Downtown D.C. Is the Next Stop for Honeyfish Poke

Just weeks after planting its first East Coast location in Rockville, Maryland, SoCal chain Honeyfish Poke is opening in the heart of downtown D.C. next week. The 900-square-foot spot, which seats eight, is scheduled to begin catering to the K Street crowd on Monday, August 7.

Honeyfish Poke CEO Duke Park has previously opened five locations in raw seafood-saturated Southern California, home to a slew of Hawaiian-themed eateries. So why plant a flag in D.C., 3,000 miles away from his poke home base? Park, an admitted “history buff,” fell in love with area while on vacation a few years ago and says he was attracted to its health conscious and diverse customer base.

“One thing we've learned is that there is a huge market for poke,” Park says, adding that “there hasn't been a business model to satisfy sashimi-sushi customers in a fast-casual environment until now.”

Honeyfish customers can select a base (rice, greens), pile on a featured protein (tuna, salmon, octopus, tofu), add toppings (edamame, cilantro, sesame seeds), then drizzle on a signature sauce (ponzu, wasabi, spicy mayo). Bowls run $10.95 to $14.95, depending on the number of proteins included.

Park tells Eater he plans to “aggressively expand” throughout D.C. and is prepared to co-exist with the latest wave of poke competitors; other recent arrivals include Poke Papa and Abunai Poke.

The anticipated hours of operation are from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Status: Opening at 11 a.m. on August 7; 1401 K Street NW; website.