Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Lizard's Thicket

    3.6 (74 reviews)
    InexpensiveSouthern, Soul Food
    Open 6:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Lizard's Thicket Photos

    Business Info

    LIZARD'S THICKET ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Lizard's Thicket

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Cheese Grits Carolina Wrap (Onion Sausage) Cream Chipped Beef
    John D.

    I've been a huge Lizard's Thicket fan since my family moved to Columbia over 40 years ago. Now that I live in Georgia I eat here every time I'm back in Columbia. It's really nice to go somewhere that's the same as it was in my youth. The food's still great and their team is always super friendly. Unlike other restaurants they've kept their prices under control, which is also a breath of fresh air. Additionally, they have food here you cannot find elsewhere like creamed chip beef on toast and the Carolina wrap. I also like that they don't have those stupid high top tables. 10/10 - highly recommended

    10/2025 side of sausage gravy 3.99 and breakfast with no meat 6.99. Coffee 2.49
    Chris F.

    Cooked to order breakfast with real eggs by real people. Step up from more places. My eggs were cooked well, the tomatoes were excellent and the biscuit was great. Service is friendly and efficient.

    Table set up
    Mischa J.

    Yelp! We all the way up n Columbia, SC downtown hungry. And, thank God for Yelp, Lizard's thicket came up as a top choice. We are a party of 4. Upon entry, your menu had our mouths watering. You got everything on a Wednesday night. Fried pork chop, fried fish, baked chicken, sliced ham, country bone in ham, meat loaf and all the veggies in the garden to take sides with all this good stuff. Ty got the meat loaf with black-eyed peas, fried okra and greens. He said it was decent. I got the sliced ham, spinach, Mac and cheese and green beans. All veggies are yummy, but this ham was seared on the grill. I'm from Alabama, this not baked ham. I didn't like. Overall this is a great pick. Rachel, our server was working hard tonight we appreciate your service.

    The "menu" wall
    Rebecca H.

    We stopped at this location of Lizard's Thicket for lunch while driving to Savannah. I had some of my youth group kids with me and we all loved the place! You cannot get a decent meal like theirs for the price. You get a meat and 3 sides for $11.99! They did have another menu available - one of my students ordered a BLT but without the L and T - so a bacon sandwich. Our server was fantastic and the entire staff was super friendly. This was very much a southern after church lunch hangout! It was busy but it did not take a long time to be seated and served. I definitely recommend giving this place a try if you're in the area.

    Salad with 1000 island dressing
    Amanda M.

    We've only ate Breakfast at Lizard Thickets but today we decided to give it a try for lunch. We both ordered the small plate meat and veggie meal. Hubster - fried flounder, macaroni and cheese and squash casserole. He said the flounder didn't have any flavor and was dry. As for the macaroni and cheese he said it was basically boiled macaroni noodles topped with shredded cheese, not impressive at all. Squash casserole was his favorite part of his meal but he is only willing to say it was "alright". He said it was a little salty but for the most part good. I ordered the fried chicken (thigh) with mashed potatoes, collards, and baby Lima beans. My only compliment with my meal was the collards were too sweet. The salad was huge the thousand island dressing was delicious, it wasn't chunky but seems more blended and smooth which makes me think it's made in house. For dessert we ordered the lemon meringue pie and chocolate pie. Both pies were delicious! Next time we will order dessert first!

    Phoebe T.

    your normal southern food place! prices and portions are good and good for groups. the collard greens are a bit sweet to my taste. but the atmosphere was very homey and service was nice!

    Turkey, mashed potatoes,  green beans, yams
    Stacy V.

    Lizard's Thicket just sounds like an interesting place to eat when it rolls off your tongue. They serve up some delicious Southern food here at this chain in South Carolina. Our friends suggested that we dine here on our visit to the Carolinas recently, and we were happy we did! You name the Southern dish, they most likely have it here. Fried chicken, turkey, catfish, mashed potatoes, collard green, yams, cornbread, to name a few. I ordered the turkey with gravy with a few different sides at a reasonable price. The turkey texture wasn't my favorite, but I left full and satisfied! That cornbread though! Service was decent for how busy it was. We had three children with us as well and we found it to be very kid-friendly. I would come here again on a visit to the South Carolina area!

    Doughy pancake
    Larissa P.

