You can’t wriggle your toes in the sand while eating Flint Weldin’s poke bowls, but there are swaying (miniature) palm trees and an ocean view just feet from his trailer. Never mind that the view is a mural or that the tropical scenery belongs to neighboring Don Julio’s Salvadoran restaurant. It may not be the North Shore of Oahu, but there’s a heaping helping of aloha tucked into this quiet Rohnert Park strip mall.
“The only thing we’re missing is the view,” said Weldin, owner of The Poke Truck.
If you’ve ever been to Hawaii, you know the craving that follows you home: fresh ahi poke over warm rice. Simple, delicious and surprisingly hard to find in Sonoma County.
Weldin and his crew are bringing those island flavors to the mainland from a 12-by-8-foot trailer, serving Hawaiian-style poke bowls that let the fish do the talking.
That means ruby-red cubes of raw ahi tuna tossed with shoyu, sweet onions or spicy mayo and served over warm sushi rice. No 20-ingredient pileup here, just good fish that doesn’t need to be buried under avocado, edamame, cucumbers, pineapple and, God forbid, lettuce.
Flint Weldin drizzles sesame cilantro sauce on ahi tuna, mixed with a sesame cilantro sauce, at Hawaiian Style Poke, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
The backstory
The idea for The Poke Truck started with Weldin’s cousin Josh, a commercial fisherman and poke shop owner on Oahu. Whenever the cousins got together in Hawaii, fresh poke was on the table and part of the conversation. On the mainland, though, the flavors just weren’t the same.
On a whim, Weldin and his wife, Stephanie, wondered whether their favorite food could become a family business.
The poke gods smiled. With Josh’s blessing, the couple began experimenting with recipes, sauces and flavors alongside Stephanie’s Auntie Jen, who now runs the kitchen. Stephanie’s cousin Sydnee Petri, a full-time student, finds time to bake guava cakes and other treats for the menu.
Hawaiian Style Poke for truck owner Flint Weldin holds a strawberry guava cupcake dessert creation by Sydnee Petri, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
A s’mores cookie, left and Mochiko desserts creations by Sydnee Petri of Hawaiian Style Poke, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Customers include locals, Sonoma State students, Hawaii transplants and people hoping to recapture the flavors of a recent island vacation. Some travel hours for a poke fix, Weldin said.
“There’s nothing better than giving someone some food and watching them open it up and enjoy it,” he said.
An unlikely hangout
You don’t really stumble onto The Poke Truck. You have to know where to look.
Hawaiian Style Poke truck located at 225 Southwest Blvd. in Rohnert Park, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Its home base is the parking lot of a timeworn strip mall with an eclectic mix of tenants: hobby shops, quiet salons, a storage facility and the Packard Auto Museum. It isn’t exactly state-of-the-art, but Weldin sees potential.
“It’s kind of funky, but the people are special,” he said. The center “just needs a little love, but I think we’re helping.”
The trailer landed there by way of a hair salon. Stephanie took over Salon Eleven Eighteen in the same shopping center, transforming a dated commercial space into a destination for women who love beachy curls and an afternoon of pampering. Impressed by the renovation, the shopping center’s management invited the couple to park their trailer outside.
With ample parking, neighboring restaurants and a growing crowd of regulars, The Poke Truck has found a home. It shares a patio with Don Julio’s. On Mondays and Fridays, the BoCo Coffee pop-up often joins the mix, serving Vietnamese phin-drip coffee topped with egg foam, along with matcha drinks.
The Poke Truck shares a patio with Don Julio’s Latin Grill in Rohnert Park. Photo taken Monday, April 13, 2026. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
Weldin hopes to eventually add online ordering and delivery for customers who can’t make it during the limited hours. But he prefers seeing people show up, pull up a chair and linger over lunch on the patio.
It’s not quite Hawaii. But with good poke, Vietnamese coffee and a borrowed ocean view, this little corner of Rohnert Park offers a taste of the islands without the plane ticket.
Best bets
The compact menu features four mainstay flavors: Sweet and Spicy Shoyu with habanero; Sweet Aloha, the classic with green and yellow onions; Sesame Cilantro; and Spicy Mayo, with chili crisp and tobiko. Seasonal additions are worth seeking out, including Coconut Crunch, made with coconut milk, furikake and toasted coconut. Sides include seaweed salad, pineapple coleslaw, crab salad and mac salad.
Sydnee Petri prepares for the day as she mixes ingredients for Hawaiian Style Poke, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Sydnee Petri prepares ingredients for Hawaiian Style Poke, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Rohnert Park. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Poke bowl, $22: A satisfying lunch-size portion with two types of poke and one side over sushi rice. Go for the mac salad.
Poke plate, $28: Three scoops of poke and two sides.
Mini bowl, $16: One scoop of poke and one side.
Guava cake: A soft, tender cake topped with cream cheese frosting and guava puree, from Syd’s Sweets.
Find it: The Poke Truck, Geissler Southwest Shopping Center, 225 Southwest Blvd., Rohnert Park. Typically open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until sold out, Friday through Monday. Check hours and locations on Instagram @thepoketruck.
