A new barbecue joint plans to open in one of the Columbia area’s busiest retail districts
There’s a new barbecue spot headed to one of Columbia’s key commercial corridors.
Mission BBQ, which has a host of locations across the U.S., plans to open a restaurant in the shopping center at 275 Harbison Blvd. There is a sign on the building saying that Mission BBQ is coming soon, and construction work was underway when a reporter went by earlier this week.
The coming Mission BBQ will be a neighbor to First Watch, the new brunch restaurant that also opened earlier this year in the shopping center at 275 Harbison Blvd. Other businesses nearby include Rooms To Go furniture store, 2nd & Charles book store and Crunch Fitness gym, among others.
Founded in 2011, Mission BBQ has locations in 19 states. The only other current South Carolina location is in North Myrtle Beach.
The menu at Mission includes a host of barbecue staples, including ribs, brisket, pulled pork, pulled chicken, turkey and sausage, as well as sides such as mac and cheese, baked beans, slaw, green beans and fries.
Mission locations typically lean into a patriotic theme.
“We believe there is nothing more American than BBQ,” the company says on its website. “And nobody more American than the brave men and women who have sworn to protect and serve Our Communities and Our Country.”
An opening date for the Harbison Mission BBQ has not been publicly announced.
The Harbison Boulevard area northwest of downtown Columbia continues to be one of the region’s key shopping and retail districts, with numerous stores, restaurants, bars, movie theaters, hotels and other amenities. The Columbiana Centre mall also is along Harbison. Nearly 30,000 cars per day travel down Harbison, according to state Department of Transportation traffic data.
