By Sadie G. ’20 Banner Staff

As the newest addition to Longwood’s food selection, Pokéworks has attracted customers who crave fresh poké bowls, salads, and sushi burritos. The bright and inviting atmosphere and attentive staff create an altogether pleasant experience. The restaurant offers curated dishes such as the “Hawaiian Classic” and “Shiso Salmon,” but it is also easy to create your own bowl from a selection of ingredients. 

The food is enjoyed by many. Commenting on the $12 to $16 price on bowls and burritos, Golde Umlas ’22 said, “I didn’t expect great poké for such a low price, but was pleasantly surprised with what I got.” She had tried a bowl with organic tofu, chopped shiso, edamame, ogo seaweed, and sriracha aioli, along with sesame seeds, avocado, and garlic crisps as her toppings and crunch. Golde also added how the tofu added “a great option for vegetarians,” as otherwise she would not have been able to have lunch there.  Briggs Negrón ’20, who ordered a salad with spicy salmon, mango, cucumber, and crunchy nori, commented that the employees “were careful to proportion and mix the ingredients evenly before serving it to you,” ensuring that the bowls are not only delicious, but consistent each time. 

The burritos were slightly less successful, but still enjoyable. Helen Buckley-Jones ’21 commented that “new servers had trouble rolling the burrito,” so it ended up falling apart; she attributed it to “being new on the job.” She prefers the burritos, even though they were more difficult to eat, calling the combination of the seaweed and rice delicious. However, she recommends avoiding getting a lot of sauce, because that could compromise the burrito’s “structural integrity.” Despite her minor issues with the burrito, Helen called Pokéworks “truly one of [her] favorite places to eat.”

Pokéworks first opened in January, 2020. At first, the chaos seemed to overwhelm the staff. However as the weeks progressed, regular customers commented on how they seemed to adjust and improve their skills. Although the restaurant can get busy around lunchtime, the staff is remarkably efficient, adopting assembly-line tactics to crafting each customer’s bowls. Even when I ordered quinoa, which was discontinued due to lack of interest, the staff was apologetic and careful to make customers happy and find them other alternatives. They were attentive to the large crowds that accumulated around lunchtime and managed to maintain their consistent service. The atmosphere of the restaurant is overall clean and bright, with large windows looking out onto Brookline avenue, and the walls painted white and a cheery yellow. There are plenty of tables to sit, and it is a great option for those looking to branch out from the usual Longwood food choices.