2000 Boulderstone Way
Cary, NC 27519
(984) 333-0066
Exterior View
Interior Decor
Recently yet another poké restaurant opened in the area called Lemon Shark Poké located in Cary, North Carolina. There are now three poké restaurants within a few miles of each other! I absolutely love poké so I'm thrilled and this is the area of the Triangle I frequent. I've reviewed the other two already, so be sure to check out my Hi Poké and Zen Fish Poké Bar reviews. I've also reviewed Zen Fish in Durham and Poké Go in Raleigh. Hubby & I visited Lemon Shark Poké on a Friday around 3:30 pm. There were only a couple of other customers, so this is the time to visit if you don't like crowds. They are open from 11 am to 9 pm Monday to Thursday and they are open an hour longer on Friday and Saturday. Sunday they are open from noon to 8 pm. We were immediately greeted by two young men and one explained the menu. They offer mostly poké bowls, but they do have a few cooked items and a kid's meal. We both ordered a Regular Poké Bowl, check them out below.
My Regular Poké Bowl
Hubby's Regular Poké Bowl - $11.95
The regular size includes three scoops of your choice of ahi tuna, spicy tuna, salmon, spicy salmon, miso-glazed salmon, surimi salad, tofu, shrimp, albacore, octopus, scallops, squid salad or lemongrass chicken. I chose three scoops of salmon since it's my favorite. Hubby chose octopus, spicy salmon, and spicy tuna. They were all delicious. The base choices are sushi rice, brown rice, local greens, crispy wonton, soba noodle, and forbidden rice. I chose local greens and some crispy wontons. I think the wontons should be offered as a topping rather than a base. Hubby chose local greens. The lettuce was fresh and the crispy wontons were extra wide and wonderfully crunchy. Toppings include ginger, edamame, serrano chili, red & green onion, red cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumber salad, cucumbers, sweet egg, tomato, radish, mango, pineapple, avocado, seaweed salad, surimi salad, Masago, and water chestnuts. I chose serrano chili, red & green onion, carrots, cucumbers, Masago, avocado, and carrots. Sauces include LemonShark, spicy mayo, eel sauce, tropical habanero, gluten-free soy sauce, ponzu, spicy ponzu, orange ginger, wasabi mayo, sweet chili, LemonShark Vinaigrette, and Katzu. I chose sweet chili which was very tasty. I asked for some on the side in case I felt the need to add more sauce. Hubby chose spicy mayo and wasabi mayo which were both tasty. I think I'll add some wasabi mayo next time. Crunch additions offered are crispy garlic, crispy onion, and chopped macadamia nuts. I skipped crispy onion since it usually upsets my stomach, I went with the other two which were very tasty. They also offer a nori spice mix at the condiments area which I highly recommend sprinkling on top, it's so yummy. For drinks, they offer self-serve sodas, beer, and lemonade. They also have some alcoholic kombucha, sake and bottled water. I don't recommend the soda since the cup is so small and priced at $1.99 it's not a good value. I tried the Wild Tonic Raspberry Goji Rose Kombucha and it was delicious. Note that it does have alcohol in it which I had not noticed when I purchased it. It was my first time trying kombucha with alcohol in it. Take a look:
Wild Tonic Raspberry Goji Rose Kombucha Drink
While the young men were pleasant during our 1st visit, my 2nd visit was quite different. There were three young women serving customers and the first thing that was said to me was "for here or to go". No greeting whatsoever which was quite irritating since this isn't an inexpensive restaurant. I'm treated better at McDonald's! None of them smiled the entire time I was there and the first one who placed the base and poké in my bowl looked like a deer in the headlights. The 2nd woman was abrupt, impatient, unfriendly and unpleasant. She gave the impression she didn't want to work there and showed no appreciation for her customers. The 3rd woman rung up my order and only said "you're done" and left my bowl sitting next to the register on the other side of the counter. It's customary to hand the food to the customer with a smile and a thank you. You're done? What?! What a strange and rude comment, such a horrible way to treat a customer. Her behavior was really shocking to me. She didn't give any instructions for my beverage, I was expecting her to hand me a cup. I had to ask for a cup and she pointed to the beverage station. Also, she didn't offer a bag to carry the food to my car. Those three women caused this restaurant to lose my future business. I was also irritated by having three people prepare my meal rather than one. There appeared to be no management around either time I visited. I refuse to visit a business that doesn't treat its customers with appreciation and kindness. If management isn't going to be around, then they should send in mystery customers to get a true evaluation of their employees. Wow, just wow! Such shocking behavior by their employees. I will continue to frequent Hi Poké instead. There it only takes one employee to complete your order and they always smile and show appreciation for my business. Hi Poké offers a rewards card for frequent customers (buy 9 get 1 free), free chilled water and a free keychain. What's your favorite poké restaurant?
Have a PEACEful Day!
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