Here is my annual "What is new in Columbia for football season"
1) Shakespeare's is back! It is reopened downtown, and they pretty much put back the look of the inside (and outside minus the roof), brick by brick. They took 360 photos of the place before they tore it down, and rebuilt it putting the things back in their original places.
2) Quintons, Bengals: Gone. Thank god. Bleu closed too. I don't know what the status of Willies/Fieldhouse is, new management for sure... don't know what is to come of it.
3) West Main Pizza 2: opened on Broadway, the original is in Jeff City. It is like the Subway of Pizza places. You go there, stand at an assembly line counter and tell them what you want on your pizza. They put it in a high speed oven. BAM. pretty good.
http://www.facebook.com/westmainpizza2/
4) Walnut Street Tap+Kitchen: It is a little hard to find, (basically below the parking garage next to the new Broadway hotel). I've been there twice. It is small, and there was hardly anyone in there both times. But the food was pretty good, and they have local beers. (I honestly don't see it lasting too long because it is out of sight, out of mind, however its still pretty decent).
http://www.facebook.com/walnutstreettap/?fref=ts
5) Flyover. It is by 1839 Taphouse, the old Honeybaked Ham spot on Green Meadows. It is small. Food is ever rotating menu. Fresh. Crowd is definitely not college kids. They REALLY focus on their food. BTW, it is like shared plates.
http://www.facebook.com/FlyoverComo/?fref=ts
6) Ugly Mugg coffee is so new, I don't even know anything about it.
7) Bourbon BBQ. Mobile BBQ venture and also do catering. Owned by two Veterans.
http://www.facebook.com/BoubonBBQ/photos
http://www.columbiatribune.com/business/grand_opening/grand-opening-bourbon-bbq/article_2bee2c0e-f61f-52f8-bc56-d48e79608ece.html
Some other places that are fairly new in the past few years that you may want to check out:
The Roof- on top of the Broadway Hotel
Gunter Hans
Dogmaster Distellery
Logboat Brewery
Harold's Doughnuts
9th Street Public House
Umbria- Rustic Italian
Nashvegas
And finally, the Food Trucks: tons of them