While many prominent mainland poke chains are inspired by Hawaiian poke, few are actually from the islands. But an Oahu-based poke shop with a cult following and a Netflix feature is about to make its Northern California debut in the South Bay.
Ry’s Poke Shack plans to open with bowls of fresh ahi coated in ponzu, fried garlic and furikake over rice in downtown Mountain View on Sept. 3. It will operate a counter inside Ava’s Downtown Market & Deli at 340 Castro St., in a space formerly occupied by national chain Poké Bar.
Ryan Ching and his wife, Khannie Ching, opened the first Ry’s Poke Shack on Oahu’s North Shore in 2020 and have since expanded to five locations across Hawaii and Southern California. In 2022, the business was featured in an Oahu episode of Netflix’s Street Food: USA series. After opening the company’s first mainland location in Huntington Beach in 2025, Ching set his sights on the Bay Area, largely in response to demand from followers on social media. “Patiently waiting in Northern California,” one commenter wrote on an Instagram post for an opening in Lomita this summer…