50 Best American Restaurants in Columbia

“I very rarely give 5 stars do I put 5 stars in any category but Backstreet deserves it! They're staff were very friendly and attentive. Each waitress and was professional and a pleasure to talk to. As a Veteran with PTSD it can be hard going out and finding seat accommodations. They not only found me great seat accommodations but also checked in on my table a little extra which was very appreciated. The food was packed with flavor and the sizes matched the price for me and my group no one seemed unhappy with anything served.

My only gripe was that they left the doors open on a hot day which lead to flies and which I do get since they have a outdoor seating sections but it would have been great to keep the inside cool and the outside hot. Beside this very small gripe this place is a must comeback to when I visit South carolina again!“

“Great food and great service. We had the fish and cheeseburger and both was excellent. oh ya my husband also had the lemon cake and it was delicious. We are from Oklahoma on our way too Myrtle beach and will have to stop on our way home.“

“Brussel sprouts, salmon, brisket halibut you name it and everything was delicious always!! Highly recommend!!“

“My bartender Felisatie greeted me with a smile and told my what the beer special of today was. She took my drink/food order in a timely fashion and made sure that my food order was complete before she enter it in the cash register...Hey pleasant personality is extremely rare nowadays.“

“I wanted to rave about the manager, Eddie, and chef, Jonathan. On Friday, I inquired about accommodating my stringent dietary restrictions, and they proactively exceeded expectations. My requirements included the exclusive use of pure olive oil in the preparation of my meal. Initially, I expressed concern that my options might be limited to broccoli and a simple salad. Manager Eddie assured me that this was unacceptable and suggested I contact the chef the following day to discuss my needs. Following this conversation, Chef Jonathan promptly developed a suitable solution. I ordered the brick chicken, prepared using only olive oil, rosemary, and thyme—a dish perfectly aligned with my dietary limitations. The meal was exquisite, and I thoroughly enjoyed dining with my friends. accommodate my very strict food intolerances, and they went out of their way to do just that. I needed my dishes to be cooked in pure olive oil, amongst other things. At first, I told Eddie it looked like I could only have broccoli and a salad with minimal toppings. He said, "You can't come here and just eat salad and broccoli." He then said to call the next day, and he would get the chef on the phone to discuss my food concerns. I called the next day, and Jonathan quickly had an idea. I ordered the brick chicken, which only had olive oil, rosemary, and thyme. Exactly what I was able to eat. It was delicious, and I was so thrilled to eat out with my friends. I so appreciate both of them going out of their way for me.“

“I eat their weekly. Grew up eating Lizards Thicket. Started out at the one that used to be by the airport. I’ve eaten at all of them. They are all good. Love the breakfast. Love the specials. Love the staff. Would recommend anybody that has had a bad Experience. Don’t let that one time experience stop you from enjoying a lot more of good experiences there. Highly recommend them.!!!!👍“

“The food, service, and atmosphere was off the chain!!! Great place to eat and hangout!!!“

“just had meatball and provolone hot sandwich... fantastic“

“We absolutely love the food and wonderful drinks here! The staff is amazing thank you Goats! We always have the best time here!“

“We almost always get the same thing, a couple of slaw dogs and a couple of chicken legs! But when you know how good they are, why change? The barbecue is also amazing! I can't really say I've ever had anything here that I didn't like! Rush's is a great place!“

“Saw them this morning. The food is good and reminds me of home. will be having again for sure.“

“Celebrated my 61st birthday there.We had an awesome time ‼️“

“I have to give a huge THANK YOU to Belinda!!! We had a party of almost 25 people after my daughter’s graduation today. Belinda was amazing!!!! She handled our entire party from start to finish and was very pleasant. The cooks in the kitchen were on point today too as the food came out quick and it was hot and fresh.“

“Alex, was absolutely wonderful!! Great customer service!“

“This place is amazing! Stopped in for a few hours on our trip and Chase the bartender was very friendly and on top of our drink refills. Then we migrated to a table where we had the pleasure of being served by Gracie, who was funny and so sweet! The food was phenomenal, the drinks were good and the atmosphere as a whole is very inviting. I would highly recommend“

“great food,cold beer ,friendly staff and well maintained atmosphere 👌“

“Its Thursday week is almost over no one felt like cooking so we went to this location and got a family chicken deal... legs and thighs as well as fries and bread. Food is cooked fresh to order. The staff was very helpful enthusiastic and you could tell they were happy to be at work.“

“Everything about our experience at Saluda's was just lovely from start to finish. Great atmosphere, fantastic service, absolutely delicious food. Highly recommend!!“

“Our server was polite and professional. The food was excellent. I liked the vegetable linguine. My husband said the shrimp and grits were very good. Portions were a good size also. We don't drink much alcohol, so we liked the variety of non-alcoholic beverages.“

