Cola's Restaurant — Restaurant in Columbia

On October 19, 2023, we had the opportunity to dine at Cola's Restaurant, located at 1215 Assembly St., Columbia, SC 29201. We had heard glowing recommendations from some friends, so we were eager to give it a try. To ensure a relaxed dining experience, we made a reservation for 5 pm, right when the restaurant opened.

As we stepped inside, we were immediately struck by the inviting atmosphere. Cola's had all the makings of a cozy spot for a delightful dinner. Being among the first patrons of the evening, we expected our dining experience to go smoothly.

Our waiter promptly took our drink orders, but there was a bit of a wait - about 15 minutes - before our drinks arrived. Another 15 minutes passed before we were presented with a basket of bread. While the time wasn't a significant issue, it set the stage for the rest of the evening.

For appetizers, we ordered the BBQ Egg Rolls and Fried Devil Eggs, along with a side salad. It took an additional 30 minutes before these arrived at our table. The BBQ Egg Rolls were a pleasant surprise, a fantastic start to our meal. However, the Fried Devil Eggs didn't fare as well; the fried breading overshadowed the taste of the eggs, and no amount of sauces, salt, or pepper could salvage them.

My wife ordered the famous fish dish, which she thoroughly enjoyed. I opted for the pork chop with mac & cheese and sweet potato. Unfortunately, my meal took a turn for the worse: The pork chop, while visually appealing, turned out to be tough and difficult to cut, even with the provided knife. The mac & cheese lacked flavor and didn't meet our expectations. The sweet potato, supposed to be seasoned with cinnamon, was disappointingly plain and not sweet as described.

I have what I humorously call the "Burnette 3 Strike Rule." If one dish disappoints, I give the restaurant a chance to make amends. If two dishes fall short, I'm willing to give them another shot unless we've been waiting excessively long. However, when three dishes miss the mark, it significantly dampens my dining experience. Sadly, that was the case this time.

All I could do was watch as my wife enjoyed her meal. She had a pleasant dining experience, but I couldn't help but feel let down. Although the manager made an effort to rectify the situation, after over 2.5 hours and the "Burnette 3 Strike Rule," my appetite was gone.

Cola's Restaurant, while offering a wonderful atmosphere and a satisfying dish for my wife, appeared to lag in technological advancements that could streamline service. The back-and-forth between the waiter and the kitchen seemed to eat up a lot of time, even though we were among the first guests.

Would I recommend it? Perhaps for my wife's choice, the fish, and the lovely atmosphere. Would I return?...

My daughter reserved this for us based on a good experience she had in February. I cautioned her to all the recent detailed poor reviews and she urged me to give it a chance. Charming space inside. Service was very slow. We ordered drinks from the bar they arrived as we were finishing dinner, completely watered down as the ice was nearly melted. She never refilled an empty coke on the table. The acoustics in there are such when it’s busy you’re literally yelling at someone across the table from you. My daughter and I ordered the salmon I specified mine medium rare as many places tend to overdo it. It was definitely well done. None of the flavors on the plate pair properly. The glaze on the salmon was some sort of sweet glaze and the salmon sat on top of a mix of sweet potatoes and grits w a couple asparagus sprigs. The sweet potato grits was probably the worst marriage between 2 foods and then to be put under a piece of salmon with another non complementing sweet tone. Awful. One person ordered the whole flounder and he said it was probably the best piece of fish he’s ever had. I spent over 200$ for 3 people to eat. Our food took 40 mins to arrive. Based on all the other complaints and the fact I just wanted to end the unpleasant experience I paid for the watered down forgettable drinks and didn’t bother to mention the poorly prepared salmon. I didn’t try to engage management as others have expressed their encounters to be apathetic and pointless. We were exhausted and overstimulated from the 2 hour duration of the experience and even gave up talking/shouting to each other across the table. I was looking to have a nice meal with my family somewhere while we visited and this missed the mark on every level. This place is a huge missed...

Cola's is a nice quaint restaurant located in downtown Columbia off Assembly. Walking distance from the Vista and Main Street. The beautiful original brick of the building is exposed throughout. It was a Friday night and thankfully I made reservations about 2 weeks ago. People were turned away left and right unless they could find a seat at the bar. We know this all too well as we have strolled in once before thinking we were going to be seated at a dinning table. NOT! Amateurs we were. Lol. We were perfectly ok with the bar as the service was great there too. Anywho back to this experience. It is Worth the Reservation. Ours was 6:15pm. We arrived a little early. I checked us in and we sat and chilled on the couch. About 6:12 the hostess sat us at our table. Our server Matthew M was polite and very knowledgeable of the menu items. He actually suggested my entree. The service he provided was immaculate. We felt as if we were his only patrons. Of course we weren't, but that's how great he was checking on us, refilling our drinks, and clearing away plates. We indulged in the Southern Fried Devil Eggs as our appetizer. OMG a must try! My husband was very pleased with his Braised Beef Short Ribs, Grits, Gravy, Glazed Carrots, and Ice Cold Draft Beer. I had the Spiced Rubbed Chicken, a side of Mac & Cheese, Braised Greens, Sweet Potato with Pecan Butter, and two Lemon Drops. We ate off each other's plate. All were seasoned perfectly. The Collards were amazing. My mom would love. Kudos to the Kitchen Staff. I was slurping my Cocktails down like lemonade and boy did it do a sneak attack. Lol Overall we felt full and very satisfied walking out with our leftovers for later. We will be...