Poke Munch will open in Creve Coeur Oct. 15

First-time restaurant owner Nadeem Hosseini will expand the St. Louis poke scene with his new project Poke Munch at 630 N. New Ballas Road in Creve Coeur, as reported by St. Louis Magazine. After many roadblocks that have delayed the original opening, Hosseini said they will host its grand opening Oct. 15. 

The eatery infuses Midwest cuisine into traditional Hawaiian fare, and the menu aims to acclimate St. Louisians to an unfamiliar palate.

Poke Munch marks a career shift for Hosseini, whose only previous experience in restaurant business was working at an ice cream shop as a teenager. 

Hosseini recruited James Choi, who worked as a sushi chef in Chicago for 25 years, to design the menu. Traditional dishes like ahi tuna over white rice are accompanied by newer offerings, including soy-marinated chicken tenders.

Hosseini and Choi worked to create a menu that would appeal to a wide variety of diners. Hosseini said that he did his best to accommodate Muslim eaters, like himself, and included halal meat.

Read More: Hawaiian poke is having a big moment in St. Louis

Hosseini chose to open shop in Creve Coeur because of the town’s large lunch scene.

“Poke is a big lunch thing all over the country, and I’ve realized that a lot of people enjoy that type of food,” he said. “We concentrated in an area that had a big lunch variety, and was lacking, in lack of a better term, for original lunch food.”

Diners will experience a fast-casual concept with limited seating. The menu is presented on a 55-inch, curved flat-screen TV, with pictures and descriptions of the various dishes.

“If you don’t want to read the details, you can visually see what is in the bowl, so it’s very easy educating the public on what they’re eating and what flavors are there,” Hosseini said.

Sophie Tegenu is an editorial intern at Sauce Magazine. 

Editor's Note: This article originally published an incorrect opening date for Poke Munch. It was updated at 3:45 p.m. Sept. 26 to correct the error. It was updated again at 10:25 a.m. Sept. 27 to edit a transition in the article.