Former Columbia Rockaway building to get a new restaurant and bar. What we know
The building that was home to Columbia’s iconic Rockaway Athletic Club restaurant and bar will soon have a new tenant.
Bang Back Pinball Lounge, the restaurant, bar and pinball game mecca on Saluda Avenue in Five Points, will open a location in the former Rockaway building at 2719 Rosewood Drive, according to developer Patrick DiMarco at Cason Development Group.
DiMarco said Cason Development Group has a signed lease with Bang Back owner Fred Richardson, and that early work on reviving the Rosewood Drive space has already begun. DiMarco said it’s possible Bang Back could be open in the former Rockaway building later this year.
When reached by The State on Tuesday, Richardson said more information about the coming Rosewood Bang Back location will be coming at a later date.
The building at 2719 Rosewood Drive was home to Rockaway Athletic Club for 42 years before that business closed in 2024. The bar and restaurant was known for, among other things, its ice-cold beer and its pimento cheeseburgers. In 2021, Food & Wine magazine dubbed the pimento cheeseburger at Rockaway the best burger in South Carolina.
While he wasn’t yet ready to release full details about the Rosewood Bang Back project, Richardson did confirm on Tuesday that it will have a pimento cheeseburger on the menu. The Bang Back Five Points menu already features the Five Points Burger Buster, which comes with pimento cheese, bacon, caramelized onions, fried jalapeno, tomatoes pickles, truffle aioli, and mustard vinaigrette.
Cason Development Group, which has worked on a host of projects across the Midlands in recent years, bought the property at 2719 Rosewood in 2024. Cason Development President Frank Cason told The State at the time of Rockaway’s closing that the goal was to bring another restaurant to the Rosewood property.
DiMarco said Cason Development is excited that new life will be coming to the former Rockaway spot.
“For what Rockaway’s was in Columbia, it was a staple for a long, long time,” DiMarco told The State. “When we [purchased the building] we were fielding calls left and right with people wanting to know what we were bringing there. It’s a big space, 6,000 square feet with an abundance of parking and an outdoor patio.”
DiMarco added that Bang Back’s Rosewood spot will be family friendly and have “top-notch food.”
Bang Back Pinball Lounge opened its restaurant and bar location at 741 Saluda Ave. in Five Points in 2020. As the name suggests, the space is home to a number of pinball machines and games. It often hosts pinball tournaments, including events for women and children.
The food menu at the Five Points Bang Back location includes burgers, sandwiches, tacos, nachos, hot dogs, appetizers and more. It also offers a full bar with beer, wine and other drinks.
