From beloved restaurants to shops, these Columbia area businesses closed in 2025
It’s always hard to say goodbye.
But, on the Midlands retail and restaurants scene, sometimes change is inevitable, with new businesses arriving and, sadly, some bidding farewell.
What follows is a look at many of the restaurants, supermarkets, stores and other retail businesses that closed in the Midlands in 2025. To be absolutely sure, this is not an exhaustive, comprehensive list of every single business that closed. Rather, it is a robust sampling of the closings that The State reported on in the last 12 months.
Go Cocks, Go E’rolls, forever. West Columbia’s Eggroll Station, which was located at 135 Sunset Blvd. in West Columbia for 35 years, closed its doors for good on Dec. 20. Its sister restaurant, Egg Roll Chen, remains open on Crowson Road.
Columbia’s BullStreet District lost a major tenant in September when Iron Hill Brewery closed. The brewery company, which had outposts along the East Coast, shuttered all of its locations.
A longtime Blythewood restaurant bid farewell when Scottie’s Cafe and Grill at 10400 Wilson Blvd. announced its closure after 16 years.
It was a year of transition for the popular brunch spot Cafe Strudel. Foundry Hospitality Group bought both locations of the local favorite — one on State Street in West Columbia and the one on S. Lake Drive in Lexington. The location in West Columbia remains open, but the Lexington location is closed and Foundry executive vice president Steve Cook says that it will eventually be revamped and reimagined as a new restaurant.
TakoSushi, which has several restaurants in South Carolina and in the Augusta area, closed the location at 4711 Forest Drive Suite 27 in Forest Acres. Other Midlands TakoSushi Midlands locations, including on Main Street in Columbia and on West Main Street in Lexington, remain open.
The Dales Biergarten & Bottle Shoppe, located at 3150 Platt Springs Road in the small town of Springdale, closed in October. The business cited the state’s liquor liability insurance laws, which have been an ongoing issue for bars and breweries in the state in the last couple of years, as the reason for the closure.
A pair of Columbia locations of a coffee chain closed in September. The Scooter’s Coffee shops at 7808 Garners Ferry Road and 81 Tulip Oak Drive shuttered, with notes at the locations at the time citing “circumstances beyond ownership’s control.”
B Mac’s Buffet, which was located 1230 Bower Parkway in the Columbiana Station shopping center, closed in late August after less than a month in business. It was in a shopping strip anchored by the Regal Columbiana Grande movie theater.
A national pizza chain exited the area in September when the Blaze Pizza shops at 275 Park Terrace Drive in the Harbison shopping area and at 471-1 Town Center Place at the Village at Sandhill each closed. The Sandhill location has since been replaced by a new spot called Rock N Pizza.
A long-running American dining chain left the Midlands in 2025. Both of the area’s Shoney’s restaurants closed this year, including the outpost at 7335 Garners Ferry Road in Columbia and the one at 2208 Airport Blvd in Springdale near Cayce.
The Novant Health Urgent Care office, formerly long known as Doctors Care, at 1538 Main St. in Columbia closed its doors in August. The facility was located next door to Drake’s Duck-In restaurant, and across the street from the Columbia Museum of Art.
Banh Mi Boys, which was part of a small chain that started in Louisiana, shuttered its location at 625 Whaley St. in Columbia in August. It was right across from The Mills, the sprawling apartment complex in the Olympia neighborhood that’s home to many USC students.
Lexington lost a burger spot in July when Wayback Burgers at 5230 Sunset Blvd. closed. It was in a shopping center anchored by a Lowes Foods.
Lexington Tap House, located at 269 Charter Oak Road in Lexington, closed its doors in July. That space was later reopened under new ownership as Charter 803 Bar & Grill.
The Midlands lost a grocery store in July when KJ’s Market closed at 2349 Augusta Road in West Columbia. That location was formerly a Bi-Lo and changed to KJ’s Market in 2021.
A restaurant that offered various macaroni and cheese dishes closed a Midlands location. The I Heart Mac & Cheese location at 2712 Emanuel Church Road in West Columbia shuttered in July. A sandwich shop called Pressed Panini opened in that space later in the year.
Columbia lost its last Hooters location when the restaurant at 5195 Fernandina Road closed in June. The restaurant was long known for — among other things — its chicken wings and burgers.
RF’s Corner Grill closed its location at 712 W. Main St. in Lexington in February. It was in the Town Square shopping center that is anchored by a Food Lion.
The curtains closed for one Columbia movie theater when the 14-screen Bow Tie Management Cinemas at Dutch Square Center mall at 421 Bush River Road shuttered in May. The theater had been open, under one company or another, since 1997.
Camden lost a bagel shop in February when Monster Bagels closed its doors. It had been located at 1110 Little St. for about a year.
A Columbia restaurant known for its Asian cuisine closed its doors in April. Alley Street Eats was located at 4478 Rosewood Drive and was known for its Taiwanese popcorn chicken, teriyaki chicken skewers, pan-seared gyoza and other delicacies.
The Strudel Shop, which had been located at 1237 Washington St. in the Main Street District since 2022, closed its doors in January. It had been known for both sweet and savory strudels, as well as soups and salads, Neapolitan pizza, sandwiches, cakes, coffee and more.
Columbia said farewell to a Biscuitville location in July when the outpost at 7924 Garners Ferry Road shut its doors. Biscuitville locations in northeast Columbia and Irmo remain open.
