MiAn downtown spinning off poke place on Grant

Tucson restaurateur Bin An is only 43 years old, but he’s convinced his days of grab-and-go burger-in-a-bag fast food are behind him.

“When I was younger I could eat it three times a day. I just can’t do that anymore,” he said last week as he waited for the final permits for his newest healthy venture, Hoki Poki on East Grant Road.

“I wanted to do something that was healthier,” said An, who opened his first venture, downtown’s MiAn Sushi & Asian Bistro in March 2016. MiAn is on the ground-floor of Tucson Electric Power’s nine-story building at 88 E. Broadway.

Hoki Poki, a partnership with his wife and their friend Jonathan Mitchell, is taking up residence at 6501 E. Grant Road, which was home to Pizza Studio. The fast-casual pizzeria was open just 14 months when it closed in February 2016.

An said he expects to have the final permits in hand no later than mid-March.

An said he thinks poke has a future in Tucson, especially among people like him who are looking for healthy alternatives to burgers or sandwiches.

“Poke is huge in Los Angeles and the bigger cities. It’s a healthier alternative to fast food,” he said. “I think that if people could get it at an affordable price and it’s a fantastic product, I think it will do well.”

An serves poke at MiAn on the lunch menu and said it’s a big hit with diners coming from the TEP building and other downtown offices. Hoki Poki will build on that, offering the traditional tuna, salmon, scallops, crab and shrimp poke, alongside a fully vegetarian option with tofu. Diners also can get chicken and beef poke — the only dishes on the menu that come cooked.

Prices will run $8 to $10, he said. The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.