A fan favorite food truck will close, and a new Rock Hill restaurant will take its place
The team behind Rock Hill-based food truck Cibi! Cibi! will launch its first brick-and-mortar location, Elk Ave Tavern, in early 2024.
The Cibi! Cibi! food truck, run by owners Anthony Legatie and Hunter Newton, is well known for its variety of street foods including smash burgers, cheesesteaks and fried chicken.
But when doors open at Elk Ave Tavern, you can expect the atmosphere to be somewhat of a “casual neighborhood spot for locals.” Look for a menu consisting of modern comfort foods, with beer, wine and cocktails – all “at a fair price,” Elk Ave Tavern wrote via Instagram.
While Newton said, “there will inevitably be some overlap” with previous menu items from Cibi! Cibi! over the years, as its menu goes, Elk Ave Tavern will be a “completely separate concept from Cibi! Cibi!”
“While we’re still working on the specifics of the menu, we’re shooting for simple and approachable yet elevated pub style fare, changing seasonally, drawing from the classics and incorporating a wide variety of cooking techniques. Nonetheless, we definitely plan to have a banging burger,” Newton told CharlotteFive.
Named after its address at 125 Elk Ave., across from City Hall, the Elk Ave Tavern space was previously occupied by Rock Hill staple Kinch’s restaurant over 18 years, and more recently, Sweet Tea Café.
Elk Ave Tavern does not have a specific opening date yet. Its team is working with the City of Rock Hill on permitting for interior construction, including the addition of a 15-foot bar, while it’s also working with the Rock Hill’s Historic Board on permits for a covered patio on the Black Street side of the building.
“Our contractor is ready to begin construction on the interior as soon as we have the required permits, so we’re hoping to open our doors sometime winter of 2024, but we all know how these things go,” Newton said.
After its last day at Slow Play Brewing on Nov. 4, the team will continue to run the truck, as well as expand its local online ordering hours through DoorDash to keep its staff on payroll. Twisted Eats Food Truck, run by Kounter chef and owner Rob Masone, will take its place at the brewery.
“Though we’ve enjoyed it immensely,” Newton said, the food truck has been “limiting in a number of ways especially in the way of creativity and what can be practically executed consistently with a high standard for quality.”
“We can’t wait to see you in this space and hope to be serving you for many years to come,” a post on the Elk Ave Tavern Instagram said.
Elk Ave Tavern
Location: 125 Elk Ave., Rock Hill SC, 29730
Cuisine: American, modern comfort food
Instagram: @elkavetavern
