The Southern Pot — Restaurant in Columbia

I had the pork chop dinner with three sides for $20. Good food. A hidden gem in Columbia. Read on if you want to know more.

When I walked up to the counter, I noticed they had an "A" food safety rating and the food looked good. I wasn't convinced; looks can be deceiving. Anyway, I think the cook saw the expressionon my face and knew I needed a nudge so she offered me a sample of any and all items. I thought "wow, this cook is too confident by half". I asked for a sample of the mac and cheese only. Normally, I would expect a noodle on a toothpick but this sample was so big I almost pulled out my wallet to pay for it. Now, my girl is a great cook and a good judge of food. She took a bite and instantly got quiet. The food must be bad I thought. I didn't want the second bite but I wanted to be polite so I took it. WOW! that was some good mac and cheese; rich with flavor. I was convinced. Two sides of mac and sweet potatoes with the pork chops for me. We waited (the chops are fried to order)

When the cook brought our food out she had four boxes. I told her she must have someone else's order with mine. "Nope" she said "these are yours" I shrugged my shoulders and thought "Lord I have done my job. I told her. It's her loss." and left. When I opened the box in my truck, these pork chops were ENORMOUS, hot, and juicy. 2 chops filled one box. Mega pork chops! Chopzillas! So much food it was crazy! I got my money's worth, enough for two meals and I'm a big guy. So I'm sitting in my truck and I take a bite. Omg good! Too good to eat in the parking lot. So we go back in to the restaurant with our to go boxes to sit and enjoy the meal. Truth be told i wanted to get a better look at the name on their sign just in case they move or something. The food was that good.

Half way through my meal I looked up from my plate to take a breath. The cook was looking at me with a smile. She knew she could cook; now I knew it too. But don't take my word for...you should go and find out for yourself. Go check them out. I may see you there. I'm going back again! Hungry! And...

Review for Southern Pot Restaurant (Columbia Mall Food Court, 2 Notch Road):

I am very disappointed with my experience at Southern Pot Restaurant. The food was extremely unappetizing and honestly inedible. The turkey wing was undercooked, the macaroni and cheese tasted like instant Easy Mac from a box, and the yams were straight out of a can with an old, stale flavor. The cabbage was no better—it tasted as if it had been sitting out far too long.

Nothing on my plate was fresh or worth eating, and yet it was sold at $20 a plate, which is unacceptable for the quality I received. I was so dissatisfied that I had to drive all the way back from my house just to return the food.

This kind of food should never have been served to customers. It should have been thrown out and replaced with freshly prepared meals. Selling food like this does a disservice to customers and to the restaurant’s reputation. I will not be returning, and I would not recommend this place to anyone until they seriously improve their food quality...

I ordered from here through Doordash. I ordered smothered chops, rice & gravy, mac and cheese and the fried chicken. Everything was delicious seasoned well. The chop could been fried little more. The mac was delicious! Fried chicken crispy and seasoned. Just a tip if y'all can use the food paper sheets that be in food plates so it can separate fried food from the wet food. Will order again!

Ohhh on doordash if you order a plate you get three sides but DoorDash only asks for one side. Also some the other plates don't allow you to put no sides at all. So the driver would have to ask me which sides I would like ☺️. Please update that so you won't miss...