    I'm ONLY giving this a 2 because of the friendliness of the waitress and that it was clean... otherwise... Um no. I came in a little around breakfast (11:15).... Now, I LOVE lizard thicket at lunch... But anyway decided to give breakfast a try cause why not? So I ordered the pancake special (scrambled eggs, flounder) and I ordered a side of grits. First off, let me say my food came out WAY TOO FAST. I sat down at 11:15, got my food at 11:20 If you're from the south you know everyone's grits are either a hit or miss. This definitely was a huge miss. I mean.. they were lukewarm and just not edible, like at all. My pancakes were NOT done... they were doughy in the middle! (Not to mention that I'm pregnant so I immediately stopped eating ) My flounder omg...the batter was still almost wet fish was DRENCHED in oil and again I'm pregnant so I did NOT TAKE the risk of finishing. It wasn't the waitress fault so I still tipped and she offered to bring me another order. I declined cause after that last bite... nah. Just nah. I'll attach a picture of what it looked like cause no...

    Della L.

    Good southern food with friendly staff and attentive management! I got the onion sausage eggs and Tomatoe! Delish.

    Fried chicken.

    See all

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of John D.
    339
    11
    1

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1
    Photo of J T.
    0
    10
    0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ryan C.
    35
    12
    0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Service is horrible. Food is not that great do not recommend. Food came out late and cold. Did not get half the order.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Great Southern food. Meat and 3 vegetables. Pot Roast on Sunday. Excellent prices

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of David H.
    115
    19
    0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of S P.
    0
    1
    0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of R M.
    2
    30
    0

    4 years ago

    Cornbread wasn't fresh, it crumbled as you attempted to butter it. Cabbage was cold, food was luke warm. Will not be returning.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sm H.
    1
    236
    494

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jun T.
    0
    52
    53

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Clay F.
    56
    237
    286

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mister V.
    2
    319
    1603

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Michael A.
    61
    176
    118

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Lizard's Thicket

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Southern 1,182 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Mr Friendly's New Southern Cafe

    Mr Friendly's New Southern Cafe

    4.4
    (419 reviews)
    1.7 mi
    $$

    This is my FAVORITE restaurant in all of Columbia, SC. I always receive spectacular service and…read moredelicious food here. If you haven't tried Mr. Friendly's, you are indeed missing out. P.S. When you come, get the fried chicken with tasso gravy, mashed potatoes and collard greens. You will NOT regret it.

    Peanut Butter Fudge Pie (5/5): The best part of the meal. The crumbly crust was delicious and the…read morepie itself tasted like a Reese's cup. Buttermilk Fried Chicken (4/5): Decent fried chicken. I didn't expect it to be a boneless breast. Dark meat would've given it more flavor. The potatoes were flavorful and creamy. The collard greens were too acidic for me. Cornmeal Fried N.C. Catfish (3/5): The catfish wasn't anything special but the grits were very good. Lots of flavor and good texture. The collard greens were too acidic for me. Fried Adluh Yellow Grit Cakes (3/5): Would've been a lot better if it was fried more and had a crispier exterior. The herb goat cheese was good, but there was a little too much of it. Loved the roasted garlic (great for spreading on the complimentary bread!) Buttermilk Fried Shrimp (2/5): Only came with 4 shrimp. The shrimp itself wasn't very meaty and it also wasn't fried long enough. RATING SYSTEM 5 - Great (Need to get this again) 4 - Good (Would get this again) 3 - Ok (Might give this another shot) 2 - Not Good (Won't get this again) 1 - Bad (Telling people to avoid this)

    Photos
    Mr Friendly's New Southern Cafe
    The Friendly Salad
    The Friendly Salad
    Vegan dinner made special by the chef

    See all

    Vegan dinner made special by the chef
    Doc's Barbeque and Southern Buffet

    Doc's Barbeque and Southern Buffet

    4.0
    (100 reviews)
    3.6 mi
    $

    BBQ Buffet!? Doc's…read moreBBQ is a must stop for anyone that's into BBQ with a big appetite. The setup here is buffet style all you can eat BBQ and side. YES! All you can eat. What an amazing concept. I can say that the food quality is pretty awesome especially considering the buffet style restaurant. I've been twice now and both times the food was awesome and they don't pull back on anything here. The only issue is they do have some weird hours but for what you get and how they do things it's totally worth a trip during lunch. I highly recommend hitting this spot if you're a fan of BBQ and have ever felt like you didn't here get enough of your favorite BBQ dishes.

