New chef-driven upscale restaurant opening soon, as Main Street renaissance continues
City Hall is getting a new neighbor: A new restaurant to fill the void left by Al Amir on Columbia’s Main Street.
Owner-chef Chris Hyler, a familiar name in the local culinary scene, is bringing an upscale menu while, he hopes, pushing Main Street’s renaissance farther north.
After running Belly’s Southern Pride BBQ and Catering in Lexington for the past two years, Hyler began missing the creativity of a fine-dining menu.
“I’m missing it, to come in and create food and specials,” the Lexington native said.
He’s scratching that creative itch with the menu at his new downtown restaurant, MOMS. Peppercorn-crusted duck breast, chicken smothered with caramelized onions and brown sugar bacon, and sweet-and-sour collard greens will be among the featured dishes at the restaurant, which Hyler describes as an upscale Southern bistro.
Hyler has worked as a chef and restaurateur up and down the East Coast, including cooking for a time for the renowned Kennedy family at their Massachusetts compound, he said. But his roots are in the heart of South Carolina. Hyler cut his culinary teeth in the Charleston restaurant scene and manned the kitchen at the popular Saluda’s restaurant in Columbia’s Five Points in the 2000s.
Returning to Columbia, Hyler sees promise in the recently renewed energy of Main Street.
“When you look around, every place that we go, it’s just packed for lunch down here. So you get a good lunch crowd, that pays the bills right there,” Hyler said.
On Main Street, Hyler joins a growing high-profile chef scene, alongside the likes of owner-chef Kristian Niemi at the popular Bourbon, chef Javier Uriarte (formerly of Motor Supply) at the recently opened Hendrix, and chef Howard Stephen (formerly of Village Gourmet and Oak Table) at the new Market on Main, which is soft-opening this week.
MOMS will have dishes ranging from about $15 to $31, including steaks, seafood and burgers. Diners can expect a more casual vibe at lunchtime and black linens to be rolled out at dinnertime, Hyler said. More than 200 people can be seated at a time, both indoors and out.
“I’ve got a little rapport in Columbia. They know they’re going to get a good product when they come in here,” Hyler said.
In the coming months, Hyler hopes to open up the spacious second floor of MOMS as a music and events space.
MOMS plans to open by New Year’s at 1734 Main St., at the corner of Laurel and Main streets. The spot has been empty since Al Amir Mediterranean restaurant closed and relocated to North Main Street earlier this year.
The restaurant is located across the street from Columbia City Hall and the Richland County courthouse.
The 1700 block of Main Street has been slow to catch onto the revitalization that’s taken hold of the lower blocks of Main Street in recent years. But the 1700 block recently welcomed The Joint jazz club, and Transmission Arcade plans to open there soon.
This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
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The restaurants, stores and other businesses that come and go in our communities have a direct effect on our everyday lives. Where you’ll take your family for dinner tonight or why your neighbor closed down the family shop — these are conversations you have all the time with one another, and The State newspaper strives to cover the things you talk about and care about.
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