FOOD GUIDE TO COLUMBIA, SC
If you’ve ever visited Columbia, South Carolina, then you already know!
If you haven’t, you need to, and when you do these are the places you’ve got to check out!
All together in one place, here’s a fabulous FOOD GUIDE TO COLUMBIA, SC with all our favorites and recommendations.
With so many great breweries (with delish food on site), restaurants, a river, and some cool vibey neighborhoods; there is so much to do in Columbia!
BRUNCH
AU and I looooooove a good biscuit. And not only do we love good biscuits, we LOVE fried chicken biscuits. NOM NOM NOM. We found this spot with the funniest name and we immediately had to check it out.
With a great menu and plenty of protein options for biscuits, we ordered the Fried Chicken Biscuit (pickles on the side for AU, of course!) and the Spicy Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit. OMG wow. The fried chicken biscuit was IT, I couldn’t get enough WITH the pickles. It had a superb scallion aioli, homemade moist fried chicken breaded to perfection and the buttery sweet pickles just took it to a whole new level.
The bacon biscuit was FIRE and totally spicy and we loved it, too. Other runner up choices were the Pimento Cheese and Sausage Biscuit and the Smoked Chicken Salad with butterlettuce and heirloom tomato. To be honest with you, we stood there for about 10 minutes trying to decide what we wanted to order! Embarrasing. Also, add a coldbrew to your order and call it a day. We loved sitting outside and enjoying our little brunch with the beautiful weather we had!
You cannot go wrong with any biscuit choice, the biscuits were perfectly fluffy and tall (as you can see), they were not dry or cakey but deliciously soft and buttery. AU and I said we’re VERY lucky we don’t live near this place because we would be there weekly, hands down!
This place was such a vibe and walking distance from our hotel downtown. Known for their fresh homemade delightful pastries and a variety of tartines, this is the perfect brunch spot! The cherry on the top with this choice is that the espresso was fabulous and the coffees were the best compliment to our selections.
We chose an Everything Cream Cheese Pastry and the Soft Scrambled Egg Tartine (if you’re looking for a homemade soft scramble, this recipe is my absolute best!). For coffee; an Americano and Toasted Sugar Latte with beautiful latte art. I’m obsessed with latte art lately and have been trying to do it at home with my little set up (it’s not going so great lol).
The Soft Scramble Egg Tartine was soooo buttery and smooth, flavored with sea salt and topped with bright chives. All piled on homemade fluffy sourdough bread. Heaven on a plate right here.
The vibe here was 10/10 and we were able to happily enjoy their outdoor area with these absolutely stunning blue dishware.
LUNCH / DINNER
RIVER RAT BREWERY
This Brewery was OUR SPOT. AU and I love talking about places we enjoy so much that they’re basically ours now, this one makes that list. From the yummy beers to the coolest set up with stairs in an old metal silo that lead to an incredible rooftop bar to the homemade delish food options; this place impressed us so much!
We so enjoyed sitting at the *top of Columbia* sipping on our drinks and chatting (I was lowkey afraid to cross the bridge to the rooftop bar). They have food on site, which we absolutely love, and a great menu. The food we ordered came up on a little food elevator (so cool!).
A fried chicken and pimiento cheese quesadilla (WHAT!) and a fried chicken salad with ranch and fries is what we decided on (remember when I mentioned we love fried chicken?!). Everything was so so so good. The quesadilla was just out of this world, so tasty and unique. And the fried chicken was homemade with a seasoned breading that was flavorful and fresh.
Would definitely eat, drink, and chill here again!
Another true love of ours is Mexican food. Guacamole, queso, salsa, chips, margaritas. Name a better list, I dare ya!
We ordered the tres amigos, obvs, and a side of the Habanero salsa. Beware that salsa is sooooo hot and spicy but it’s fruity, too! Each part was just perfection, 10/10 and we just loved! And we couldn’t not order the fried Chimichanga with smoked chicken, refried beans, and smothered in queso. The shell of this fried tortilla is so crispy but soft on the inside giving the most perfect textural bite. It’s making me drool just thinking about it typing this.
