Suisan Fish Market
A legendary fish market serving the freshest, most authentic poke bowls on the Big Island for over a century. Perfect for a quick, delicious meal.
Highlights
Must-see attractions
Social
From TikTok & Reddit
Best Time
Blue hour photography, calmer galleries
Suisan Fish Market
Highlights
Must-see attractions
A legendary fish market serving the freshest, most authentic poke bowls on the Big Island for over a century. Perfect for a quick, delicious meal.
"Best poke on the Big Island! Fresh, melt-in-your-mouth fish with friendly service."
Arrive Early for Selection
Visit in the morning for the best and freshest fish selection, as popular items sell out quickly.
Try Honey Garlic or Spicy Shoyu
Highly recommended flavors include honey garlic and spicy shoyu for a delicious poke experience.
Quick Facts
Cuisine
Seafood Market / Poke
Price
Mid-range
Highlights
Discover the most iconic attractions and experiences
Ultra-Fresh Poke Bowls
Experience melt-in-your-mouth poke with incredibly fresh, tender, and perfectly seasoned fish, a true taste of the Big Island.
Friendly Staff & Tastings
Enjoy a welcoming atmosphere where staff offer honest advice and let you sample flavors before choosing your perfect poke bowl.
Convenient Picnic Spot
Grab your poke to go and enjoy it at nearby Liliuokalani Garden for a perfect beach picnic or scenic lunch.
Plans like a pro.
Thinks like you
Menu
Most Popular Items
Insider Tips
from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit
Arrive Early for Selection
Visit in the morning for the best and freshest fish selection, as popular items sell out quickly.
Try Honey Garlic or Spicy Shoyu
Highly recommended flavors include honey garlic and spicy shoyu for a delicious poke experience.
Poke on Salad Option
If you prefer, ask for your poke to be served on a salad instead of rice for a lighter option.
Sample Before You Buy
Don't hesitate to ask the friendly staff for recommendations and to sample different poke flavors.
Tips
from all over the internet
Arrive Early for Selection
Visit in the morning for the best and freshest fish selection, as popular items sell out quickly.
Try Honey Garlic or Spicy Shoyu
Highly recommended flavors include honey garlic and spicy shoyu for a delicious poke experience.
Poke on Salad Option
If you prefer, ask for your poke to be served on a salad instead of rice for a lighter option.
Sample Before You Buy
Don't hesitate to ask the friendly staff for recommendations and to sample different poke flavors.
What Travellers Say
Reviews Summary
Suisan Fish Market is celebrated for its incredibly fresh and delicious poke bowls, with many praising the melt-in-your-mouth quality and variety of flavors. The staff are consistently noted for their friendliness and willingness to offer samples. While the ambiance is casual and seating is limited, making it ideal for takeout, some find the rice texture too firm or the seasoning lighter than expected. Despite these minor points, the overall consensus is that it's a must-visit for authentic Hawaiian poke.
"Wow, hands down the best poke I had on the Big Island! From the moment I walked in, you can tell everything is ultra-fresh. Each bite literally melts in your mouth, tender, perfectly seasoned cubes of fish that taste like they were caught that morning. The pieces are juuust the right size (no giant chunks or sad little bits), so you get an ideal balance of fish and seasoning every time.
The staff are absolute sweethearts, zero pressure, plenty of friendly smiles, and they even let me sample every flavor before I decided. I would recommend Suisan to anyone visiting Big Island who wants the freshest, melt-in-your-mouth poke, you won’t be disappointed!"
Laura Peng
"Food: very fresh and reasonable price! The rice ratio is relatively high but their poke can make you finish it for sure. They offer many options from fish to octopus to scallop. Definitely recommend something with shoyu or spicy shoyu. Getting just poke is also more recommended!
Service: very patient with tourists like us who can’t decide right away and friendly to recommend flavors and explain their menu.
Ambiance: casual. You only get a few white benches outside so takeout is the most recommended option."
Lydia Chang
"05/02/2025 (Fri)
We stopped by after the beach, excited to try some fresh poke. We had the Ahi Sesame Shoyu and Ahi Spicy Oyster bowls.
