‘We are open!’ A new restaurant makes its debut in Columbia’s BullStreet District
A new restaurant has opened in Columbia’s BullStreet District.
Publico, which also has a location in Five Points, has opened in the historic Ensor Building at BullStreet, which is right beside the Columbia Fireflies Segra Park baseball stadium.
The restaurant posted on its social media accounts that it had a soft opening on Wednesday.
“WE ARE OPEN!,” Publico at BullStreet posted on its Facebook page. “Celebrate Publico Bull Street’s birth week on our favorite holiday … CINCO DE MAYO!”
The Ensor building was formerly home to Bone-In Barbeque, which closed in early 2020.
But this seems to be a new moment in the gestation of the BullStreet District, an aggressive plan from the city of Columbia and Greenville’s Hughes Development to overhaul the 181-acre former State Mental Hospital site.
The site was alive with activity when a reporter from The State visited on Thursday morning, the air heavy with the spinning, whirring and beeping from cranes and work vehicles, as construction workers hustled across the site like fire ants on a mound. Hundreds of apartments, as well as offices and retail space, are under construction at the site, just outside the doors of Segra Park. Work is also well underway to convert the historic Babcock Building into more than 200 luxury apartments.
The first Publico in Columbia debuted in Five Points in 2015. Owner Mike Duganier said when the BullStreet location was announced in January that the new Publico would be “version 2.0” of the Five Points spot.
Duganier said in January that Publico at BullStreet’s menu would largely be the same as the Five Points location, which features Latin and Asian inspired dishes, with a deep roster of craft beer and cocktails.
Duganier also recently opened Boku Kitchen and Saloon, a Pan-Asian restaurant in the Vista.
The opening of Publico at BullStreet comes at a time that could draw a crowd. Aside from Thursday’s Cinco de Mayo, the Columbia Fireflies are in the middle of a home stand against the Delmarva Shorebirds, with games at Segra Park Thursday through Sunday, including Saturday’s Star Wars Night game.
This story was originally published May 5, 2022 at 11:03 AM.
