New restaurant with Hawaiian flavors set to debut near Columbia. Check out the location
Some new flavors are on the way in Cayce.
Mai Poke Bowl, a restaurant that serves customizable and signature bowls with Hawaiian and Polynesian flair, is being prepped at 911 State St. in Cayce. That’s in the busy Parkland Plaza shopping center, right next to East Bay Deli. The owners of the East Bay Deli are opening Mai Poke Bowl.
Mai Poke Bowl co-owner Daniel Jaicks said the restaurant hopes to open in mid-September. He said he is excited about getting the new spot up and running.
“We own the East Bay Deli next door, and we were looking for a concept that was going to be a little bit different, something exciting and new,” Jaicks told The State during a recent chat at the restaurant, where employees were hard at work getting the space ready.
Poke — pronounced “po-kay” — bowl restaurants have gained popularity in recent years. The Hawaiian dish often features fresh fish (tuna, salmon, etc.) over a base of rice or salad mix, with a number of toppings and sauces available.
Mai Poke Bowl will have a host of signature dishes. For instance there is the Mahalo Bowl, for which diners can choose a base (brown rice, couscous, etc.) that is then topped with marinated tuna, salmon, edamame, avocado, masago, corn, ginger and sriracha aioli.
The spot will also offer some different twists, including, among other dishes, the Luau Bowl, which will feature sweet pork, pineapple, sweet onions, corn, carrots, mango, toasted coconut, red peppers, ginger, honey wasabi and sweet soy.
Jaicks said he thinks the location in Cayce is a good spot for a new poke place.
“The market over here is pretty strong,” he said. “There are a lot of college students, businesses, the (Brookland-Cayce) High School is here. It’s a good area.”
The Parkland Plaza shopping center has remained popular through the years. It has a number of offerings, including Food Lion, Monterrey Mexican restaurant, Planet Fitness and the Kingsman restaurant, among others. It’s in the midst of a bustling area where State Street meets Knox Abbott Drive. State traffic count data shows that about 26,000 cars per day pass down the corridor.
