A new restaurant is making its way to Market Square this winter at  1415 Timberlane Road Ste 407.

Originally slated to open this past summer, the owner is planning to open the spot early this month as it receives state inspections and final certifications. 

Tallahassee local Luke Granlund is the owner of this franchise and has lived in the city on-and-off since 1988.

Now a Northeast Tallahassee resident, he said the “opportunity arose" to brink poké to north Tallahassee.

While he acknowledges that there are other poké restaurants in the city, they “mostly service the FSU/FAMU communities, we do not have Poke in the Northeast," Granlund said.

He adds that he looked at lease options in the area, and settled on the Market Square district based on its availability and booming potential.

Island Fin Poké Company is a Hawaiian restaurant that specializes in “transports you from the every day, to that surf shack on the beach.”

The spot offers casual Poké bowls, which are customizable bowls that have a diced, raw fish base.

Grandlund says, “The food is fresh and mostly gluten-free, (minus a few crunchy toppings). At this restaurant, poké bowls start with a base of white or brown, rice, eight protein options, marinating sauces and mix-ins, fruit and veggie toppings, finishing sauces and, finally, crunchy toppings.”

The restaurant is also well-known for its famous Dole pineapple soft serve.

For Granlund, bringing a family-centered environment (O'hana) to our community was very important to him.

He explains, “I grew up in an environment where hospitality was exampled by my parents, my mom was the church secretary and my dad was a community college professor.  We always joked that my mom never met a stranger, and I guess I received that trait!”

Currently, there are 21 Island Fin Poké Company locations across the state of Florida, with the Tallahassee location as its only Pandhandle restaurant.

Island poké can also be found in 14 states in the country.

For the Tallahassee location, “We offer a dining experience where you are treated like a guest in our home,” said Granlund.

The local Island Fin Poké owner is very active on Facebook, and you can follow the restaurant to keep up-to-date with developments.