At lunchtime, people can be seen flocking to a Hall Park retail strip for a restaurant called PurePoke, which celebrated its one-year anniversary April 1.
“We had a little vision, and I was confident in the food and quality we were going to put out, and we weren’t sure how it was going to be accepted,” PurePoke managing partner John Kim said. “But one year later I can definitely say we are very thankful for how the community has embraced us.”
John and his wife, Sophia, moved to Frisco in 2016 from California to raise their family. They brought their expansive restaurant experience with them.
He was a senior manager with Hillwood Restaurant Group, and she had classically trained under a Japanese chef who taught her about sushi and poke, which is a diced raw fish salad.
“Two years ago we made the leap, and my wife said she wanted to bring poke to north Dallas,” John said. “It was her vision, and I supported her. She is the master and brains behind the operation.”
PurePoke serves fresh poke bowls, sushi rolls and craft beverages.
Sophia handles all the food. She makes the sauces from scratch every morning, and all the fish is also flown in directly, John said.
“Our thing is that we wanted to make sure we were able to offer the best ingredients and share that with people in a place that’s approachable,” John said. “We’re here to serve others, and we do this with a servant heart.”
The most popular menu item at PurePoke is the build-your-own-bowl option, in which customers can select their choice of base—rice or salad—protein, spiciness level, toppings and sauces.
“It’s so hard in the restaurant industry because statistics show us that a lot of restaurants don’t make it past their first year, and it wasn’t easy for us,” John said. “There’s a lot of dining options here in Dallas, and for us to be here a year later, we’re so thankful and grateful for our team. We work for it every day.”
Pure Poke
6750 Gaylord Parkway, Ste. 160, Frisco
214-396-9933
www.purepoketx.com
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m., closed Sun.
