Loved how fresh the seafood was. We like that they're very generous with their portions. We were barely able to finish our bowl! Something you can't get in central LA.

Great quality poke for the OC area! One of the few Hawaiian style poke places. We got two larges they were so filling I had so much rice left over. The fish is high quality, the price is a little expensive especially with extra charge for each topping (but you don't really need it). No indoor seating but about 4 tables outdoors, decent amount of street parking surrounding. Only complaint was there was way too much sauce, the rice and imitation crab was soaked with the original blend to the point where the rice was overwhelmingly sauced.

Not a typical review for me not adding any pictures of food so apologies fellow Yelpers. What I can tell you is that Kawamata is coined as the best Poke spot by most locals in south Orange County. It's right off the highway too, so if you're just passing through you can still pop in. I have not one bad thing to say about this place. There is only a few spots to sit outside. You walk up to basically a window and order. I kid you not, the food will be out within 3-5 minutes. It's actually insane. I've been here probably 10 times and I swear they only get faster. The sole reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is simply due to the fact that it is a bit expensive for a bowl. By my own standards, it's 5 stars. By a more general public eye, 4 stars only because it's more expensive than a chain poke place. As the old saying goes, get what you pay for! Cheers!

I remember seeing a couple videos about Kawamata saying it was one of the better poke spots in OC. Poke is one of those things where you'll find a ton of, but rarely will you find an amazing one. I've never been to Hawaii unfortunately, so I'm lucky I don't have to compare what we have here in socal. I've tried several poke places over the years but haven't found one I'm in love with. From what I've seen, Kawamata leans more into the Hawaiian style poke. Less sauce options, less crazy poke toppings. More focusing on the fish quality. Menu is pretty small. You choose your base, protein option, and toppings. I went with the ahi and salmon with white rice. I added on corn, avocado, imitation crab, fried garlic, and spicy tuna. For sauce, I got spicy mayo and their house sauce. Overall, it was a solid poke bowl. The sauces didn't really mask the fish. Service was friendly and quick with a short line when I arrived. There's also a nearby park that's the perfect spot to have a picnic and enjoy your poke there. I'd definitely come back!

You know, I've searched high and low for some authentic poke in Orange County. It's tough to find! I think I've found it here at Kawamata Seafood in Dana Point! This place is tucked away on an unassuming street corner, right next to a residential neighborhood. It's a tiny space that's doling out big flavor! There's a small menu, so you don't have to take forever deciding! Get yourself down here early, because there's often a wait at lunchtime. We ordered and took our food togo, cuz there's not a lot of seating, but it's not a far drive down to the beach! I got their house sauce salmon and tuna with seaweed salad, and josh got the house sauce tuna with dried seaweed. Both were really great! If you look at the pictures of the food online, it's shockingly consistent! That in and of itself is a reason why you should come here. The yummy umami marinade just coats all that delicious fish and you taste each individual component. They also got our favorite: spam musubi. ANDDD...they add a lil egg on top. How cute is that? All in all, it's a great musubi: salty seared spam, soft, sweet egg, slightly vinegary rice? It's a good time.

Kawamata has exceptional fish quality, and the poke bowl was nicely balanced. The salmon was so soft, while the tuna had that lean flavor I really like. Each bowl came with onions and cucumber, which were great additions. The original sauce tasted like a house sauce with an additional citrusy tang. It made for a delicious and balanced sauce: it enhanced the flavors of the fish without being an overpowering flavored sauce. For me, this place is tied for the best poke in OC, right alongside It's Raw in San Diego. Ordering was straightforward, and the food came out quickly despite the long line, which moved fast. The location is also pleasant, making it a nice spot to sit outside and enjoy a meal.

My search for poke as good as that in Hawaii led me to Kawamata Seafood. Unfortunately, they don't have premade poke and it's a build-your-own bowl place. You select your base (white rice, brown rice or cabbage), sauce and fish (ahi tuna, salmon and octopus). A regular is $12.99 and on the small side, so I ordered a large $16.50, which seems to be around the typical price point of most poke bowl shops. It does not include toppings, so any additions are extra. I am cheap, so I just stuck to the fish (which gets mixed with onions and cucumbers) and the original blend. I was surprised to find that the original blend was a little on the spicy side. They do give you large chunks of fresh fish, like they do in Hawaii, which was nice. Unfortunately there was very little sauce on my fish. Usually places drown the fish, but no so here. As a result, the raw onion had a little more bite than I would have liked. I don't know if this is normal or if my bowl was just a fluke. We got there a couple of minutes after they opened on the weekend, and there was already a long line. There's parking on the street. Once you order at the counter at the door, you get your food pretty quick. There are a few tables out front. We took ours to a nearby park and enjoyed the view - almost as nice as being in Hawaii.

These poke bowls are amazingly fresh and filling. The salmon and tuna are high quality and the house sauce on the fish is delicious. The spam musubi is also excellent. Not sure if it's because we didn't eat it right away, but the rice was not as soft and a bit chewy. The restaurant is actually more like a stand where you order the food and then sit outside in the patio to eat. The lines are long as well. It took approximately 40 mins to get to the front of the line. Parking is not bad as you can park along the sidewalk, but it definitely gets crowded. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth getting.

Good quality poke! Came here on a Wednesday afternoon around 530 and there was a line of about 10 people. The staff do take their time so be prepared to wait. You order at the door of the restaurant, and guessing they do that because it is a tight fit inside. Not a big place. Closes at 6pm. They charge extra for everything so we only got the base fish and rice/cabbage. Fish tasted good. The original sauce had a kick to it so if you don't like spicy be advised! Limited amount of outdoor seating. Limited amount of parking in the small lot but it looked like there was some street parking.

One of the best Hawaiian style pokes in OC! The fish is super fresh and packed with flavor in each bite. Definitely recommend adding crispy garlic as it adds a great crunch and a garlicy component. I got the tuna, salmon, and octopus, to try them all, with spicy mayo and I was surprised that the octopus was pretty tender. I would skip the spam musubi though as you can't really taste the egg and there's a little too much rice for my liking. Service was great as well as the person taking our order was kind and the food came out right away. There's a few tables outside but there's a grassy area overseeing the beach just a 5-10 min walk from there. If you're struggling to choose between the small and large size, get the large.