Pokéology is located in the heart of Rice Village in the back of Doc Holliday’s, a local bar. They have had several pop-ups in Houston throughout the year but their official grand opening was on Jan. 21.  They had a special promotion of half-priced bowls from 2 p.m.- 6 p.m.

Arriving a little before 2 p.m., the line was already out the door and flowing onto the deck out front. Bar music played overhead and people were noisily chattering away. At the entrance, a photo booth was set up with a backdrop and props to occupy the customers as they waited in line. Bartenders strolled up and down the line offering drinks.

The menu was fairly simple. Two sizes were offered, lite and full, and you could either choose from one of the signature bowls or create your own bowl. Service was good and the employees were very friendly and helpful in explaining what each dish contained and exactly what the ingredients were. Signature bowls included Classic Tuna or Salmon, Tuna Yuzuviche, Salmon Thaiviche, Applemachi and Shaggy Bowl. To build your own bowl, there were five basic parts: base, mix, protein, dressing and a side. You could choose from white rice or a spring mix for the base. Mix options included white onions, green onions, krab mix, cucumber or cilantro. The protein options were a variety of seafood including tuna, salmon, crab and scallops. The cashier mentioned that the fish was freshly packaged and shipped overseas. As for the dressing, you could go sweet or spicy with either kimchi mayo, honey wasabi or sweet dragon. For a dollar extra of a side, ginger, seaweed salad, masago, or fish eggs, sesame seeds or avocado can be added.

I got a full Tuna Yuzuviche, a signature bowl, which included tuna, yuzu white soy, pickled red onions, pecans and jalapeno. The original price was 12 dollars but was definitely a bargain for the half price special. The food service was slow, but with a grand opening and a special promotion, it may have been understandable. The portion seemed small and the fish to rice ratio was underwhelming, but the fish was very fresh and tasty and the rice was cooked to a nice consistency. The dish overall was very flavorful. I look forward to coming back again to try one of their other options!