Nami Poke, a new restaurant concept for Springfield, will be having a soft opening on Tuesday, July 25. Hau Nguyen is the owner of the restaurant at 916 South Grand Ave. West, located at the corner of MacArthur Boulevard and South Grand Avenue. The building formerly housed Li’l Willy’s BBQ Smokehouse, which closed March 31.
“I’ve been working in the restaurant industry for over 10 years,” said Nguyen. “I started with Osaka when they first opened.”
He said he later worked for a Japanese seafood company that operated several restaurants in the Chicago area. “There are a lot of poke shops there, and that was my first time trying them out,” Nguyen said.
Poke bowls are a Hawaiian culinary tradition involving marinated, normally uncooked, seafood and mixed with chopped vegetables. Rice is generally used for the base, with protein such as seafood or tofu added and then topped with sauce and customized with other additions.
Nguyen has renovated the space, focusing on cosmetic changes. “My concept is a quick-service restaurant; people will order at the counter and then can take their meal to go or dine in. It makes it more convenient and less time-consuming for the customer,” he said.
Hours of operation will initially be Tuesday through Saturday, 12- 6 p.m. A ribbon cutting is planned for Aug. 1, and after that, operating hours will be 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m.
