This restaurant has been horribly over rated. Food is of OK quality, at least the second time they prepare it for you. Original meal was dropped at my table with overcooked fish, cold grit cakes, soggy green beans, lukewarm collards. My server was nowhere to be found. Adjacent section server took care of the problem. Blue Marlin bills itself as Low Country, but don't be fooled: it is cajun. Wine list is generic, grocery store stuff. 3 stars is generous. read more

We've been to the Blue Marlin many times. It has steadily gone downhill. Our visit today was the worst. The she crab soup was a gelatinous mess that was obviously out of a can (Campbells even looks better). The cobb salad wasn't served in the traditional manner , was all mixed up and had no flavor. There were two bits of black slimy lettuce in the salad. Someone had better rescue them fast because its a great location and outside seating is awesome. read more

My family and I had lunch Sunday, Mar 29 th 2014 at the Blue Marlin in Columbia SC. There seemed to be a very limited menu. Maybe a Sunday thing. My son and II ordered the Firecracker flounder, my wife the grilled Tilapia, and my daughter the cheeseburger. First the good. The cheeseburger. My "flounder" was actually Tilapia. Not too bad. A little greasy for my taste. But absolutely not flounder. My son did get flounder and wasn't displeased. He said it was a litlle greasy but OK. My wife said her Tilapia was just OK. No grilled flavor. My daughters cheeseburger was very good. I had a few bites. Overall, we were not pleased. Seventy plus dollars for a below average meal. That was our first and will be our last time dining at the Blue Marlin. read more

This is easily my favorite restaurant in Columbia and home to many great meals and special memories. I come here every time I'm in town and would recommend virtually everything on the menu. Excellent wine selection, service and fresh fish. Their steaks are also top notch. Well worth the visit! read more

Acceptable southern food but if your looking for well flavored and well executed food you may not want to come here. It is slightly expensive for what it is but he service is attentive and thorough. We had fried green tomatoes that were good, ahi tuna that lacked flavor (especially spice ) and a mahi mahi dish that was incredibly over cooked and flavorless. A southern experience I don't need to have again. read more

Took my family to dinner here on Father's Day to celebrate. The food was absolutely amazing. We started with a special they were doing called their tour of the south for an Appetizer we got to taste 4 of theirs on the menu. Their crab cakes were the best I have had compared to anything on the coast. For dinner I had the mahi that was recommended by our server. It was perfectly cooked and topped with crab, shrimp, and a cream sauce. Our server was Erika. She was very friendly and made sure our experience was one to remember! Definatly a place to visit in to columbia area. I will be back! read more

Great location in the Vistas. The staff was very friendly but a little slow. The food wasn't the best I've had but, it also wasn't the worst. We weren't able to sit inside so we sat outside which was quieter and warmer than inside. I would go again to experience the inside. read more

Last weekend was the first time we ate there and had horrible service. Our bill was 100 and our food took forever and it was cold. It may be the last time why waste the money read more

My husband and I went for dinner and were seated immediately. Our appetizer came quickly however the main course took a long time to the point we were about to leave. The appetizer was good, nothing outstanding, both my husband and I had fish which was extremely dry although the sides were good. We decided to give dessert a try and that came quickly and was very good. For the money, there are to many other restaurants in the area with better food and service. read more

I love the Blue Marlin's food! Service was not that great when you have more than 3 people in your party. The food is awesome and I am very picky about my food. read more

SO good! Great service too. I have celiac and cannot have gluten, so I ordered the Mahi Orleans. Very good and I didn't have a reaction!

We had to wait a little longer than the hostess told us, but it was well worth the wait. If you are planning on going here I suggest making a reservation. The shrimp and grits as a appetizer is an excellent value and very tasty. As an entree I had the seafood platter. Just be prepared because it is a ton of food. Huge piece of flounder, which was cooked perfectly. Ample amount of shrimp and excellent. The highlight of the platter was the crab cake. One of the best if not the best crab cake I have ever ate. My wife had the crab cake entree, which she throughly enjoyed. We also ordered the cheesecake. We were both full , but saw a table next to us with the cheesecake and it looked to good to pass up. We figured we would eat a bite or two and take the rest with us for later. That was not the case though, after we tasted it we both did not stop eating till it was all gone. Do yourself a favor and check this place out if you're ever in Columbia. read more

This place is excellent. When friends and family leave it up to me to make reservations this is my ne'er fail. The servers are responsive, kind, and knowledgeable without being snooty. The food is excellent and I always feel like I've gotten my money's worth. Their blackened fish is especially good. read more