We’ve had a few date nights at Cantina 76 in Seabrook Island so when we saw the one in Columbia, we had to go again! If that tells you anything about how much we love this restaurant. Unfortunately they don’t take reservations and there is always a wait, so just be prepared to go early and put your name down. We usually get a seat at the bar and order a drink while we wait and it has always worked perfectly.
DRINKS
COLUMBIA CRAFT BREWING COMPANY
Another brewery with a super cool rooftop bar! The beers were so tasty and we loved the atmosphere of this brewery. Columbia’s rooftop scene was such a cool new experience for us and we loved the beautiful weather up top! The beer glasses here were also a plus and they have cool swingy chairs to chill in. The ultimate chill spot and perfect place to relax with a few brews.
RIVER RAT BREWERY
If you didn’t see above how much we love this spot, if this doesn’t convince you I’m not sure what will… King of Pops with Prosecco!! OMG the salted lemonade fizzing away in a glass of prosecco was just the best. You can also order the pops alone (they’re non alcoholic) so perfect for kiddies, too.
And this spot was literally so spacious and huge. With the indoor bar seating, an outdoor covered area, a beer garden vibe with picnic tables everywhere and the rooftop bar, there is SO MUCH ROOM (for activities!).
Of course there’s beer and wine and even liquor. They’ve got it all!
Honorable mention with no picture because we were having too much fun. If you’re looking for somewhere to spend the day and keep the yum beers flowing, the food flowing, and the vibes going; this is your spotl Get there early for a place to sit because this place filled up so quickly, even though it’s a huge area with so many tables.
We so enjoyed listening to live music and it’s another great brewery with food on site. The food line took a long time to wait and order but the food was definitely worth it. What did we order?! Oh just some fried chicken tenders, lolz. And fries, ranch, and some fried mac n cheese balls :)
Cantina 76 has incredible margaritas with something for everyone. We ordered the Jalapeno, Texas, and a few fruity special ones for me, of course! All were so good. Your girl loves a margarita with some tequila. I think margaritas are definitely my favorite cocktail ever. And fun fact- National Margarita Day is actually on my birthday!!
SWEETS
Whenever I go anywhere for a few days or a weekend, I’m always looking for an ice cream spot. Sweet Cream Co. makes all their flavors as small batches and each one is so unique and seriously creamy.
With homemade light and crispy waffle cones, this spot was so top notch! We chose fluffernutter ice cream, which was perfectly marshmallowy and not overly sugary, and cinnamon sugar which was just that- cinnamon sugar in an icrecream form and wow so yum! It had the perfect cinnamon to sugar ratio.
This place is a must stop!
On our way out of town we had to stop at this well known spot to check out their cinnies. Fair warning, there was a line but as you know lines move. We loved how warm and perfect this cinnamon roll was. The Bourbon Caramel flavor was crisp on the outside and warm and gooey on the inside. As all cinnamon rolls should be!
All of their other brunch options looked incredible and people weren’t just there for the cinnamon rolls, this place was popping!
COFFEE
You’ll always find me locating a cute coffee shop.
I just NEED my afternoon coffee, even without a baby to take care of all weekend!
Piecewise Coffee Co. was such a cute welcoming warm space and the espresso was my favorite. I really love a flavored latte and no straws here for the cups, loving that sip sip vibe. I’d love to sit at a table there and get work done or just read a good book, this coffee shop was the best.
CURIOSITY COFFEE BAR
Curiosity Coffee Bar is a coffee shop converted from an old garage. I loved that this spot had two old garage doors in it, so cool. Such a unique place with little local items for sale and also a welcoming warm space to chill or enjoy a cuppa.
Their coffee drink menu was so unique and had specialty drinks I had never seen before. I ordered the Baklava latte; rose, pistachio, and butter simple syrup. Seriously delish and right up my alley! I’ve been loving the Pistachio Cream Coldbrew from Starbucks lately, too.
As you can see we had such a blast enjoying and exploring Columbia, SC. We basically just ate and drank the whole time, ha!
All the spots here come personally recommended and were so enjoyed by us, we’ll be back!
Much love,
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