I have eaten here a few times and have been very pleased! They are now open Sundays and have brunch specials. I recently had the strawberry cream cheese french toast and it was excellent! They also have turkey wings on Sunday. Homemade fried squash was another special I had and it was hot out of the frying pan. They also have daily lunch specials. read more

Compton's Kitchen - Strawberry cream cheese french toast - Southern Near Me - West Columbia, South Carolina

Went in was seated they took my drink order brought it to me then said someone would be back to take my order. Waited almost 10 minutes while 4 people stood around talked laugh and even ate cake. I asked to pay for my drink so I could leave. Then the same person who brought me the drink ask where I was going. read more

This is a great place to eat... serving a plenty and great service as well. , Highly recommend.. don't miss this gem in West Columbia!!

This spot seems to cater to many regulars, which I find cool. The staff is very friendly and works hard to make sure you're taken care of. The parking is convenient, and the inside decor is ok. They are still working to keep people separated so every other table is out of commission. Now to the food. Everything was ok, but nothing jumped put as must have. I had the chicken and waffle. The chicken consisted of three chicken tenders that were average. The waffle had an ok flavor but was a little too soft for my liking. I prefer a waffle with a little more crisp to it. Overall it is a decent place and if I was in the area I would go again, but it's nothing special to cause you to drive out of your way. read more

Owners goes to Farmers market for home grown in summer. Great breakfasts. Huge selections. Outside dining available. Favorite lunch stop for meat & 3 veggies. Try it. You'll like it! read more

I had great food and a great service experience at Compton's on a cold day. Had the daily special of grilled salmon Pattie's and amazing sides. Go give them a try. Just down from zestos by 12th st read more

This is a fantastic place. I always go for breakfast and they always do a great job! The customer service is superb. The Comptons biscuit is a must have! Onion sausage is amazing. This isn't anything fancy but it's tidy, comfortable, warm and welcoming! Go try for yourself! read more

A working man diner to be sure don't get any misconceptions that this is a fancy spot. This is the spot you're more likely to fit in if you are in uniform or working. You will be treated with the utmost kindness but you will encounter looks if you take a photo of your food. As a working man in civilian clothes I don't give a dam what people think . Been here many times and every time you can get the south's favorites. Liver pudding is a specialty here and they actually ask how you want it prepared cooked crispy or just regular. A sign of knowledge as I've spent 40 years in the south I've seldom heard that request from a waitress. Diners like this are few and far between. I make my pilgrimage here at least once or twice a year. True southerners will like the breakfast special last available all week ! Opened early everyday. read more

See all

This is the last of the dying breed of restaurants that have a meat and three veggies for about $8. There are 4 or 5 meats to choose from along with veggies. The veggies are fresh sometimes when they are in season. Can't beat it even though it is a hole in the wall. read more

Compton's Kitchen - Chicken Pot Pie, mac and cheese, pinto beans and cabbage. - Southern Near Me - West Columbia, South Carolina

Had a late breakfast with my Aunt. The staff is very friendly and accommodating, my aunt appeared to be cold and the young lady that seated us asked was she cold due to an overhead vent and relocated us. Our server Marjorie was friendly and very efficient. The breakfast menu was plentiful and the food was good. I asked to see the lunch menu and took home the lunch special of the day meatloaf for dinner. Food was excellent, great portions and price point reasonable. Will definitely be returning soon!!! read more

Best breakfast I've had in years! The pancakes are from scratch, hash-browns are crispy and amazing. Eggs made to order and correct. Service was EXCELLENT! I'm from Charleston and when do I have place like this. Well done read more

Martha oh Martha, what did you leave us with after a decade of great country food and service? We used to eat here every 7-10 days but now we are done. Young waitress was pleasant and helpful but she cannot help the quality and prep done by the kitchen. Vegetable sides were all lukewarm at best and the country fried steak was simply a piece of fried meat with gravy. No taste or flavor. All the new remodelling and updates won't fix poor quality in a restaurant. Hope they can attract new customers as the old one's used to Martha's quality are probably looking for a new spot. Another example of why you should support the local business you like as you cannot depend on them always being there. read more

We used Comptons to cater for our business. They were willing to provide a full fried chicken dinner for 70 employees at 6 am! Everything was hot and delicious. read more

I've been eating at Compton's Kitchen for years and the food an service is always the same. GREAT. Weather you eat breakfast or lunch the food is always fresh and hot with fast friendly servers. read more

Very good home cooked breakfast! Our server along with other servers kept checking on us to make sure we didn't need anything. Great food and service would definitely recommend!!! read more

