Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

The last Google review I can find for this place suggests it was closed "7 months ago" (honestly Google, how hard would it be to put a real date on each review?) which would put the closing around July of 2022.

Commenter Gypsie suggests that something is going on there now, and I did see a vehicle parked there, so perhaps something is forthcoming for this building.

(Hat tip to commenter Gypsie)

As mentioned by commenter James R, Chen's Chinese Restaurant in Lexington is now Friend's House Chinese & Seafood.

Here is a State story on the new place that deploys the word plethora.

(Hat tip to commenter James R)

I never realized until quite recently that the name of this place announced the specialty. Of course roast-beef is not a favorite of mine anyway, and I've never set foot inside one of these stores. This one is between Broad River Road on one side, and Diamond Lane on the other. For most of its existence, it was accessible from both streets, but in recent years, the church which bought Intersection Center has been closing off pass-through access from their side.

I believe all of the restaurants on this stretch have now either closed, or moved on from their original brands.

(Hat tip to commenter Homer)

Well, by the time I get around to noting a closing, it's open again.

The previous incarnation of 1801 Grille was run by Burke Hospitality Group in conjunction with USC and closed in December of 2022. The new incarnation apparently opened yesterday and is called Angell Bros. 1801 Grille and is run, obviously enough I suppose by the Angell brothers who have a number of J. Peters and other restaurants in the area. Here is a State story on the new operation, and here is one on the December closing. The new restaurant's site is here.

When I went by last weekend, it wasn't apparent to me that the opening date was this close, but things generally appeared in order, and the patio is quite nice.

(Belated hat tip to commenter Midnight Rambler)

This Zoe's Kitchen hung on longer than all the others in the Midlands, which all converted to Cava stores over the last few months, but it has finally spun its cocoon as well.

I was able to eat at a Cava recently, and found it to be almost exactly like Kairos, but with a more industrial and less welcoming feel.

(Hat tip to commenter Tom)

I never made it to Swamp Cabbage Brewery while it was open. I like a beer every now and again, but generally as dessert for a sit-down meal, so I usually stick to brewpubs. In point of fact it was actually hard to to locate this place, and I had to make two trips. It turns out that street numbers on Brookwood Drive are really odd, but after going home and consulting google maps, I finally got there, and found the setup still pretty much intact.

The Free Times had two stories about the closing, here and here.

(Hat tip to commenter MB)

There is a little confusion over the exact name of this place. It was the second location for Moctezuma Taqueria, so the sign and some of the online presence is for the humorous Moc2umas Taqueria and in other places it is simply Moctezuma Taqueria. (Still other places add an apostrophe for Moctezuma's Taqueria...).

Anyway, they moved into the back suite in this former motel after Julia's German Stammitisch moved out in 2018, and were there until late January when they had to leave due to circumstances beyond their control. According to commenter Larry and confirmed by The State, those circumstances were the sale of the property so that a veterinary clinic can be built there.

(Hat tip to commenter Larry)

UPDATE 5 July 2023: Now open in the old Lizard's Thicket building on Beltline:

I have seen Hwy 55 operations pop up here and there in the area and on the coast, but I have never gotten around to trying one. Apparently it's a North Carolina outfit that started out as Andy’s Cheesesteaks & Cheeseburgers. Not that I get to Elgin often anyway, but it looks like I won't be trying one here.

The Free Times has a bit on the closing of this location, saying that it is to become a fast-casual Greek operation, Gyromania Grill sometime in February or March.

(Hat tip to commenter Thomas)

I never ate at La Fiesta, though I did eat in the building when it was a Shoney's. It had been here for many years however, before closing on a temporary basis in the Spring of 2022. They came back after that, but have now called it a day.

Here is their Facebook, which pretty much recapitulates the information on the door sign.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath)

This location of The Southern Belly opened in the 2015 timeframe, and apparently ran concurrently with their Rosewood location for a while. There was no media notice of this closing, and google still thinks they are open.

Their Facebook page, however, suggests that they were "Gone With The Wind" as of 11 December 2022.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath)