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An Oahu-based poke business is making waves in downtown Mountain View. Just a few weeks old and still in its soft opening phase, Ry’s Poke Shack is already drawing long lines for its Tsunami Nachos, Poke By Da Bowl and Poke By Da Pound.
Ry’s Poke Shack made its Bay Area debut inside Ava’s Downtown Market on Sept. 3, with a grand opening set for Sept. 25. Ryan Ching and his wife, Khannie Ching, started the business as a food truck on Oahu’s North Shore in 2020. Two years later, Ry’s was featured in an episode of Netflix’s “Street Food: USA” series, and in 2025, it made its Southern California debut. Ry’s now has six locations, including its new Mountain View outpost.
“I want to see how far one Kaneohe boy can take a small business, a little poke shack from North Shore, and turn it into one poke empire where we can spread Hawaii culture out of that brand name,” Ryan Ching said.
A former architect, Ryan Ching switched career paths during the pandemic. He had always dreamed of opening his own food truck and knew how to make pupu – Hawaiian appetizers, including poke – from his grandfather.
“Poke is not rocket science – it’s more the consistency and doing it over and over, and then the ingredients,” Ryan Ching said.
Ryan Ching noted that a motivation for Ry’s expansion is seeing that major poke chains are not Hawaiian-owned – he hopes to change that.
“Why do Hawaii people not have a foothold into our own staple food?” he said.
Unlike its other locations, Ry’s in Mountain View doesn’t offer its signature “fresh toss” style, in which poke is made-to-order. Instead, it offers nine pre-batched options, served in takeaway containers over a choice of white rice (seasoned generously with furikake), sushi rice or spring mix and optionally topped with crunchy mix (made from crispy fried garlic and fried onions). All orders come with house pickled cucumber.
Ryan Ching’s favorite poke variety is the Lao Style, a sweet, savory and spicy poke made with ahi that’s inspired by his wife, who is from Laos. Other popular options include the Firecracker, a spicy and creamy ahi variety; Signature Shoyu, a savory ahi version; and Garlic Ponzu Crunch, a tangy and savory salmon option.
Poke can be ordered “By Da Bowl” ($17.95 for one choice of poke, $23.95 for two choices), “By Da Pound” ($17.45 for a half pound of poke, $31.45 for one pound) or incorporated into Tsunami Nachos ($25). The Tsunami Nachos feature a base of tortilla chips, a choice of poke, crab salad and cucumber salad, a drizzle of spicy mayo and unagi sauce, furikake, tobiko and green onion.
For the grand opening on Sept. 25 from 3-5 p.m., Toshio Toguchi, who runs Oahu-based business Da Poi Boi, will hold a live poi-making demonstration. Also expect Hawaiian dancers and live Hawaiian music to celebrate Ry’s Poke Shack’s official opening.
“I’m always reminding myself about my big goal, which is to go global and see how far this whole business can go,” Ryan Ching said.
Ry’s Poke Shack is in the former space of national chain Poke Bar and joins Simply Sabor as a restaurant tenant within Ava’s. It’s one of two poke restaurants on Castro Street, joining Pokeworks, which opened in 2016.
Ry’s Poke Shack, 340 Castro St., Mountain View; 408-590-3802, Instagram: @ryspokeshack. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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