Restaurateur Jon Alexis, with partners Ben and Eric Kusin, have secured two more locations for their growing concept, Malibu Poke.
With a targeted opening of early fall 2018 for both spots, the second Dallas location will be at 2355 Olive St. (the new McKinney & Olive hi-rise development) at the edge of Uptown between Klyde Warren Park and the American Airlines Center.
Austin diners will get their first Malibu Poke experience at 211 Walter Seaholm Drive in the new Seaholm District, an adaptive reuse of Austin’s first power plant with quick access from Town Lake and downtown.
Malibu Poke brings award-winning seafood quality and freshness as well as a tech-savy take on the nation’s fastest growing quick service category.
Acclaimed Chef Matt McCallister and Alexis created a menu that combines classic, accessible poke offerings with unique and bold flavors.
Alexis says, “Even though Malibu is a quick serve concept, we offer fine dining quality ingredients and fine dining attention to detail, but in a super casual and high volume environment.”
With McKinney & Olive in Dallas, the Malibu team looks forward to offering the same highest quality poke to Uptown and Downtown that Oak Lawn and Park Cities diners are lining up for at the Turtle Creek Village location.
“In 6 months of operation, we’ve seen that Dallas diners appreciate the quality difference in our poke,” says Jon Alexis. “Many are already driving across town. We’re excited to offer another location closer to those customers and many new ones.”
All of Malibu Poke’s owners are former Austin residents, and both Kusin brothers attended University of Texas. “We aren’t just Dallas carpetbaggers—we have deep ties to Austin,” says Eric Kusin. “None of us are interested in simply bringing a Dallas concept south. We’ll be infusing this Malibu location with everything we love about Austin.”
Malibu is currently evaluating more locations in Austin. “With our focus on highest quality ingredients and healthy living, Austin is the perfect city for Malibu,” adds Ben Kusin.
Malibu Poke plans on steady growth over the next few years. Jon Alexis says “We offer a truly unique product—no one in America is making poke bowls like we do at Malibu. We are excited to bring this special product to more neighborhoods in DFW, Austin and beyond.”
Alexis and McCallister’s menu features sashimi-grade seafood, scratch sauces and farm-fresh vegetables, fruits & herbs, which are sourced from local farms whenever possible. Malibu’s emphasis on ingredients permeates every detail down to the highest quality soy sauce.
Guests can enjoy “classic” poke bowls or explore even bolder flavors such as smoked bonito aioli, yellow curry, Japanese sansho pepper, daikon, umami powder and more. Guests can also build their own bowls mixing and matching all of the unique ingredients from the signature bowls.
An emphasis is also on healthy eating with 100% gluten free, vegan options alongside a beverage program including rose (still, sparkling & frozen “frose”), craft beers, wine on tap, sake, kombucha, teas and fresh juices.
Malibu Poke features a unique tech-based ordering system minimizing waits, educating guests on unique ingredients and making customized bowls easy. Self-serve kiosks allow guests to choose facial recognition features that “remember” their order history.
