Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

I don't believe I have yet successfully eaten at a Hickory Tavern. The first time I tried, at Woodhill, they had just closed the regular dining room and were serving at hightops only. Since the last time I enjoyed sitting in a high-chair, my mother was feeding me, I declined. The second time, also at Woodhill was during the tail-end of the pandemic when nobody had any staff. I sat on the patio, and after an hour nobody had taken my order, so I just left.

Anyway, they were apparently bought-out in 2025, and the new owners are evaluating all the locations going forward. Apparently this location in The Vista did not make the cut, though with the demolition of the Five Guys building it does now have a nice view of the Capitol dome.

You can see the story at WIS or read about it in The State.

(Hat tip to commenter Gypsie, et al)

I ate at this Five Guys a number of times, probably most memorably on a group trip from work to go downtown and buy some decent office chairs. Come to think of it, that may have been the last time I ate here, and that would have been probably ten years ago now. I like Five Guys (though the price is now amazing), but tend towards Columbiana or Forest Drive.

At any rate this one was caught up in the same property buyout that Monterrey was, and is now half demolished. In fact since these pictures are at least a week old, it is probably all demolished now.

I'm honestly not sure if I ever ate at this Monterrey or not. I know I did at the one on Parklane, which I don't seem to have a closing for, and the one Knox Abbott. My impression has been that they are exactly what you expect, which is good, since you expected it.

This one's last day was 30 May, and they are currently closed while they set up to move to the old Crafty Crab location at 700 Gervais Street.

The impetus for the move is the fact that the corner of Senate & Park streets is to be torn down to put up apartments. You can read about it here.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath)

UPDATE 1 September 2026 -- Razed:

This little building on the stub end of Senate Street has been many things over the years, including The Cock Lounge, Ribby's, Gilligan's, Your Mom's House & Good Times.

Harambe's Ethiopian Restaurant was the most recent tenant, and judging by this owner's response to a google review:

Harambe Ethiopian Resturant had flood a week a go everything is gone the Resturant is closed for good

shut down sometime in June or July.

After walking that boardwalk to the front door, I think the first thing the next owner will have to do is tear it up or fix it -- I felt like it could give way at any step.

(Hat tip to commenter Deanna)

UPDATE 9 March 2023 -- Apparently to become The Village:

UPDATE 30 October 2023 -- The Village is now open, but I am unable to find a menu or any info online yet:

Commenter Lone Wolf called this back in August:

Might want to keep and eye on Flying Saucer. They've just implemented some "changes", allegedly at the mandate of the Home Office in TX. From the "Signs Your Favorite Restaurant is About to Close", one will note several bad signs.

Saucer just hacked their menu from 1 page (front and back) to five items. Monday thru Thursday, they're no longer open for lunch. If you sit on the deck, all food and beverage orders must be placed inside, at the bar. As no one will be waiting on you on the deck, waitstaff has been reduced, or quit because their hours were cut.

I *do* hope they can right their ship. But, I don't agree with these changes.

Unfortunately, even with that warning, I didn't manage to get pictures before the closing, a combination of being both busy and absent minded. I finally did get by the other day, but the signage is already down and the place is listed for rent. The building seems to be thriving otherwise, so I expect something will move in before too long.

The State has the story here.

(Hat tip to commenter Lone Wolf)

I've noticed Claire Tower at the corner of Senate & Marion Streets from time to time over they years because it stands out as not typical for the area, the section of Senate Street between the State House and Pickens Street which is an area I have always thought of in connection with the old museums and planetarium as well as the State Library.

I did not know that a hair color salon was in the street level of the towers, but it was, and got quite good Yelp reviews.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

It's really uncanny how many times this little locaation on Senate Street, tucked behind Food Lion and Cookout has opened and closed. In fact, I completely missed the closing of Your Mom's House (the follow-on operation to The Cock Lounge) and both the opening *and* closing of Good Times.

I have to say, looking in the windows, that for having hosted so many clubs, the interior looks quite Spartan..

One constant as the club names come and go, is the magnificent Magnolia tree in the side yard!

UPDATE 1 July 2014 -- It's to be Harambe Ethiopian Restaurant:

This little building at the foot of Senate Street by the Five Points Food Lion seems to have been a revolving restaurant/night-club site of late. When I first did a closing on it, it was for Ribby's & Gilligan's.

The next time I mentioned it was when the follow-on, The Cock Lounge closed. In that closing, I noted the opening of Your Mom's House.

Now it appears that Your Mom's House is gone, and the follow-on to *that* will be The Shack, a barbecue joint.

I noticed this building a few weeks ago when I saw the realty sign, and really couldn't ever remember seeing it before though it has obviously been there for years.

There doesn't seem to be a street number anywhere on the front of it, and looking for the realtor info seems to lead to it being part of the adjacent Grice's property, which I'm pretty sure is wrong as my mother took me to Grice's a number of times and I don't remember any larger building being involved.

It has a large antenna attached, so it may have possibly been a dispatch location at one time. Any ideas?

UPDATE 20 June 2011: Commenter JB turned up the address for this lot, so I have changed the post title to give it as 1943 Huger Street rather than just "SW Corner of Huger & Senate". Also, with that address I have been able to turn up a bit more info and have added two businesses to the post title instead of just "Building".

First, here is the LoopNet sale listing indicating that the property is being sold as a warehouse.

Next, here is a link from the Secretary of State indicating that this property goes way back and that Barnett Tire & Battery company opened on the site in 1920(!) and was only "dissolved" in 2005. Now just because nobody bothered to formally dissolve the company before then does not mean that it was necessarily a going business to that point, but the fact that there seems to have been a good bit of activity in 2005 makes me think it may have lasted until then.

Also in 2005, Congaree Delivery Service filed for a certificate to be an in-state mover (at least that's what I get out of that PDF).

And finally in 2005 City Council declined to rezone the property so that a religious organization could set up there. I'm not sure if I understand the timeline here though, as the council meeting was in mid-Sept 2005 and Congaree was awarded its certificate in mid-Jan 2006. Unless they planned to share the building with the religious organization it doesn't seem to make sense. (Also the reasons given for denying the rezoning look pretty tenuous).

The Swimming Pool Qs played the Rockafellas Reunion at The Tin Roof on Senate Street last Saturday. I saw them first at Bell Camp and then at Rockafellas back in the day, and a number of times since then. (Most recently at Doc's Gumbo Grille, just a block or so from the Tin Roof).

I'm afraid I did not stick around for any of the other bands' sets though I'm sure they were great.

The Qs played a fairly short set Saturday (somehow I missed the fact that they were at Wet Willie's on Friday), hitting both The Deep End and the A&M era, but not 2003's Royal Academy of Reality.

The sound was pretty good for an outside venue. The rain had stopped about an hour before, and the sun finally started to come out about the time the Qs took the stage. I have to admit the crowd was pretty sparse, but both the audience and the band seemed to be having a good time.