Wedding & Event Venue near York, SC

Looking for somewhere new to eat? Odds are York County has it, or it’s on the way.

This area has more than two dozen restaurants that opened this spring, or that announced plans to open. Many of those planned spots are coming soon. Rock Hill is heavy on new places to eat, but there are options in Fort Mill, Tega Cay, Lake Wylie and Clover, too.

Here’s a look at the freshest entries to the York County food scene. Click on links for each to find out more information.

? Rey Azteca opened a Rock Hill location at 2124 Celanese Road in March. It’s the same Mexican food restaurant that’s been in Lake Wylie for two decades.

? Nathan’s Famous held its grand opening in March, selling New York-style hot dogs and burgers at 1818 Bagwell Circle in Rock Hill.

? Napoli’s Pizzaria opened in March, at 2435 Hwy. 160 West in Tega Cay’s Stonecrest shopping center. The menu has New York-style pizza, stromboli, calzone and dessert.

? Yoshi Ramen is right beside Napoli’s in Tega Cay. Yoshi’s menu has Japanese rice bowls, chicken, fried rice and more than a half dozen ramen options with toppings.

? Empire Pizza opened its newest location last month at 343 Technology Center Way in Rock Hill. That’s a short walk from the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.

? Tandoor opened in late March, bringing Indian cuisine to 991 N. Anderson Road in Rock Hill.

? Peaceful Palate opened April 4 at The Power House in Rock Hill. The food hall stop has wings, empanadas, salmon and sides.

? Savvy Eatz also opened April 4 at the Rock Hill food hall. The Jamaican menu features jerk and curry chicken, turkey, shrimp and oxtail. There’s also juices and smoothies.

? Sully’s Steamers opened its steamed bagel sandwich shop in Rock Hill on April 4. Sully’s is at 220 W. White St., part of The Thread.

? The Original Noodle Company had its grand opening April 4 in Lake Wylie. The 4070 Charlotte Hwy. site offers noodles, dumplings, stir fry and other dishes.

? The Soda Lab is a new soda shop at The Corner Market in Clover, which opened April 4 at 518 S. Main St.

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? Paco’s Tacos & Tequila opened on Monday, April 21, in Fort Mill. The Tex-Mex restaurant based in Charlotte is in the former Taco Molino space at 1328 Broadcloth St., in Kingsley.

? Jekyll & Hyde Taphouse & Grill has storefront signs up and is hiring for its new location in Baxter. The steak, burger and drink spot at 993 Market St. in Fort Mill is the former Lucky Duck and Six Pence Pub site.

? Dilworth Neighborhood Grille plans a summer opening at 940 Market St. in Fort Mill. The neighborhood restaurant bar setup in Baxter replaces Killingtons, and formerly Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in that space.

? Phat Burrito will replace Center Theatre Pizza & Ice Cream on Main Street in Fort Mill. The Charlotte-based restaurant offers burritos, tacos, quesadillas and sides.

? Bites Cookie Shop announced they’ll open in downtown Rock Hill this summer. The 105 Hampton St. shop is the second location for the New York-style cookie shop.

? King of Fire will grow its popular pizza food truck brand by adding a North Main Street shop in Clover.

? The Cattle Car is hiring for its burger, bar and grill concept coming to 111 N. Main St. in Clover.

? Mac’s Speed Shop bought property in Fort Mill three years ago, and now multiple news outlets report the Charlotte-based barbecue restaurant plans an opening this year with sister restaurant SouthBound. The Hwy. 160 West site is across from Baxter, beside Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

? The Halal Guys are signed on to open in Pendleton Village, across from Lowes Home Improvement in Fort Mill. They serve chicken, beef and falafel in bowls, sandwiches and gyros.

? Mama Lina Pizza & Pasta is signed to open at Avery Plaza in Fort Mill. The Italian restaurant will share a building with Dunkin’ Donuts near the intersection of S.C. 160 and Springfield Parkway.

? Bear Walrus plans an opening at 130 W. White St. in Rock Hill. The pop-up eatery moving to a storefront setup is known for wood-fired meat and grilled oysters.

? Three Count Brewing aims for a summer opening in Rock Hill. The wrestling-themed brewery from a team of locals will go in at 148 S. Cherry Road.

? Vampire Penguin is coming to downtown Rock Hill, at 212 E. Main St. The dessert shop offers shaved snow treats.

? Adventurer’s Table is a board game-themed restaurant slated to open in the former Mellow Mushroom and Wild Wing Cafe spot in Rock Hill. The 1948 Cinema Drive spot is between Dave Lyle Boulevard and a movie theater.

? Flora Coffee will open at 221 Cherry Road in Rock Hill. They started as a mobile coffee cart with coffee, baked treats and other items like plants.

This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 5:50 AM.

FLORENCE, South Carolina—Raines has broken ground on Hampton Inn & Suites York, S.C. in York, South Carolina. The hotel is owned by York Hotel Group LLC and was designed by ODA Architecture.

The project is part of an ongoing effort to spur economic growth in the York market, which has a heavy concentration of manufacturing facilities and is already experiencing residential growth. The city, county, and state have all worked closely with Raines on the project by contributing various economic incentives. It will be the only branded hotel in the York market and will bring 30-35 full- and part-time jobs to the area.

