Eat like a local with these 10 iconic Columbia eats
By Nick Sullivan and
Jefff Wilkinson
Certain restaurants are so deeply ingrained into the community’s fabric that to speak of Columbia is to speak of them.
Some, like Villa Tronco, have made a name for themselves by standing the test of time, lasting longer than just about any other restaurant in the state. Others, like The Devine Cinnamon Roll Deli, have made quite a name for themselves in under a decade, feeling as if they’ve been there all along.
This list recognizes the most beloved and well-known Cola eats, old and new, from around the Capital City.
It’s far from comprehensive. Tough decisions had to be made. If you disagree with our super-unscientific list, we respect that. Feel free to comment on our Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram and share your favorite iconic dishes.
Here are 10 selections that help make up the bedrock of Columbia’s iconic eats.
The STP Dipper at Groucho’s Deli File photo
STP Dipper at Groucho’s Deli
Original deli at 611 Harden St., Five Points, Columbia
More than 30 locations in the Carolinas and Georgia
The deli was first opened in 1941 on Lady and Main streets by Harold Miller. It was called “Miller’s.”
Miller came to Columbia with a handful of recipes developed as a youth in a Philadelphia orphanage, where he learned to cook from a woman who ran the kitchen.
But Miller was a jokester, carried a big cigar and looked like Groucho Marx. So eventually, everybody called the place, Groucho’s.
The deli in 1948 moved to Five Points near the University of South Carolina. And ever since, Groucho’s has become one of those places USC students long to come back to after they go out into the big wide world.
Arguably the restaurant’s most popular sandwich, the STP Dipper, is a blend of roast beef, turkey, melted Swiss cheese and bacon. But the kicker is the special Formula 45 dipping sauce, which is is kind of like a sweet Thousand Island dressing.
The cheese burger from Mack’s Cash Grocery. Tracy Glantz tglantz@thestate.com
Cheeseburger from Mack’s Cash Grocery
1809 Laurel St., Columbia
(803) 779- 9858
no website
Columbia has a beefy selection of burgers to choose from. There are so many standout burgers, in fact, that we made a whole bracket to crown the best in town.
The once-small grocery store began selling hot dogs to much success in the ‘60s, leading to a new storefront in 1974 and a menu expansion introducing the popular burgers. The restaurant’s owner, Susan Looney, said the burgers are made the same way today as they were all those years ago. She has been with the burger shop for 26 years now.
“I’ve watched children grow up,” Looney previously told The State. “I know their names. And even if I don’t know their names, chances are I know their order. They walk through the door, and I say, ‘Get a cheeseburger going on the grill.’”
Mack’s gets bonus points for being one of the only restaurants in Columbia serving burgers at 6 a.m., which Looney said is a popular time for night-shift workers who are looking for “dinner” before heading home for the day.
Beef tips from The Kingsman Restaurant Jeff Wilkinson jwilkinson@thestate.com
In 1972, brothers Steve and Aubrey King purchased Mamma Mia’s Pizza and opened The Kingsman Restaurant. They kept some of the Italian dishes on the menu for a while but gradually migrated to the hearty beef and comfort food loved by so many today.
In true diner style, the meats, from hamburger steaks to their popular rib eyes, are cooked on a well-seasoned (like from 1984) flat iron grill, often manned by now-co-owner Mike Deevey. The decor harkens to the ’70s, down to the faux sets of armor that adorn the joint and the knight’s crest over the door.
While the rib eye steak (both 10 ounces and 14 ounces) has been a Kingsman specialty for 44 years, we give a nod to the beef tips, if for no other reason than they go so well with the brown dippin’ gravy.
A special glaze is added to one of the specialty cinnamon rolls, the Bourbon Caramel Cinnamon Roll. Rob Thompson rthompson@thestate.com
CRD is the newest member on this list at a fresh five years of age. But in its short lifespan, the endearing breakfast spot has found its way into the hearts and stomachs of many, quickly becoming a favorite among locals. The restaurant has turned heads nationally too, earning recognition from Buzzfeed, People and Food Network.
Owner Jody Kreush started the deli with her son, Richard, after years of food industry experience accumulated around the country: She found success making sweetbreads in Hawaii, managing a food truck in Pennsylvania and crafting solid deli sandwiches in New York and New Jersey.
Throw all of this together, and the end result is a an extensive menu as celebrated for its grits and sandwich selections as it is for its cinnamon rolls.
Customers can choose between an original cinnamon roll for $2.70 or one of several specialty rolls at $3.65 apiece, including apple cobbler, black pepper bacon maple glaze and banana foster, to name a few.
Fear not, sandwich lovers: A mini cinnamon roll comes with each sandwich order so customers can still share in the restaurant’s namesake without having to commit to an entire roll.
Topped with mushrooms, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed in a sherry wine and cream sauce and served over linguine, Villa Tronco chicken is Villa Tronco’s most popular dish. Villa Tronco Provided
Villa Tronco is not only the oldest restaurant in Columbia, but it’s also one of the oldest in the state, perhaps second only to Henry’s in Charleston (both claim to be the oldest).
