We're Making Waves

Poke chain Sweetfin will have a grand opening for its first Long Beach location Friday, Sept. 15. The chain, which has taken over the former Z-Pizza location, offers various poke bowl options with different raw fish items like gochujang salmon, truffled yuzu albacore, and more. Sweetfin also offers vegetarian options, for those who want to skip the raw fish, and customizable burritos.

Belmont Shore will double its poke-bowl offerings when Sweetfin moves into its first Long Beach brick-and-mortar this summer. Though the Hawaiian-inspired, raw fish craze first arrived on Second Street in 2016, when Poke Pola opened, Sweetfin was among the first wave of poke-bowl eateries on the scene in Southern California.

Sweetfin, a fast-casual poke brand founded in 2015, has leveraged influencers in food, fitness, music and even comedy to weave itself into the lifestyles of Southern California consumers.

Sweetfin is expanding beyond its seafood-focused culinary creations to offer their new Greens and Grains Bowls. For the first time in its history, the chef-driven poké concept is introducing grilled chicken to its menu, encouraging non-seafood lovers to explore the delights of the poké bowl realm.

The Chengdu Crunch Bowl is an exclusive new offering at Sweetfin that can be savored until the end of the year at all 20 of Sweetfin's poke bowl restaurants. This new chef-inspired creation prominently features Fly By Jing's Chengdu Crunch chili condiment alongside freshly grilled chicken (the newest addition to Sweetfin’s protein choices) and rice for a flavor experience that's savory, spicy and full of umami.

Araksya and Sandra learn how to make the new bowl by LA-based Sweetfin in collaboration with Fly By Jing.

Poké may be all the rage, but the founders of California-based Sweetfin think their Japanese_ inspired twist is a game-changer. The pair, along with Los Angeles restaurateur Alan Nathan, wanted to offer an alternative to the popular cuisine that wouldn’t break the bank for diners.

When word spread in January that Poke Poke, the Venice boardwalk storefront that in 2010 launched L.A.’s love affair with poke, had closed, many wondered if the city’s obsession with the raw fish bowls was abating. But what seemed to be the beginning of the end for poke looks more like…

You’ve probably seen poke bowls on social media, overheard the buzz, or seen them on menus IRL. (Psst … it’s pronounced “POH-keh.”) You may even live in a city where poke shops are popping up faster than build-your-own burrito bars ever did.

The traditional Hawaiian dish, poke (pronounced POH-kay) has become one of the fastest growing food trends in recent years. It first blew up in LA but has rapidly spread to major cities across the country via fast-casual chains.

At peak poke times the lines can get long at this Santa Monica hotspot, with Sweetfin locations in DTLA, Silver Lake, Larchmont, and Westwood Village. But if you’re willing to wait, you’ll be rewarded with one of the best of the new school bowls in L.A.