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    Art Bar

    3.5 (85 reviews)
    InexpensiveBars
    Open 5:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Art Bar Photos

    Business Info

    ART BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Very loud
    Divey
    Hipster
    Casual

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    Recommended Reviews - Art Bar

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    Reviews With Photos

    Rick T.

    Columbia's Art Bar is very eccentric, a wonderful place where everyone can enjoy themselves in the evening time. You have to visit here and see all cool decor like the robots throughout the bar. Sadly I've only been able to visit once. Places like this are one in a million a rare establishment I will visit again sooner than later my friends.

    Trivia team Fun
    Kola H.

    Came for the ambiance, stayed for the trivia. Enjoyed red stripe, other beers and got a anime doll from Rose the moody but loving bartender at the end of the night. Met lotsa interesting characters who joined our trivia team and helped lead us to victory! We won a few Art Bar Bucks that were quickly converted to shots. Love the retro robot decor, good times in South Cackalakee.

    Charging stations at the tables
    Scotty C.

    Finding excellent dive bars is a passion of mine. After dinner we were looking for drinks with a side of live music and Art Bar was the perfect fix. The place was packed but the bar still moved quickly for drinks, I loved the robot theme, and the band was great. I also loved the side room with tables so you don't have to just stand in an open room like most music bars. I liked it so much I came back later that evening for a night cap before closing time.

    Derek N.

    Art Bar's a really fun bar, even if it's a little bit outside of my comfort zone! I loved going on karaoke night, it was so much fun watching everybody go all-out and having the crowd sing along. The ambiance was really unique as well, for the first time in Columba I felt like I was getting the real Discoteque experience. I loved how neon the lighting was, it really accentuated the aforementioned disco vibe. The one negative thing I have to say about it was that most (but not all) of the bartenders were very arrogant, and made it seem like an inconvenience to be asked to make a drink. Two of the bartenders didn't even speak when I asked for my drinks, and just made them in awkward silence, and still didn't say anything when I thanked them for it. Another one made a cocktail, and didn't even bother to mix it, which was kind of weird. I debated between giving Art Bar three (3) or four (4) stars based on the service, but I ultimately went with four (4). However, had the service been better, Art Bar would've definitely been a 5-star experience!

    Free comedy improv
    Jim F.

    What a treat!! Randomly stumbled upon this place walking in the Vista. The guy at the door was saying come in we have a free comedy show. The comedy improv show was great. Then tried the food. Was in the mood for wings. Tried the Korean flavored wings with pasta salad. Some of the best wings and pasta salad in Columbia! Wings were juicy and flavorful! Pasta salad was fresh and so flavorful! Would recommend this unique place to anyone looking for a unique atmosphere, amazing service, and great food!

    Harsh J.

    Great place to hang out and get some cheap bar food and drinks. Can get loud sometimes when they're playing heavy metal lol

    The Mockingbird sandwich- veggie "chicken" patty, lettuce, pickles, mayo.
    Amy Lauren S.

    After walking in the Famously Hot South Carolina Pride parade, a group of friends (8-10 of us) wanted to eat, drink, and be merry. We needed something inexpensive, quick, dog-friendly, and (obviously) LGBTQ+ friendly. In addition, two of our parade walkers are under 21. A local friend recommended Art Bar, and their outdoor area fit the bill. We did have to walk inside to order individually, and one of us watched our friend's dog while he went in to order. When you order at the counter, you are served your drink immediately and if you order food, the bartender gives you a number and your food is brought out to you. The food and drink menus are extensive- with everything from craft beer to cocktails. The beer list is several pages long and broken down by style. I also appreciated the cocktail menu and suggestions. I had a blueberry vodka mule, which I never would've thought of on my own. For food, I was surprised at the large number of vegetarian options- all of the burgers can be made with a veggie burger OR a "chick'n patty". The bar munchies are perfect for sharing, too. I sampled my friend's fried mac-and-cheese bites, and they were great for soaking up the booze. This is bar food and it isn't fancy, but it is cheap, with sandwiches/burgers running about $9 and only $2 to add on fries. Art Bar is an eclectic place for a drink, bite to eat, or show. The bar has parking next door, and street parking isn't hard to find. I can see why my Columbia friends like it.

    Mixed drinks
    Kandus J.

    Okay, so I wish this was one of the first places I went to because holy shit is it amazing!!!!! This was my favorite place of all the places I went to! The vibe is so chill and colorful and fun! Arcade games, amazing, friendly staff plus strong drinks for a great price! 10/10 would recommend! I was pretty bummed I didn't try the food though due to us randomly finding this place but if I ever go back, for sure hitting this spot first and getting food!

    Jenn K.

    This place is a cool place to go for friends, karaoke, a quick drink & some beer! I love the diversity, gay, straight, bi, black, white, Asian, Indian, just everyone!! Great place to hang with friends! Outside seating to fraternize with the locals and non-locals! Bring your ID, because there checking at the door! Parking was easy, right on the street at a meter The IPA beer is amazing!!!! Love love love!!!