While the variety of poke options was impressive, you can only choose either one type or two types per bowl—one type for $15.50 or two types for $18.50. There are no combo meals with side poke, and pricing is market-based, so we couldn't know the total cost in advance.🐟
There’s no seating inside, and the picnic tables next door belong to another establishment, so we ended up eating on a bench outside the shop.
The rice was surprisingly firm—perhaps intentionally so, to avoid overpowering the poke’s flavor—but it was a bit too hard for our taste. The seasoning on the poke was lighter than expected, and since no sauce was added to the rice, we found ourselves eating plain white rice at the end.
Looking back, we realized that ordering two ahi-based pokes wasn’t the best choice. The flavors were too similar, and we got tired of the taste halfway through. So maybe it was just our selection or personal preference. Still, even with the friendly staff, we don’t think we’d come back to try other options.🤔"
Yulily
What People Like
What People Dislike
Frequently Asked Questions
Poke is a traditional Hawaiian dish of seasoned, cubed raw fish. Suisan Fish Market is renowned for using ultra-fresh, locally sourced seafood prepared with a variety of delicious marinades and seasonings.
Customers highly recommend the honey garlic and spicy shoyu poke. Sampling is encouraged to find your personal favorite!
Seating is very limited, with only a few outdoor benches. It's primarily a takeout spot, perfect for enjoying your meal at nearby Liliuokalani Garden.
To ensure the best selection of fish, it's recommended to visit in the morning, ideally between 9-11 am, as popular items tend to sell out.
Yes, you can opt to have your poke bowl served on a salad base instead of rice by requesting it from the staff.
Besides the salad option, you can also order poke by the pound to enjoy with your own sides or to take home.
Mentioned in
Featured in these publications
Best restaurants Hawaiʻi the Big Island, Hawaii
For a mouth-watering variety of freshly made poke (sold by the pound), Suisan is a must. Buy a takeout bowl of poke with rice and chow down outside the…
36 Hours in Hilo, Hawaii: Things to Do and See
Suisan Fish Market, a wholesale seafood supplier, serves the island’s freshest poke (seasoned raw fish) at the mouth of the Wailoa River.
5 Top Hilo Restaurants | Eat Out and Experience Hawaiian Cuisine!
A trip to the Big Island is not complete without having poke, the quintessential Hawaiian-style preparation of fresh fish, often caught that same day. Look no further than this legendary fish market on the calm waters of Hilo Bay, where families of fishermen and women have been serving and selling all types of seafood for over a century. Their four primary fish are ahi, mahi-mahi, ono, and salmon, all available most days, plus a wide range of other delicacies like lobster and octopus.
Kona Coffee to Poi Hawaiian Food
In the early afternoon, cruise to the Suisan Fish Market for a poke bowl, one of the Big Island’s most classic dishes. Poke bowls take inspiration from Japanese sushi, with fresh fish prepared delicately and served alongside seaweed, onions, and sesame seeds. At Suisan – where they have been catching and dishing up fresh-off-the-boat fish for over a century – your poke bowl comes with ⅓ lb of ahi, mahi mahi, ono, or salmon, served with your choice of Hawaiian sides and rice.
Hilo Hawaii, the east side of the Big Island
The Suisan Fish Market is a fresh fish market right across the street from the Queen Liliuokalani Gardens. All they sell is raw fish to take home and cook and the BEST POKE I”VE EVER HAD. They also sell rice and seaweed salad, but it is not a “dine-there,” kind of a joint. It is a order your poke and take your poke and if you are lucky there may be a seat at one of the plastic tables outside, sort of place.
20 Hilo Restaurants Where You Can Get an Amazing Meal
Another incredible seafood market but this time with a focus on providing food for wholesale and retail, Suisan Fish Market offers the largest variety of reef seafood in Hawaii. With that said, its best known for its assortment of poke and sides, so if you’re a fan, surely pay them a visit. Finally, while they are the largest vendor of seafood in Hilo, their offerings depend on the day’s inventory.