So disappointed! Customer service used to be the best of the best. Today, it was among the worst--and the manager clearly didn't care. After calling in my breakfast order (as I have for SO many years), I was put on hold for 12+ minutes, for the 2nd time in just a few weeks. I was *still* on hold when I arrived. I showed them my phone--still on "hold"--and was told, defensively, that they were "just short staffed." BUT the place was nearly empty (9:15 a.m.), and at least 4 wait staff were working with 2 others in the kitchen. When I asked for the manager, I was told that she was "too busy." Finally, a nice lady came out to listen. But when I explained, she said, "Ma'am, I'm just the dishwasher. I don't know what to say." She said that the manger had sent her out, instead of coming out herself. During this exchange, the manager was standing within earshot, in my direct line of sight, completely ignoring me. When I left, my phone was "still" on hold. Won't go back. SUCH a shame. read more

There are not many meat and vegetable places anymore. The original owner retired after many years. I was hesitant to try it and I am glad we did. The new owner has repainted and updated the inside. We ate lunch and had the meat and 3 and a pimento cheeseburger. Everything was awesome. The burger was patted by hand and plenty of it. Food was plentiful and very good. read more

I really wanted to like this restaurant. I like to support small, local businesses; however, this visit was a bust. The waitress did not get my order right even though I repeated four times what vegetables I wanted. I ended up with sweet potato casserole instead of scalloped potatoes and never got my collards. I did ask the young man that brought part of our order out about my potatoes and he brought me a dish. Our food was very slow coming out of the kitchen. My Lima beans were room temperature; the squash was kind of warm; and the potatoes were warm. The vegetable soup was not at all warm and the grilled ham and cheese was almost burnt with burnt melted cheese around the edges. The soup and sandwich did not make it to the table together. The corn muffins was okay and probably would have been better warmed. I'm not a fan of dishes prepared with cream of whatever soups and both the scalloped potatoes and squash were mostly cream of whatever soups. This place may just be a good breakfast spot. Really, how hard is it to mess up breakfast?? read more

Neighborhood business that is clean, bright and "happy to be". Fried chicken is very good, as well as hamburger steak. Mac&Cheese was the real deal and scalloped potatoes were delicious. Lots of menu selections and daily specials. We heard it was great for breakfast, but we stopped in for lunch. Not too crowded, but busy enough to say, "this must be a good place". The service was friendly, energetic and courteous. I would recommend this place if you're not into fast food or chains. They really care about serving good food and making customers happy. read more

Good food, good people, good prices! Recently purchased a "Midlands Connect" deal for Compton's Kitchen. I grew up in West Columbia but had never heard of this restaurant. Seemed like a mom and pop kinda place and I'm all for trying somewhere new so I bought it! When you enter Compton's you order first at the counter and pay. Then the food is brought to your table. The place was very busy (I'm guessing because of the coupon) but a waitress came to take our drink orders before we got to the front of the line and the coffee was already on the table when we got there. The cup was NEVER empty either. Ladies were coming around the entire time we were there to refill cups, ask how things were and to see if we needed anything. We ordered 2 cups of coffee, pancakes, sausage patties, ham and cheese omelet, bacon, grits, biscuit and toast. I think the total was around $15.00. It was all delicious. One standout was the sausage patties. I would definitely recommend getting those and the biscuits were also delicious. They had Smuckers Apple Cinnamon Jelly, Apple Butter and other jellies and jams on the table. Only two small things I noticed that could be improved. The sign that lets you know to order at the register first is hanging right in front of the menu and it's a bit hard to read while you are waiting in line. Also, the ham in my omelet was a little odd. I would definitely order the sausage and cheese omelet next time (if it's made with those tasty sausage patties). Compton's Kitchen is an institution to the local people of West Columbia. Many of the waitresses knew the patrons and joked around with them. Jackie was particularly hilarious and helpful. She told us about the frequent customer card (be sure to ask for one when you go) and gave us a menu to take with us (you can find it online). She also told us that they use fresh produce. We will definitely be going back (we have another coupon) for the food and the atmosphere. It was a fun and delicious way to start our Saturday. Just want to note that they are only open for breakfast on Saturdays (until 12pm) but are open for lunch and breakfast Monday - Friday. read more

Compton's Kitchen - Southern Near Me - West Columbia, South Carolina

See all

solid original local breakfast place, been there since the 70's and is really good, portions are good and the price is fair, parking was easy and service was great. will be back when in the area. read more

this place has the absolute worst service I've ever experienced since the new ownership. there was only 1 other table occupied in the whole restaurant and they still brought me the wrong food, took 1 hour to get what I ordered and my burger was dry and over cooked a little burnt. Also added toppings I specifically asked for not to be on the burger plus they servers gave me an attitude when I wasn't happy with the completely wrong meal. I use to love this place but I don't recommend read more

