Columbia Food that you LOVE (Seven Oaks, Jackson: school, living, shopping center)

[CarolinaSouth803]

Originally Posted by Glitterific

How about a restaurant with great NY style pizza. A friend and I went to Pop's on Harden. We ate all we ordered, but decided we would not be back. Hopefully there is somewhere better.

Try out Paulie's Pizzeria on Forest Dr.... The pizza was pretty good when i went there over the summer....I think it's better than Pop's in my opinion. Also try Dano's on Rosewood....to me this is the best NY style spot in Columbia. Other options for NY Style pizza is DeLucca's Pizzeria on Sunset in W. Cola and [i don't know if they are still open....but] The Village Idiot on Devine St..... I hope that helps

Originally Posted by hapscat

how about gyros with some good tzatziki sauce. i'm used to olympic deli in charleston. are there any good joints around columbia. i'm actually closer to chapin irmo area. been dyin for one of those things

Zorba's has a location on St. Andrews Rd. That's not to say that the rest of them aren't good because that would be a lie....i guess i preferred that one because that was the one i frequented when i lived basically down the street from it. I think also on St. Andrews Rd is a greek spot called Deno's Fine Foods....i've never ate in the before but i know my best friend use to frequently.

P.S.....i know it's more college geared....but the pizza at the Mellow Mushroom on Gervais St is good also.

[IBrakeforTailgaters]

I became addicted to Sandy's pretty quickly during my days at USC. Next time I'm in Columbia, I've gotta head back to the one on Main Street

I was also a huge Rush's fan. Good stuff!

[Glitterific]

A friend told me that a Cheesecake Factory would be coming to the Village of Sandhill area in the future. I didn't see anything about that on the site.

What does anyone think? I think Cola could use one- but maybe the company does not agree.

[CarolinaSouth803]

I think a Cheesecake Factory in Columbia would do just fine...i just really wish places like that would locate in the downtown area in attempts to give people incentive to frequent there more often. But the Cheesecake Factory would be a nice fit for that area of Columbia....it's 100,000 people in that area of the NE alone...and if you add the fact that others will come...even if it's just for some delicious but overpriced cheesecake.

I wouldn't look much into what they do and don't post on that website because they seem to be a little slow when updating it anyway....the first indication you would get that they are about to build it is a sign out front....then a could of Cheesecake factory articles to catch the publics attention....then so forth and so on.

[deibu]

Having more of the big chain restaurants enter the market are great ways to show that Columbia has "arrived". The NE area could certainly support a Cheesecake Factory. The chains that have entered the market here have expanded pretty aggressively, so there's no question that Columbia is open to them.

But, I don't believe restaurant chains are what makes good food. Good food is ultimately something unique to Columbia.

There are a few restaurants in the higher-end price range that are excellent - Mr. Friendly's, Motor Supply, to name a couple of them. They are places I'd recommend to out-of-town visitors, and they focus on quality. However, the majority of the higher end places here serve overpriced steaks and potatoes straight from the Sysco truck, and Caesar salads topped with bottled dressing. Those are the places older people with money want to frequent, so there's no incentive to do better I suppose.

Hunter Gatherer makes some really good pub-style food (pretty similar to what the Brits call a gastropub). They use local ingredients where they can. And, they are much more affordable for the college students budget. I know the whole brew-pub thing went out of style around 1999 - but they avoided being trendy and focused on good food and good beer. Blue Cactus has been blending Cuban and Korean for years too - I discovered the amazing "rooster" sauce (sriracha) eating there when I was at USC 10 years ago. For burgers - I've been going to Rush's since I was a kid, and the quality has always been good - there's no better fast food burger and no better service.

We definitely need more places like the few stand-out ones we do have.... And. not yet another chicken wing place or Mexican place serving neon-green margaritas and the same plate specials #1-#30.

And not another chain - some of them can be good, but a Cheesecake Factory, a California Pizza Kitchen or a P.F. Chang's won't make us special. Some chains hit Greenville and then Spartanburg before Columbia or Charleston. Charlestonians don't feel like they are falling behind - they live in one of the top dining destinations in the country - from high-end to low-end. Columbia can't compete there, so I think we focus too much on who-does and who-doesn't have such-and-such chain.

For work, I go to small SC towns like Walterboro or even-smaller towns like Kingstree (much smaller!). When lunchtime comes around, I ask what my options are. In Walterboro, they are oh-so-proud of their Ruby Tuesday. I've tried the local places and have been disappointed - the one I did enjoy was closed when I was there 6 months later. In Kingstree, they only have 2 fast food places, but on Friday afternoons there, Brown's BBQ is open! The true destination in SC for vinegar-and-pepper sauce lovers!! To me, I'd rather be able to brag about Brown's BBQ than having a nearby Ruby Tuesday.

[leavingnashville]

Carolina Wings!!! And boiled peanuts from the Cayce Farmer's Market. I live in Nashville now, & man, do I miss boiled peanuts & good wings.

[oriondarkwood]

Originally Posted by sunstate

Is there a Cuban sandwich place anywhere? How about Vietnamese?

Very excellent Vietnamese place near Decker and Percivl (sic) in NE Columbia, its called O-bok's bring a friend and try the Special for 2.

Map of Korean O-bok Restaurant, 1616 Decker Blvd, Columbia, SC 29206-5210 on Columbia Citysearch

There is a Vietnamses place up the road on Decker (can't remenber the name other than its close to a Food Lion and McDonalds)

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by oriondarkwood

Very excellent Vietnamese place near Decker and Percivl (sic) in NE Columbia, its called O-bok's bring a friend and try the Special for 2.

Map of Korean O-bok Restaurant, 1616 Decker Blvd, Columbia, SC 29206-5210 on Columbia Citysearch

There is a Vietnamses place up the road on Decker (can't remenber the name other than its close to a Food Lion and McDonalds)

O-Bok's is Korean, not Vietnamese - big difference. I can recommend 2 Vietnamese restaurants in town - Pho Viet on Decker Blvd and Golden Chopstix on Charleston Highway in West Columbia.

[oriondarkwood]

Originally Posted by waccamatt

O-Bok's is Korean, not Vietnamese - big difference. I can recommend 2 Vietnamese restaurants in town - Pho Viet on Decker Blvd and Golden Chopstix on Charleston Highway in West Columbia.

Sorry about that one.

[Eescapes]

Can't believe no one mentioned Labrasca's Pizza, a Columbia institution! Pizza and a cheese salad! I was born an raised in Columbia, moved to Raleigh in 2005 and then to Nashville, TN in 2008. As soon as I hit town, I order from Labrasca's and take it over and share with my ex inlaws. It's not quite the same as when I was in my teens, but then again, what is? They have different owners now. These days I prefer a thin crust artisian pizza, but LaBrasca's is in a catagory by itself. It's a warm, fuzzy comfort food from my childhood and teens. When I was in high school you had a very long wait for a table on Friday (after the local highschool foot ball games) and Saturday nights.

What about burgers (and boiled peanuts) at Rockway Athletic Club?

Also, I really loved (and miss) Cribb's Bakery that was in Five Points. There is just nothing like a real "Mom and Pop" bakery! They had the best brownies and mocha sticks in the world. What I wouldn't do for those recipes. In fact, I have thought of writing The State Paper to see if they could procure them. Hope spings eternal. Headed home in March and Labrasca's will be my first stop!

Somethng a little more current: Dessert at Nonnah's in the Vista! Yum!