Review: Ahi Assassins Fish Co.

There’s poke, and then there’s great poke.  And at Ahi Assassins Fish Co., they make great poke.  But what once was a hole in the wall, is now a popular destination.

As you may recall, BuzzFeed Worth It came to Hawaii to eat some fish.  And one of their stops was at Ahi Assassins, which is the only of the three locations I haven’t eaten at yet.  Until now, that is.

 

Location

Honestly, Ahi Assassins is someplace Mrs. Island Miler, and I have been meaning to eat at for years now, but only recently did we make it a point to finally make the trek out to them.  Located near the University of Hawaii, Ahi Assassins Fish Co. is in a nondescript building with a tiny parking lot.

See that red arrow up there?  Ahi Assassins is on the second floor of the building right under that arrow.  There’s no seating there or in the area at all, so this is very much a takeout place.  And, in fact, when dining here, you place your order and head back outside to wait for your name to be called.  Then, either stand and eat right outside, eat in your car, or take your poke somewhere else to eat.

 

Food

Ahi Assassins offers a number of hot items, including their bone bag and some plate lunches.  But the real draw here is the poke.  Caught by the owner themselves, the fish here doesn’t get much fresher than this and is a lot better than most of the previously frozen ahi used at most other poke places.  And with fish this good, I like to keep things simple, so I ordered Hawaiian Style (sesame oil, limu, inamoa [roasted kukui/candle nut], onion, a little chili, and sea salt).

Mrs. Island Miler, on the other hand, ordered the Spicy Ahi.

You’ll notice we got straight up poke, no rice.  And that’s because we both don’t like cold poke being heated up by hot rice, so we got a quarter pound of each variety.

Personally, I love Hawaiian Style poke.  It’s tastes of the ocean with a nutty, umami punch and a tiny bit of heat.  It’s a perfectly balanced poke that lets the fish shine through, while also adding its own unique flavor.  And Ahi Assassins’ version is literally the best one I’ve ever had.  The Spicy Ahi, on the other hand, while good, tastes of a little mayo, sriracha, and green onion.  Nothing special, really.

 

Ahi Assassins Fish Co., Final Thoughts

I don’t know what took me so long to finally give Ahi Assassins Fish Co. a try.  Their boat-to-table works well, providing amazingly fresh fish, and their poke is phenomenal.  We’ll definitely be back to try more stuff in the future, though maybe I’ll bring a cooler to take it home instead of eating in the car.  And, as you may have already guessed, the place is always crowded now; not only with hungry locals but with visitors.  No doubt many visitors are finding their way here now thanks to the Worth It crew, so be prepared for crowds or plan to visit during off-peak hours.  But if you want to sample poke while on Oahu, this is one of the better places to get it.  Trust me, it’s worth the trek and wait.