The 10 best ‘cheap’ restaurants in Columbia SC for 2024, Tripadvisor ranking shows
With prices for seemingly everything going up these days, knowing where to find a good restaurant with affordable prices would be helpful.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, over the last 12 months, the cost of all items listed rose 3.5% in total. That includes food, which rose 2.2%, shelter, which increased 5.7% and gasoline at 1.3%.
Tripadvisor can help you find a few cheaper restaurant options, at least.
The online travel company, which collects user-generated content and compares retailers and restaurants, has plenty of data on what residents think are relatively inexpensive and good places to eat in Columbia. And a visit to the website shows rankings of the best ‘cheap eats’ in the city.
The ranked, inexpensive restaurants for 2024 are a good mix of options, from Mexican to country food and deli sandwiches.
Below are the 10 highest-rated ‘cheap eats’ restaurants in Columbia.
#1 The Devine Cinnamon Roll Deli
Rating: 5 out of 5 (318 reviews)
Type of cuisine: American cafe
Address: 2617 Devine St.
Owner Jody Kreush started the deli with her son, Richard, after years of food industry experience accumulated around the country: She found success making sweetbreads in Hawaii, managing a food truck in Pennsylvania and crafting solid deli sandwiches in New York and New Jersey.
Customers can choose between an original cinnamon roll for $3.95 or one of several specialty rolls at $4.95 apiece, including apple cobbler, black pepper bacon maple glaze and banana foster, to name a few.
Meanwhile, a mini cinnamon roll comes with each sandwich order so customers can still share in the restaurant’s namesake without having to commit to an entire roll.
#2 Real Mexico Restaurant
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (425 reviews)
Type of cuisine: Mexican
Address: 2421 Bush River Road
At this Mexican restaurant, you can get classic quesadillas, fajitas and tacos, or you can choose from a selection of specialty burritos. There’s the California burrito, filled with carne asada, avocado slices, pico de Gallo and rice and beans. Another option is the diablo shrimp burrito, filled with shrimp sautéed with spicy chipotle sauce and rice, rolled in a flour tortilla and topped with queso sauce, avocado slices and a side of sour cream.
#3 Cantina 76
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (205 reviews)
Type of cuisine: Mexican, Southwestern
Address: 1301 Main Street
Cantina 76 is a Mexican-inspired restaurant and bar with five locations in South Carolina, two of which are in Columbia. Get yourself a Peruvian shrimp taco to balance out the drinks. The place is a lively, popular hotspot downtown, but if you cannot find a spot inside, there’s usually some outdoor seating available.
#4 Menkoi Ramen House
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (106 reviews)
Type of cuisine: Japanese, Asian
Address: 1004 Gervais Street
Like the name suggests, this Japanese restaurant specializes in Ramen dishes. Do you want some spicy ramen with pork? They’ve got it. How about ramen with chicken? Yep, got that too. If you’re in a noodle/soup kind of mood, this is definitely a place to check out.
#5 Lizard’s Thicket
Rating: 4 out of 5 (415 reviews)
Type of cuisine: American
Address: 818 Elmwood Avenue
Lizard’s Thicket got its start in Columbia more than 40 years ago and now has 14 locations. It focuses on traditional South Carolina home cooking, offering many choices, from steak and eggs and country liver pudding to southern fried catfish, hamburger steak, beef stew or chicken and waffles.
#6 Lizard’s Thicket
Rating: 4 out of 5 (193 reviews)
Type of cuisine: American
Address: 7411 Nates Road
No, this is not a mistake. Lizard’s Thicket is apparently so popular that two of its restaurants made it into the top 10 list. Like the other spot, this location offers the same menu items. What we didn’t mention earlier is Lizard’s is still owned and operated by the children and grandchildren of the couple who founded it, Anna and Bob Williams.
#7 Bernie’s Chicken
Rating: 5 out of 5 (37 reviews)
Type of cuisine: American
Address: 1311 Bluff Road
This long-time popular restaurant is best known for its delicious fried chicken. However, the restaurant also has a limited breakfast sandwich menu with choices like egg sandwich and fried bologna. Bernie’s also offers other lunch and dinner items like hamburgers, hotdogs and sandwiches.
#8 Andy’s Deli
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (45 reviews)
Type of cuisine: American deli
Address: 2005 Greene Street
Andy’s Deli has long been an iconic part of Five Points. The deli offers an array of mouthwatering sandwiches such as Andy’s Special, which is a combination of roast beef and turkey between two layers of melted Swiss cheese and sprinkled bacon bits. Or perhaps you’d prefer the R2D2, which includes roast beef and kosher pastrami with melted Swiss cheese served hot on a sub roll with a special sauce on the side.
#9 Groucho’s Deli
Rating: 4 out of 5 (76 reviews)
Type of cuisine: American deli
Address: 611 Harden Street
Groucho’s Deli opened in 1941 in Columbia by Harold “Groucho” Miller, this chain now has delis peppered across South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. Groucho’s has always been known for its sandwiches, including the Apollo Dipper, a sub roll filled with hot ham, turkey and Swiss cheese melted together with your choice of sauce. Then there’s the STP Dipper, which has a special blend of roast beef, turkey and Swiss, melted with bread crumbs on a fat sub roll, also served with your choice of sauce.
#10 Taqueria Jalisco Mexican
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (38 reviews)
Type of cuisine: Mexican, Latin
Address: 612 Saint Andrews Road
If you love tacos, then you should stop by Taqueria Jalisco Mexican. The restaurant won The State’s best tacos in Columbia poll last year and for good reason.
The restaurant has solid offerings on its taco menu, including grilled steak, grilled chicken, carnitas, marinated pork, Mexican sausage potatoes and more. The restaurant also has a variety of sauces for that extra kick.
