All the New Poke Coming to Aug. 3rd Poke Fest East at Kāhala Mall

The island’s biggest and best collection of poke is headed to town on Saturday, Aug. 3, with free admission.

July 18, 2024

Frolic Hawai‘i,

Bookmark this: On Saturday, Aug. 3, the island’s greatest poke event returns to town. Our first ever Poke Fest East hits Kāhala Mall that day from 3 to 7 p.m. for a glorious four-hour stretch as afternoon segues to evening, marking the first townside locale for the event since the pandemic.

Crunchy garlic ‘ahi poke (thanks, Nico’s Pier 38!). Ora King salmon poke toast (HanaPa‘a Market). Spicy Maui Maui poke, tossed in a custom chili oil from Maui (“Nobody else can get it,” Sato Seafood says). And reflecting Hawai‘i’s love affair with all things K-hyphenated, first-time participant Mama Kim’s is bringing K-Town Poke of ‘ahi with house-made kim chee in a special sauce, fellow first-timer Da Bald Guy is crowning kalbi kimbap with soy-ginger gochujang poke, and Kāhala’s own Kapa Hale is debuting a new Japchae Poke.

There’s even a dessert poke (no seafood, plenty of buttery shortbread and fresh summer flavors), thanks to Chibi Confectionary.

In all, 15 poke vendors will line the parking lot fronting Planet Fitness and a space inside the mall, joining a slew of other vendors selling snacks, desserts and cool drinks. DJ Toma will set the tone outside and DeeJay A.i.T inside, and there’ll be fun keiki games and other activities.

Best of all, admission is FREE. Two more important things: All poke vendors will be selling their signature poke as well as all-new poke created specially for Poke Fest East. You vote online for your favorite new poke, and we’ll compile the results and announce the first ever King of Poke Fest East.

Second, to bypass lines, you’ll want to get a Poke Pass or two. Poke Passes get you 5 scrips to redeem at any poke vendor of your choice for a 4-ounce portion of their Poke Fest creation. Special fast lanes save you the hassle of waiting to order and pay, and it’s all a breeze. Here’s how it works:

Purchase your Poke Pass online.
Bring your confirmation receipt to the Frolic Hawai‘i booth at Poke Fest East to redeem for 5 scrips.
Choose a participating vendor to redeem at and find the fast pass line.
Exchange 1 scrip from your Poke Pass for a 4-ounce portion of the vendor’s special poke creation.
Repeat!

Poke Passes sell out every single time, so don’t wait!

Now feast your eyes on the lineup of new poke coming to Poke Fest East:

cubes of fresh ahi poke with lemon wedge

Photo: Courtesy of Ali‘i Fish Market

Ali‘i Fish Market, Mō‘ili‘ili

Garlic Butter ‘Ahi Poke with furikake panko crumbs: North Shore-style shrimp truck, with lemon and rice

Photo: Courtesy of Da Bald Guy

Da Bald Guy, Kahuku

Bald Guys Pokebap: Soy-ginger gochujang poke crowning a kalbi kimbap

crunchy chips garnish a raw seafood dish

Photo: Courtesy of Da Hub Truck

Da Hub food truck

Bruce Lee Candy ‘Ahi Poke on tempura onions

Photo: Courtesy of HanaPa‘a Market

HanaPa‘a Market, Hawai‘i Kai

Hanapa‘a Poke: Ora King salmon poke toast with “inamona limu “tapenade,” smoked ikura

Ilea’s Kitchen, farmers markets

TBD

Kahiau Poke, Chinatown

TBD

Photo: Courtesy of Kapa Hale

Kapa Hale, Kāhala

Japchae Poke: Korean Style ‘Ahi Poke with carrots, cabbage, wakame, ‘inamona, sesame, gochugaru, tapioca

Photo: Courtesy of Kickin’ Sweets

Kickin’ Sweets, Wai‘anae

‘Ahi Poke Nachos: Fresh Shoyster ‘Ahi poke on a bed of shrimp chips and imitation crab salad, topped with three sauces and fresh green onion and cilantro

Photo: Courtesy of Local Poke Bowl

Local Poke Bowl, Waialua

Misoyaki ‘Ahi with Ginger Rice: Miso, sesame oil, soy sauce, mayo, green onion, sweet onion, tobiko, wasabi pea crumbles

mound of fresh ahi and kim chee poke on lettuce

Photo: Courtesy of Mama Kim’s

Mama Kim’s, Pāwa‘a

K-town Poke: Sashimi-grade ‘ahi poke, cucumbers, cabbage kim chee in house-made sauce of fresh red chile pepper, garlic, onion and apples, plus sesame oil, house shoyu, all topped with garlic chips

Photo: Courtesy of Nico’s Pier 38

Nico’s Pier 38 Fish Market, Iwilei

Lehua’s Crunchy Garlic ‘Ahi Poke

Photo: Courtesy of Sato Seafood

Sato Seafood, Waikīkī

Spicy Maui Maui: Fresh ‘ahi tossed in creamy spicy mayo made with a special custom chili oil from Maui

This Lil Piggy, Kunia

TBD

two takeout bowls of rice topped with fresh poke

Photo: Courtesy of Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar

Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar, Kahala Mall

Spicy Tuna Poke Bowl

dessert 'poke' of fresh berries and shortbread pieces

Photo: Courtesy of Chibi Confectionary

Chibi Confectionary

Amaritto Bliss Poke: A play on amaretto (almond), amai (sweet) and piritto (tangy), this refreshingly sweet “poke” pairs bite-size pieces of buttery shortbread with strawberries, pineapple mint shrub, mango popping boba and fresh mint

Other Vendors: