The servers here are so nice & the menu is wonderful. I went with a group of 7 for a birthday and every one of us loved what we got. We all agreed we want to go back and try more! Definitely recommend. Fair prices too. Also, if you love shrimp and grits then 100% order them here! read more

Love this place! The owner is very involved and passionate about the restaurant and is there every time I go. Very delicious and unique menu. Just about everything is homemade! Very friendly staff. There is almost always a wait but there is a reason for that. read more

Wish I could give this place a review and recommend it to others. But I can't because hospitality was simply lacking. Was seated promptly but without full menu options. Servers kept walking around us, but no one offered to take our order. Disappointing because the food concepts on menu looked intriguing. Hope it's better for others. read more

Jesse was wonderful if you go you should request him. The phat tai taco is ballin. Also the fried avocado taco is bangin. Go for both. Plus the edamame. Again ask for Jesse. He's great. read more

What a great addition to the growing restaurant scene in Columbia. Great vibe, great food, great mixture of college students, young professionals, and, well...everyone. We'll be back..many times. read more

Publico - Pad Thai taco plus Tuna Poke plus Mexican street corn. - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Food is great. Service is amazing. $9 for a glass of house wine, not good. Will think about not drinking here next time.

Maybe I'm partial because my first date with my boyfriend was here, but I love this place. The food is excellent. Try the agedashi tofu taco! Staff is very friendly and the owner is usually there working along with them. One of my new favorite places for sure. read more

Always love it here but lately they've been shaking stuff up so I wanted to write a compliment! The new salsa recipe they've been doing is really good. And they've gotten some new appetizers semi-recently, the Cuban nachos are delicious! My usual go to on a Saturday is the pineapple margarita (which is super cute and yummy) but since it's been kinda chilly I wanted to change it up. Their bartenders know the beer wall really well and always suggest something I end up liking. Today was no different, I might be a Porter person now! Shout out to Tony and Laney for the great service and personalized help. read more

Great customer service! At brunch we wanted to watch a football game that wasn't on the tv and the manager brought over his laptop for us to watch it on. Great drinks and food! Always a good time, I never write reviews but publico 200% deserves it read more

I have always raved about Publico UNTIL tonight. Yesterday was my birthday so of course my number one pick was Publico. No question. My crew and I waited for 2 hours and never got to sit at a table. On top of that we had 2 little ones who never got to eat. We were told the wait would be an hour which was fine. When we would ask the hostesses what was going on one of them was extremely rude. There was never any communication of why every single table was sat before us except one big party who was sitting when we got there. The "GM" gave excuses putting the blame on his hostesses and us but never once apologized for the situation. In fact, he laughed when he walked up to me to talk about things. We called days before and were told we couldn't make reservations. They wouldn't let us eat from the bar. It was just an awful experience. My advice, if you have a big party go to Ale House down the road and they seat you immediately with good food and wonderful service. I added the log of service. We are at the top under Heather. Everyone else below got to sit. read more

Publico - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Late evening Sunday dinner - expectations were lower and dropped even farther for this mom taking her daughter to tour USC. Total loud (aka lively) sports bar scene upon entry. My kid smartly insisted we head out back to the patio. They lost a star for not having any low level lighting (aka ambience) out back. A lantern on the table would go a long way. Frankly it was almost too dark to read the menu. But they servers were warm and welcoming and the food was FRESH and FANTASTIC. We come from a latin food hub in Seattle and I (mistakenly) thought we couldn't be impressed with tacos in SC. WRONG. Flavors were excellent. I had two tacos and a side for $10. Battered crispy shrimp and fried fish. I chose the side of "Mexican street corn" which they kindly shaved off the cob and served with limey buttery cojito sauce. Big portions of seafood came draped over generous portions of quick pickled carrot and jicama (or maybe turnip?). It was effing yum. I subsituted lettuces leaves for the standard flour tortillas. Each leaf was clearly carefully selected for its boat shape so that I could actually get that mountain of deliciousness from the cool aluminum tray to my mouth without a fuss. The only thing missing was our yellow lab Calvin, who would have been welcome to join us on the patio. The kid had a Pollo de fuego burger on a brioche bun with crispy fresh outta the fryer - theft worthy (by me) fries. And yes, it was legit spicy. $20 bucks later we were fat and happy. Yay Publico! read more

Tonight me and my friends (all law school students and 22+ ) went to Publico to relax and have dinner in a fun atmosphere but that is not what we received. Upon our arrival there were 3 men arguing in the door way and their argument continued to escalate to the point that one of the men pushed the other man into our table hitting my friend who was seated. The argument continued to escalate to the point that the kitchen workers had to come to diffuse the situation. Throughout this experience the management never called the cops which continued to endanger the safety of all of the patrons. After 10 minutes of these men arguing in the front of the restaurant the workers finally got the men to leave. After being stressed from experiencing a violent altercation (which could have been stopped by management) my table was approached by the manager. The manager asked to see our ID's which is perfectly okay since we are all 22+ as previously stated. The manager was really nice and jokingly kept saying "fake" after looking at our IDs. We were obviously okay with that being as Publico has a reputation for serving underage students and there had just been a fight so it was understandable that they would be checking ID's. The manager then came back to our table and said that she didn't feel comfortable serving us alcohol and we thought she must have assumed we had been drinking or something. Much to our shock the manager informed us that they had no way of knowing if our ID's were real or not and that she didn't think we were 21. She then continued to HARASS me and my friends forcing us to show her our Facebook profiles and law school schedules to prove that we were 21. This on top of the fight that happed and was not broken up caused us to not be able to enjoy our meal at all. I just find it entirely shocking that a restaurant in Five Points a known drinking area would not have a manager trained in how to check ID's. What type of restaurant would hire someone so clearly unskilled and unprepared to work in the culinary industry. Before attending USC Law so many of my classmates recommended Publico as a fun place to go but I now know that review was untrue. I will never return unskilled workers and dangerous environment ! read more

This place is the WORST!!! I have given this place multiple chances and it gets worse every time. The over cooked burgers are prepared on the same grill as the fish ruining what could have been edible at one time. No chilled pint glasses were available, when we were one of the three tables in the middle of the afternoon, and the tap lines tasted dirty. The staff is rude and unapologetic at best. To many good places to eat around campus and Columbia to waste your money. read more

What a great little restaurant in Columbia. From the outside the restaurant is very appealing with ivy draping the exterior. When you enter it is warm with beautiful old wood on the walls and kitschy, fun decor. There is also a great patio in the back that is very dog friendly. The food is great. I was told it is famous for it's unique tacos but let me tell you, I had a burger and it was excellent! Cook perfectly. You could tell it was fresh not frozen and the bun was light and freshly baked. My wife had a salad and again everything was fresh and crisp. The service was very friendly and informative, you could tell they liked working there. All in all it was a very positive, pleasant and unexpected experience. I'm very happy our hotel gave us a great recommendation! I can't wait to go back in the Fall!' read more

I would love to give it more stars, but we used Bite Squad for the delivery and the food was cold! If you can't dine in, do takeout. Don't use Bite Squad. read more

This place is in a great location. The atmosphere is cool and modern. They have a fairly huge beer selection, which I liked. The staff was wonderful, especially the waitress my friend and I had. Unfortunately, the food was blah. The tacos and fries are subpar. You're better off going to Cantina. I originally ordered edamame as my side dish. I went to grab my second pod and immediately noticed something inside of it - a maggot. It was dead, but still. Our server immediately fixed the situation, the kitchen prepared me a replacement meal, and I wasn't charged for the food. I just wish a manager had come out to speak to me. I think it would've been the professional and courteous thing to do. I probably won't eat here again - not because of the maggot, but because the food just wasn't that great. The service is good though. read more

Had a great time with awesome food - can't wait to visit again. Definitely recommend the chorizo and bacon jalapeño poppers, don't miss out on a flight of beers, and try an array of tacos for a very reasonable price. The staff were friendly and knowledgable - great recommendations and service! The woodwork was also incredible and had a perfect ambiance, can't wait for the patio to be open! read more

The food was good but it is extremely noisy and menus are difficult to read.

Expertly prepared fresh food with a fusion twist. Highly recommend the food here. Bahn Mi, Chili Chicken and Fried Avocado tacos were all excellent. read more

This is one of the best places to go for Sunday brunch! The food options are outside the traditional eggs Benedict and crepes. The fusion cuisine is a fantastic concept and great for groups of friends. Monday night they have great taco and drink specials! They have a token system for alcoholic beverages (order one and give the token back, get the next free). They also have a cool variety of hot sauce options to mix with their dishes to give your food a spin of flavor. Def worth a try. read more

My definitive home base restaurant favorite when in Cola town (Five Points). Awesome food/beverage(s), service, ambiance...if you haven't already, you gotta check em out! read more

Very good and fresh tacos on $2 Taco Monday! Try the Michelada too! Great atmosphere. Tofu taco was outstanding. Great variety of meats and shrimp. Excellent guacamole and chips. read more

went here with some girl friends to get some drinks and tacos, and wow!!! we will definitely be back. excellent margaritas (our server, Yianna, i believe was her name, made great recommendations and was pleasant all through our visit) and tacos, we were all very pleased and will be back! keep up the good! read more

Love the people that work here as well as the food! Lots of varieties like Asian, Mexican and American. Atmosphere is great for date nights and outing with friends, highly recommend the shrimp and chorizo quesadilla! read more

Great restaurant, even better business. Jen Haynes is the absolute goat. If you ever attend, please ask for her service. Gave the best service I've had in Columbia. Would recommend the service and restaurant to anyone. Killer music & great vibes. read more

Great location and atmosphere. A bit loud when crowded. Food and drinks are good. Columbia now has more than enough fancy taco places.

