New sports bar opens just steps from ocean in Myrtle Beach. Hot chicken is on menu
A new sports bar and restaurant that serves hot chicken has opened near Ocean Boulevard in downtown Myrtle Beach.
Tochi’s Hot Chicken, 214 9th Ave., has opened in the former Nola’z bar, which caught fire in 2023.
“It’s been a long journey,” said owner Greg Messcher about opening the business since the fire destroyed the upstairs of the building.
Messcher said the fire created an opportunity to rebrand the business after Nola’z, a dueling piano bar that served Cajun food, didn’t do that well. Before that, it was Gordo’s Tacos and Tequila, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new restaurant will serve chicken and chicken sandwiches, in which customers can choose their heat. Diners can have their meals without spice, medium or hot.
The sports bar will also serve beer and wine and Messcher hopes to have a permit to sell liquor by next month.
New signage also is expected to be placed on the building.
The new sports bar sits on the corner of 9th Avenue and Withers Drive, right across from the former Pavilion site and just steps from Ocean Boulevard.
“It’s been great for us as far as foot traffic,” Messcher said, adding that the Myrtle Beach tourist season seems to go longer each season.
