Oversea Distillery and Bar — Restaurant in Columbia

I enjoy this venue and genuinely hope it continues to grow. Last night, we attended for the New Year’s Eve celebration. While no food was served inside (which was fine), the entry process was cumbersome and inefficient. Tickets were purchased online, but instead of scanning the QR codes emailed to guests, a staff member at the door flipped through a printed list to find names. This caused a significant backup as each guest waited to be checked in. A system to scan tickets would have been much faster and more effective.

Inside, there was a limited drink menu with 8 or 9 options, which wasn't a problem. Shockingly, there was no champagne available—on New Year’s Eve! What was the price of the ticket for? If you stripped away the New Year’s event, the experience felt like just another regular night.

The biggest letdown was the DJ. He completely missed the mark. He was horrible!!!. The music was out of sync with the crowd, and for a New Year’s Eve party, the vibe should have been electric and engaging. He didn’t read the room and failed to play universally loved party tracks like Uptown Funk, 24K Magic, Titanium, Don’t Stop the Music by Rihanna, Cupid Shuffle, Wobble—songs that always get people on the dance floor, no matter the age group. He play remixed house/EDM and he was playing more for himself. At one time there were more people at the DJ booth (his buddies) dancing than there were dancing on the floor. On the rare occasion he stumbled upon a good track, he’d immediately follow it up with something that killed the energy. I found myself wanting to hand him my phone and let him run my playlist instead. There was guest after guest going up to the DJ asking him to play one song or another and his response was consistently the same “I don’t have that, I don’t have that.” 20 people (trust me…we counted)

I really want this spot to succeed, but it feels like the planning and execution are driven by wishful thinking rather than solid experience. There’s so much potential here, but it needs better organization and a more thoughtful approach to deliver the kind of experience guests expect—especially on major nights like New Year’s Eve. Images I am adding to this review was the entire night and exactly 15 min before New Years….and that was how it was from 9pm to 11:46. The dance floor became crowded 2min before countdown but its New Years Eve and if not….it would have been as empty as it was the whole night.

DO NOT USE THIS DJ AGAIN…..he...

Purchased 4 tickets for $95 for the Heavy Love Event on 2/15/2025 and it was not a great experience. It was intended to be a closed event, but seemingly at some point during the evening, they began letting anyone in the establishment. Therefore, we paid for an event that others got to enjoy without even paying which is not fair....and it became so busy, the night just went down hill. We got there early so the first round of drinks were good, still took a while but good. But we were there from 6:30p-10p and only were served two round of drinks because it took so long. We had more water than drinks! Once we finally got our drinks they were so watered down from sitting that you couldn't even tell what kind of alcohol was used. The food was fine and the guys running food from the kitchen were running all night, we appreciated them. And the bartenders were doing their best to keep up too. It's not that the service was bad, it's that they were understaffed for the event and they never should have let those that did not pay for the event to enter. The manager did get on the microphone to make an announcement of apology for how the night was going and offered refunds for curtain things but I was ok with paying for the food we ordered and our drinks should have been better but I was hot about paying for an event that became open to the public. By the way, the Band was awesome! Good music, the sound was great and they sang and played their butts off all night. I would def go see them again but I don't think I will be going back to this establishment for a paid event as I already gave you free money. I read many of the reviews before buying tickets but was trying to be optimistic about the event. And obviously, some people have had good experiences but take note about the ones that did not as the reviews are similar. It's unfortunate because the venue atmosphere is cool but for the price of drinks, food, and service, the management needs to step up and maybe consult with some restaurant professionals. I understand it's a working progress and hopefully it gets better for the business because no one working there was rude and they attempted to address all the issue so if anything, the staff...

We went there twice. Two nights in a row (Friday and Saturday). Friday was "Jazz night", Saturday was a special ticketed "R&B event". Although the staff was friendly, both nights there was not enough staff. Only one or two people on the floor taking orders. Two bartenders, one of the bartenders was one of the persons taking orders. You would think with a ticketed event, you would know how many people are coming to plan accordingly. Food ordered was mediocre and cold. Ordered the chicken potstickers the first night. They were raw. Like they were just taken out of the freezer and stuck in the microwave. Second night, the nachos. Cheese was ice cold. Music- Friday night wasn't what I would call Jazz, but ehh, just my personal opinion. R&B band on Saturday was ok. Off sometimes and good towards the end. Just not consistent. The ticketed event Saturday was a fiasco. It was not organized well. Persons that were there before the event were allowed to stay, so when people with tickets got there, there was nowhere for them to sit. Non- ticketed people were allowed in, making it difficult for those who paid extra to get drinks and food in a timely manner. Took over an hour just to get a drink. I asked for and received a refund for the event. Thier in-house distilled rum, vodka, and bourbon are not that great. It's very strong, not very smooth at all. It needs work. Parking- They share parking with several other establishments, so if you get there late (especially for a ticketed event) you may have to walk a little bit to get to thier establishment as it is towards the end of the parking lane. There are only 2 handicap spaces near the door, and 2 more a little bit further away.

I think that in time, it may be better. The space is great and spacious. They just need to do better with the food and get more people to serve. Events just need to be organized better. It CAN be great, just don't know...