Columbia-area fine dining restaurants slowly reopening. Here are some key dates
Columbia-area fine dining restaurants are slowly beginning to reopen as the coronavirus pandemic persists.
Many restaurants began reopening for indoor dining on May 11 after Gov. Henry McMaster lifted the executive order that banned indoor service. But more upscale restaurants, which sell intimate settings as much as food, were slower to pull the trigger.
Halls Chop House at 1221 Main St. in Columbia, Saluda’s Restaurant at 751 Saluda Ave. in Five Points, and Terra at 100 State St. in West Columbia each opened for in-house dining shortly after McMaster lifted the order.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House in the Hilton Downtown Columbia on Senate Street opened Monday.
The popular Motor Supply Co. Bistro restaurant at 920 Gervais St. in the Vista opened for dinner only Thursday.
“We are very cautiously optimistic” about reopening, said owner Eddie Wales, who was meeting with his staff Wednesday to go over safety details. “We’re planning a good dinner menu, streamlined, but with lots of good, delicious stuff.”
Jon Sears, co-owner of Hendrix at 1649 Main St., plans to open rooftop seating Tuesday, June 2.
“We’re going to have tapas and small bites and hope to have the rest of the restaurant open a couple of weeks after that,” he said.
Restaurateur Kristien Niemi, owner of the new Black Rooster in West Columbia and Bourbon on Main Street, is targeting June 15 as an opening date for indoor dining.
“But I might change my mind,” he said, depending on how the coronavirus numbers play out over the next two weeks.
Niemi is going ahead with his June 10 French June Harvest Dinner farm-to-table outdoor event at City Roots Farm in Rosewood on June 10.
Restaurateur Ricky Mollohan is planning to open his Mr. Friendly’s New Southern Cafe in Five Points and Solstice Kitchen and Wine Bar on Sparkleberry Lane in northeast Columbia later in June.
Ristorante Divino is reopening in the fall next door to its current location at 803 Gervais St. in the Vista. The popular Italian eatery will also have a new name — di Vino Rosso.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 12:09 PM.