Matt Miskelly is the co-owner of Fire Shaka Hawaiian BBQ, which is open for business in downtown Aiken. Dede Biles/Staff
AIKEN — Co-owner Matt Miskelly is eager to introduce local residents to the Polynesia-inspired menu at Fire Shaka Hawaiian BBQ.
Diners who visit the downtown restaurant for the first time during its soft opening phase, which began Sept. 29, “are going to get authentic Hawaiian food, but we wanted to add a little bit of a Southern twist and give folks a little something extra,” Miskelly said.
Banana pudding is the filling for Fire Shaka’s soft, fluffy Hawaiian-style doughnuts, which are known as malasadas.
The braised BBQ Beef served at the restaurant is another example of how Southern-style cooking has influenced the bill of fare, Miskelly said.
In his opinion, the best way to sample Fire Shaka’s offerings is to order the Big Kahuna plate, which has three meats and three sides
In addition to the braised Beef BBQ, the meat choices are Huli BBQ Chicken, Kalua Pork, Beef Short Ribs, Crispy Pork Belly and Chicken Katsu.
“All of our meat is marinated for 24 hours,” Miskelly said.
There also is a seafood option: North Shore Garlic Shrimp.
“My personal favorite is our garlic shrimp,” Miskelly said. “It took us a little while to come up with the recipe and we just think it hits home. It’s got a really good flavor.”
The sides at Fire Shaka include Island Greens, Hawaiian Mac Salad, Cucumber Kimchi and Shaka Slaw.
Another side is the Pork Hash Dumpling.
Also available are smaller plates with one meat and one side or two meats and two sides.
All plates at Fire Shaka are served with steamed white rice.
In addition, the restaurant’s menu includes the Kalua Pork Sandwich, the Crispy Katsu Sandwich and The 808, which is a combo of two Kalua Pork and two BBQ Beef sliders.
Fire Shaka also has pork, beef and spicy cheese lumpia (spring rolls).
“My business partner, Alex Wilson, is from South Carolina. He grew up in Johnston,” said Miskelly, who lives in Augusta.
There is a Fire Shaka on the Georgia side of the Savannah River at the Augusta Mall.
“We want to give back, so a percentage of everything we do goes back to our community partners,” Miskelly said. “We have partners in the [Hawaiian] Islands as well.”
Aiken’s Fire Shaka is at 126 Laurens St. N.W.
“We’re going to employ 15 to 20 people, and we’re going to make sure we give everything we’ve got for our customers,” Miskelly said. “We want to have great service complemented by good food. If we didn’t know our food was good, we wouldn’t have opened this restaurant.
“We’re very excited about this new location,” he added.
For more information, visit fireshakahawaiianbbq.com or the “Fire Shaka-Hawaiian BBQ” page on Facebook.
Dining and Cooking