A popular Vancouver poke spot is closing its doors for good.
Poke Five Restaurant on Commercial Drive made the announcement on Friday via Instagram, just shy of three years after it first burst onto The Drive's food scene.
"We apologize that we had to step away from our social platforms as we had limited staff throughout the pandemic and had to shift our focus to running the store. It has been a tough year for us and unfortunately we have made the difficult decision to announce our permanent closure," the post read.
While the eatery's final day of operations is yet to be determined, staff say Poke Five will close in "early summer 2021."
Since opening in summer 2018, Poke Five has won over Vancouver poke fans with its series of signature bowls, featuring fresh ingredients like aburi-style torched ahi tuna and fiery Akuma Tuna accented with kimchi, in addition to vegan options like its Buddha Bowl.
Every item on its menu strives to appease the "five senses," or incorporate five kinds of flavourful elements: Sweet, sour, savoury, texture, and umami.
Poke Five is the latest in a string of local restaurants that have closed down since the pandemic began last year.
"We’ll miss Commercial Drive and all of our loyal poke fans," the Instagram post continued. "It’s not goodbye just yet so if you’re craving a delicious bowl of poke hit us up on your [favourite] delivery platform!"
- With files from Lindsay William-Ross
