Poke Bros. Opening On Route 59: Here's What You Need To Know

SHOREWOOD, IL — The village of Shorewood was chosen to be the first place in the Joliet area to open a Poke Bros. The rapidly expanding Hawaiian-themed restaurant chain focuses on the concept of sushi in a bowl.

1. Where will Poke Bros. open?

Poke Bros. is filling the last remaining storefront available in the same building that houses Noodles & Company and the Smoothie King restaurant that opened last year. The building address for Poke will be 910 Brook Forest Ave, Suite B. It's possible Poke Bros. will open in Shorewood before the end of the November, but village officials will first need to give the building a final inspection.

2. What is Poke?

According to the restaurant chain's website, it's pronounced "Poh-Kay," and the word means "to cut crosswire into pieces in Hawaiian, and that's how the fish is prepared in a poke bowl.

3. When did Poke start getting popular?

During the 1970s. The popular form of poke includes skinning, deboning and filleting raw fish and serving it with Hawaiian salt, seaweed and roasting it with ground candle nut meat. That form of poke remains common on the Hawaiian islands, according to Poke Bros.

4. What is considered traditional Poke?

That involves a traditional combination of cubed raw ahi with soy sauce. Other varieties of poke can include octopus, tofu, shrimp, scallop or salmon mixed with chili paste as well as vitamin-packed algae, crushed kukui nuts, avocado, sesame oil and green onions, the growing restaurant chain indicated.

5. How many Poke Bros. locations exist?

After forming in 2016, Poke Bros. said it now has 60 restaurants, and most are in the Midwest and along the East Coast. In Illinois, they are located in Villa Park, on Route 59 in Naperville, Schaumburg, Lincolnshire, Lake Bluff, South Elgin, St. Charles, Glenview, Gurnee, Frankfort, Oakbrook Terrace, Lake of the Hills, and North Eola Road in Aurora.

6. Why is the Midwest the focus of a Hawaiian food concept?

"The appeal of this fast and casual while healthy concept immediately inspired the founders to begin thinking how they could bring this unique dish to the Midwest," Poke Bros. explains on its website. "As the poké movement has caught on, Poké Bros has rapidly expanded into multiple states across the Midwest and East Coast ... We will continue to stick to our roots, as Poké Bros continues to grow, and offer only the best fresh ingredients that fill you up but don’t slow you down."