Prohibition — Restaurant in Columbia

A bit of a mixed bag. The food that we was fairly good. And the drinks were good. However, we had some challenges with the server and host. I always have difficulty when I am in a restaurant and I need to ask to either move tables or flag down the server because the dining experience should be somewhat seamless. Especially because we had a reservation. And it’s always so awkward when I’m waiting and they have to find you a new table or we have to chase our server but both of those things happened here. We were seated upstairs at a high top, even though I reserved a table and specifically asked not to be seated at a high top. We don’t know the area or the restaurant, because we were on our way to the beach, and we were already seated upstairs and didn’t want make a fuss or move tables, so we just stayed put. So not an auspicious start.

The server was very attentive at first, but then we had a hard time finding him. Since we were seated upstairs, and all the servers were downstairs, it was hard to catch somebody’s eye. Twice we had to order something from another server, and you could tell they were a bit put out, but since our server was not making rounds upstairs that often, we didn’t quite know what to do. And then it’s that awkward moment where I’m saying “I know you’re not my server but… “

We were on our way to the beach, and stopped here because we’re not the fast food type, even when on the road. So our server also knew that we were on our way to the beach. And again, he was great at first, but then seemed a bit less than ideal. He also didn’t bring a glass for the cider, no big deal, but it’s nice to have a glass, so you’re not drinking out of a bottle, especially in a nicer restaurant. But again, waited so long for him, flagging him down that my husband had almost finished the cider.

The food, however, was solid. Really interesting interpretation on the tartare. As others have noted, drinks are expensive, especially for Columbia, and so even though I’m accustomed to expensive drinks because we live in a tourist town in North Carolina, I’m not accustomed to expensive drinks in Columbia. So I was hoping for something interesting. If folks are charging $15 for a cocktail, I expect an interesting interpretation or some really fun garnish etc. My drink was good, but when they said egg white, I expected a beautiful egg white float like we receive in some other bars or an egg white foam would be interesting. But it just seemed like a standard cocktail. The egg white was rather flat. We also got the pork belly sliders, which is pretty common where we live, and this was good, and the beer battered cod, which my husband pronounced good as well. Atmosphere was interesting. I liked that they had a stage, and hope that they have fun live music some nights. I assume so.

The real reason for the three stars is that it is a huge pet peeve when I have to chase down the server, especially more than once. It interrupts conversation, and interrupts the flow with the meal, and it fills us with a...

My friend wanted to go here. We thought about turning around and walking out after we were "greeted" (if you can call it that) by a very unpleasant girl at the front desk. She just stared at us when we walked in and didn't say anything until my friend said the name our reservation was under. She sat us and didn't say anything until she was finished filling up our water. It was really awkward. But, our actual server was so nice and friendly, and she was really sweet and answered our questions.

We did not realize it was a tapas place when we sat down, but that was our bad. I got the brussels sprouts (which were delicious with their balsamic glaze and sesame seed topping). The drinks we got were good, but also on the higher-priced side. I would get drinks here again because they did give you a lot.

I will say that other things on the menu were not so well-priced and seemed a bit high for the type of establishment this is. While the food was pretty good for the price, the atmosphere was not, which is why my low rating. The photos on their website made it seem like a nicer place, so we dressed up for our early dinner. But between the crackhead wandering in off the street and people standing around in flip flops and baseball caps, we felt very out of place. Maybe we came at a bad time. To be called "Prohibition" and advertise an elevated dining experience, but be decorated like a tourist trap in Gatlinburg with wobbly barstools and tables crammed beside each other amidst loud pop music blaring...it was definitely not what we were expecting for a nice dinner out. There were a lot of pros AND cons from our experience here, so I honestly don't know if we'd try it again. It has a lot of potential to be something really cool.

EDIT to add after the restaurant’s response: He absolutely was as he followed my friends and I outside the restaurant as we left, to our car, asking for money for drugs and alcohol, not food. He would not leave us alone and the experience was very unsettling. I said nothing about his living situation because I don’t know it, you implied that. I’m all for inclusive dining - my review just pointed out that there was not a clear consensus in your restaurant’s advertising on what the dress code was for the establishment. But thank you so much for passing an unfair judgement on me and invalidating my experience, as you don’t even know me! All the more reason I won’t...

I have lived in Columbia for two years now and the speak easy bars are few and far between! My wife and I have been hoping for a place like this, so this review is entirely with good intentions to hopefully help the place stick around. Bourbon is the closest comparison in Columbia and we enjoy that spot as well.

Drinks: I’m a whiskey guy so this review is limited to that avenue. They are pricey. The knob creek 9 year is a common bottle on the shelves of restaurants and I’ve found $12 for a pour to be the most common price range, Prohibition charges $15. It’s their allocated bottles that are a little out of whack. $85 for a pour of OF 1924, which is a $220 bottle on the secondary market. I believe Bourbon down the street was charging $22 per pour. Just to give an example. Most of their allocated bottles are out of reach. The owner may be hesitant to empty a hard to replace bottle and shorten the menu, but that’s a good problem to have. Whiskey guys WILL be back if your allocated selection rotates, we love to try new bottles.

Food: Small portions for the price. This is a LARGE restaurant. I’m not sure these seats are often filled with appetizer portions on the menu. Dinner sized portions would help attract a wider customer base. That being said, the food was great! I ordered the gnocchi and my only gripe is it felt like a bowl of mushrooms and spinach with a sprinkle of gnocchi.

Environment: Identity confusion is probably the best phrase to describe Prohibition. When you walk in the first thing you see across the room are three large flat screen televisions. Everywhere else is a well decorated and period appropriate early 20th century decor. The televisions immediately kill the vibe. I am not sure if they are aiming for a sports bar or speak easy, the identity is mixed and the confusion stems from the television sets. The music as well is a little off. While I LOVE 1960-80 music, this restaurant could really sell a classy feel with some early 20th century swing music. The bartenders in suspenders and bow ties is a great touch. The decor and logo scream 1930 speak easy but the televisions and music are identifying otherwise.

Overall, I am stoked for this restaurant and I will be back. I want it to succeed and you can tell immediately that the owner has taken on a massive investment with this one. Well done, it is CLOSE to the perfect speak easy that has so far...