and add charred pineapples to my poke and it opened my eyes. This was a successful first time and the people were quick to serving even though it was busy!
The place is small but luckily found seating quicker than most. They have an offer of a free drink when checking in. Can you say sweet?!

Let me preface this by saying I really liked the food and would come back here for it.
The reason why the stars aren’t more is bc of the service. We waited almost a half an hr for 2 bowls and 1 spam musubi. Towards the end of waiting, someone came up to us to say they’ll bring out the food when the musubi was done which is weird bc I saw other ppl get their musubi while they were eating their bowls. I think that was a lie to cover up them forgetting our order. Ppl who arrived after us got their food right when we did so you know it doesn’t take that long to make. It would have been nice for them to just be honest about it.

— Locale Destination —
It’s on Windward Ave and Pacific Ave in Venice.
It’s on the right side of building, under the famous «Venice» sign. Across from the coffee shop next to «Mao’s».
Ambiance: very small and cozy. A few tables inside and outside.
Service: friendly
Menu: MYO poke bowl, grilled fish bowls, teriyaki chicken bowl, hand rolls, salad, acai bowl, smoothie ($ 7 w boost, no sugar added. All fresh).
— Make your own poke bowl —
1) Pick the «Size»:
lil daddy — it’s a small size (probably less than 12 oz salad container). It’s super tiny. Lot smaller than the small size in any OC poke places.
Big daddy — large size. It was «medium» size at most poke places in OC. Probably 16 oz salad bowl. Very small for $ 12 and way overpriced. It’s a lot smaller than medium size portion (for fish) in any OC poke places.
2) Pick «Bottom»: white rice or brown rice
3) Pick «Fish»: tuna and salmon. Half&half costs $ 1 extra. Very little portion.
4) Pick «Toppings»: Ginger, cucumber, onion, green onion, sesame oil, sesame seeds, chili flakes are «on the house».
Pick 2 extra toppings: nothing like the ones you see in OC nor typical ones for poke. It’s so hippie/​Venice — sprouts, mushroom, carrots, fennel… Who does that?! It’s more like for salad in Venice, not for poke. It’s way too weird. «Seaweed» is seaweed salad.
Parking: it’s tough to find it around here. The parking cop often gives tickets around here. But right off the circle, lots of free street parking.
Discount: for Unilocal check in. Use it!
— Gluttony Expedition —
Ahi poke bowl: tuna was fresh but too little portion — even for the large size. The seasoning (wasabi soy) didn’t have much flavor and definitely lacked in wasabi flavor. I couldn’t taste any wasabi. The toppings were marinated some sort of light dressing, which wasn’t bad. But the topping choices were way too bizarre for poke. I picked seaweed and pea sprouts. I felt like eating salad with very little tuna, not so much of poke bowls. I couldn’t even finish the half. Disappointing as «poke bowl».
— Conqueror’s Deduction —
Poke bowls seem to be better in OC.
They claim to be «Hawaiian» poke, but it was nothing like the one in Hawaii. It’s even a lot different from chipotle style poke, too. It’s more like joining the poke popularity nowadays with twists for Venice clientele.
It’s way too overpriced and not so good poke. Very disappointing. It might be good for poke novice. But if you tried a lot already, you wouldn’t like it.
Poke bowl ranking:
1. Cloud (Fullerton. Fresh fish, not frozen, all tasty and original sauces)
2. Northshore poke co (Huntington beach. Tasty yet they start using frozen, no longer fresh fish)
3. Pokinometry (Anaheim. Not tasty but give you portion)
4. Poke Cali (Costa Mesa. Not tasty)
5. Here
6. Ola Hawaiian BBQ (Placentia. Bleh)

Service: 5 stars. super nice customer service!
taste: 3.5 stars. This rating could probably be better though depending on what ingredients you choose. The one time I’ve been here I made my own bowl with Ahi Tuna, Pineapples, and kale. I usually like kale, but I realized not in poke. The big pieces and bitterness threw off the taste of the bowl. Although everyone was really nice, they did forget part of my order, but I believe they had only opened for a few months at the time (this was around July this year). Their bowl-​making process could have been more efficient and organized, it seemed everyone kept running into each other trying to get ingredients. Every new place has some kinks to work out though, and they have probably improved since then.
If I actually lived in this area, I would give it another chance. Because they have really friendly customer service and their management/​owner really seems to care about their customers.

