Popular downtown poke bowl restaurant to open new location in north St. Pete

Owners of Pacific Counter - Chef Tock (left), Eric Bialik (middle), and Tanner Loebel (RIght) | pacific counter

Pacific Counter is rolling into its second St. Pete location, bringing its fresh Hawaiian-style poke bowls and sushi burritos to the Northeast Shopping Center.

The fast-casual restaurant chain that “serves up a mainland mix of coastal classics” and opened its first St. Pete location at 660 Central Avenue in 2018, will expand to 210 37th Avenue North in January.

The space was previously occupied by the Island Fin Poké Company.

“For years we have been keeping our eyes open around the 4th Street corridor without any luck until now,” co-owner Tanner Loebel said to St. Pete Rising.

“It just so happened that this opportunity presented itself in the Northeast Shopping Plaza, which I’ve lived next to for the majority of my life and was home to my grandfather’s optometry practice for a long time.”

Pacific counter’s menu includes poke bowls, hot dogs, various sides, and bubble teas | pacific counter/uber eats

Loebel alongside local culinary masterminds Chitthasack Noythanongsay (known as Chef Tock), and Eric Bialik are the founders of Pacific Counter who set out on a mission of bringing "good food and good vibes” with the poke restaurant.

By definition, ‘poke’ means ‘to cut’ in Hawaiian and it refers to diced raw, marinated fish that is tossed with veggies and umami-loaded sauces and then served over a bed of rice.

Pacific Counter's build-your-own bowls allow customers to select a base - noodles, rice, or mixed greens - and the main proteins like raw and spicy tuna, salmon, krab (fake crab), calamari, and shrimp. For non-seafood fans, there's baked chicken, barbeque chicken, mushrooms, tofu, and spicy tofu.

Kimchi, masago (fish eggs), edamame, mango, pineapple, and other sweet and crunchy mix-ins can be added as well as toppings like wasabi, pickled ginger, and shredded nori (seaweed) at no extra charge.

The bowls, which are priced around $12, come with a free sauce including traditional soy sauce, sesame waina (ginger vinaigrette), chili aioli (creamy sesame spice), fire water (a spicy sauce), and avocado lime among others.

Can't decide? There are also pre-fixed bowls like the O.G. Bowl that come with a base of your choice, raw tuna, avocados, edamame, mixed greens, onions, shredded nori, sesame seeds, and soy sauce.

The ingredients in the bowls can be rolled into a large sushi "burrito."

While known for its bowls and sushi burritos, Pacific Counter also has all-beef hot dogs with assorted toppings, and sides such as spam musubi, miso soup, seaweed salad, and cucumber salad.

For a sweet treat, the restaurant has dairy-free pineapple Dole Whip ice cream (the same stuff they serve at Disney World) and bubble tea with flavors like taro, matcha, Thai tea, and passionfruit with "jellies" or “popping” boba, which is a thin, gel-like ball with juice inside that burst when squeezed.

In a few weeks, the restaurant will join the newly opened J Crew Factory, Crunch Fitness, the CALI restaurant, Office Depot, and CVS Pharmacy among other tenants.

“Our friends, family, and community have been asking us to find a spot outside of downtown for a while, which is easier said than done, but we are happy we’ve been able to make it happen,” Loebel said.

The Pacific Counter team will give out prizes to celebrate the grand opening. Local delivery and full-service on-site event catering will be available.

Be sure to follow Pacific Counter on Facebook and Instagram for the grand opening announcement and latest menu offerings.