COLUMBIA — Hey, it's Zoe Nicholson. Normally I am Hannah Wade's boss, working behind the scenes to bring you food content. But Hannah is taking a much-deserved week off, so I am stepping up for this week's Table Crumbs.Â
Last weekend, I spent an evening at "the new New," as opening show frontman Justin Osborne called it. That's New Brookland Tavern's new Five Points location, at the former Cotton Gin space on Harden Street.Â
The concert — Sequoyah Prep School rounded out a night that featured Palmetto natives Som'Bout and Asheville's Holler Choir — marked a sea change for live music in Columbia. By moving to Five Points, NBT will be able to pull in bigger crowds, which leads to bigger acts. And local acts will benefit from a larger stage and the venue's continued focus on spotlighting local and regional talent.Â
That's all well and good, but what about the bathrooms? Parking? What are the drink prices like? Well, do not fear. Here is my official, unofficial logistical review of the new New Brookland Tavern.Â
Parking at New Brookland Tavern? Not bad, but call an Uber.Â
One of the main concerns folks had when NBT announced it was moving to Five Points was parking. The neighborhood is infamous for spotty parking luck, but I had no trouble at all finding a spot just in front of Drip Coffee on Dec. 30 — a Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Now, I did drive, but I would caution y'all to try and Uber when you can. Safety, first!Â
I waited in line to get inside the bar for about 15 minutes. They had one guy scanning tickets and another scanning IDs. Since the top floor/concert space is an all-ages venue, those who wanted to drink had to get their licenses scanned on once of those fancy tablets and wear a wristband. I don't mind the wait since it means beefed up drinking protocols. And, the crowd Saturday night was pretty tame just before 8 p.m., so I got to meet some folks and reminisce on times spent in Five Points as college students.Â
The new New Brookland Tavern location in Five Points expands the bar and venue's capacity for crowds. Sequoyah Prep School plays to a sold-out crowd on Dec. 30, 2023. Perry McLeod/Special to The Post and Courier
Fancy a pint? Drinks and bar service at NBT
When you walk under that iconic marquee and through the front doors, the downstairs bar area greets you. It's spacious, more of a space to mill about, chat and refill your beverages than anything. The long bar was mostly dead throughout the night, and I opened my tab there so I wouldn't have to push through the crowds upstairs for a beer. The prices were great. I had three drinks — two beers and one rum and coke — and it was $15 in total.Â
To the left of the bar is the smoking area/outside patio, replete with the neon red USC sign and several benches. It was a nice area to catch your breath, meet some new friends and give your eardrums a break.Â
New Brookland Tavern's new Five Points location includes a 21-plus downstairs bar and an all-ages concert venue on the second floor. The bar opened to a sold-out crowd on Dec. 30, 2023. Perry McLeod/Special to The Post and Courier
Walking through the initial bar area and up a couple steps, another bar reveals itself. This one is liquor-only, and seemed to be a good spot for folks wanting to pop a squat on a stool or pop down the stairs from the second story for a quick refill.Â
Follow the narrow stairs across from the back bar to the second floor. The concert space is more than double what NBT's State Street location boasted, and Saturday night it was slam packed. the bar dominates much of the back wall, offering plenty of spaces to snag a bartender's attention.Â
And what about the bathrooms? Â
If you're like me — or my mother, my sister, most of my friends — you know that locating a reputable bathroom is crucial for any successful outing.Â
NBT's Five Points location features two options, a set of single-person bathrooms on the ground floor and a bigger offering in the concert space.Â
I only used the one downstairs so I can't speak to the reputability of the upstairs toilets, but I can tell you this: anyone who's been using the NBT bathrooms in West Columbia will find these new ones swanky and fresh. There was toilet paper, a hand dryer and a relatively clean floor. I was very satisfied with my experience.Â
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