Ryan Ching, who worked as a contractor, had always wanted to start a poke business. Reflecting on his new venture, Ry’s Poke Shop — which opened in January — Ching says the pandemic was the push he needed to branch out.

“When the pandemic hit, I knew it would affect our construction business,” he says. “My wife, who worked with hotels in Waikiki, was furloughed for more than a year.

“My wife’s sister owns a sugarcane stand at Kahuku Sugar Mill, and I thought it would be cute to do a poke shack on the North Shore,” he adds.

Ching’s construction background came in handy. He built and designed Ry’s Poke Shack himself, a process that took about two weeks.

You’ll find much more than the typical spicy ahi or shoyu poke at this biz. Flavors range from wasabi and sweet ginger shoyu to spicy Hawaiian and Lao style.

“We made the Lao style because my wife is Laotian,” Ching says. “It has a lot of fish sauce, but we toned it down to go well with the poke.

“We get our fish from local fishermen,” he adds. “I want tourists to be exposed to a more local kind of poke, instead of just salmon or ahi.”

Poke bowls ($13.95) are the most popular menu item; Tsunami Poke Nachos ($15.95) are a close second. The latter features fresh shoyu poke, sweet onions, sesame, avocado sauce, chile mayo, unagi sauce, furikake and green onions. Upgrade to the Super Tsunami ($3 more) with crab salad, pickled cucumbers and tobiko. The menu also features poke wraps ($13.95) and salads ($14.95).

Ry’s Poke Shack is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Saturdays. Follow the business on Instagram (@ryspokeshack) for updates.

Ry’s Poke Shack

56-565 Kamehameha Hwy.,Kahuku
808-387-6599
Instagram: @ryspokeshack
How to pay: Cash, credit cards, Venmo, Apple Pay
How to order: In person or phone orders