50 Best American Restaurants in Columbia

“We visited Backstreets for the first time today. We loved the food and experience. Our waitress Riley was awesome! I had the baby back ribs with broccoli and a side salad. I'm bougie about my ribs. The ribs were so tender! The broccoli was perfectly steamed with a little char that added to the seasoning. I also had a peach martini. It was perfect! The kids had nachos, chicken tenders, and a baked potato. They enjoyed everything, which says a lot because my daughter doesn't eat beef but she tried the nachos with ground beef. Lastly, we had the brownie a la mode. To my chocolate lovers, you must try!! It was so good...and it was more than enough to share. It was a great first experience!“

“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.“

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

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

“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!!“

“We love coming to see Dublin behind the bar! We feel at home as soon as we walk in the door. The wings are awesome and Dublin treats us with respect. She is a friend to everyone who enters and makes you feel special. A wonderful person and even better barmaid.“

“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.“

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

“If you enjoy higher quality meats and a meal that is what it is without substitutions, meaning you eat what you are served , they are allergies conscious and will ask in advance, so no worries there. The menu changes and usually has something additional the wait staff will let you know about. The food and service are of good quality. This is a pork chop with bacon jam and basic corn pudding and collard greens, all very good and well prepared. The other dish is the chicken. The appetizer was the pickle board, I do wish they had a better variety of cheeses, they did allow me to switch out a cheese I did not care for so substitute was allowed.“

“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.!!!!👍“

“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.“

“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!“

“Traveled all the way from Charlotte NC to Colombia SC to watch the trombonist Hank Biail and saxophonist Phil Denny performance at Chayz Lounge. First time being there. The owner (Chayz Alexander) greeted everyone at the entrance and was very welcoming. The atmosphere was superbly magnificent. The wait staff was on point and food was extremely delicious 😋. Overall, my experience was fantastic and would come back again.“

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

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

“Very good food and service!“

“The food was great, tasted good and was out in a timely manner. They were busy. But they handled the crowd well. All the staff were freindly and courteous. They had great organization and worked together like a well oiled machine. Only negative was the place can get loud inside due to the building design“

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

“Amazing People & Services. Had A Blast.“

“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 :)“

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

“Flounder and that’s enough 😂“

“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!“

“Good ppl, great food and great customer service“

“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!“

“This place is awesome! Good food, totally reasonable prices, and uncommonly good service. (Jarisa was fabulous!) if you’re like me and had driven by 100 times and always thought about stopping, DON’T DELAY stop today! You won’t regret it.“

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

“Sports bars are not my jam but it's a really nice one. The food was excellent. There were TVs tuned to every sport that was currently playing. The service was great. We really had a good time. I had a Reuben and french fries and local draft beer, and it was all perfect!“

“I was here on a Saturday, which was tons of fun. Great DJ, amazing bartender (Ashlee), and the drinks are delicious.

Came back on a Sunday, very relaxed/chill, with another great bartender (Will), and the drinks were still just as delicious.

I visited a few bars/restaurants and this is definitely my favorite place in Columbia by far. I'll definitely be back!

On a side note - my favorite drinks so far are the Gypsy Woman and Warthog. Definitely give them a try!“

“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!“

“Flounder and that’s enough 😂“

“My server went above and beyond, Ill come back and edit this next time I get her name. The beef stew was honestly the best I have had that wasn't homemade in the South. Their fried Okra was delicious too. I asked for an Arnold Palmer, it's not a usual request but She got me one anyway. I enjoyed the meal and the service a good bit, Ill be sure to come back when I can. Prices are getting out of hand nowadays but that's everywhere, and at least you won't be leaving this place hungry, that's for sure.“

“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!!“

“amazing affordable prices amazing chicken wings“

“Had an absolutely phenomenal visit. Erica treated me so well and made some menu recommendations that I thoroughly enjoyed. I've been to some not so great IHOP locations before but this location always delivers great food and great service. Highly recommend.“

“An incredible experience to be had by all! For those who love strawberry cheesecake, this is the place! It will not disappoint!
Additionally, I'm from up north and have been greatly disappointed by the quality of blue cheese for my wings. This facility by far has the best blue cheese in this area!
This will be a staple of my going out experience for as long as I stay in Columbia, South Carolina“

“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.“

“Absolutely it was a great place to eat food was great Definitely be going back again“

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

“Lots of local brew options on tap, food came out quick even though they were busy, great service at the bar from Cooper during JerryFest! Grateful Thanks!“

“I had my first lunch with the restaurant in Columbia today and it was a GREAT experience! Definitely the very bbq in the area! Totally enjoyed the food, as well as the friendly demeanor of all who we came in contact with. I’m going to use the catering soon for an event at work and cannot wait for everyone to try it out! Thanks so much for your hard work!“

“Amazing prices, portions, and tasty food. This is the best, budget priced seafood in town.“

“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!“

“Great customer service. Waitresses were nice“

“had a great time. the food was awesome.“

“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.“

“This was a veteran's appreciation meal. A lot of veteran's with family were there. The wait time was an hour. They kept me posted on where I was on the wait list which made the wait not difficult. Once at my table, the service was good and fast. The waitress was very polite and professional. The food was wonderful! The meal was complimentary; which allowed us to tip the waitress even more since her service was so professional.“