I walked in wanted some good home cooked lunch I get there and have a server tell me I had to wait 30 mins before I could even order like what there is no reason I should have to wait that long to order my food with a non Busy restaurant read more

Like a local, down-home Waffle House, really. A lot of food for not much money, pretty fast, pretty tasty, nothin' weird. There's parking on the side of the building. They aren't closed Mondays like Just Us (), and the staff is really nice. Not ideal for a large party (seating and building simply not accommodating), but nice for a small family brunch. read more

Great service and food. Prices are amazing! Worth the trip. We would definitely come here again when in the area. We were a party of 10 and our waiter Tiffany took great care of us even though we had a couple tables. Often times when diners serve their coffee in a mug you never get a refill since the cup is so big but Tiffany was on top of it ! read more

Great food, friendly staff, always a go to spot for unbeatable country breakfast or lunch.

Just passing thru Colombia and stumbled upon this spot. Friendly service very accommodating to us, food was fast and good. Tried the onion sausage......had potential but nit done enough to my liking. Other than than that it's kool, if ever in Columbia again would stop again. Also other customers easily engage you in casual conversation, nuff said. read more

Yessir, a greasy spoon in an otherwise greasy spoon-less town. Where have you gone Martin's? Why so quiet Capitol Grill? 5 Points Diner? Eek, Columbia we have a problem! There are no good greasy spoons downtown anymore. I have to go to Waffle House or IHOP to get my breakfast groove on? WTF? Where the rents get a little cheaper and the restaurants get less branded you'll find what you are looking for. In West Columbia, at the corner of 12th and B, you'll find Compton's Kitchen. It's pretty much like Lizard's Thicket but cheaper, even MORE Southern, and a lot more neighbor-friendly. I think there are people in The Avenues who have eaten here every day for years. When I go for a little $3 breakfast special (bacon, sausage, biscuits, hash browns, eggs), the long-time waitresses (the friendliest ever!) always seem to be deep in conversation with one of their long-time patrons. And yet they somehow still know exactly when I'm done with my coffee or water and need a refill. Biscuits-n'-gravy fan? Oh yeah... $1.80 for an enormous order of em. So obviously I usually go here for breakfast and I must say that the breakfast is what earns my admiration. But lunch is special too. You can order take-out and there's specials for every day of the week. It's usually around $5 a plate for a very large container's worth of greasy goodness. read more

Three and a half stars for an old-school Waffle-House type joint seems about right. CK's is basically an upgrayedded Awful Waffle, with potentially better food and friendly service, that ain't open past the lunch rush. Today, I got a charmingly well-abused coffee mug with a chip knocked out of it, but the coffee was cheap and kept a-flowing. Food... got your waffles, pancakes, bacon plates, country steaks. Biscuits, gravy, hashbrowns, grits - what you'd expect. The "Combo Biscuit" is a fat piece of sausage, two bits of well-cooked bacon, American cheese and brown gravy over a biscuit. Will fill you up and is recommended for the hungover or those who want some real Southern Food. Not bad, and the prices are 1990s-esque. I digress, but I admit a soft spot in my heart for these family-run little diners and cafes that, honestly, are practically never very good, or healthy, but continue to hang on and deliver sweet caffeine and cholesterol via animal grease to the Early Riser. They speak of simpler, pre-OmniCorp times and it'd be a shame to see them completely disappear. Bottom Line: If you like and frequent Waffle House for their Actual Breakfast, give Compton's a try. If the idea of the former disgusts you, this ain't your jam, change stations. read more

So my favorite breakfast place happen to have been closed so I check this place out and they were good I have to say it was good I had the fried fish and grits and it came to the table hot and tasty I would feel good about going back there any day of the week when my favorite places close that is read more

Oh boy. Oh boy! ooooooh boy. If you've ever seen the move 'My Cousin Vinny' when he and his girlfriend go eat breakfast and he watches the dude throw an ice cream scoop of lard on the grill....this is that restaurant, relocated to SC. I know I'm one of those 'damn yankees' but what the HELL is fatback?! How does that sound appetizing in any way? Anyways, this place was tried in an effort to expand our breakfast options in Columbia. It will forever go down in gastrointestinal history as 'The Insurrection of 2012'. In historical terms, if my stomach was Columbia, this place went Sherman on it. I got the safe option, eggs, bacon, and a biscuit. I thought I would play it safe, best not rock the boat, I thought. Oh how naive, oh how utterly senseless. From the moment the plate was placed in front of me i sensed this would be a duel. A duel I would win and walk away from, but not without a scar. I faced the eggs, undercooked and glistening with salmonella in a menacing manner, and knew that this meal would forge my bowels to steel but only after taking me to the depths of the cauldron and back. The bacon was cut from pure stone. The biscuit, a mutated version of cement and lard. It defied physics the way it fell into my stomach with a weight that dared me to attempt to stand. Gross. read more

