Third Ward Poke Spot Quietly Closed
Fresh Fin closes there while continuing several locations in metro area.
Worker removes sign from FreshFin’s Third Ward location, 316 N. Milwaukee St. Photo taken March 10, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
FreshFin quietly closed its location in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward last fall, a move owner Nate Arkush said is part of a strategic plan to focus resources on expanding the brand across Illinois.
Housed within the Landmark Building at 316 N. Milwaukee St., FreshFin operated as an express location, offering streamlined lunch service on weekdays only. The restaurant officially closed in November 2024, according to Arkush. On Monday, a worker was on-site removing its window decals.
“It was always meant to be a shorter-term location for us,” Arkush told Urban Milwaukee. “The reason we closed it was specifically to focus on larger projects that we have in the pipeline.”
That includes entering the Illinois market, with a new location planned to open in Naperville later this year.
Opened in 2017, the Third Ward restaurant was FreshFin’s second location, following its flagship at 1806 E. North Ave. The chain later expanded to Brookfield, Glendale and two locations in Madison. The remaining restaurants are expected to continue operating as usual.
FreshFin specializes in house-crafted poke bowls, offering both hot and cold options and variety of proteins such as fish, chicken, pork and tofu.
Highlights include Ahi Ponzu, with sashimi-grade ahi tuna, avocado, cucumber, carrot, cilantro, red onion, creamy ponzu sauce and crispy shallot; Firecracker Chicken with sweet potato, kale, carrot, daikon, jalapeño, curry aioli, Thai chili ginger, crispy onion, sriracha aioli and shoyu; and Mango Tango with sashimi-grade salmon, mango, edamame, avocado, cilantro, crispy onion, tobiko, Thai chili ginger and shoyu.
Although the Third Ward neighborhood has lost one poke spot, several others remain. Aloha Poke Co. sells customizable bowls at 220 E. Buffalo St., while Fusion Poke at 329 N. Broadway offers poke bowls, ramen, rice bowls, sushi, Korean chicken wings, chicken sandwiches, smoothies and boba tea. Thainamite inside the Milwaukee Public Market also has a signature poke bowl.
Several businesses, including Donut Monster, Brute Pizza and Sinabro, continue in the Landmark Building.
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