Poke Austin

Our Story

Before opening Poke Austin, I lived a busy life like most people. I enjoyed sushi and salads, but I wasn’t especially focused on eating clean. Food was often about convenience — eating whatever helped get through the day.

That changed during college at UCLA, when I experienced a serious digestive health issue that required surgery and a long recovery. During rehab, I had to relearn how to eat. Working with a nutritionist, I began to understand the impact of processed foods and why simpler, less processed meals were better for my body.

 

That experience changed my relationship with food and stayed with me long after I recovered.

Years later, the idea of opening a restaurant came into the picture — largely because of my husband, Trent. Opening a restaurant had always been his dream.

For him, offering good food and seeing people genuinely enjoy it is deeply fulfilling.

His passion and encouragement became the push that turned a long-held idea into real action.

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When we started thinking seriously about what kind of restaurant to open, poke felt like the natural answer. It reflected how I had learned to eat and feel better over time, and it aligned with Trent’s love of serving people through food. We also knew firsthand how difficult it is to make a great poke bowl at home —

buying all the ingredients, prepping everything fresh, and doing it consistently isn’t as simple as it sounds.

 

Poke Austin grew from that shared vision. We wanted to create a place where eating well feels approachable, not restrictive — with enough choices that you can enjoy poke often and still make your bowl different every day.