I had the Mahi-mahi this last time. It was supposed to have a shrimp and crab topping but the crab was the consistency, and to an extent the same flavor, of canned tuna fish and the shrimp plainly sauteed in butter... one shrimp somehow had more flavor than the other three (crowded pan?). The dish was, in general, awfully bland though well cooked. Of course, I expect a decent Waffle House grill cook to prepare all his meats well (regarding doneness) after a year or so. I've had the shrimp and grits. It was good but I think the balance was off - not enough gravy and shrimp to grits. Can I get sausage and eggs to finish my plate off? read more

I was told by the hotel where I stayed that this was the best resaurant in town. I searched all the food sites and decided to try this for dinner. When I arrived the atmosphere was much more franchisesh than I expected, and very dark, tough to see the menu, and I have good eyes. Waitress was very pleasant and directed me towards favourites of customers. Ordered a famous margherita which was good, but not great, especially for the price. The fried green tomatoes were very good, but a little too thick with too much oil, hadn't been drained. Ordered a Caipirinha to go with my choice of the Mahi Orleans. Showed the waitress the drink and how to make it since she had never heard of it. Got a drink that was not even close, they looked it up in a bartenders book and it was terrible. Tasted like sour mix with tequila. The real drink is limes and sugar, mashed, and then cachaca (or rum) shaken with ice... not hard. Instead I got rum and lime juice with ice and simple syrup. Sounds the same, but it's not. Was told they squeeze the lime every day and that it was fresh juice... but that's not a Caipirinha. Ordered the Mahi Orleans for dinner and expected something very good, esp. for the price, $23.00. Disappointed. The fish was dry and overcooked. It was non-seasoned, had almost no taste at all. The crabmeat added a little taste and the shrimp were utterly forgettable The "garlic" mashed potatoes may have had garlic, but nothing brought it out because there was no seasoning at all. No salt or pepper, and it was runny because of the whatever butter sauce on top. Where was the wine in the butter sauce? There was no anything to cut the blandness of this meal. The best thing about the meal was that the green beens were not overdone, but blanched perfectly. read more

Coughed up twenty bucks for the oyster and shrimp Bienville, a bowl of grits and a skillet bowl full of lard, cheese, and .... 4 tiny shrimp plus 4 tiny oysters. The grits weren't bad, but seeing as how I didn't want to blow a week's worth of calories by pouring the "lard stew" over them, I went away with my stomach being less than full and my wallet offended. The mark-up is ridiculous at this place. The experience of eating there doesn't make up for it, either, as I had to scrape butter for my cold, unreplinished bread supply out of a plastic container while I waited for my drink to be refilled in the most elegant manner--a carefree, carbonation-depleting pour from the waiter's glass! Unless they start giving away free meals and I happen to be starving, I won't be back. read more

Turned up very late on a Saturday evening for an anniversary dinner. Did call to say we were running late. Finally got there and got parked. I did run ahead as husband was parking. Had a bit of a laugh with our server, Byron, telling him I had been stood up. He was great even though I was by myself late on a Saturday night. We ordered drinks, appetizers, and entries. At no point were we made to feel that we had kept the place open. Thoroughly enjoyed our dinner and drinks. Byron must have wanted to leave as it was nearly 10 on a Saturday, but never once indicated it. Steak was divine and I am seriously pickey. Great service, great food, without breaking the bank. I will always pick an unknown place over a chain restaurant and tonight proved why. Byron was great and the food was divine. Great meal out , only made reservations an hour before. A fantastic place, will definitely be back. read more

I love the food here and the service is always great. Some of the best salmon I've had.

Have been a few times with mixed results. Great atmosphere but not always consistent with the food. Maybe I should go more often?

Salmon & Collard greens are one of the best i have tasted. Service is good. I would likely be visiting again.

The Shrimp & Grits are a MUST HAVE when in town. Very good. Good service, prices fair.

