Poke Poke – Sushi Unrolled is tacking onto its success by adding two more restaurants in the coming months.
The family owned sushi bowl chain aims to open a store just south of the Macomb Mall at 31931 Gratiot Ave. by May 1 if all goes as planned.
Another Poke Poke is under construction in a Berkley storefront at 2485 Coolidge Hwy. Officials expect that location to be to open in July or August.
“We’ve seen such success in every area that we’re in, so we just want to continue to grow and own that poke bowl market in Michigan,” said Remy Asmar, a marketing director for the Southfield-based operation.
Poke Poke is built around the concept of unbridled sushi combos, inviting customers to put their favorite sushi rolls in a bowl.
The restaurant has nine signature bowls and recently added to the menu a Volcano Bowl that features spicy tuna and salmon, jalapeno, ginger, cabbage, green onions, cucumber, carrots and a house sauce mixed with a light Japanese sriracha seasoning.
The Dynamite Bowl is one of Poke Poke’s best sellers, a blend of ahi tuna, shrimp, carrot mango, jalapeno, cucumbers, chili flake and sesame seed topped with a spicy sweet chili Gochuchang sauce.
The Berkley and Roseville locations are two of three that are soon to open in Michigan. Poke Poke launched its first brick-and-mortar location in 2018 and the brand has steadily expanded ever since. The Asian fusion chain currently sports a roster of seven restaurants in Michigan with two more open in Tampa, Florida.
“We come from a background of opening restaurants and we just thought that Michigan needed a kind of west coast poke restaurant,” Asmar said. “Poke was popular on the west coast, and not as popular on the east. So we just thought there was a niche for poke in our state. They’ve been popping up all around, we’re not the only ones. But we just thought that Michigan needed a neighborhood, locally owned and operated poke bowl restaurant.”
Owners have their sights set on international expansion as well, with hopes to open locations in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates in coming years.
Both of the new local sites will feature a Boba Bar, Poke Poke’s in-store shop that offers an assortment of bubble teas, “cereal treats,” milkshakes and signature ice creams. The sister tea shops are already blended into six Poke Poke restaurants and will be affixed to all of the anchor store’s new locations.
“We just thought it would be a great addition,” Asmar said of the Bobe Bar concept. “The combination of a fresh poke bowl with a really refreshing bubble tea, whether it’s milk tea, a lemonade or fruit tea. The combination’s just awesome.”
