New restaurant with Hawaiian, Polynesian flair will open in this busy Columbia area
A taste of Hawaii is coming to the heart of downtown Columbia.
Mai Poke, a restaurant that serves customizable and signature bowls with Hawaiian and Polynesian flair, is under construction at 1426 Main St. The restaurant will be inside the same storefront that also is home to the popular East Bay Deli, at the Hub student apartment building and near the downtown Marriott Hotel.
The Mai Poke space is being prepped on the south end of the storefront at 1426 Main. A city of Columbia building permit for the renovation of the space is in the window, and signage inside East Bay Deli touts the coming addition of Mai Poke to the address.
The same ownership group operates both East Bay Deli and Mai Poke. There also is a Mai Poke at 911 State St. in Cayce, and it, too, is right beside an East Bay.
“Mai Poke is a locally owned fast-casual restaurant bringing a delightful take on the popular Hawaiian dish known as poke bowls!” a recent post on the Mai Poke Downtown Columbia Facebook page said. “Our menu features a savory spin on the classic roll, featuring cubed fresh tuna and salmon, as well as a variety of other proteins on a bed of rice, vibrant vegetables, crunchy toppings, and delicious sauces.”
An opening date for the Main Street Mai Poke has not been publicly announced.
Poke — pronounced “po-kay” — bowl restaurants have gained popularity in recent years. The menu at Mai Poke has a host of signature dishes.
For instance, the restaurant has the Seabreeze Bowl, which includes salmon, avocado, edamame, cucumber, masago, corn, pineapple, honey wasabi, sweet soy and tamago. And it has other twists on the style, like the Luau Bowl, which features sweet pork, pineapple, sweet onions, corn, carrots, mango, toasted coconut, red peppers, ginger, honey wasabi and sweet soy.
