Barkadas reopening as The Fort sports bar
- Steven Keith
- Jun 11
- 4 min read
New Olive Tree banquet space, Asian restaurant coming to SC
A former Filipino restaurant at the base of Fort Hill in Charleston is reopening as a sports bar and grill, with similar owners but a new name, menu, décor and concept.
Investors Martin Riggs and Roger Nicholson have confirmed that Barkadas at 100 Cantley Dr. will soon become The Fort Bar and Grill, featuring many of the same owners but a whole new concept.
Barkadas abruptly closed in February when staffing issues left the restaurant unable to operate.
The restaurant’s new name has already been painted on the front of the building, and a peek inside shows a new paint job and other renovations are currently in progress.
Riggs and Nicholson – who are also partial owners of Soho’s at Capitol Market, Quarrier Diner, The Roq and the Bear’s Den in Charleston – told me they’re excited about the new venture and will share a menu and more details soon. An opening date has not yet been announced.
Olive Tree Café opens new event space
The Olive Tree Café has opened a new special event venue and banquet room adjacent to its popular indoor-outdoor Mediterranean restaurant at 339 Second Ave. in South Charleston.
The existing building to the right of the restaurant was gutted, remodeled and transformed into a sharp-looking facility featuring new floors, walls, decorative lighting and advanced audio-visual capabilities that can host and cater private functions for up to 150 people.
Restaurant owner Michael Jarrouj says he hopes the new space will fill a need for those looking for meeting space in that sweet – but hard to find – mid-range spot.
“We’re really excited to be able to offer this new space,” he told me during a walk-through of the site shortly before last week’s grand opening. “Lots of people looking for a nice place to host something in that mid-range of 100 to 150 people, and they don’t need a big expensive banquet hall.”
He hopes it will become a go-to spot to host wedding receptions, birthday and anniversary parties, bridal and baby showers, graduation and reunion celebrations, business and educational events, baptisms and more.
“We’ve really put a lot into making this space nice and there are several touches of elegance to help create memorable events,” said Jarrouj, adding that they hosted their first big event (a graduation party for 140 people) last week and already have several others on the books.
There are lots of amenities, too, including different lighting variations, surround sound, dedicated bathrooms, flexible room setups and a level handicap-accessible entryway directly from the parking lot.
Jarrouj said he’s especially proud that his new venue is available “right here in the middle” of South Charleston, adding: “The city of South Charleston is so great to work with and they really offer a lot of services and support for small businesses.”
Many of those officials and dozens of Olive Tree fans were on hand when the new space was unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday featuring a DJ and, of course, lots and lots of food – including the restaurant’s signature giant antipasti table loaded with a variety of meats, cheeses, olives, vegetables and more.
For more information or to reserve the event space, call the restaurant at 681-265-9158.
New Asian restaurant in South Charleston
In other South Charleston food news, a new Japanese restaurant is also opening in the space that formerly housed Taste of Asia on Seventh Avenue at the Mound.
A Facebook post by the South Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau last week announced that Sushi One Hibachi Steak House is “coming soon,” although no other details were shared.
Be sure to stay tuned to The Food Guy for more updates on this new restaurant (and others on the way!) as they become available.
Former owner of The Grill passes away
The beloved former owner of The Grill on Charleston’s West Side quietly passed away last month at Hubbard Hospice House in Charleston.
Known for sustaining a loyal customer base of regulars who loved the restaurant’s homestyle sandwiches, dinner plates and other grill specialties, Dave Arthur, 70, owned and operated The Grill for 52 years before selling the business last year to Pete Lopez, who also owns Frank’s Pizza in Montgomery and the historic Glen Ferris Inn in Glen Ferris.
Although I hadn’t spoken to Dave in years, I always admired his ability to keep customers happy and his drive to keep the restaurant open, even when tough times prompted him to nearly sell or temporarily close it from time to time throughout the years. Yet each time he persevered, much to the delight of those loyal fans.
The family will plan a celebration of life at a later day and I’m sure many former customers will be on hand to honor Arthur’s legacy.
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Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.
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