Shin’s Poke Pismo Beach

As I type my mouth is already watering and it’s barely past breakfast! While Poke has been a staple of the local diet in Hawaii, it has slowly made its way across the Pacific and hit our shores hard – so much so that you can find it in the supermarket! But not all Poke is the same.

Downtown Pismo elevated its’ culinary game one year ago when Shin’s took over the previous Pismo Brewing location on Pomeroy just off Price. Offering the freshest seafood, a wide variety of toppings and over a dozen unique sauces, you can put your own spin on a bowl or choose from one of their delicious “recommended bowls.”

Choose a “type” which is either a bowl, a seaweed burrito or a tortilla burrito. Add your “base” which is a generous helping of freshly steamed brown or white rice or fresh spring mix salad. As far as size goes, the regular is plenty for me but our growing 12-year-old son can pack away a large bowl in minutes. Then move on to your “protein” – choice of sushi-grade Tuna, Salmon or if you aren’t the seafood-type then there is a grilled chicken breast option. Add some “toppings“ (the list is as long as my arm and covers everything from fresh crab meat to cilantro). Add your sauce – my favorite is the Spicy Shin’s Sauce – or pick more than one sauce. Everything is delicious, and each time I go in I try something new or tweak my bowl just a bit.

But if you’d rather not mess with perfection, then choose one of the four recommended chef creations — favorites for our family are the O.G. Tuna – which includes tuna, masago, rice, seaweed salad, fried garlic chips, edamame, radish sprouts (so good), green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil and finished off with furikake. Or try the “Pismo Supreme” – Tuna, salmon, brown rice, spring mix salad, seaweed salad, crabmeat, fried onion, radish sprouts, sesame oil, soy sauce, furikake, teriyaki sauce, and finished off with a sprinkling of sriracha.

Dine in at the long bar and watch the crowd ambling buy on their way to the beach or the pier – great people watching. Or take yours to go and have a perfect picnic. It also makes for a great high-protein lunch on a busy work day – and even in the peak season there seems to be parking nearby.

So if you haven’t caught on to the Poke craze and you love fresh seafood you need to schedule a stop in at Shin’s… it is worth negotiating the downtown crowds – even for this seasoned “local.” https://www.shinspoke.com/