Canadian chef William Ayre and Costa Rican Business Administrator and Financial Analyst Daniel Loría met in high school; now, 15 years later they are partners in a new business, Hawaiian food restaurant Poke which opened doors June 13.

Poke is located in Plaza Tempo, Escazú and required an investment of close to US $120,000.00. Poke is a Hawaiian dish involving raw fish salad served in a bowl.  At Poke “you can be the chef” creating a bowl following your preferences.

Clients can choose between shrimp, tuna, octopus, tofu, salmon or chicken and add other ingredients like rice, different vegetables and of course sauce.

Poke is a healthy alternative with fresh ingredients. Ayre, who has a restaurant in Playas del Coco, Guanacaste, included Poke Bowls as an option in his menu, and because it had a great acceptance by his clients he decided to create an option that would offer this option exclusively.

Except for the salmon which is imported from Scotland, all products used by the restaurant are from local fishermen and farmers.

Prices range from ₵4000 to ₵8000 colones (approximately $7 to $14) a bowl. It is an excellent alternative for those who follow a vegetarian or vegan alternative and they have plenty of gluten free options as well.

Poke plans to soon offer delivery service to the areas of Escazú, Santa Ana and Sabana and in the future they expect to be able to open a second location.