This place is a contender for the top pizza spot in my list. I love their pizza - great cheese, not too much sauce, and a delicious crust. I have eaten there a couple dozen times and never been disappointed. Would definitely recommend this place to everyone of my friends. read more

I've driven past this place dozens of times and was excited to try it. Unfortunately it missed the mark on several levels. The ambiance is nice. It's in a good location and has ample parking. The service was pretty terrible. Our waitress was nice, but clearly received no training on how to serve on a higher end restaurant. She was a typical inner city Waffle House waitress. No eye contact, doesn't smile, seems upset to be there. When we arrived, she handed us our menu and ask us if we "knew what we wanted". No drink order, no welcoming us to the restaurant, no review of menu items or specials. Again, felt like I was at Taco Bell in the hood. The menu was very limited. For a seafood restaurant, there was very limited seafood options. Just your typical fair, calamari, salmon, tuna, deep fried stuff, etc. I had the mahi which lacked flavor and the wife ordered a steak which she said lacked salt and seasoning as well. Nothing came with salad so that was extra. The green beans that accompanied the entree was over cooked. Didn't have dessert because our server didn't offer it to us. Just dropped off the check. Didn't enjoy the whole experience and needless to say I won't be back. read more

I walked over from my nearby hotel near opening hour for carry out. The staff wasn't overly friendly and the bartender that I placed my order with wasn't welcoming at all, but because I didn't stay and experience the hospitality during dinner, I'll stick to just reviewing the food. I tried the shrimp and grits because it was noted that they've won awards for that dish. The grits were bland, were piled with boiled shrimp and the melted fat from the andouille sausage. The sausage flavor was phenomenal, but was all I tasted. I wish the grits had more flavor and the shrimp was seared or something to make them contribute their own taste as well. I certainly will not order that again regardless the fans that may disagree. The crab cake was excellent and the ahi tuna ok. Because of that I'd go with a 3 star review. I would give it another try if invited by a friend, but would stick to a fish entree as those looked amazing as I saw them being delivered to nearby tables while I waited. read more

Visited So Carolina on business and a local business partner recommended this restaurant. My travel partner and i decided to check it out. Upon entering the restaurant, we noticed the lovely decor for the holidays which put us in a great mood to start a wonderful dinner experience. The restaurant was quite crowded for a Tuesday night...which is always a good sign! Even though they were busy, we were quickly seated and they even accommodated our seating request for a booth. I want to note right off the bat that their hospitality from the hostess to our servers was exceptional. They were all extremely courteous, friendly and helpful! We started with a red wine sangria which was delicious! Their hot bread and butter was divine! I started with the Southern Candied Pecan salad which I really liked and my friend raved about the She Crab soup. Their signature dish is the Salmon Pontchartrain which my friend really enjoyed and I ordered the Grilled Teriyaki Salmon which was cooked to perfection. My advice is to save room for dessert! My only regret was that I agreed to share the Key Lime Pie...because after just one bite...I wish I had my own slice. The pie was to die for! For the quality and quantity of food...along with the quick and attentive service...I felt it was reasonably priced. I hope business will take me back there and if so, I will certainly visit this place again. Next time I'll try the Shrimp and Grits and the Creme Brulee Cheesecake. I saw others order that and it looked amazing as well! Great place! Bon appetit! read more

I recently moved to Columbia South Carolina and blue marlin was highly recommended by multiple people. I decided to give it a shot on April 25 to celebrate my big move away from my family. I sat down at the bar both girls behind the bar looked like they had prior engagements and didn't seem to care about their guests at the bar. Was told I was ordering a river rat pilsner because I wanted to try something local in the new city I moved too and then I watched them pour something from omb? If that was the only thing wrong I wouldn't be writing this review. Both female bartenders seemed to keep playing on their phones and continued small talk between the two of them rather then helping me and talking to me about the menu or city. I was very curious about my new city and they didn't seem to care to share the knowledge. Food was impeccable however I will never come back and sit at the bar if i see them working. read more

My wife and I decided to take advantage of a free night at the Extended Stay America and get out of town for a weekend escape. We wanted to have a good meal so using Yelp we found a local Steak and Seafood restaurant. We arrived at The Blue Marlin and lucked into a great parking spot. We were seated immediately and our server Ben stopped at the table and grabbed our drink orders. I noticed a gentleman walking out with a WWII veterans cap on and thanked him for his service he introduced himself as David Hubbard and gave us a sheet of paper with an account of his experience in the war with the Nazi's and the death camp Buchenwald. Ben saw our interaction and after Mr. Hubbard had left explained he was a part of the family there. My wife ordered the fried green tomato appetizer and the ribeye steak entree. I had the ahi tuna appetizer and the bacon wrapped filet covered in lump crab meat and shrimp, both entrees came with mashed potato's and sauteed green beans. The appetizers came out quickly and the entrees followed a bit too quickly something that Ben was very apologetic for. My wife's rib eye was not cooked correctly and as the cuts were a little thin, they offered her a replacement NY Strip that was cooked fabulously. We were treated with the utmost respect and our service was phenomenal. I will drive the hour and forty-five minutes from Charlotte NC to eat here again and can only hope to have Ben as a server. read more