COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia's dining landscape is on the verge of some new changes as restaurants around our area are popping up or expanding.
Restaurateur Kristian Neimi says "there's a lot going on" in the current landscape of Columbia's restaurant scene, one he’s about to add to again. He was given approval by Columbia's board of zoning appeals to create a new restaurant in the Vista, called Dragon Room, planned for 805 Gervais Street.
"It'll be a cocktail bar similar to Bourbon, the cocktail program will definitely take a lot of precedence. But then the food program will run the gamut of Asian countries from western China all the way up to the coast."
His restaurant joins a long list of new eateries that are opening or expanding in the Columbia area. In the last month, the BullStreet District announced Iron Hill, the brewery and restaurant would be opening a 7,500-square-foot facility selling beer and food. The company will be joined by Tupelo Honey, and the owners of COA, an upscale Mexican restaurant in the Vista, announced they'd be putting a new restaurant in the Rosewood neighborhood, at the newly constructed 5th and Sloan apartment complex.
Neimi says the restaurant business has never been hotter.
"Just recently Columbia has gotten a lot more business friendly and that has helped a lot and think that'll help out a lot in the future."
It's a similar sentiment shared by Columbia City Council newcomer and chair of the committee for Economic Development for the city, Peter Brown.
"It's an awakening of the business community, of the restaurant community, the arts community, we've got the makings of a real solid positive vibe going on in Columbia."
Brown claims city leaders and staff have been pushing for an increase of businesses across the board.
"We want to turn into something that's sustainable and something that we can grow on and it's something that we can really develop in Columbia and eventually I think change the entire landscape and culture of the city," he said.
Neimi says there is still plenty of potential within Columbia and the surrounding area for other restaurants to come in, and set up shop.
"There's still a lot of niches that aren't being filled so there is a lot of room so restaurateurs from all over could come here and set up something and be successful if they did it right."
City of Columbia's Board of Zoning Appeals' next public hearing is scheduled for June 1st.