A restaurant with Polynesian dishes, acai bowls has opened in this Columbia hot spot
One of downtown Columbia’s busiest streets officially has a new restaurant option.
Mai Poke, which offers customizable bowls and other dishes with a Polynesian flair, recently opened at 1426 Main St., on the ground floor at the Hub student apartment building, near the Marriott hotel. The new Mai Poke spot shares space with an East Bay Deli restaurant.
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.
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, there is the Mahalo Bowl, where customers choose their base (white rice, brown rice, etc.), and then it is topped with salmon, marinated tuna, edamame, avocado, masago (a type of fish egg), corn, oriental ginger and sriracha aioli.
Mai Poke also carries a number of acai bowls, including the Mai Berry Bowl, which it recently touted on its Facebook page. That one comes with an acai sorbet topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, granola, chia seeds and honey drizzle.
This story was originally published September 18, 2023 at 10:22 AM.
