Freestyle Poké is like Subway but for healthy and fresh bowls. My recommendation: embrace the "freestyle" by choosing your own bowl ingredients rather than selecting a preset option. I'm rather find of the quinoa base, spicy tuna, and fresh veggies. The generous portions and nutritional value make it worth the price (around $12-20). Don't miss their refreshing Kombucha and tea drinks—I recommend the Shaka brand pineapple mint tea. Eating on the patio is enjoyable, and I even got to hand-feed a little bird (see vid). Freestyle Poké is a great spot for a delicious and healthy meal! Eat fresh!
Awesome food!
Plenty of ways to customize your order and it can be health.
I got a 3 scoop seafood bowl with sushi rice and my wife got a 2 scoop with the chicken (she said was just okay) and seafood.
Both orders were delicious!
Caleb who is the young owner helped me through the process of ordering. I'm indecisive and had difficult time making a choice. I got a small poke with chicken, seaweed, jasmine rice, zucchini noodles amongst other veggies. The dish was 8.00+. Caleb allowed me to taste the sauces before adding it to the poke. I chose Eel sauce. It complimented the dish well. Caleb was friendly, laid back, and accommodating.
LOVED THIS PLACE! They were very patient with us and offered helped when needed. They noticed that I was slightly struggling to decide. I do recommend writing everyone down on your notes app to help remember what you want when building your own bowl. The variety of options were big and I felt like there were an unlimited amount of combinations you could choose from. My favorite part is how GENEROUS they were when packing my bowl. I will say my combo was delicious! No regrets! I had enough for a 2nd meal, lol. I’m definitely coming back.
My combo:
Forbidden rice, white sushi rice
Salmon
Cucumber, edamame,
Sriracha ponzu
Crab mix, marinated kale, kimchi, roe, seaweeds
Togarashi yuzu mayo
Sesame seeds, nori
This was a gem! Fresh, clean and friendly! I found myself wanting to go back the next day.Caleb was so helpful as it was our first time eating Poke’ we are hooked!! Sushi grade salmon, spicy tuna, crab, shrimp all with my favorites like avocado, cucumber and jalapeño it was Amazing. It’s a cool, contemporary place, love the area as well. We will be regulars!
Had poke for the first time ever and absolutely loved it. Since it was my first time, I definitely had to ask lots of questions and ask for suggestions, all of which the friendly staff where happy to answer. It’s such a great addition to river market/downtown. I’m very excited to have a healthy option for my meals. My husband and I tried the Ride the Wave & Why So Serious bowls. Both were delicious!
"Sushi in a bowl" is a pretty accurate description of what you get here. Lots to choose from, but I got the Nirvana and it was really good, and I didn't even know what half the ingredients were. It's pretty expensive, but I could see it being worth it every once in a while.
This was some really delicious food. Make sure to try the forbidden rice. The service was great and the different drinks they offer are unique. They also have a couple good vegan/vegetarian options.
Andrew & Timberlyn Pycior-Davila
+4
If you didn't know Freestyle Poke is employee owned, it's their hard work that kept the store here in KCMo when the owner bailed for an "new adventure".
Parking : The store is located in the River Market area of downtown KCMo. So prepare for a hassle with parking. It is right next to a street car stop making it easy for the working community to have access to the store.
Facility : Is always clean, and minimalistic which goes with the brands vibes. But still feels comfortable. They have indoor and outdoor seating. As well as other areas in the community surrounding where you can go and relax to eat outside.
Employees : I would like to say more times then not I am met with amazing service and complete respect by everyone who works here. I do on occasion get someone who is dismissive or not paying attention. I'd like to think it's just been a rough day for them.
If you didn't know Poke is a Hawaiian Dish deeply rooted in Japanese Culture. Which circles around food being an experience, and to reach the 5 levels of taste as well (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami) others adding (cool, hot) to it as well. To me this is the ultimate goal.
I prefer to do the build your own bowl.
Size: 3 options (1,2,3 scoops)
-----I always get the 3 scoop.
Base : You can pick up to 2 choices for your base.
-----I like to get half Sushi Rice, half Forbidden Rice (black rice, little more toothsome and great balance to the sticky sushi rice)
Protein : By Land (chicken) or By Sea (variety of fish & shellfish)
-----I get Chicken
[Which use to always be shredded. They have recently changed it to chopped and I don't like the text it brings for one, two it is hard to pick up and mix with the other ingredients, and three I got a lot of gristly pieces that were inedible.]
