Even if you don't live near Kent, Saimin Says is an excellent, no-frills Hawaiian diner that’s worth the drive. Its thickly chopped tako (octopus) poke is full of texture and a bit of kimchi tang, a perfect appetite builder for a juicy lau lau plate lunch. You can even wash it down with a Hawaiian Sun Lilikoi Iced Tea or Guava Nectar.

The staff here are friendly (personal poke cheerleaders helping you toward raw fish victory), the prices are reasonable, and the food is undeniably fresh — what more do you need? Oh, you also need the lemonade.

Poke legend Sam Choy has been furthering the cause of Hawaiian cuisine for years — he even founded the Poke Festival and Recipe Contest in 1991. Now, in time to ride the wave he helped inspire, the godfather of poke has restaurants in Hillman City and Tacoma to complement a food truck. The velvety salmon poke in a lunch plate with seaweed-seasoned rice is a winner, as is a poke sandwich wrap for anyone feeling experimental.

With satisfyingly large portions and a sterling reputation for carrying some of the finest seafood in town, this fish market will make you think you're sitting on the shores of Lahaina. The tender tako (octopus) poke is sliced nice and thick, marinated delicately with seasoned shoyu, and blended perfectly with a side of seaweed and rice.

Come lunchtime, starved office workers descend upon Chinatown's only dedicated poke spot. Run by brothers from Hawaii with fishing connections, Gopoke presents its super-fresh, flavorful poke in a whimsical setting, and the staff are friendly, attentive, and eager to please. This is a serious contender for top poke place in town.

It's pretty barebones, but Poke Alice quickly became the lunch break go-to for office workers in need of a fish fix thanks to quick service, helpful staff, and consistent quality. The menu is roughly in the Chipotle fast-casual presentation, with customization options to indulge personal tastes, and a second location now serves more of the lunch crowd in Denny Triangle.

For the best upscale poke in Seattle, try Sushi Kashiba in the Market. Sushi legend Shiro Kashiba stepped out of his second retirement to establish this high-end yet surprisingly cozy location, where sashimi-grade ahi is sliced into cubes in a picturesque tower and lightly sauced with a bright flying fish roe pop of color and texture.

Poke connoisseurs are falling for this recent Belltown addition. Any hype is well deserved, as the freshness of the ingredients lives up to the name (which stands for "fresh off the boat"), and the staff is quite knowledgeable. Sure, the tender ahi, salmon, and yellowtail go great with a special shoyu sauce, but even the house rice is strangely addicting, infused as it is with matcha green tea and coconut.

Behind the racks of candy bars and chips at this shop, there's a little poke bar, and it's driving fans wild. Seriously, this is probably the city's gold standard for poke, and everyone knows it. All the product is delivered daily by a local distributor, which removes the element of fear from convenience-store sushi. Make sure to get there early though. This place tends to run out of food before the day is done.

Iconic Seattle sushi chef Hiroshi Egashira's latest venture is Hiroshi’s Poke, drawing hungry crowds for its oversized portions, friendly service, and some of the freshest fish around. Large, vibrant bowls of poke feature Hawaiian mainstays like lomi-lomi salmon (a tomato and salmon salad) alongside unexpected items like octopus kimchi.

A poke haven for Seattle's northern denizens, Ono Poke wears its island influence on its sleeve, inviting guests to come say “Howzit” to Hawaiian owner and namesake Steven Ono. Instead of endless topping options, Ono hews to the traditional understanding of poke, serving minimal bowls of fresh fish marinated in a cool poke glaze or over a bed of rice. It might just be the closest thing to Hawaiian poke available on the mainland.