Where to find good eats on USC’s campus

It’s fall on campus at the University of South Carolina, which means football, foliage and folks. That’s right – Oct. 6-8 is Parents Weekend at USC.

But whether you are a parent visiting campus looking for a bite to eat or a longtime Columbia resident who hasn’t stepped foot on the Horseshoe in a while, there are several campus eateries that you might want to check out.

The Community Table

Located at 650 Lincoln St., The Community Table not only offers delicious cuisine but also features a beautiful oak table constructed with the wood of an oak tree from the historic Horseshoe that was struck by lightning in 2008. This table is a popular gathering place for students, allowing them to build community and make lifelong memories.

The restaurant’s abundant menu includes grass-fed beef burgers, made-from-scratch Bolognese sauce, fresh jalapenos and pico de gallo, and much more. If you are a seafood lover, try the shrimp and grits, featuring large domestic shrimp and local stone grits.

Global Café

Located in the Darla Moore School of Business, where the master’s degree program in international business is No. 1 in the nation, the Global Café takes your taste buds on a culinary journey around the world. The top-ranked undergraduate international business program has inspired the international flare reflected in its menus.

The Global Café offers a fresh salad bar, a rotating deli special, grill favorites and local Scoopy Doo’s Gelato. But the restaurant’s signature offering is the carving and expo station that rotates daily and features world cuisines including Latin, Mediterranean, American and Korean. Take in beautiful views of Columbia while enjoying Korean pork barbecue, Korean noodle bowls, coconut jasmine rice and Kung Pao cauliflower.

Counselor’s Café

Located in the new School of Law, Counselor’s Café not only offers Starbucks coffee, but a delicious menu including fresh hummus, pimento BLT, fruited almond chicken salad and a daily expo option that features anything from beef and broccoli stir-fry to grilled Montreal salmon to the signature USC chicken tender bowl.

You wouldn’t be in the South if you didn’t see different interpretations of collard greens. At Counselor’s Cafe, you can try collard green soup, a new USC favorite made fresh that includes collards, onions, celery and hot sauce.

McCutchen House

The McCutchen House is one of the original buildings on the university’s historic Horseshoe and is a student-run restaurant operated by USC’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management.

McCutchen House features bistro lunch dining Tuesday through Friday during fall and spring semesters, where you can indulge in a four-course meal for only $10, which includes a drink and the decadent dessert buffet. Start with a signature tomato pie, and enjoy entrées such as pork tenderloin, spinach ravioli or blackened salmon.

Space is limited, so call to schedule your reservation.

Exclusively on Thursday nights at McCutchen, pamper yourself with true Southern hospitality and a five-course gourmet dinner for $28 per person. Online registration is required for Thursdays at McCutchen.

Campus Wide: Chicken Finger Wednesday

A time-honored tradition at USC is Chicken Finger Wednesday, which is celebrated at all dining locations across the Columbia campus during lunch hours. The Carolina Dining Co. has stepped it up a notch this year with its hand-breaded and seasoned, never-frozen chicken fingers. Not into fried? A grilled option is available as well. In addition, there are a variety of chicken bowls that add a new spin on the traditional favorite. The Traditional is made with chicken tenders, mashed potatoes, corn and delicious gravy. The Caribbean bowl pairs your tenders with rice, black beans and pico de gallo, while the Asian bowl includes chicken tenders, rice, stir fry vegetables and a sweet and spicy drizzle.

This story was originally published October 3, 2017 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Where to find good eats on USC’s campus."