Steve Shih, below left, and his 3 siblings, Andrew, Annie, and Leon (not photographed), opened the first Poke Doke (pronounced Poh-kay Doh-kay) in St. Louis at 8 S. Euclid, between Laclede and West Pine in 2017. In 2022, the Shihs relocated the restaurant into a larger space across the street at 23 S. Euclid. There is a second Poke Doke location in Kirkwood, where the Shih family grew up.
“P0ke” is the Hawaiian word for cutting or slicing. So, the menu features Signature Poke Doke Bowls with sliced Ahi tuna or salmon (available raw or cooked), rice, and lots of other fresh ingredients, BYO Poke Bowls, Hawaiian BBQ Chicken, as well as the family’s recipes for Kalbi Short Ribs and Crab Rangoon.
Shih siblings Annie and Leon remain owners of Poke Doke but live out of town, and Steve now runs the CWE restaurant full time. He and his wife Logan, who is Senior Branch Manager of Central Bank in Clayton, have two kids. His brother, Andrew, works with his wife Julie, who opened DD Mau Vietnamese Restaurants in Webster Groves and Maryland Heights.
Recently, Poke Doke became even more of a family affair now that patriarch William “Papa” Shih, right, has come out of retirement to prepare a special Chinese Brunch on Saturdays, and a Chinese menu Tuesday through Thursday. According to Steve, the closest city where you’d find a similar brunch menu is in Chicago. Papa Shih and his wife operated the Hot Wok Cafe in Chesterfield from 1991 to 2018. Word that Papa Shih is preparing the same dishes he served at Hot Wok Cafe traveled fast, and now, former customers from Ballwin and Chesterfield are coming to the CWE on Saturdays between 10 and 2.
Papa Shih is shown cooking a Chinese Cruller, a recipe he learned from his mother, Steve’s grandmother.
Some of the dishes on the brunch menu are shown above, clockwise from top: Chinese Crullers, Beef Noodle Soup, Beef Sesame Sandwich, Chive Pie and Soy Milk Soup. (The full menu is below.) The Chinese menu Tuesday through Thursday features items such as handmade pot stickers and noodles, Mongolian Beef, and General Tsao’s Chicken.
Poke Doke, 23 S. Euclid, is open from 11 to 8, 7 days a week. Papa Shi’s Chinese Brunch Pop-up is offered on Saturdays from 10 to 2, and the Chinese menu is offered Tuesday through Thursday from 10 to 6.