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    Interesting bar. Good theme. One of the better ones in downtown Columbia. Nice vibe, fun.

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    Richard R.

    Derek - Thank you for your review! We really appreciate it!

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    Richard R.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Art Bar

    Is it a good on a Thursday, like just as lively as a weekend or is it dead?

    Thursdays are generally pretty strong, there's trivia at 8

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Art Bar

    I love the diversity, gay, straight, bi, black, white, Asian, Indian, just everyone!!

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Thursday night girls' night done right!! We stopped into The…read moreHollow for Bottles & Boards and were very impressed. The Wild Game Tasting Board was the star of the table perfect for sharing and trying something a little different. We also ordered the gator bites (a must-try!) and finished things off with cheesecake for dessert, which was the perfect sweet ending. Good service, Amazing Food. The chef really goes above and beyond! This is the perfect spot if you're looking to switch things up from your usual dinner routine and try something a little wild.

    When my family in Columbia suggested a "forest to table" restaurant, I wasn't sure what to expect…read more But The Hollow surprised me in the best way. The concept centers on wild game. Bison, elk, boar, rabbit. These are proteins you don't see on most menus. The restaurant leans into a woodland theme with greenery hanging throughout the space. It borders on a bit much, but the open kitchen visible from the dining room grounds the whole experience and adds a nice touch of theater. The seating was comfortable and well spaced, perfect for a family dinner where you actually want to hear each other talk. Our server was outstanding, easily 5 out of 5. She knew the menu cold, offered thoughtful recommendations, and struck that ideal balance of attentive without being intrusive. She made the evening better. The drinks were mostly a win. Two cocktails were excellent, creative and well balanced. A third was over iced and fell flat. Minor miss, but worth noting. The food is where The Hollow really shines. The charcuterie board was a fantastic start, featuring a well curated spread of wild game meats, quality cheeses, fig, and mustard. The mains delivered across the board: salmon, elk, and bison all came out beautifully with great flavor and generous portions. The sides deserved their own applause, which isn't something I say often. The dessert menu was the one soft spot. Nothing grabbed our attention, so we ended up heading across the street to Kaminsky's for something sweet. For a kitchen that puts this much care into everything else, the dessert offerings felt like an afterthought. A couple of notes on the bill to be aware of: we were charged a few dollars for swapping a vegetable side. There was a 3% credit card surcharge that caught us off guard. When you're out with the family and the tab runs into the hundreds $, most folks are paying with a card. That's a fee I'd want to know about upfront. On the menu, from the server, somewhere visible before the check arrives. The bottom line: The Hollow is a creative, well executed restaurant with standout food and excellent service. If you're in Columbia, it's well worth a reservation.

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    Jay’s Bar and Grill - Menu

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    2.8(10 reviews)
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    This bar was... not very good, at all…read more First, I asked what they had on tap, and I was surprised to learn that they do not have anything at all on draft. A bar that doesn't have ANYTHING on draft is kind of weird. Second, I asked if their kitchen was open, and after being told it was, asked for the chicken tender basket. Only after running my card, did they tell me that they were out of fries, and I would either have to get just the tenders or sweet potato fries instead. I don't like sweet potato fries, so I paid $10 for a chicken tender "basket", which included only tenders. In my opinion, it would have been appropriate to either offer me a refund, or at least offer me a shot or more tenders for the trouble. Finally, the bar itself was pretty nasty, with broken seats, TVs that had black spots on them, and a disorganized looking vibe overall. The staff and patrons were pretty nasty as well. In all, this was one of the worst bars I've been to in a long time, I will not be coming back, and I would not recommend that anyone patronize this bar if they're looking for a high-quality experience.

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    Republic Biergarten & Kitchen Beer Garden

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    2.8(55 reviews)
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    I'm giving this a good review, but the vast majority of that is due to our outstanding server. She…read morehandled a very large group of people and she did it well. Drinks were great. However, we expected German beer options being that they call themselves a Biergarten. They had none. Absolutely nothing about this place was German. We went on a Sunday late morning and all they had was brunch. That was fine, but the brunch menu was fairly limited. And again, nothing German. While our service was great, it looked like they had two servers for the entire place. We saw two tables of people get up and leave because the weren't being waited on. Again, our experience was good. But maybe consider the negatives before trying.

    Came here for brunch with the girlfriend and the kids. I had the frittata, girlfriend had potatoes…read moreand scrambled eggs, two kids had the French toast (one with a side of bacon), one had eggs and bacon. Service was good and very friendly, portion sizes were extremely generous, and well priced. That said, the food wasn't great. Very greasy all around. I was the only one who didn't thin the sausage was gross. My frittata had a ton of mozzarella cheese which added no flavor but a ton of calories, one bite of the grit cake and it had very little taste but a lot of fat in it. I had brunch here once before a few years ago and I remember there being some healthier options on the menu and I don't remember it being this greasy. J.Ja

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    Republic Biergarten & Kitchen Beer Garden - Fish & chips

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    Art Bar - bars - Updated May 2026

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