BBQ joints, bars and hot chicken: Here are 60+ new Midlands businesses that opened in 2023

The Midlands are open for business.

That seemed to be the overriding sentiment for most of 2023, as dozens of new retail offerings opened their doors in the Columbia and Lexington area this year. From mom-and-pop restaurants to national apparel stores to services such as auto shops and car washes, it was a time when a host of new business players made their debut.

What follows is a look at just some of the new retail businesses that opened locally in 2023. While it is certainly not a comprehensive, exhaustive list, it does offer a glance at what popped up on the retail scene in the last 12 months.

There’s a new spot for dessert in the Harbison area. D & Tea Dessert and Bubble Tea opened at 1230 Bower Parkway in the Columbiana Station shopping center. The shop is near the Columbiana Grande movie theater.

Rural Hopkins got a new restaurant when the Epicurean Table opened at 9661 Garners Ferry Road. The spot offers elevated American and Southern fare in an elegant setting.

7 Brew Coffee, a growing national chain, opened a couple new coffee shops in the Midlands in 2023. One is at 7234 Garners Ferry Road, and the other is at 2230 N. Beltline Blvd. in Forest Acres.

A new Mexican restaurant debuted on Lake Murray when San Jose opened an outpost at 3340 Highway 378 in Leesville, on the south side of the lake. San Jose has more than a dozen restaurants in the Midlands.

The sun rose in downtown Columbia. The Sunrise Cafe opened at 1801 Main St. It offers breakfast all day, as well as burgers, fries, hot dogs, fried chicken, red velvet cake and more.

Head for the Hut: A new Pizza Hut restaurant with a drive-thru opened its doors at 2400 Forest Drive. That’s near the MUSC Health Columbia hospital and Benedict College’s football stadium.

It’s long felt like downtown Columbia needed an extra infusion of hot dogs. In 2023, it got one. Rebel Dogs opened at 504 Gervais St. It offers beef, turkey, vegan, gluten-free and keto options. Try the Carolina Classic.

The Fort Jackson area got another spot for chicken wings and more. Spice Wing opened at 4400 Fort Jackson Blvd. suite 600B. Spice Wing has locations across a number of states, including Georgia, Tennessee and California.

If you are looking for brick oven pizza, beer and ice cream, a new spot for those things hit the scene in Lexington in 2023 when BOHO Pizza and Brew debuted at 2514 Augusta Highway. That’s right across the street from Lexington High School.

Burlington opened a new department store in the Midlands. It’s located at 5322 Sunset Blvd. in Lexington. It’s next door to a Hobby Lobby.

Get your quarter ready for the carts. Aldi, the ubiquitous discount grocer, opened a location in November at 1169 Dutch Fork Road in Irmo. It’s Aldi’s sixth store in the Midlands.

A new Barrio Tacos location opened its doors at 105 W. Main St. in downtown Lexington. It specializes, naturally, in tacos, but also offers a robust bar menu featuring tequila, margaritas and more.

A new tenant moved into the former Yesterdays building at 2030 Devine St. in Five Points. Ruby Sunshine, a company that started in New Orleans, offers a robust brunch menu featuring omelets, cocktails, French toast and more.

At long last, City Limits Barbeque has a permanent home. After years as a food truck, City Limits opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 1119 Methodist Park Road in West Columbia, where it serves Texas-style brisket, Carolina-style pulled pork and much more.

After long having shops in Irmo and Columbia, a new Fleet Feet store opened in Lexington. It’s located at 5594 Sunset Blvd., in one of the busiest commercial corridors in the Midlands.

Do you like your bagels steamed? Well, you’re in luck: Sully’s Steamers, the well-known bagel sandwich shop that started in the Upstate, has opened a location in Columbia at 2835 Devine St.

Busy Harbison Boulevard got a little busier, and added to its restaurant roster, when KPot Korean BBQ and Hot Pot opened in June at 280 Harbison Blvd., in the former Chili’s space. Per KPot’s website, “hot pot is an Asian cooking method prepared with a simmering pot of soup stock at the customer’s table and includes a host of East Asian ingredients.”

Clutch Coffee Bar, which has locations in North Carolina and the Palmetto State, opened a drive-thru spot at 308 Columbia Ave. in Lexington. They are known for having a menu packed with mochas, lattes, energy drinks and shakes.

