Poke bowls have been steadily taking over the fast-casual dining scene, and it’s easy to see why. Fresh fish, endless toppings, and the ability to customize every bite make poke a go-to when you want something quick but still packed with flavor. The newest addition to the growing poke bowl scene in Washington DC is Poke Papa., a fast casual spot in Chinatown that’s bringing colorful bowls and plenty of customization options to H Street. If you’ve been exploring the city’s expanding lineup of casual dining options, it’s another one worth adding to your running list of DC restaurants to try.

For those unfamiliar with poke, the dish originated in Hawaii and traditionally features diced raw fish served with rice and seasonings. Over time it evolved into the customizable bowl concept now popular across the mainland United States. Food publications like Eater have documented how poke transitioned from a regional Hawaiian staple to a nationwide fast-casual trend, and restaurants like Poke Papa show how that trend continues to adapt in cities like Washington DC.

Poke Papa

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Poke Papa keeps its menu simple and approachable. There are seven pre-designed poke bowls if you prefer to let someone else handle the flavor combinations, including a chicken option for anyone easing into poke for the first time. But the real draw is the ability to build your own bowl from a long list of bases, proteins, toppings, and sauces.

When my friend and I visited, she decided to try one of the signature bowls called the Volcano. Each bowl starts with a choice of white rice, brown rice, or black rice, and she went with white rice topped with spicy tuna, jalapeño, scallions, masago, cilantro, sweet shoyu, and the restaurant’s lava sauce. We were warned ahead of time, but the lava sauce definitely brings serious heat. The spice slowly builds as you work your way through the bowl. Despite the heat level, the spicy tuna tasted incredibly fresh and the flavors balanced well. About halfway through she started to feel the spice kick in, but luckily she added pineapple to the bowl which helped mellow the heat just enough to keep going. It ended up being one of those meals where each bite feels slightly different depending on what combination lands on your fork.

the Volcano

I took the opposite approach and built my own bowl—which in hindsight might have been a little ambitious because every topping looked good. I started with black rice as my base and added ahi tuna, lomi salmon, and spicy tuna. Choosing sauces required a bit of restraint, but I settled on sweet shoyu (the manager’s favorite) along with sriracha aioli. Then came the toppings, which is where things got a little out of control. I added edamame, pineapple, seaweed salad, masago, scallions, watermelon radish, onion, and pickled daikon. Surprisingly, even with all those ingredients layered together, the bowl still worked. The salty, tangy, and slightly sweet flavors balanced out in a way that made every bite interesting without feeling overwhelming.

Build Your Own Poke Bowl

That’s one of the things that makes poke restaurants fun to explore. Even when two people start with the same menu, the final bowls can look completely different. Build-your-own poke bowls allow you to experiment with textures and flavors, and sometimes the most unexpected combinations end up being the best.

Poke Papa is located at 806 H St NW, Chinatown

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While this meal was paid for by Poke Papa, all views stated here are my own.