Free Times turns the #DirtyThirty this month – and to celebrate, this week’s issue took a look back at what the Columbia restaurant scene was like in 1987.

Fine dining in Cola in the late 80s was typically French (or faux French) cuisine – think tableside flambé. Then, Lowcountry chefs started bringing back traditional Southern fare (i.e. shrimp + grits), but that took a while to hit Cola. And unfortunately (and arguably differently than now) national chains thrived + independent establishments went under quickly.

Some fav foodie spots in 1987:

El Menchaca | Two Notch Rd. | Tex-Mex with fresh-made ingredients

Le Petite Chateau | Devine St. | Served some of the area’s first softshell crabs

Rockaway Athletic Club | Rosewood Dr. | Burgers + bar fare (still open today)

Camon Japanese Restaurant | Assembly St. | Hole-in-the-wall sushi (still open today)

Another 30-year difference: Apparently in the late eighties, you could walk around downtown Cola with a beer in hand. Like St. Pat’s, but err’day. Five Points was slower-paced back then, and The Vista didn’t emerge until 1990, after a city-led streetscaping project.

5 min read / Free Times