    Seems to be a stable place over there near shop road. I probably could have not found this without…read morethe people I was with. Its kind of on a side road but still worth trying to find. Easy to locate with gps though. I went with the buffet and could have probably went back five times. Everything was good. The pulled pork was amazing and they had "real" baked Mac and cheese. None of that fake stove top stuff. I didn't get a pic of my second plate but I also got dessert and second serving of fried okra and pulled pork. For the price of the buffet you get your bang for your buck with a whole lot of flavor with it.

    Photos
    Doc 's Homemade Banana Pudding Peach Cobbler
    Doc 's Homemade Banana Pudding Peach Cobbler
    Fried chicken, corn bread muffins, collard greens, corn, rice & gravy, mac & cheese.
    Fried chicken, corn bread muffins, collard greens, corn, rice & gravy, mac & cheese.
    Delicious Lunch

    See all

    Delicious Lunch
    Bourbon

    Bourbon

    4.2
    (718 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    Great Food, Service, and the best Bourbon selection in South Carolina. Can't wait to return!read more

    Perfect place for an amazing dinner right before catching a show! The holiday cocktail menu was…read moreinteresting, but the hubby opted for a smoked bourbon. It delivered on smokiness to the point of entertaining me too! My glass of rose was great, a normal choice for me. The gumbo had excellent flavor and the small whole bird on top was such an interesting presentation. The crispy skin had great flavor as did the chicken itself, complemented the creole flavor of the gumbo perfectly. I hate to admit that the tomato broth, dare I say gravy, kind of stole the flavor show. We both loved it. I nearly forgot I had grilled bread to accompany it as I was spooning up mussels and the delightfully flavorful tomato broth. Service was totally on point until the very end, when getting our check was a bit slow. We had a new server respond to our rescue though, and they did discount our check a bit, which was more than we were expecting. The seating arrangement for us ended up being at a communal long dining table, not a private booth. It wasn't our first date, and we loved being in the middle of the room and watching all of the dishes and drinks flow by. The view of the booth tables by the window would also make for a great view when the street is busy with ample people watching. Great experience, would definitely recommend. Take note, they do not take reservations so either come early or allow time to wait.

    Photos
    Historic 1870 charm
    Historic 1870 charm
    Pimento Cheese
    Pimento Cheese
    Exotic cocktails

    See all

    Exotic cocktails
    Little Pigs BBQ

    Little Pigs BBQ

    4.2
    (390 reviews)
    8.7 mi
    $$

    First time Friday lunch 3/20/26…read more My youngest son suggested lunch here. Arrived around 11:30am and glad we did. When we left the line to pay was out the door. Paid right away, I think it's around $15 which includes all you can eat, dessert and drink. Cashier automatically gave me a senior discount. Excellent pulled pork BBQ, in 3 or 4 different styles/ flavors. My favorite was the smoked whole hog where you pull off what you want. Everything was fresh and delicious. Top of the line all you can eat BBQ for South Carolina and I can't think of any BBQ that beats the price. Plenty of seating and it was not too loud. We were able to carry on great conversation. Highly recommend. Sign out front said they have been serving BBQ for over 60 years.

    If you live in Columbia and haven't been to Little Pigs BBQ, you're truly missing out. This…read moreunassuming spot is always packed--and for good reason. Once you go, you get it. It's not fancy, and that's part of the charm. The BBQ is incredible, the fried chicken is perfection, the ribs don't miss, and the buffet is stacked with comfort-food goodness. I'm not usually a buffet girl, but this is the exception every single time. I usually end up with a whole plate just for sides because how do you choose between sweet candied yams, fried okra, collard greens, and mac & cheese? (Spoiler: you don't. You get them all.) And whatever you do, save room for the chocolate peanut butter delight. I don't know what magic they put in that dessert, but it's the perfect sweet ending to an already amazing meal. If you're in the Columbia area, do yourself a favor and add Little Pigs BBQ to your must-try list.

    Photos
    Little Pigs BBQ
    Little Pigs BBQ
    Some indoor seats

    See all

    Some indoor seats

    Lizard's Thicket - southern - Updated June 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...