Where to Eat in Columbia, South Carolina

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It has been well-established in this blog that food is very important to me. So, when I am in one of my favorite cities in South Carolina, where do I eat? What are the best restaurants in Columbia? Today I am going to share my two newest food treasures in Columbia. These two restaurants will give you mind-blowing dining experiences. They are very different from each other, and yet, they are masters in their respective fields. Locals in Columbia, South Carolina know that they can always get a great meal at Bernie’s Chicken or DiPrato’s Deli.

Bernie’s Chicken

Founded in 1979 by Bernie Shealy, this fried chicken joint is old-school & authentic in the extreme. While visitors to Columbia might never hear this restaurant’s name, the locals are wildly loyal. Perhaps that’s why they keep it a secret from tourists. While my husband, a Southerner, worships fried chicken and will happily give his opinion on good versus boring chicken, I can rarely tell the difference. Overall, if chicken is bad, then I can recognize that, but I don’t pick up on the subtleties of great fried chicken like he can.

https://www.facebook.com/LunchMeetWIS/videos/bernies-chicken-lunch-meet/1420695784749035/

Retro is the Name of the Game

Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind & Fire is playing on the radio. You and your friends are hungry. You pull into a parking space in front of the low-slung building and enter through the glass vault; first one door then the other. Your best friend walks soundlessly in Converse, but your clogs give off a deep click on the terrazzo floor. This is the terrazzo with huge chunks of broken terra cotta set in black cement. You order at the counter.  You both slide into a booth: a yellow Formica table with attached brown Formica benches and wait for your number to be called. This was Bernie’s in 1979. This is Bernie’s today. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Bernie and his staff (including Kitchen Manager, Sylvia, who has worked there for all but six months of its 43-year existence) are too busy focusing on food to worry about décor.

Itty-Bitty Prices

Bernie’s is famous for their “Special.” This consists of three pieces of fried chicken, cole slaw, French fries, a roll and iced tea for $9.00. Yeah, I know, that sounds like a 1979 price too! Most customers won’t have room for dessert, but if you do, try the homemade pecan pie or a brownie. It was one of the best brownies I’ve ever had in my life. Super dark and fudgy in the middle rather than cakey. Excuse me, while I get a napkin to wipe up this memory drool.

Big, Bold Flavors

Bernie’s fried chicken is served too hot to touch at first. The coating is simple. It tasted saltier to me than I was used to, but that wasn’t a bad thing. It didn’t seem to have 100 different spices in the coating. As I said, it was simple. You can hear the crispiness of the skin across the table as your dining partner bites down. Juice from the interior will run down the back of your hand if you’re not careful.

The restaurant is closed on Saturdays and Sundays except when the USC Gamecocks are playing at home, and even then, the restaurant shuts down at game time. Bernie is true to southern cooking traditions and his local clientele. No one cares that there is no website when the food is this good!

DiPrato’s Deli

On the list of “best restaurants in Columbia” you will always find DiPrato’s Deli. Eating at DiPrato’s is a very different experience from eating at Bernie’s. Blond woods and colorful topiaries beautify the space. This is an upscale deli experience that makes you feel Zen. (Or maybe that’s just a food coma, who knows?) Founded in 2004, the owners have one thing in common with Bernie Shealy, they are masters of their chosen culinary niche.

Deli Case Delights

While any customer can certainly order off the menu and have a traditional deli experience like a gorgeous Antipasto Salad ($10.50) or a triple-decker Rueben ($10.95), I recommend sampling something from the giant glass deli case near the entrance. In my case, I have a weakness for glass cases. I am fully aware that they typically house all manner of sweet, spicy, salty, rich, cheesy, and unique delicacies. I have sworn off of The Fresh Market grocery store because I always say I am just going to “try a quarter pound of those marinated vegetables” and somehow, I come home with six containers and a $25.00 receipt.

One heavenly Saturday, my husband and I decided to splurge on the DiPrato’s deli case. We ordered the following items:

• 100 of their homemade pita chips ($7.50)
• One tomato stack consisting of two fried green tomatoes with basil pesto ricotta piped in between ($4.50)
• Eight chicken wings in two flavors ($8.39)
• A small tub of chicken salad ($6.88)
• A small tub of homemade pimento cheese
• Smoked Gouda ($5.72)
• A piece of Chocolate Fantasy cake ($6.95)
• Several gorgonzola stuffed artichokes

Anyway, you get the idea. My bill was around $50.00 but this food lasted us for several days. It was worth every penny and every calorie. It was “mmm-tastic.” By that, I mean that all anyone passing by our hotel room that afternoon could hear were x-rated sounds as we sampled each new item from our to-go boxes.

What To Eat, What To Skip

Skips

For us, the chicken wings were nothing to write home about. For remarkable chicken, read above. I love strong cheeses, but the only one I don’t like is bleu cheese. Gorgonzola is a close cousin to bleu, so I went out on a limb trying the stuffed artichokes. I wasn’t a fan. If you like bleu cheese, however, this nibble will make you blissfully happy.

Never Misses

DiPrato’s is famous in Columbia for their homemade pita chips and pimento cheese dips. The cheese comes in multiple flavors, which I’ve never seen anywhere else. (Think: traditional, spicy, with bacon, etc.). I can say, without a doubt, that the best store-bought pita chips are Stacey’s brand. Just get the original sea salt flavor. No bagged brand comes close. HOWEVER, now that I have had homemade DiPrato’s pita chips served warm, my life is forever changed. I am ruined for every other pita chip on the planet. I did not know that pita chips could be crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, and served warm. It was so decadent I thought I might cry.

The pimento cheese dip is best slightly warmed in the microwave. If you are a Yankee and don’t understand the South’s affection for pimento cheese, you need to try DiPrato’s version. I am a Yankee and was converted years ago, but I would have understood the entire concept years sooner if I had just started with DiPrato’s. As for the tomato stack, you know how Renee Zellweger has that famous line: “You had me at ‘hello’?” Well, when it comes to the tomato stack, you had me at “basil pesto ricotta.” Warm the entire thing up in the microwave. Don’t overdo it! Your taste buds will never be the same.

I’ve written before about how other people have “happy places” that are actual places. My happy place isn’t so much a place as it is a state of mind. I have deep respect for people who are artists in their chosen field. The pizza at Dolce Salato Pizza in Ft. Lauderdale, the wild mushroom vol au vent at The Trappe Door in Greenville, and the pimento cheese/pita chips et al. from DiPrato’s: these are the stuff of dreams. Pride in product comes first. Respect for tradition comes next. Dear readers, with my suggestions in hand, I hope you enjoy your next road trip to Columbia, South Carolina. Whether it’s to enjoy a college football game or any other reason, fuel up with the best food in town.