“The bartender Alley is the best! I’ve had great service from lots of people here including Cat, Amanda, Maddie W, Maddie A. Erica, Raylee, and Fallon are also awesome!“

“Sam was amazing! My husband and I went on Valentine’s Day and had reservations. There was no wait and we were seated immediately. Sam, our waitress, made sure we had a perfect dinner and checked on us frequently. Our appetizers - charred wings, deviled eggs and mussels were great. For entrees we ordered steak and shrimp and grits. All were good. There was one small issue with the food and she told Will, the manager, who took care of it and offered us a replacement. He came to the table personally to apologize and took care of us as well. I’m very pleased with my first visit to Prohibition and we will definitely be back. Also all of my favorite 90s songs were playing!! Loved the vibes!“

“Got a Chiken Biscuit, Chili Cheese Hot Dog, and a Large Sweet Tea.
Food is pretty good and the people there are rather nice.
The prices are rather very affordable as where most would charge your more money for the same things.

Would Highly Recommend trying them out for yourself.

Good Breakfast and Lunch.“

“Flounder and that’s enough 😂“

“If I had the money, I would donate millions, perhaps even billions to Lizard's Thicket to ensure all their restaurants stay up and running forever. They never miss on amazing food and great customer service. I've been to possibly all of their restaurants and I've never ever been disappointed. They've never even messed up an order or missed an item and I go quite often. Whenever people ask me for food recommendations, I always refer them here. Yes, there are fancier restaurants but they're not going to match the obvious passion and dedication from the cooks working here or their commitment to consistent southern hospitality. Great establishment!“

“This was our first time visiting and celebrating two of our friends birthdays. Everyone had a fantastic time, food was excellent and jazz was great. However we did appreciate the owner explaining the longer way for our food, even though we where the first into the establishment. I think our problem happened when waitress said to us that once she served another table their water, then she would be right back to take our orders, but it never happened cause she continued to take orders from the back versus returning to us. So by the time we decided to order the two birthdays girls wanted the steak and eggs, but steak was no longer available to order, so that was disappointing since we were there early enough to have gotten that order in on time if the waitress was more efficient. Then when we paid our bill my niece wanted to make sure that the waitresses did capture the tip, she asked her prior if she did include the the tip when paying and the waitress replied that wasn't a concern for her, that was an inappropriate answer to say back to a guest and paying customer. However, overall we enjoyed ourselves and definitely will return again.“

“Professional environment Fast and polite bartenders Good food Good music A+ 💯“

“Folks the food is great, service is good, and the prices are reasonable. But the high noise level is a big part of the ambience. It's always been this way since it is a renovated rail station. But it's always busy so no one seems to mind. Maybe not fully comprehending what people sitting next to you are saying helps. At any rate I'm only there when invited in a group so that's my personal experience.“

“We stopped by Rush's in Columbia SC on the way home to Greenville SC from Charleston SC. This was a great little spot for a good burger and friendly staff clean restaurant 😀 03/29/2026“

“The food and service is really good! Never been disappointed. Always delicious.“

“Came here with one of my very good friends, a Bestie, and we were greeted with delight. Our server, Emmalee, promptly greeted us with enthusiasm. We gave her our drink order and she returned promptly. I’ve had many meals and this is by far one of the best ones that I’ve had lately. Combine service with good food and you know the combination. Tomato pie? Delicious. I had the chicken scallopini and it was wonderful. My friend had the crabcakes and they were equally as good. We were then given caramel laced cheesecake and walnut pie and they were both so good. All this for 30 bucks?! I’ll be going back. Thank you to George for coming to check on us and making sure everything was up to their standards…and Emmalee needs a shout out once again. Thank you. You get an A+ in my book.“

“Very good food and service!“

“This review is specifically for the newer Redbank location. We had a late night concert Monday night at the White Knoll High School PAC center and decided afterwards to go to this location. We weren't aware that they closed at 9pm until after we were leaving. Most of our party arrived at 8:15pm but we had some stragglers that arrived at 8:40pm. The entire staff was soooooooo incredible and accommodating, everyone helping each other get drinks, refills, bread and food out soooooooo quickly. Not one time did we ever feel "rushed" or "hovered" over to "hurry up." Instead they just let us enjoy our dining experience! The food was fantastic, even at the end of the shift, it was still all so fresh and delicious! I think we wrapped up our bills at 9:30pm. We all thanked the servers and all the management staff for allowing us to stay and enjoy our meal and we humbly apologized to them honestly not knowing the time they closed. The manager reassured us it was no problem at all and asked us if we enjoyed everything, food, service and all. We enthusiastically replied YES! I just wanted to specifically shout out to the store and staff how wonderful our dining experience was. I'm sorry for posting a few days afterwards, but please know your team was phenomenal and it didn't go unnoticed. Ty so very much again!“

“Amazing People & Services. Had A Blast.“

“A variety of choices at every meal. Pleasant cooks, staff and kitchen/dining room manager. Willing to meet special dietary needs. Catering and bag lunch options for other facility venues on campus. Fresh, well stocked Salad bars and fresh sandwich topping/condiment bar. Creative entree offerings such as Gyros, Croissant French Toast, Breakfast Pizza. Great fresh inventory. Side private dining/presentation rooms. As CIU opened its doors to our leadership conference the Cafeteria Service laid out a spread with a smile.