Today was my first (of many, I'm sure) visit to Compton's and I sure am glad I took the time to check it out (thanks for/to your review, Nicholas; though you had me wanting biscuits & gravy and I was too late for that). What I did get was a pretty good size portion of chicken fried steak, black eyed peas, pickled beets, a biscuit, a cornbread muffin and tea all for $5.99 (total, with tax). The slight difference is that, at places like Sarah's (a diner like this by my place in Dalzell), you can tell some of the stuff is prepackaged/canned. Here, the black eyed peas weren't mushy like they'd been in a can/jar and actually tasted like they came straight from the field. The beets were super, super sour so I'm guessing they were canned by someone locally and not purchased at a grocery store/supplier. I ate my cornbread with the meal but saved my biscuit for desert because there were jellies on the table (single serving packs). Then I discovered they had apple butter packs! Nom nom nom... And my tea never dropped below half a cup. And I agree, it's definitely much better than Lizard's Thicket. read more

disclaimer: I am from the west coast, so I don't know chicken and dumplings, but I thought I'd try them for the first time. Wish I'd gotten something else, I found it a boring bowl of yellow broth with just a bit o' chicken, no veggies, and deliciously mooshy wide noodles. The mac & cheese was delicious, and the squash casserole was over the top--really yummy, altho don't get both, cuz they both ring the same creamy oozy comfort food bell, and the squash casserole is the best. At breakfast, tried the liver pudding--pretty darn good for liver! Like corned beef hash, but, well, livery. The country ham was fabulous--salty & a little funky, really tasted like an old-fashioned ham, not some industrial attempt. Also--fried flounder for breakfast? yes please! Breakfast options abound. Take country ham for example. Get it from the biscuit menu ($1.55) or the sandwich menu ($2.10) or the breakfast menu ($4.00 or $5.75). Same range of choices for the other tempting meats, so you can definitely get a smaller cheaper meal or snack, or try a bunch of things. Portions are huge, prices are ever so reasonable, and the service is friendly. Definitely full of locals and regulars. One improvement--how about real butter instead of "restaurant spread" for those biscuits & corn muffins? They DO offer real half & half for the coffee, at least.... read more

Diner style restaurant, with friendly staff! We just discovered Compton's Kitchen after getting tired of waiting for a place to sit in Just Us. This place a little smaller menu, but the prices are just as good and the food is great. read more

My wife and I came here for lunch yesterday. I had the hamburger casserole. It tasted OK but I didn't have a spoon and it could've used one. The scalloped potatoes were good but the mac and cheese left something to be desired. My wife had the chicken and dumplings which was more like a soup than a stew, and she had the coleslaw which she liked, and fried okra, which she didn't like. Overall, we felt the food was kind of bland, but a little salt helped. We didn't try the fried chicken, which, as we were leaving, we saw an employee having on their break. I think we'd be willing to try this place again if we were in the area again. read more

Best breakfast restaurant in Columbia. Great food, casual atmosphere and the best service in town! Not kidding. Cant wait to go back for lunch! read more

See all

Just to let everyone know, Compton's really does have home cooked food! I have always liked Lizards, but Compton's really hits the spot!!! Always fun to find something new, and a nice atmosphere! read more

It's a neighborhood small hole in a wall diner. Nothing spectacular with the food. Service was courteous with friendly staff. Took a bit for anybody to acknowledge that I was sitting at a table. Other than that, food was promptly served. read more

See all

What a cute place. Not expensive and very tasty. Make sure you ask for something even if not on the menu (the rye toast was great). And they have home fries too. You just have to ask. We were in a hurry last time and they were great about getting us out in time. Will be back again! read more

Breakfast. YUCK! Cheap food, cheap service, cheap building, cheap prices. Service was just slow. You should bring a book. The food was very forgettable. The coffee was flavored water. This place is near a residential area and I think there are regulars that meet here and talk. It was noisy because of that. The restaurant is run down, old and neglected. I regretted our choice to visit this place the very second I walked in the door. It only got worse after that. Maybe they used to be good. We went there because of the ratings. At one time, this restaurant probably cared about the food they served but now it's terrible food. Disgusting. read more