2 new restaurant/bars to open in Vista
Restaurant/bars that offer a Mexican flavor and one with a French ambiance that combines martinis and fondue are coming to the Vista this summer, the property owner announced Wednesday.
Atlanta-based Tin Lizzy’s Cantina will open its first South Carolina restaurant in a 4,800-square-foot location that had been occupied by Tsunami, which is moving next door to a larger space, said Darcy Earhardt, marketing director for the Arnold Companies.
City Bar and Fondue will feature a martini bar and fondue meals as well as desserts, said owner Matt Shmanske. The 3,600-square-foot restaurant/bar will combine traditional French style and modern touches, he said.
“This concept is really all over the U.S. ... in every major city,” Shmanske said of a combined martini and fondue location. “They actually go together quite well – both are originally French.”
City Bar and Fondue will be Columbia’s second fondue restaurant, Shmanske and Earhardt said.
Both of the new bars are scheduled to open in mid-summer and coincide with refurbishing of Arnold properties at 700 and 800 Gervais Street, Earhardt said. Other businesses along those blocks in Arnold buildings include Rocket Man Piano Bar, Wet Willie’s and Jillian’s.
The Arnold Companies is remodeling its entertainment complex starting later this month, Earhardt said. The new work will include exterior facade improvements, a stamped sidewalk, a covered outdoor seating area in interior alleyways, new lighting and landscaping. The redeveloped area will be named “West End Alley,” she said.
The Arnold complex has seen a string of nightclubs come and go through the years, from Saddle Ridge, a country and western bar with a mechanical bull, to the Vegas style nightclub Club Ra, featuring featured Egyptian statues, waitresses called goddesses and a multi-level dance floor.
The complex also has included clubs Tabu, XS Nightlife, Banana Joe’s, Element Nightlife and Crocodile Rocks. But it is best remembered for the live music venue Headliners.
Staff Writer Jeff Wilkinson contributed.
This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 11:45 AM with the headline "2 new restaurant/bars to open in Vista."