Wheelchair accessibility: Modern college campus cafeteria with amenities and wide open dining facilities. Willing staff and accommodating tables for those using wheelchairs“

“Friendly staff, super clean room and close to everything downtown!“

“MY NEW FAVORITE PLACE! The food was incredible and the atmosphere perfect! I didn't get our server's name (curly hair on top) but he was fantastic, very attentive!“

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Stopped by Colombo’s on a quiet Sunday evening, and it hit the spot. Tamara at the bar was fantastic—friendly, attentive, and full of great suggestions. I went with the crab dip and wings, and both were packed with flavor. My drink was perfectly mixed, and the atmosphere was laid-back but classy. It wasn’t crowded, just peaceful and inviting. The kind of place where you can unwind, eat good, and feel taken care of. I’ll absolutely be back.“

“Customer Service was the best! Ms. Kim was so sweet and the best in what she does and that was making me want to come back to get my ten piece (honey garlic wings with chip wings and a large sweet tea. One of my favorite place to go! Keep up the great work Ms. Kim and staff :)“

“Megan Marsh is the best. So friendly and she knows what she is doing.. Will come again.“

“Our waiter Russell was so amazing!! He was so polite and took care of every little detail. He checked in on us multiple times and our drinks never got below halfway. Asked for grape jelly with our biscuits and he had four in the basket. We were just traveling through Columbia SC but if you are in the area go to the Cracker Barrel on Bush River Rd and ask for Russell…you will not be disappointed!!“

“Hunter did an excellent job as our server. He was also bar tending. Hunter was efficient , personable and had a sense of humor! Black and Blue burger was excellent. Cooked as requested. Only disappointment was that there was no outdoor dining available.“

“Chef Tom catered a Christmas dinner for our boat club this past weekend. A lot of great menu choices. I went with the bourbon marinated steak tips, twice baked potatoes & the grilled veggies. Many compliments on the potatoes, the tenderness of the meat & the taste & display of the vegetables. Drop off went smoothly. Jen was very helpful in setting up the dishes & answering all my questions. Would highly recommend!!“

“I’ve ordered from here a few times now. Staff are helpful and ordering is easy. Most of my orders have been fine with minimal complaints. This last time was a disappointment though. My sub was not made to order and I was missing 2 wings. I asked for no mustard and no onions and got both. It’s hard to return for a remake or to make a complaint when you are on a time limit for lunch so I was not able to get any mistakes corrected. Next time I’ll be sure to check the food harder when they show it to you when checking out.“

“Good ppl, great food and great customer service“

“Great stay at this hotel in the heart of the campus. Entire staff was very friendly and the attached parking garage was great for being able to go in and out. Want to give a special shout out to Charlie at the front desk who was very friendly and helpful!“

“Great place with great service! They honor first responders and our veterans, and the restaurant is always clean. Great to have mission bbq in Colombia!“

“This is one of my favorite spots in Columbia! They have an amazing rooftop with great energy. You can get food up there too although the menu is slightly limited and more geared towards small plates-- which makes sense for a rooftop anyway! In the main dining area service is excellent. I could eat the mushroom toast every day- it's that good! As a wine professional I appreciate their thoughtful selections, there's something for everyone. Much love!“

“The place was beautiful but there is 1 person that I have to give all my flowers to there is a young lady in there by the name Mya salters I had to ask her her whole name so I could do this the community table has a beautiful person on there team she assisted us with smiles and laughter she was in the middle of things but she stopped and explained things out and insured us that our food was fresh and our experience would be wonderful she stood on her word thank you Mya I have referred friends and I had to leave my review“

“As soon as I walked i I was seated. The staff were really friendly. The food was cooked to a perfect temperature. The somlee came out mid course and asked if we'd like the house wine. 5 star meal at an affordable price. Only place i can get a gourmet meal and some virginia slims.will definitely be there again.“

“We are from out of town visiting and wanted to try something new. We had a child with celiac so that can be difficult. This place had amazing servers and amazing food!! Def recommend for food and atmosphere!!“