Santo Market

BEST poke in the Bay Area (or at least in South Bay). Prove me wrong. I usually order a medium for the shoyu ahi and spicy ahi. To avoid long lines, just order online.I've tried Aloha Fresh multiple times due to many people saying it's super close to Hawaiian poke, but I found the poke there a little bland compared to Santo Market's. Major disclaimer: I'm not trying to drag a business to bring one up.I just thought that was an important point to bring up since it's all subjective to taste. Overall, cannot go wrong with Santo.

Update: Found Aloha fresh after writing this review and so far the closest to Hawaiian poke, santo is the second closest outside of Hawaii in South Bay.Probably the closest to hawaiian poke outside of hawaii in south bay/sj i have been able to find/try.Coming back from my trip to Hawaii back in august 2023 and first trying poke there I found a love for raw fish. Ive been craving poke since I got back from my trip I've been seeing this pop up on yelp, looking up foodie places for the longest time, so I decided to give it a try on my lunch, run between offices for work and I'm glad I did, because it satisfied my Hawaiian Poke fixation since first trying poke in August 2023 in Hawaii.Overall opinion was lack in consistency of flavor of the poke, overall is okay (in terms of comparison to typical American poke bowl chains, it is more similar to Hawaiian poke).2/20/2024 The first time I tried it, I ordered the half-and-half with spicy ahi and shoyu ahi and I noticed there were no options for Salmon, just ahi or tako. First time was good- i got the regular half and half poke bowl. They gave a lot of the spicy mayo ahi and kinda skimped on the shoyu ahi (i feel like the shoyu ahi is more popular). 3/5/2024 Second time was not as good- (it was too salty, like they didn't mix the marinade well or too much salt) and the ahi was not as fresh as last time. Also just got the shoyu, overall looked like they give less of shoyu.5/3/2024 Third time got large poke bowl and was still a bit salty but not as much as last time, although i prefer it less saltier. The ahi seems like it was "tenderized" or has this texture (note not taste, texture) like its been sitting in pineapple juice.All of these were documented at the time of buying the poke to be as accurate as possible.So overall coming to conclusion their salting or marinating is a bit inconsistent and a bit skimp on the shoyu ahi from my experiences.Haven't gone here recent months and wrote this but forgot in drafts.

I had a great meal at Santo Market. You order outside of the market, where there's a little shady area to wait by. There's a big mural on the wall with the name of the market, and a small parking lot. Very open area, but it may be hard to find parking! There is no outdoor seating either.We came on a Saturday at noon, and it was about a fifteen minute wait until we were able to order. The server was super sweet, and although it was busy, he had a positive attitude. We got 1/2 lb of Shoyu and Spicy to enjoy in the car. I brought some rice and edamame from home for us to enjoy with the poke.This poke is pretty solid! The fish was tender and well seasoned. I like the Shoyu one a lot, and I would definitely refrigerate it more to have the fish be a bit more firm to my liking. However, for the price, it is honestly pretty good!

This is my once a week go to and should be yours too! Poki is always delicious! Shout out to Dale at the front window! He's one of the best they got!

Parking can be tricky as the parking lot is small. We got lucky and managed to find a spot across the street. You can order on the iPad or window on the left. There were quite a few people who were standing around waiting for their name/ number to be called. Our order came out fairly quickly, about 10 minutes. The strawberry mochi was sold out hours ago. I got the tuna poke while my bf got the tako. At first I thought it was too much rice, but it was just right. I enjoyed the shoyu more than the spicy tuna. It was spicer than I expected. The tako was chewy. I'm glad I tried the poke here, but don't feel like it's a must.

Came here during a weekday with two coworkers and ordered a large (half pound) half-shoyu half-spicy tuna poke bowl with furikake rice. So filling & really yummy. I brought the star rating up from the last time I went since I appreciate how high quality and fresh the fish is and the price point that they offer their bowls at!

I know this is always a staple when people recommend places in San Jose. However, after trying it a couple of times after living here for four years, I am not sure I get the overwhelming hype. The line is always long and they always sell out pretty fast but the poke is nothing special to me. It comes with a big side of rice and a small portion of fish for a regular which I think is a bit off-putting especially for the price. Well, to each their own. The staff was really nice though, I'll give you that.

Believe the hype!!!EVERYTHING here is absolutely delicious!!! Came to Santo after hearing tons of amazing reviews about their poke and daifuku mochi-I've now been here in several occasions but never get there early enough to try the mochi...But the poke is AMAZING!!! We usually get half shoyu and half spicy. It's so, so good! So fresh and the flavor is always perfect. Finally tried the garlic shrimp plate & ask I can say is WOW!!! Parking can be tough during lunch time- they have a lot but there are always so many people that spaces fill up quickly but be patient- it's worth it!!!

Didn't realize it's already been a couple years since I last went here. Today I got a large poke bowl w/ half spicy tuna and half shoyu tuna. I'm disappointed to say that the seasoning of the fish was still incredibly salty. I was able to eat it in small increments but I couldn't get past how oversaturated my palette was.

Probably the hidden gem on the menu - the Portuguese sausage breakfast burrito. Everything about this slaps. The eggs are soft, super cheesy, and their tortilla is even of the highest quality.Try it, tell me I'm wrong. But you'll tell me I'm right.