REVIEW: Atlantic Poke puts delicious modern spin on traditional sushi

Poke+is+a+type+of+deconstructed+sushi.+You+get+to+pick+exactly+what+you+want%2C+like+an+Asian-style+Chipotle.

Courtesy Atlantic Poke

“Poke” is a type of deconstructed sushi. You get to pick exactly what you want, like an Asian-style Chipotle.

Marissa Helms, Staff Writer

If you’re looking for a healthy, Asian-style option for a quick meal, Atlantic Poke is the pit stop of your dreams. Located in Shrewsbury, with great food and a cool atmosphere, it’s the perfect spot for a meal with friends or to study alone.

Poke itself is a type of deconstructed sushi. The base is rice, with a raw or cooked option of meat and toppings galor is an easier take on the traditional Asian meal.

Poke is popular everywhere in Japan, from gas stations to high scale restaurants. Highly customizable, customers can choose exactly what they want in their bowls. With its limitless options, poke is the meal for anyone who decides to give it a chance.

When you walk into the restaurant, you find a crisp room with blue and white walls and an array of white tables, inviting you to stay a while. The ambiance is filled with light and smiling faces, excited to greet you.

Walking up to the counter of fresh greens and meat, you’re always greeted by a helpful worker ready to take your order as you build your poke. Working my way through the plethora of options, it felt as if I was experiencing an Asian-style Chipotle.

As you move through the line of food, you have the option to make your own or to choose from the specialty menu. At the end of the line, you choose your sauces and toppings, any drinks or unique flavored chips, such as buffalo queso, and pick your choice of traditional chopsticks or a fork.

Poke prices range from $10 to $15 depending on your choice of proteins ranging from seafood to tofu. Thankfully, no matter what you choose, you get a lot of it, and the flavors to go with it.

My meal of raw tuna and shrimp with queso buffalo chips and a strawberry lemonade was $17, but it was definitely worth the price. The saltiness of the soy sauce with the sweetness of carrots or cucumbers is the perfect match for a fantastic, fast meal. The ridiculously fresh tuna practically explodes in your mouth, not to mention the shrimp is full of a salty flavor that is hard to forget. The whole meal was covered in bright greens and reds that really made the bowl pop and look so enticing.

A relatively traditional Asian-inspired restaurant isn’t what you’ll find at Atlantic Poke. Its new take on a traditional cuisine allows customers to feel welcome and makes them want to come back for seconds.

With its inspiration to create a new style along with a clean environment perfect for families, couples or those dining alone, Atlantic Poke is a place for anyone to visit.