Best Places to Eat in Hilo Hawaii
This place is a fish market, not a restaurant although there are poke bowls on the menu and a few tables outside to eat. Fish available varies but most of the time the market has ahi, Mahi Mahi, Ono and Salmon. As soon as Scott took a bite out of the Poke he ran inside to get a half pound more of raw, marinated tuna.
15 Favorite Restaurants in Hilo for Lunch, Take-Out, and Dinner
The selection at the Suisan Fish Market is impressive and the fish the freshest you’ll find. Even if you’re not a fish fan, you’ll undoubtedly find something tasty. The best thing to do is take your bowls to go and walk 2 minutes down to the Liliʻuokalani park to enjoy them on one of the picnic tables there.
Your Walking Guide to Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island
Hawai‘i locals often debate about who has the best poke bowl. Well, Suisan Fish Market makes a strong contender. Known for its fresh ‘ahi, the hardworking staff behind the counter serves tasty poke bowls that showcase cubes of fresh fish flavored with a variety of sauces and seasonings.
Best Poke, East Side
We've always done Suisan for the freshest and delicious, but since the mom retired, the prices are sky high and portions lower. KTA has a fresh ahi option now, with the frozen fish a few dollars less per pound. I've heard all the other grocery stores use frozen fish from Thailand.
Best Poke Bowl Spots on The Big Island
Suisan Fish Market is a legendary spot in Hilo, known for its ultra-fresh fish and various poke options. Their poke bowls are made to order, allowing you to choose from flavors like spicy ahi, shoyu, and Hawaiian-style poke with limu (seaweed) and inamona (roasted kukui nut).
Best restaurants in Hilo
More take out style food to go to and have a picnic close by at Liliuokalani garden. You’ll find local take-out here are typically poke bowls with fresh fish or other seafood specialties on their menu. You can also order fresh fish for cooking later for a meal to die for.
Top 10 Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Hilo, Hawaii - EAT | PLAY | STAY
Located on the bay, Suisan reminds us of a typical old Hawaiian-style fish market. Very casual and has a laid back feel to it. My children love raw seafood, especially “poke”, which is a raw-fish salad served as an appetizer in popular Hawaiian cuisine.
Grand Champion – Hilo Bay BBQ Cook-off, Hawaii State BBQ Championship, Hilo, HI
They took me to the Suisan Fish Market in Hilo where I found some beautiful fresh blood red tuna loin. They took me next to Safeway where I found some mayo, Sriracha hot sauce, and California avocados so I decided to do a spicy mayo and avocado poke.
How to Spend Up to 5 Days on the Big Island
This is, BY FAR, the best place on the Big Island for poke bowls. The selection is incredible (try the spicy ninja poke bowl), and the quality is unbeatable. There’s little chance you’ll finish your bowl, as portions are huge!
The 14 Best Poke Bowls You Can Find In Hawaii
If you would like to try its poke bowls, work your schedule around that. Additionally, always call ahead to be sure it's open. All of this is worth making the trek to its location in Hilo, on the east coast of The Big Island.
11 Things you Must Eat on the Big Island
Some other spots to check out for the best poke on the Big Island are Umeke’s (Kona), Kona Grill House (Kona), Suisan Fish Market (Hilo), and Chef Ernie Gray’s Poke Market (Hilo).
Best of the Best of Hilo Hawaii
Best Poke: Suisan, right next to ocean and a fish market so you know it is super fresh. Their poke bowl is one of the most reasonably priced and delicious we have ever had.
Best Restaurants in Hilo, Hawaii
Head to Suisan Fish Market, where you can build your own poke bowl from a selection of fresh-caught fish and toppings. It’s fast, affordable, and undeniably Hawaiian.
Best Lunch in Hilo, HI (2024) — 15 Top Places!
93 Lihiwai StHilo, HI 96720(808) 935-9349 Visit Website Open in Google Maps. Suisan specializes in fresh fish, local foods and items, and a wide variety of seafood.
Best Lunch In Hilo Hi
Suisan Fish Market specializes in fresh fish and seafood, particularly poke bowls, and also offers fresh fish for frying later.
Social
from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit