Jana Oshita and Cody Shibukawa — co-owners of Shibu’s Kauaʻi — started the poke business in 2023. At the time, it was called Poipu Poke Shack, located on Kauaʻi’s south side, according to Oshita.
“Cody comes from a background of fishing and creating local flavors,” she says. “We always had a dream of owning something small where we could share flavors we grew up enjoying.”
Oshita says that, when the biz was Poipu Poke Shack, it was located inside a small, locally owned market.
“We had a small counter serving fresh poke and sushi, just the two of us,” she says. “We were there for a little over two years, until we decided we needed to take a step back and some time to refresh.”
Poipu Poke Shack closed last July. This past February, the business reopened in Līhu‘e — where both, Oshita and Shibukawa grew up — under a new name.
“We like to think (the new location) was one of those ‘right time, right place,’ kind of things,” Oshita says. “Cody’s late grandma worked in the restaurant back in the day, and Cody’s father remembers playing in the bakery with the current owner, Johnathan.
“Tip Top Motel, Café & Bakery itself has been there for generations, loved by locals and tourists,” she adds. “When we got the opportunity to open here, we did not hesitate. Our current business name, Shibu’s, comes from Cody’s last name, as he is the one behind the flavors and unique ideas.”
The business offers poke bowls ($20.75), poke salad ($18.75), poke nachos ($20.75) and a variety of sushi rolls ($17.75-$19.75).
“I think what makes our business unique is the fact that, since day one, we have used fresh ‘ahi,” Oshita says. “A lot of places use frozen fish, so we take a lot of pride in having fresh ‘ahi mixed daily. Using fresh fish is more expensive than buying the frozen stuff; however, we try our best to keep our pricing reasonable.”
Poke flavors range from spicy salmon and ‘ahi salmon mix to shoyu ‘ahi and California ‘ahi. Its poke bowl ($20.75) — two scoops of sushi rice with furikake sprinkled on top, seaweed salad and two scoops of poke — is the bestselling dish on the menu.
“You can choose two different flavors of poke if you’d like, and it is a good-sized portion for its price,” says Oshita, who notes that the business’s ginger ‘ahi poke is her favorite poke flavor. “We cook down the ginger and mix the fresh ‘ahi with our soy sauce blend, and it just melts in your mouth. With this flavor, we wanted to give the taste similar to how we eat our steamed fish at home — with the fresh ginger and hot oil on top — but in poke form.
“We get a lot of compliments on this flavor from our aunties and uncles because it reminds them of how their parents used to make their ginger ‘ahi poke,” she adds.
The business’s dynamite sushi roll ($19.75) and dynamite poke bowl ($18.75) — which is a newer item — are other customer favorites. The dynamite sushi roll features a California roll topped with a layer of imitation crab, salmon and dynamite sauce (spicy mayo with garlic), which is then torched and topped with unagi sauce, green onions, tobiko and sesame seeds.
The dynamite poke bowl is similar, but includes a poke flavor of choice. Meanwhile, the business’s poke nachos ($20.75) feature a bed of wonton chips topped with spicy ‘ahi poke, wasabi aioli, unagi sauce, tobiko, green onions and furikake.
Shibu’s Kauaʻi is mostly a two-man operation, according to Oshita, who says they eventually hope to expand and grow their staff.
“For the most part, it’s just myself and Cody,” she says. “We take a lot of pride in everything we do, and we are here overseeing everything, from the quality of our fish to our rice. We put a lot of heart and soul into what we serve daily.”
Shibu’s Kauaʻi is currently open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, and from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sundays (closed on Fridays and Saturdays).
“We are both younger than the age of 30, so we’re just two ‘kids’ trying to build something special and be part of the community,” Oshita says. “We are all about supporting the small, local businesses, and wanting to see everyone succeed. We want people to know we genuinely appreciate every bit of support, because without the people taking the time to come and support us, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
CONTACT
Shibu’s Kauaʻi
Inside Tip Top Motel, Cafe & Bakery
3173 Akahi St., Līhu‘e
Instagram: @shibuskauai
Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sundays; closed Fridays and Saturdays
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
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