Opened in 1940 as a fruit store, the restaurant grew into a hub for Italian food during World War II as Fort Jackson soldiers passed through the town. Owner Sadie Tronco was born to Sicilian immigrants, so homesick soldiers of Italian descent turned to her cooking know-how for spaghetti and meatballs.
Tronco and her restaurant are credited with introducing Italian cuisine to Columbia. Three generations later, Villa Tronco is still slinging pasta at the same location, under the same family line.
The restaurant’s most popular dish is the Villa Tronco chicken, according to owner Carmella Roche, Tronco’s granddaughter. Topped with mushrooms, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed in a sherry wine and cream sauce and served over linguine, the dish has a comforting quality to it, she said — reminiscent of the comfort Tronco provided to those soldiers seven decades ago.
Fried chcken from Rosewood Dairy Bar Jeff Wilkinson jwilkinson@thestate.com
Fried chicken from Rosewood Dairy Bar
3003 Rosewood Drive, Columbia
(803) 252-1662
no website
When you live in the land of the Gamecocks, you better have some serious fried chicken.
Cheryl Austin, who worked at the dairy bar for a quarter century before purchasing the business five years ago, still cooks the chicken the way it always has been — a pressure frying method called “broasting.”
Although other top flight Cola chicken joints like Bernie’s, the Zestos on Forest Drive and Triangle City, and Angelo’s Zesto in Eau Claire also broast their birds, there’s just something about the dairy bar. (And BTW, contrary to popular belief, all five restaurants are owned separately.)
Maybe it’s the ancient fryer, or that you have to walk up to a window, rain or shine, to place and pick up your order. And there’s just something about putting hot, moist fried chicken in a to-go box on top of crinkle cut fries. Yum.
Shrimp and grits at Blue Marlin Jeff Wilkinson jwilkinson@thestate.com
Blue Marlin is Columbia’s iconic upscale Lowcountry restaurant. Founded by Bill Dukes in 1994, Blue Marlin is located in a former railroad depot, complete with the rich paneling and brass light fixtures of days bygone. Duke’s son, Brian, was executive chef until he moved on to other adventures in 2017.
The restaurant features Lowcountry and Cajun cuisine, complete with free collard greens up front.
In our favorite dish, local Adluh grits — stone ground just two blocks from the restaurant — are topped with creek shrimp, andouille sausage and tasso gravy.
When celebrities and sports figures come to town, it’s likely they’ll be in a corner booth with a bowl of this Columbia classic.
Flounder meat and three at Lizard’s Thicket Jeff Wilkinson jwilkinson@thestate.com
Meat and three at Lizard’s Thicket
Oldest location: 402 Beltline Blvd., Columbia
(803) 738-0006
13 other restaurants in the Midlands and one in Florence
We didn’t pick a single meal. Who could? But we did ask owner Bobby Williams what the most popular combos were.Fried chicken as the entree comes in first. And, perhaps surprisingly, fried flounder comes in second.
And the three vegetables?
“It’s the South. So it’s mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and green beans,” Williams said. “We sell a ton of those every day.”
Wings and raw fries at The Publick House Jeff Wilkinson jwilkinson@thestate.com
Andy Ugarte founded the cozy pub at the Devine Street location more than 20 years ago after first selling wings for delivery at the former Bazaar on Harden Street.
Former employees Meg Hearn and Drew Kalagher purchased Publick House in 2013 and made a few changes like serving lunch and upgrading the dinner menu.
But one thing they didn’t change: the wings. We got a lot of really, and we mean really good wings in Colatown (Hello, D’s Wings!). But again, we had to make a call.
But here’s what he will make public. The wings are fresh cut every day, never frozen. They are minimally cooked then refrigerated overnight to draw out the moisture. Then they are fully recooked and tossed in a frying pan in warm sauce.
Add an order of what might be the city’s best raw fries, and you’ve got a Columbia superlative.
Barbecue buffet at Little Pigs Jeff Wilkinson jwilkinson@thestate.com
There are few things in life that are too rich for words, and the buffet at Little Pigs might be one of them.
For $12, you have the most bountiful barbecue buffet in the Midlands: Three types of Q (ketchup, mustard and vinegar) and a pickin’ station if you want your hog un-sauced.
But it doesn’t stop there. The buffet features ribs and brisket every day, two types of chicken (fried and barbecued), fish, homemade chicken pot pie, tomato pie and the list goes on and on.
Take a look around the usually packed room, and you will see a testament to these good eats: The place likely will be stacked with police officers, soldiers, paramedics and other first responders.
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 10:43 AM.
Nick Sullivan is a rising senior at the University of South Carolina and former managing editor of his college paper, The Daily Gamecock. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, he worked in 2019 as a summer editorial intern at Cincinnati CityBeat. When the pandemic sent him home the following year, he created his own local newspaper, The Strange Times, in order to bring stories of positivity and perseverance to his community.
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