What closed Columbia-area restaurant do you miss the most? Vote in our poll
We’ve all got dishes that we miss. It’s the chicken fried steak at Yesterdays for me.
Yesterdays, of course, was the long-running restaurant and tavern that sat at 2030 Devine St. in the heart of Five Points for four decades. Famous for the mannequin cowboy-in-a-bathtub that was perched above the front door, the spot was just as famous for its aforementioned chicken fried steak, Uncle Jack’s burgers and plenty of cold drinks from the bar.
Alas, Yesterdays the restaurant is now only available to us in the yesterdays of our memories. It closed in 2020 amid the darkest days of the pandemic. It’s been empty ever since, though a brunch chain called Ruby Sunshine has plans to move into the spot.
Without question, the Columbia and Midlands area restaurant scene in 2022 is vibrant and diverse, and continues to change seemingly every month. There are classic offerings that have been with us for decades and new concepts that continue to pop up, infusing the old South with a dash of new culinary energy.
But we still miss some of the places that are no longer with us.
Staff members at The State have picked a selection of 16 now-closed Columbia-area restaurants, and we’re asking readers to vote in the poll below on which one they miss the most.
To be absolutely certain, this is far from an exhaustive or comprehensive list. Some of the restaurants listed have been gone for years, while at least one closed very recently. In some cases, the buildings where they were located still stand, while in others they have been demolished, living now only in the snapshots of our own nostalgia.
This poll also isn’t meant to imply that any of the listed restaurants are poised for a comeback, though I suppose anything is possible. Until then, we can keep dreaming of one last burrito or hot dog on a famously hot Columbia day.
Voting will remain open until 11:59 p.m. Dec. 7, so vote early and often. And don’t forget to tip your server.
This story was originally published December 1, 2022 at 8:33 AM.
