Mr. Friendly's New Southern Cafe

Atmosphere and decor is very cool. Food is just mediocre. Service is normally pretty good but this last night it was incredibly slow and server was very “checked out”. It was freezing in there too, but I’m always cold. They charge a $20 bottling fee if you bring your own non-alcohol wine even though they don’t serve any non-alcohol wine, so that is annoying too. Decided we won’t go back.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 2

Had no idea this place was open for lunch. We enjoyed our afternoon with great food, great service and great… mimosas! Chef Whit touched our table and was very welcoming and hospitable. I came for the fried oysters and he delivered the fried oysters!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

So excited to see the crabcakes back! Great service, too!

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

Finally got around to trying Mr. Friendly’s. Our party of two had a 6:30 PM reservation on a Saturday night. We were a few minutes early and our table wasn’t quite ready, so we went to the bar. I ordered a Mr. Friendly’s 75, which is their version of a French 75. It was quite good. My friend got the Watermelon-Basil “Mojito”, which was very refreshing. We barely got our drinks before our table was ready, so we had to close out at the bar before heading to our table. Sam greeted us right away and gave us plenty of time to look over the specials and menu. We ordered the skillet baked Country Ham Spinach Dip and fried Adluh Yellow Grit Cakes for appetizers. The spinach dip was quite good, but the bread was not toasted, as indicated on the menu. It looked to be a sliced store-bought baguette, very plain and not appealing to the eye. The grit cakes were OK, and not something I would order again. For our entrées, we ordered the Cornmeal Fried NC Catfish and the Char-Grilled CAB Ribeye. The catfish was delicious, along with the collard greens, tartar sauce, and grits that came with it. Again, the ribeye was OK, but if I order a steak in a restaurant, I expect it to be better than what I could make at home. There was nothing special about it. I normally order my steak medium rare, but because I was sharing with my table mate, I went with medium, which was exactly how it was cooked. The blue cheese stuffed peach was less than good. Great idea, in concept, but the blue cheese was way overpowering. The mashed potatoes were delicious, as were the seasonal vegetables. We finished with two desserts, the Peanut Butter Fudge Pie, and the Crème Brûlée Cheesecake. The pie was absolutely delicious, but I think the crème brûlée cheesecake missed the mark. Just not a lot of flavor. Sam was a wonderful waiter and was attentive when he needed to be, but not intrusive otherwise. I had high expectations for Mr. Friendly’s, and they came in a little below the bar. I would be willing to try it again. The atmosphere was nice. I enjoyed the interior artwork, and it was quiet enough that you could hold a conversation without shouting. There was ample parking in the lot right outside.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Absolutely amazing food and service!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This is my wife and I's go to 'nice' restaurant. The food is always phenomenal, fresh, and local. It's one of if not the best restaurant in Columbia. I usually go for steak. This past time we got fried oysters and I got a 14oz ribeye topped with lump crab bernaise, with mashed potatoes and hand battered fresh okra. The cocktails and desserts are always great as well.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place is amazing. You can absolutely tell the management staff is experienced and takes pride in their establishment. There are chill lunch tunes. The staff is knowledgeable about their products. The salad and dressing were delicious and balanced, however the star of the experience was the BBQ burger special. Wow! Juicy and well put together. Just big enough you had to handle with two hands but not so big you couldn’t keep it from falling apart. Complimenting flavors and the beef tasted like it was made with a sprinkler of World Peace. Wow!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This was an amazing example of Top Notch restaurant experience.
1. We got there 10 minutes before they opened. The waitress came out and welcomed us even before they opened.
2. The food was AMAZING, I mean everything that we had on the menu from appetizers to the main entree.
2. There was a scenario that stood out for me. My friend dropped his utensil, and in seconds, one of the waitresses came over with a new clean one.
Our waitress Sam was excellent. Would definitely come back next time I'm in the area.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious, juicy swordfish! Creamy grits, tasty peach spring rolls, salty-sweet grilled watermelon. Amazing food, fabulous service, patio seating on a beautiful evening. It was the perfect meal!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ordered lunch via doordash and everything was truly delicious. I live out in the Irmo area and the food was still warm when it arrived. You can taste the freshness of the ingredients and the care put into preparing the meal.

One of my favorite places. Fish is always amazing. Specials are always great! I always sit at the bar with Justin if there is room. Check this place out for sure!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Mr. Friendly’s is one of our all time favorite restaurants. This time we drove out of our way to stop to eat. We were driving from Jacksonville to Charlotte and figured Columbia was close enough for a great southern meal and great bar.
We can say enough about the quality and taste of the food and the friendliness of the staff.

We visited as a family of four to celebrate a birthday. Though we didn’t have a reservation, we were fine with waiting about 45 minutes to be seated outdoors. Once seated, our server was courteous and helpful in explaining the large and interesting menu.

While everything sounded great, we were very disappointed once the food arrived. The portions were surprisingly small—especially for the price. For example, the side of collard greens was barely more than one tablespoon. The food itself was just okay in taste, but not at all worth the cost. Our total bill was over $150, and unfortunately, some of us left still hungry.

Given the underwhelming portions and high price point, we don’t see a reason to return.

Top Notch Food and Service

One of our favorite places!