Tonight I learned that money can buy happiness. How? Money can buy you poke bowls!
They pack a lot of food into one of their small $ 9 bowls. It has cubed, dark red ahi tuna that is supposedly flown in from Hawaii. The fish is tossed in 1 of 3 sauce choices (I picked traditional shoyu) and you get one topping (I picked seaweed salad). It also has sliced onions, edamame, sesame seeds and thin strips of cucumber mixed in… all served on a bed of warm white or brown rice! So much delicious food for a great price… and they give you 15% off with a Unilocal check-​in. A bit salty but still awesome.
I also tried the salmon version of the poke which was great. Not too fatty salmon with a nice mild flavor, and a bit less salty than the tuna poke bowl I had. I added avocado for $ 1 to the salmon bowl, and WOW, they gave me an ENTIRE fresh avocado, not just a few bits. Amazing!
They also have seared and grilled fish here, majorly big salads, acai bowls, smoothies, and giant hand rolls. I love that they have a ton of Hawaiian drinks imported from the islands and even Island Princess brand bags of macadamia nut cookies.
They are even open until 3AM if you want a healthy late night meal. Fast food has never been so good!

Such a disappointment :(My first one star review (for food)
Got a groupon deal with $ 18 and was excited to try this place because I LOVE poke bowls! Went to the place on a Monday evening and there was free street parking after 6pm. Ordered two small poke bowls ($ 9 each) and asked for half salmon and half tuna. The total came out to be almost $ 22 something and when I asked the cashier why, he said it was only because of tax. Didn’t make sense for tax to be an extra $ 4.I wanted to ask him again but he was quite rude. I decided to ask another worker and she said it was because half salmon/​tuna costs an extra $ 1. Okay, thanks for lying to me cashier #1!
I waited for my poke bowls but my name wasn’t called until I asked about the status of my order and turns out they forgot to call my name.
I get my order, go home, and what do I get? TINY bowls with seriously bad poke… the tuna and salmon really looked like they were out for a while. NOT FRESH :(. Ended up throwing it away because it really tasted bad.
Seriously disappointed. without the Groupon deal, each tiny poke bowl would’ve cost $ 11 after tax.

This place was really really really really disappointing.
I came around 1pm on a Monday afternoon and oh my goodness, parking was IMPOSSIBLE to find. I guess I should’ve expected this because Big Daddy’s is located right at the beach, so obviously parking is going to be a huge issue. After driving around for 10 minutes we finally found a parking space about 3 – 4 blocks away (2 hour limit).
Big Daddy’s is a very small store and there are only a few tables available for customers to sit right out front.
The options are Regular or Large and you have to pick either Salmon or Tuna (I think they had other fish options available but those didn’t really interest me). For a Regular bowl you can choose one topping. Getting a large bowl doesn’t mean you get more fish, it just means more rice and additional toppings. If you have a large appetite I would recommend skipping the Large and just get something elsewhere because you will definitely be hungry afterwards.
I got the Regular Salmon bowl with Seaweed Salad and added avocado (extra $) and Chiptole Aioli sauce. I told them to go light on the sauce but when the bowl came out it was DRENCHED in sauce… I kindly told them to remake my bowl. 10minutes later (my friend was pretty much done with his bowl by then), my new bowl finally came out but they forgot the avocado. Are you serious. So they had to go re-​make me a third bowl. This time they finally had it right but my friend was done eating and watched me as I hurled the bowl down my throat as quickly as possible.
The quality of the fish here is terrible. The salmon pieces were big, but they were not of good quality. So disappointing. Sad to say, but I don’t think I’ll come back again. I do have to give a shout out to the employees here though, they’re very friendly – hence the extra star.

Totally hyped up. I’ve had much, much better.
We opted for the big daddy size w/​seaweed salad base (+$ 1), ahi tuna, kimchee & seaweed & avocado (+$ 1) toppings & house shoyu sauce. Even with our 15% off check in offer, it came out to $ 13 and some change. Once ordered, it took an unusually long time to assemble our bowl! We waited for about 5 – 7 mins when we thought it would be super quick.
We took it to go to eat it on the beach & were immediately saddened when we opened the lid! The tuna pieces were way too big. Usually poke is cubed in small pieces but these were maybe 3 – 4 times bigger than that! More like chunks! I wouldn’t have minded if the cuts were fresh and good. Ours were really chewy and the color was not bright red. The kimchee was too mild, not spicy at all. The avocado was a good amount & the seaweed salad was decent.
Next time I’ll skip this joint & try a different one along the boardwalk.
Edit: Jamie, I appreciate your prompt response but I was visiting from out of town and we walked quite far from your place after we ordered so I did not want to come back and make a fuss. I wrote the review based on my opinion of the quality & hope that my experience was just a misnomer. Thank you for your offer but I will have to pass on the credit.