A new restaurant with an authentic Chinese menu has opened in this popular Columbia district
A new spot for Chinese food and other Asian flavors has made its debut in one of Columbia’s top hospitality and nightlife districts.
Luna Kitchen recently opened its doors at 724 Harden St. in the heart of Five Points. That building was formerly home to the Horseshoe bar.
The new restaurant offers a host of familiar Chinese favorites — sesame chicken, shrimp fried rice, lo mein and rice noodles, etc. — and also features an “authentic” menu that it recently touted in a Facebook post.
“The Authentic Menu finally here,” Luna Kitchen posted. “Come join us for most Authentic Chinese cuisine in town.”
Items on the authentic menu include, for example, the ma po tofu, which features soft tofu, minced pork, dried chili peppers, scallions, and spicy mala sauce. Or there’s the pan fried seafood noodles, which comes with thin egg noodles, shrimp, scallops, squid, seasonal Chinese greens, carrots, and clear garlic sauce.
Luna Kitchen is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. It is closed on Sunday.
Five Points is a longstanding but seemingly ever-evolving urban village just east of the University of South Carolina. Lately the neighborhood has enjoyed a season of renewal, as several businesses have opened there within recent weeks.
Aside from the Luna Kitchen debut, Five Points also recently welcomed Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks at 942-B Harden St. The burgeoning Atlanta-based chain has proven instantly popular in Columbia, with lines of people often stretching out the door to try the beefy, cheesy sandwiches.
And on the retail front, popular women’s clothier Copper Penny opened a new boutique on March 12 at 743 Saluda Avenue, next door to Bang Back Pinball Lounge. Copper Penny also has locations in Charleston, Greenville and elsewhere.