There was a time when The Donut Guy was only a food truck sensation in Columbia. Now it has two brick-and-mortar shops. After opening a spot in the Vista in 2022, The Donut Guy debuted a second location in 2023 at 480-6 Town Center Place in the Village at Sandhill shopping area.

Columbia restaurateur Kristian Niemi has done it again. Niemi’s Bourbon and Black Rooster restaurants were already popular on the Columbia dining scene. Then during the summer he opened The Dragon Room at 803 Gervais St. The restaurant and bar has dishes from a host of Asian nations and offers a plethora of creative cocktails.

The Brookland development in West Columbia added another restaurant tenant in 2023. Another Broken Egg Cafe, which specializes in breakfast and brunch options, opened in October at 101 State St. in the latest phase of the Brookland project.

The area near Colonial Life Arena got a new dining option. Urban Wok, a global fusion restaurant that leans into Asian flavors, opened in September in the 650 Lincoln development on Lincoln Street near the arena.

The Boys have arrived. Banh Mi Boys, a shop that serves Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, wings, Korean fried chicken and much more, opened its doors in June at 625 Whaley St. near the massive Olympia Mills apartments.

This is a season for banh mi in the Midlands, it seems. Little Bee Bun Mee, which serves the Vietnamese sandwiches and other offerings, opened in July at 904 Knox Abbott Drive in Cayce. It is the latest offering from owners Chris and Noi Souvanna, who also own Duke’s Pad Thai, which is right next door to Little Bee.

But wait, there’s more. Paris Banh Mi opened up in northeast Columbia, at 3071 Longtown Commons Drive. It has a host of Vietnamese sandwiches on its menu, including the grilled pork banh mi, which comes with grilled pork, jalapeños, mayonnaise, cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot, and cilantro.

BullStreet has a new spot for suds. Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant, a company headquartered in Pennsylvania and that has locations across the U.S., opened in June at 945 Sabal St. in the growing district. The brewery is just west of Segra Park baseball stadium.

Columbia’s Main Street continues to grow. MOA Korean BBQ and Bar, which is from the owners of Columbia’s 929 Kitchen and Bar, opened its doors at 1333 Main St., not far from the State House. MOA has a deep menu of Korean favorites, with meats that are grilled at your tableside.

Speaking of Main Street in Columbia, it also got a new Mai Poke location in 2023. It’s at 1426 Main. Among its many poke bowl offerings is the Mahalo Bowl, where customers choose their base (white rice, brown rice, etc.), and then it is topped with salmon, marinated tuna, edamame, avocado, masago (a type of fish egg), corn, oriental ginger and sriracha aioli.

The Ivy has grown all the way to Lexington. Ivy House, which has long had a popular antique and vintage store in Elgin, opened a second location at 4211 Augusta Road in Lexington County. The Lexington location has more than 60 vendors.

A new spot for ramen dishes and other Japanese flavors has opened in the heart of downtown Columbia. Fuji Ramen debuted at 1115 Assembly St., across the street from the South Carolina State House.

Northeast Columbia got a little more caffeinated, as Scooter’s Coffee, a national chain, opened its first Midlands location at 81 Tulip Oak Drive near the Killian’s Crossing development. Former Richland County Councilman Joe Walker and business partner Andrew Reed are the franchisees of the shop. A Scooter’s also opened at 7808 Garners Ferry Road.

The Vista district got a new market with fresh produce, a bakery and more. The Farmers Market Xchange opened in September at 912 Lady St. It features produce from Hopkins’ Toms Creek Family Farms.

Na’cho Margarita, a Mexican restaurant, debuted in August at 745 Marina Way in Prosperity, on the northern shores of Lake Murray. The restaurant has a host of plates and dinners, with many longtime favorites — tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, poblanos, sizzling fajitas and more — featured prominently.

A (pretzel) twist: After closing down in late 2022, the Philly Pretzel Factory at 2800 Rosewood Drive, near Publix, reopened this fall. It’s got fresh baked pretzels, party trays, mini-dogs (hot dogs wrapped in pretzels) and more.

Residents in the Red Bank area now have a new spot that will help keep their cars running strong. Express Oil and Tire Engineers opened in June at 5449 Platt Springs Road, near a Publix shopping center. Express Oil has locations across the U.S., particularly in the Southeast.

