We’re used to hearing Ventura Boulevard in Studio City referred to as “Sushi Row.” Now it’s also “Poke Row” with the addition of the new Poke Bar.

Open for just a few months, the new Poke Bar restaurant is part of a local mini-chain that includes locations in West Hollywood, Long Beach and elsewhere. Offering its own Southern California twist on Hawaiian Poke—the word poke just refers to “cut” meat or fish—Poke Bar offers you the opportunity to design your own salad bowl (small, medium or large) with brown or white rice, seaweed and shredded crab as standard inclusions. Then add cubed raw ahi tuna, salmon and other seafood choices and extras that include corn, seeds, quinoa, kale, crispy onions and dressings—spicy, sweet or mild. It’s also very easy to create a veggie bowl with what’s offered.

It’s fresh, tasty and fun—kind of like ordering a bunch of different sushi, throwing it all in the same bowl and chopping it up without being criticized for playing with your food. After getting an introduction to the process, The Sauce wonders how long the cheerful servers will be willing to walk each discerning (read: indecisive) patron through the process of creating a designer bowl without throwing seaweed at somebody’s head. But so far, the Poke Bar staff seems up for the challenge.

13203 Ventura Blvd., 818-386-9495