Pokerrito68 // Sushi In A Burrito

There is no doubt that Tuscaloosa loves trendy food. Cozy coffee shops and sleek smoothie bars have just about taken over the town. One trendy food that Tuscaloosa was missing? Poke. We all know about poke not because we’ve seen it on any local menus, but because it is ALL. OVER. INSTAGRAM. Poke is essentially a deconstructed sushi roll and is usually served over a bowl of rice- isn’t everything better on a bed of carbohydrates? I agree. About two weeks ago I was going on a late-night run for a Wendy’s 4 for $4, and I saw that the usually dark building next door had lights on…and people in it! I saw poke in the name and was immediately sold. The only thing that kept me from going right on over and trying some poke goodness was the fact that I wasn’t wearing shoes…shout out to drive-throughs.

Fast forward to last Friday and I finally ventured back on 15th to try Pokerrito68. A friend and I walked into the compact restaurant and hopped in line. The restaurant has a very casual atmosphere but the sparsely decorated restaurant doesn’t offer a lot of personality. Nonetheless, it had the atmosphere of most other fast-casual restaurants.

Pokerrito68 is both brand new and tasty, so there were quite a few people waiting in line to order. This line turned out to be a bit of a blessing, however, because there are lots of options to choose from. The restaurant offers poke bowls and sushi burritos. The poke bowls come in two sizes and patrons can pick from several fish, rice, and sides and can then add any number of toppings. There are several boards full of burrito options ranging from a California Roll style burrito to a burrito filled with chicken and avocado. My friend decided on the Roll Tide burrito that had steak, greens, carrots, and cabbage. Because I am a lover of “free” toppings, I opted for a poke bowl. I chose the white rice bowl topped with yellowfin tuna and crab. Though there were about 20 different toppings for the bowls, I kept it simple and added seaweed salad, pickled onions, and lots of spicy mayo and the Chef’s Special sauce. I also made an impulse buy at the cash register and got some miso soup to share.

My friend and I paid and made our way over to a free booth. My poke bowl wasn’t quite Insta worthy because I forgot to ask them not to put a top on it, but oh my goodness was it yummy. The fish was tossed in a sauce with great flavor and the two scoops were a fairly large portion as far as fresh fish servings go. The seaweed salad really made the meal and is a topping I plan to add to every bowl in the future. The burrito was a good size, but unfortunately the steak just wasn’t as noteworthy as the tuna, and seemed a little overcooked. I was a bit apprehensive to try the miso that had been warmed after coming out of the drink refrigerator, however it was steamy and flavorsome, and was an ample portion for both my friend and me.

All in all, the obvious winner for Pokerrito68 seems to be the bowls and I anticipate that the restaurant will be the star of many Insta’s in the future.

Pokerruto68 is located at 220 15th Street East in Tuscaloosa.

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