The 97-key hotel will have onsite parking, a fitness center, a business center, and twice as much meeting space as a typical Hampton Inn, allowing for many types of gatherings. There will also be free Wi-Fi and complimentary breakfast.

“We are thrilled to finally break ground on this exciting addition to the York marketplace,” said David Tart, managing partner of Raines. “We have seen firsthand how a new hotel can revitalize a market and lead to additional infrastructure investments, new businesses and restaurants, economic growth, and critically, new jobs. We hope that this property will be a catalyst for all that and more in downtown York.”

“This entire region has been in a growth pattern, from the residential development in Western York County to the overall growth in the Charlotte market,” said Brandon Graham, VP of development at Raines. “We look forward to realizing Hampton Inn & Suites York, S.C.’s potential in this fantastic market.”

In 2024, Raines added more than 20 properties to their management portfolio, including 16 hotels in a partnership with Atlantic Hotels Group. The organization has strategic plans to continue its growth in 2025.

York County reached another population milestone last year, though its rate of adding new people has slowed compared with the rest of the region.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 303,001 people lived in the county on July 1 last year, according to new population figures published Thursday. It’s an increase of more than 4,600 people in a year and it’s the first time the county topped 300,000 people.

The 1.6% annual growth rate, though, is only No. 12 among South Carolina’s 46 counties. It’s also slightly below the state growth rate of 1.7%. York County’s rate is tied for seventh highest in the 11-county Charlotte metro area.

All those numbers are a shift for a county that’s been a growth magnet for more than a decade. Apart from a 1.1% growth rate in 2020, York County has grown between 1.4% and 3.2% each year since at least 2011.

Neighboring Lancaster County, which hit its own milestone a few years ago by topping 100,000 residents, had an estimated 111,652 people last summer.

That’s 2.6% more people in a year, the seventh highest rate statewide. The 16.3% growth since the 2020 Census is third highest in South Carolina, behind Jasper and Horry counties.

The one-year rate ties with Mecklenburg County as second highest in the Charlotte metro area, behind only Iredell County which grew at 3%. Lancaster County growth since the 2020 Census is easily highest in the metro area.

Lancaster County residential growth has been widespread throughout the Indian Land panhandle for more than a decade. Now, large subdivision projects like Edgewater, Roselyn and Riverchase look to expand growth throughout the county.

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Across South Carolina, there were about 500 more deaths than births from mid-2023 to mid-2024. The overall population increase of 91,000 people came from movers to the state. About three-quarters of them came from other states, with the rest coming from other countries.

York County, though, is different. York County had 555 more births than deaths in a year, and 1,714 more births than deaths since the 2020 Census. While most people who moved to York County came from other states, nearly 35% of the net migration total came from international moves.

Lancaster County had 36 more births than deaths in a year, but 72 more deaths than births since 2020. International moves are a little higher than the state figure, but well below the rate in York County.

Chester County has had a mostly flat population for many years. The 32,323 estimated residents last summer is 23 more people than the county had in 2020. Deaths outpaced births in Chester County by 232 in a year and 957 since 2020. The steady population has come almost entirely from people moving from other states.

The Census Bureau will release new estimates for cities and towns later this year. But driving through the Rock Hill region makes it clear there’s more growth to come.

Along with those big Lancaster County subdivisions, homebuilder Lennar is clearing property opposite Fort Mill Parkway from its Elizabeth subdivision for a second phase in Fort Mill. Tega Cay is creating a new Main Street at Dam Road and Stonecrest Boulevard. Lake Wylie, Rock Hill, York and Clover have new home projects.

In Lancaster County, there are more than 26,000 lots in subdivisions where a home is allowed, but hasn’t yet been built.

Here are more facts about growth in the Rock Hill region, from the new census estimates:

? York County is the seventh largest county in South Carolina. Greenville, Charleston and Richland are the largest. Lancaster County is No. 15 and Chester County is No. 29. That’s one spot higher for Lancaster and lower for Chester compared with the 2020 Census. York County didn’t change.

? Only Mecklenburg County, with 1,206,285 people, has more residents than York County within the Charlotte metro area. Union, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell and Rowan counties in North Carolina, in that order, have more people than Lancaster County does.

? The nation has 3,144 counties or equivalents (Louisiana has parishes, for instance). York County ranks No. 242 in population, or in the top 8% nationwide. Lancaster County is No. 573 and Chester County is No. 1,387.

? The nearly 447,000 people who live in York, Lancaster or Chester counties would make up almost half the population of Charlotte.

? York, Lancaster and Chester counties added a combined 7,642 residents in the year ending last July 1. That’s a couple hundred more people than the entire population of Clover. The 36,752 more Rock Hill region residents since 2020 is more people than live in Fort Mill.

? South Carolina has the second largest York County. It trails York County, Pennsylvania with its 471,240 people but has more than fellow namesake counties in Maine (220,143), Virginia (71,410) and Nebraska (14,375).

Likewise, Pennsylvania (563,293) has the largest Lancaster County. Next are Nebraska (332,857), South Carolina and Virginia (11,062). South Carolina’s Chester County slots in between others in Pennsylvania (560,745) and Tennessee (17,876).