As part of my commitments to self-care in 2020, I’ve been trying to take more moments - to relax, rejuvenate, and reconnect. One of the ways I am putting this goal into action is by trying to take a lunch break during the week when I am able, during which I meet up with a friend for lunch! Earth shattering? No, but it took a concerted effort to get up from my desk and make space for this in my day.
My last weekday lunch date with a friend was at Poke Dojo in Bethesda. Opened in 2019 by the same owners as Hanaro Sushi in Bethesda and Kusshi Sushi in North Bethesda (both among my favorites for delicious Japanese food) Poke Dojo provides a wide variety of high quality, fresh ingredients including the same sushi grade fish from its parents' full service restaurants.
Poke is the bees knees these days - and I am a huge fan. While there are several poke joints in our area, they are all a bit unique.
To me, Poke Dojo excels in its flavors and its array of available options.
Let’s talk options first:
Size - Poke Dojo doesn’t just let you choose between regular and large. They have 5 different size options: Large, Medium, Small, Baby and No Protein. And they tell you how many scoops of protein come per bowl size. This allows you to truly get just what you want.
Proteins - Poke Dojo also offers more varied protein flavors than I have seen in other poke shops - in addition to plain and spicy tuna and salmon, they also offer a marinated version of each. They also had a delicious looking garlic shrimp that I was eyeing, but unfortunately they ran out of it just before I ordered at noon. Guess everyone thought they looked amazing!
Poke Dojo also offers a couple of fun surprises in the sauces and sprinkles categories as well as in their beverage case.
I was completely fascinated and admittedly a bit skeptical of the miso soup machine at Poke Dojo - it looks like a Keurig or a small fountain soda machine, that dispenses miso soup. While I didn’t order a cup, the friendly servers were glad to give me a sample in a small sauce cup - the flavor was really spot on! I was told that after it is dispensed through the machine they do add some tofu and other items to the miso broth to provide some more texture and layered flavors. In short - don’t let the miso soup machine scare you - the soup is legit!!
The other fun offering at Poke Dojo is mochi ice cream by MochiDoki. If you’ve never tried mochi, MochiDoki offers a wide array of flavors, and some seasonal specials. Poke Dojo offers 8 flavors, plus a rotating seasonal flavor. For 2 for $6, we ordered two - passionfruit and mango. The flavors were intense and the ice cream creamy, rich and delicious. The passion fruit mochi I tried was a bit over-frozen. It was nearly impossible to bite into for far longer than the mango one. Perhaps a quirk about where it was sitting in the restaurant’s freezer? Once it melted a bit, we tried it - again, the passion fruit flavor was great and the ice cream was creamy. The outer coating on that mochi was a bit gummy, though.
The restaurant is located right at the end of Bethesda Row at 7110 Bethesda Lane, which puts it right next to a parking garage. Even at noon there was plenty of capacity in the garage when I visited. When I’m fitting in a quick lunch at a quick serve restaurant, the last thing I want to do is drive around looking for parking forever. The restaurant vibe is clean and hip, but there are not a ton of tables. When I was there for lunch on a Friday we had no problem getting a table. Many people seemed to be ordering in advance and picking up their bowls to go, or ordering live and carrying out. Poke Dojo does offer online ordering and delivery as options.
I love poke, and Poke Dojo will be a regular destination for me. While poke in general doesn’t seem like the most kid-friendly of options, the variations offered by Poke Dojo may even make it possible to dine here with the whole family - the baby option, or even the no protein option, plus the draw of fun mochi treats may be enough to satisfy little palates.
 | POKE DOJO 7110 Bethesda Lane Bethesda, MD 20814 240-696-0990 |
Disclosure: We received our meals for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was provided. Opinions expressed are 100% my own.
