East Dallas Poke Bowl Shop Calls It Quits Six Months After Opening

After six short months at the corner of Fitzhugh and Bennett, Mamasan House of Poke has closed its doors.

A post to the restaurant’s Instagram account announced Mamasan’s shutter. “Dallas, we have some sad news. Mamasan is permanently closed for business,” the post read. “Thank you to those who supported Mama. We felt the love and will forever be grateful. We will miss you Dallas.” In its short time, Mamasan House of Poke racked up generally pretty solid reviews from diners thanks to dishes like poke burritos, nachos, and cocktails like the Mamaconda, a boozy frozen cocktail made with yuzu and coconut milk. The closure comes relatively suddenly, as Mamasan just debuted a brand new menu in November.

It’s possible that Mamasan’s shutter is indicative of a broader national trend: the poke bubble is bursting. As Eater reported earlier this year, a number of poke-focused chains have shuttered or filed for bankruptcy over the past year, and Dallas fishmonger Jon Alexis thinks that might have something to do with the quality of fast-casual poke. “So much of poke has become a race to the bottom in terms of price and a race to the bottom in terms of quality,” Alexis told Eater reporter Brenna Houck. “That is why you’re starting to see a little bit of the bubble bursting [because] at the end of the day, who wants mediocre raw fish?”

Eater has reached out to the owners of Mamasan House of Poke and will update this post with additional details as they become available.

• Has the Poke Trend Peaked? [Eater]