Can you handle the heat? If so, you might want to check out Dave’s Hot Chicken, which opened earlier this year at 4601-A Devine St. in Columbia. The chain offers chicken tenders and sandwiches with various levels of spice. The hottest is “reaper,” and the restaurant asks customers to sign a waiver before getting that one.

A spot for steaks, ribs, tacos, dessert and more has opened in Lexington. Southern Smoked Tavern and Steakhouse is located at 924-C East Main St. The menu features a variety of offerings, including steaks, baby back ribs, pulled pork, smash burgers, appetizers including burnt end deviled eggs, tacos, salads and more.

Prost! Bierkeller Columbia opened a biergarten, brewery and restaurant at the Canalside development in August. Bierkeller had long been known for its pop-ups and special events. They are located at 600 Canalside St. suite 1009.

Where’s the beef? In Red Bank, it seems. Wendy’s, the long-running hamburger chain, opened a new store in 2023 at 5419 Platt Springs Road.

A taste of Mexico arrived in downtown Lexington. Que! Bueno Mexican Bar and Grill opened its doors at 407 North Lake Drive, in the former Comfort Scratch Kitchen location. This is the second Que! Bueno location in the Midlands, after a spot opened in the Kennerly shopping center in Irmo in 2022.

There’s a new neighborhood spot in Rosewood. The Hoot, a bar with a plant-based food menu, opened this summer at 2910 Rosewood Drive, in the former location of The Kraken. One of the owners of The Hoot also was an owner of The Whig, the venerable Columbia dive bar that closed in late 2022.

A historic home in downtown Columbia is now the location of a trendy coffee shop. Knowledge Perk Coffee opened in the spring at 1527 Gervais St., in the W.B. Whaley House that formerly was the location of Dunbar Funeral Home. Aside from the coffee shop on the first level, there are apartments on the upper floors.

Plain and simple: The Midlands loves Chick-fil-A. Just check those impossibly long drive-thru lines at virtually any of the chain’s local locations. In May, a new Chick-fil-A opened in Sumter at 375 Pinewood Road, near McCrays Mill Road.

How sweet it is: Lexington got its own Nothing Bundt Cakes shop. The national brand moved into the shopping center at 5336 Sunset Blvd. in April. That shopping center includes an Ulta, a Hobby Lobby and more shops.

The bags are flying in Cottontown. Capital City Cornhole, a facility where, you guessed it, customers can play cornhole, opened at 1223 Franklin St. in the Cottontown neighborhood. The site hosts league and open play and serves beer, wine and other snacks.

Your furry family members now have another place that will help them stay healthy. The Pet Space Veterinarian Hospital opened at 356-B Longs Pond Road in Lexington. That’s just south of Interstate 20, next door to a Starbucks.

“America Runs on Dunkin’” was a longtime slogan of the ubiquitous doughnut-and-coffee chain. Well, it looks like West Columbia runs on Dunkin’, too. A new Dunkin’ shop debuted earlier this year at 2223 Augusta Road in the Georgetown shopping center, next door to Chick-fil-A.

Red Bank got a new place for its collective coffee fix. Biggby Coffee, a growing national company, put a drive-thru restaurant at 1424 Two Notch Road in Lexington County, near Red Bank. It is effectively located just off South Lake Drive, between a Wendy’s and a CVS, less than a half-mile south of Interstate 20.

Looking for burgers, fries, shakes and more (including that zesty Fry Sauce)? Try the new Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers that opened at 1309 Charleston Highway in West Columbia. It is the fifth Freddy’s location in the Midlands.

All hail the Queen: The Butterkreme Queen bakery opened up at 7703-D St. Andrews Road in Irmo. That’s in the former location of Blue Flour bakery. Butterkreme Queen has cakes, cookies and lots of other sweet treats.

A new boutique clothing shop with a deeper purpose debuted in downtown Columbia. The Hope Shop at 1111 Taylor St. is a social enterprise of Oliver Gospel Mission, the longtime Columbia nonprofit that helps members of the homeless community. It offers new and gently-used high-end clothing. The proceeds from the shop benefit Oliver Gospel.

A spot on Beltline Boulevard made the jump from meat-and-three to tacos. Moctezumas Mexican restaurant opened a new location at 402 Beltline Blvd. That space was formerly home to a Lizard’s Thicket country cooking joint.

