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| - Today was my first visit to Ahipoki Bowl. I was lured in by their email announcing that today only, they were offering 50% OFF ALL of their bowls at their Tempe location. I arrived at about 10:30, and the line was already wrapped around to the back of the building! I was really glad that I had arrived "early". I managed to find a place to park in their lot, and got in line to wait.
They opened right on time at 11:00. When I finally actually got inside the door (11:10), it was actually nice to have a good bit of time to make my decisions since there were so many options. Looking ahead, the line was still quite long, but it only took me another 15 minutes to reach the counter.
Service was fast, efficient, helpful and friendly, and the whole experience turned out to be fun. I got two 3 scoop bowls (large), one with rice and the other with organic salad. I didn't realize how generous the scoops were until I was served! 3 scoops was probably a bit ambitious for me, but I had skipped breakfast and was starving. I wanted to try everything.
In the rice bowl I ordered scoops of spicy tuna, salmon, and tuna luau (ahi tuna tossed with green onion, avocado, garlic soy mirin sauce, and sesame oil - yum). I had all of the wet toppings except edamame, and had as my dry toppings chili flakes, furikake, and sesame seeds. My sauce was garlic soy mirin. Delicious! Everything was so fresh.
In the salad bowl, I ordered scoops of spicy tuna, tuna luau, and yellowtail (extra $1), all the wet toppings except edamame, chili flakes, furikake, sesame seeds, and kimchi sauce. This will be my dinner tonight, but I tasted it and it two was fresh and delicious.
I added avocado to each bowl at $1 extra per serving.
The line backed up slightly at the register, but only for a moment. I was out of there with my food and a Thai iced tea slightly before 11:30.
Since I embraced the idea that at 50% off, this was going to be an adventure that included a line, and some wait time - I had no problem with the time involved. I loved my food, and hope that this Tempe location remains a 5 star experience. (I'd heard from several friends that the Scottsdale store went downhill somewhat after a strong start...) I'll be back to the Tempe store again soon! At 50% off this was an over the top value!
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