Customers can build their own bowl or sushi burrito at Ohana Poke Bowl. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
Originally from Cambodia, 20-year Navy veteran Sinarith Uy and his wife, Ellie Sou, returned to Texas from Spanish Fort, Alabama, in search of better opportunities for their family. When the opportunity to open their own restaurant came, Sou didn’t think twice about it.
Although growing up Sou said she refused to learn how to cook, later in life her family's lack of access to affordable food led her to learn to cook and create her own sustainable recipes.
“We moved here because we've been raising our kids in small towns and struggling with food,” Uy said.
The backstory
With the intention of opening a family restaurant, Sou and Uy moved to Cypress and opened Ohana Poke Bowl in March 2024, despite Uy originally hesitating to the idea.
With several years of experience working at sushi restaurants, Sou prevailed and held on to her restaurant aspirations. As first-time restaurant owners, Uy said they faced several challenges, but the community welcomed them with open arms and offered their input to make their opening transition smoother.
From left, Ellie Sou stands next to her husband, Sinarith Uy, and his brother Sam Nang. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
“The community has been very supportive of us, and they are grateful that we opened a poke restaurant nearby,” Uy said.
To show their appreciation to the community, Ohana Poke Bowl offers discounts for teachers and law enforcement.
At Ohana Poke Bowl, customers can customize their own poke bowl. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
On the menu
Alongside Uy’s brother Sam Nang, the eatery serves Hawaiian-inspired poke bowls with Japanese influence as well as Cajun seafood. With ingredients sourced locally and from Taiwan, Ohana Poke Bowl offers customers the opportunity to create their own poke bowl as well as signature bowl options.
During a five-step process, customers can select their own base, protein, sauce, vegetables and toppings. With sauces made in house, Sou said customer favorites include the house spicy sauce, spicy mayo and teriyaki sauce.
The etouffee combo ($18.99) includes shrimp, fish and crawfish. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
The eatery also serves Cajun dishes, including fried shrimp, oysters, etouffee and a variety of po'boy sandwiches. In addition, Ohana Poke Bowl offers musubi, an appetizer consisting of sweet and salty glazed Spam on a layer of white rice wrapped with a roasted nori sheet.
Ohana Poke Bow also boasts an extensive boba milk tea menu with 20 flavors, coffees including the Viet ice coffee, smoothies and sparkling waters.