Trenholm Plaza got a little more fashionable earlier this year when J. Crew Factory opened up in the Forest Acres shopping center at 4840 Forest Drive. There previously was a J.Crew store in Trenholm Plaza for a number of years, though it closed in January 2021. The J.Crew Factory typically offers more discounts than the traditional J.Crew storefronts.

Everyone in the Midlands knows Harbison Boulevard is often heavily choked with traffic. If there are going to be that many cars over there, they might as well be clean. A new ModWash car wash opened at the northeast corner of Harbison Boulevard and Harban court, not far from St. Andrews Road.

For years, it seemed as if the Five Points village was aching for a book shop. It’s not aching anymore: In March, All Good Books, an independent bookshop, opened its doors at 734 Harden St. The shop sells fiction and nonfiction books, hosts author events and book discussions, and has a small cafe.

Now you can head to Five Points when you are looking for fashions that are retro cool. Vintage clothier Pannerpete Vintage opened in the spring at 738 Harden St. in Five Points, near All Good Books.

CocoBowlz, which offers acai bowls, smoothies and a host of other treats, has been a fixture in the Upstate and hit the Midlands in 2022 with a shop in Five Points. And, in 2023, it made its debut in Irmo, with a spot at 1100 Dutch Fork Road. That’s a busy shopping area that includes a Walmart and a host of restaurants.

A new restaurant with various Greek offerings hit the scene in Elgin. Gyromania Grill is at 2558 Main St. in Elgin, which was formerly home to a Hwy. 55 Burgers and Shakes. The menu features everything from a host of pita wraps to Greek salads to lamb chop platters to desserts and beyond.

National pizza slinger Domino’s opened a new spot along a busy stretch of road in Irmo. It’s located at the northeast corner of Lake Murray Boulevard and Woodrow Street. The building the pizza shop is in has the aesthetic of an old train station and sits not far from a rail line.

Red Bank is popping. The Lexington County area welcomed Popshelf in January 2023 at 1776 South Lake Drive, near a Walmart store. The retailer is known for carrying home decor items, health and beauty products, home cleaning supplies, household and specialty items, arts and crafts supplies, party planning materials, toys and more.

Late in 2022, 1801 Grille near the University of South Carolina’s basketball arena closed, as Aramark, which handles hospitality services for USC, announced it was switching operators for the space. In February, the restaurant reopened under the moniker Angell Bros. 1801 Grille. The restaurant’s menu has a range of offerings including stone-fired pizzas, various gourmet nachos, steaks and prime rib, various pastas and seafood dishes, fried seafood platters, sandwiches and burgers, desserts and more.

A new spot to satisfy the sweet tooth opened in the bustling Harbison shopping district. Crumbl Cookies, which is a fast growing national brand, opened a shop at 150-C Harbison Blvd., which is a complex that includes a Publix, an Old Navy, a Target and numerous other stores.

Forest Acres welcomed a fragrant new addition when Bath & Body Works opened in January at the Trenholm Plaza shopping center. There are nearly 1,700 Bath & Body Works stores across the U.S., per data company ScrapeHero. The company is known for its fragrant lotions, soaps, body sprays, perfumes, candles, sanitizers, shower gels and more.

Raise a glass: Peak Drift Brewing Company opened its production facility in January at 3452 North Main St., in the former Stone Manufacturing building. Peak Drift beer has since popped up in stores and restaurants across the Midlands. A restaurant and other amenities at Peak Drift are still to come.

Much like the main character in the classic arcade game Frogger, a Sonic Drive-In restaurant in Lexington crossed the road in January 2023. Sonic’s new store opened at 461 Columbia Ave. The restaurant moved there after being located across the street, at 312 Columbia Ave., for nearly 30 years.

Drivers in the area near Columbiana Centre mall got a new place to get their car serviced. Valvoline Instant Oil Change opened at 165 Columbiana Drive. The oil change business is located near a Verizon store and the AMC Harbison 14 movie theater.

The yellow and black logo of Dollar General has become ubiquitous across South Carolina. Lexington County got a new location of the discount store. It’s located at 472 Wise Ferry Road, near the intersection of Wise Ferry and Old Cherokee roads.