A new poke chain featuring the fresh flavors of Hawaii opened this week in Wichita

Poke fans rejoice: Wichita’s newest restaurant specializing in the Hawaiian favorite is opening this week.

Pokemoto, a Connecticut-based chain with restaurants mostly in the eastern half of the United States, opened its first Wichita store on Thursday in the former Quiznos spot at 550 N. Webb Road. The restaurant specializes in Hawaiian poke bowls made with various proteins, toppings and sauces. Customers can build their own bowls or choose from predetermined combinations. In addition, the Pokemoto menu also includes miso soup, a long list of boba teas.

Pokemoto’s hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Wichita’s previous experience with poke came from Poke Mix, which operated at 8919 W. 21st St. from 2017 until it closed in 2020. The concept was then absorbed into the coffee shop Crafted at 9730 E 21st St., and poke is a popular draw to that business.

The Pokemoto chain says that the new corporate-owned store on Webb is a “seed” location meant to lure franchisees into opening more restaurants in the area.

This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 11:12 AM.

Denise Neil

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6327

Denise Neil has covered restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook page is the go-to place for diners to get information about local restaurants. She’s a regular judge at local food competitions and speaks to groups all over Wichita about dining.