Sweetfin Poké Plans Five Store Expansion Across Southern California

Sweetfin Poké, the stylish fresh fish bowl shop in Santa Monica, has announced a five outlet expansion across Southern California, starting with The Village at Westfield Topanga (also home of the futuristic Eatsa), Westwood, and Larchmont. The chain is also thinking about national expansion, with Dakota Weiss as the culinary head of the operation. The openings are slated for some time in 2016.

The ownership group, which includes Alan Nathan, Seth Cohen, and Brett Nestadt, has brought on Shake Shack veteran David Swinghammer, who will serve a strategic advisor and investor for the expansion.

Sweetfin was probably one of the better executed new school poké vendors that sprouted up in Los Angeles last year. Last month, Eater polled writers and experts around town about the biggest things that defined the food scene here in town. Poké was resoundingly the most common answer.

Dakota Weiss's creative pokés focus on using sustainable fish, including a spicy tuna bowl with creamy togarashi, hijiki seaweed, and avocado. The Santa Monica outlet first opened back in April 2015. The other locations or the total amount of funding have not been released at this time.