Mix-Ins : You get up to 3 choices.
-----I have a tendency to get either all tomatoes or 2 tomatoes & spring onions.
Marinade : Choose 1 sauce to marinade your protein & mix-ins with. Before it is laid on top of your base.
-----I love the Honey-Ginger Tamari, it's sweet and a little tangy kind of like a take on Teriyaki.
Toppings : 1scoop-2 choices, 2 scoops-3 choices & 3 scoops-5 choices (you can pay a fee for extra toppings)
-----These are what I usually get Avocado (upcharge), 2 Mango, 2 Pickled Ginger, Spicy Cashews, & sometimes I'll choose either Sweet Potato or Sweet Corn.
[I wasn't impressed with the Spicy Cashews my last 2 visits, I don't know if they changed their recipe or someone is heavy handed with the seasoning they toast the cashews in, but it was very over powering and left a very harsh taste in my mouth, that I couldn't get rid of and ended up ruining the whole bowl for me.]
Sauce : 1 choice.
-----I absolutely am in love with Avo-Coco, it's sweet and creamy made with Avocados & Coconut Water with some other spices and ingredients. I usually get extra.😅
Final Touches : Choose 1.
-----I usually get Fried Onions.
This store tries to be as ECO-Friendly as possibly. Which I think is fantastic.
I am giving a 4 star review, because one the parking causes the Restaurant to be difficult to access if you are driving.
The recent changes in items that have always been fantastic and now have thrown off the profile/feel that the meals use to achieve. And the lack of finesse and attention to details of those changes have taken away from the dedication the store employees have put into this amazing brand.
We're from out of town, but we always come here when we visit KC because their poké is really delicious no matter how you build it. On this occasion, there was a new worker that was struggling a bit, but the owner or manager was super nice and helpful working with him. We didn't mind the wait at all since it seemed like the online orders were a lot. The process was really quick and easy, and the food was delicious as always. Definitely recommend coming here if you want something different!
The poke bowls are very good. They have a wide variety of topping options to choose from. It would be nice if there were descriptions on what some flavors things had. When I asked what something was the guy unenthusiastically pointed to a container. You can always look up their menu online. Overall the food was good.
Came here for a quick and healthy lunch and was pleasantly surprised. Nice poke on forbidden rice, friendly service and a very clean restaurant. Would come back here and try to build my own poke bowl. Definitely worth the money in Kansas City
Coming from the west coast, it seemed like a concept that was not heard of here in the Midwest. I was excited to hear that this place was opening up. The fish is fresh and the ability to create your own poke bowl makes it personable and fun! The owner is super helpful and really nice also! We'll be back for more.
Great food and very reasonable pricing. Basically sushi in bowl form. Build whatever you want and enjoy. Also much more affordable than a trip to a sushi bar with generous portions.
Friendly atmosphere at the entrance of the River Market. Staff was very nice. Build Your Own Bowl is about $10 for a regular size. Food was delish!
Delicious Poke in the River Market area! Located right off the streetcar line at the corner of Delaware and 5th St. They serve Poke bowls in 3 sizes, and have raw and cooked options, as well as cold and heated. Great variety in their veggies and can make paleo, Keto, and vegan meals. Prices are mid-range ($10-$15 per bowl). They offer a small range of drink options, including some craft beers. It always seems packed but there are seating areas inside and on their patio. Try the Ride the wave bowl!
I couldn’t ask for more Free style Poke is perfect for wanting fresh and delicious poke. The atmosphere is wonderful every time and I feel welcomed. The staff are very polite and patient when there asking what ingredients do you want. Overall this brand is the right place to be for delicious and healthy poke at KCMO.
The best poke bowl in Kansas City, and I’ve tried them all. My go to is always the salmon and spicy ahi tuna, you can always gage a place by how fresh these two proteins are. Freestyle never disappoints in this regard. I also love that they carry purple rice as it gives a nice chewy texture with a nice nutty flavor. I always choose half purple rice and half white sushi rice combo for my base. Their sauces are very tasty and they have authentic flavours like yozu and ponzu. I personally love their sriracha ponzu for my mix-in and the yum yum sauce.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes