Highly anticipated Mexican restaurant near Columbia makes its debut. What to know
A hotly anticipated new restaurant has made its debut in Cayce.
Tacos Nayarit, which has long had a popular Mexican restaurant on Percival Road in Columbia, opened the doors Tuesday at a second location at 1100 Knox Abbott Drive in Cayce. Tacos Nayarit shared in a Tuesday Facebook story that it is in a “soft opening” phase this week, with a grand opening set for April 26.
The Cayce Tacos Nayarit was initially announced two years ago, and the restaurant is located in what formerly was a bank building, right next door to the Ocean View seafood restaurant. It’s less than a half-mile east of the intersection of Knox Abbott Drive and 12th Street.
The original Tacos Nayarit is known as one of the best Mexican restaurants in Columbia and has a colorfully decorated spot on Percival Road that features indoor and outdoor dining.
The menu at the new Cayce Tacos Nayarit has offerings that will be familiar to fans, including tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas and more. The location has a full bar, as well as indoor and patio seating. An editor from The State visited the Cayce location Tuesday evening, enjoying birria tacos and a Mexican Coca-Cola in the glass bottle.
Knox Abbott Drive in Cayce continues to be a popular, high-traffic commercial corridor just across the Congaree River from downtown Columbia. About 25,000 cars per day travel down Knox Abbott, according to state Department of Transportation data.
This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 10:26 AM.