This place has an incredible menu. Everything on it is so unique and unlike any other place in Columbia. I've been here several times and have gotten the Fried Relleno, the Spicy Tuna Roll, Shrimp and Chorizo quesadilla and the Southwest salad and every single meal was absolutely delicious. HOWEVER, the last time I went I left very dissatisfied. I ordered three tacos and was incredibly disappointed with the portions. I got the Sweet Belly Pork taco, the Gochujang Shrimp taco and the Yakitori Chicken taco. I am not exaggerating when I say in each of these tacos I got 2 or 3 tiny pieces of meat. Just a total ripoff and they didn't even taste that good. So word to the wise, if you go to Publico order anything other than the tacos. read more

Incredible beer list, fun atmosphere. Don't be afraid to consider something other than the tacos, the sandwich selection is killer.

i am a HUGE publico fan! i come at least two times a week!! i love the drinks and chips/dips. but.....today i was in the bathroom with the bartender. she was in her stall for a significant amount of time, however, there was no line. she left the bathroom WITHOUT WASHING HER HANDS. i proceeded to watch her poor drinks, CUT MANY MANY LINES AND HANDLE DRINKS. i was thoroughly disgusted!!!!!! we had just ordered a pitcher and after witnessing that her her CUTTING OUR LIMES we left!! GROSS!!!' thank you bartender with the bun on 1//29 read more

This place is the bomb.com. Amazing, fresh food that is completely unique to this hot spot. The beer selection is the best I've seen in Columbia. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. This place gives Columbia and five points the face lift that it needed. The inside has a hip and rugged feel. Also, the owners are actually present there and make themselves known and help out their staff, which is unlike almost every restaurant I've been to. Definitely worth a try. This place is my new favorite spot. read more

I really wanted this place to be good. It looks like a great place on paper... It was upsetting to eat the food because it was so bland and uninteresting. However, the atmosphere and the beers are on point. I just wouldn't order the food again. I ordered the guac the other night and it came out as a semi frozen avocado half. The manager attended to the problem promptly and was very friendly. He brought us out a new guac for free, but It was bland and disgusting. Today I ordered the tacos hoping to experience the restaurant in a less hectic environment. The tacos were pretty average. Overall, I would come here again for the beers but head over to Cantina 76 for good tacos. read more

We were greater and seated right away despite the high volume. Server was super accommodating and dedicated to getting us exactly what we wanted. During this excellent customer service he was training a new server. Definitely a strong asset to the team. Food was awesome!! Try the bacon wrapped jalapeños. You may need a second order though :) One of the owners came to the table. A real stand up guy who understands customer experience. He even sent my wife and the table a birthday treat. On our way out we noticed an outdoor deck with awesome lighting and an area for activities! This place is a must visit on your list! read more

I was SUPER excited to try Publico. I loved the menu on paper. As we walked in I was amazed by how much they did to the space since Garibaldi's closed. The restaurant looks great. Love that they have joined the ranks of other states by taking your phone number to let you know when your table is ready as it was packed. The hostesses, bartenders, and servers were all very polite and nice. Great beer list, with lots on tap. Here is were it gets weird. The food was prepared perfectly. I had the Tuna Poke Taco, the Sambal Fish taco. The fish was prepared perfectly. Lightly fried, not greasy, with a great batter. The tuna looked exquisite. The problem was they had no flavor. Super bland. I added some of the jalapeno sauce in the dropper. Still nothing. Sriracha... Nothing. My wife got the two puffy tacos. Same thing. Prepared perfectly, but no flavor. Mexican Street corn and pork belly spring rolls were the stars of our meals, but they were under seasoned as well. Everything was 5 stars except for the flavors? It was SUPER busy when we went, so maybe things didn't get seasoned the way they were suppose to? We will return, and I hope to push this up to the 4-5 stars I think it should be. read more

We had a great time at lunch today! Our server, Cali, was really nice, friendly, and checked on us often. Mike and Stan were both so friendly and really cared about their customers, and you can tell they really put their heart and soul into building this place into something really fun. The food was great (we got one of the specials, 5 tacos and 2 sides for $20) - my favorite was the gochujang shrimp, my fiance loved the sweet pork belly, and I can't wait to try the tostadas when we come back next time. Lots of great craft beer, and they have everything organized in a fantastic way. This place is a much needed Five Points addition. We thought they were doing a fantastic job especially considering they are only a week old! read more

I had such a wonderful experience here! When we arrived for lunch we were put at a table in the back corner. After about ten minutes we realized we had been forgotten about by the single server working. Once we got her attention she was very apologetic and took our orders. When our appetizer came out, she apologized profusely and informed us that the appetizer was free and they included free queso as well. The rest of the meal, both her and the owner came over to apologize to us multiple times and check in on us. We had some great tacos too! We weren't in any rush and I understand that servers forget you sometimes, so it was really amazing how well we were treated and how much they cared. read more

Beautiful restaurant! That's the only genuine compliment I can offer. The food was flavorful, but it was also cold. It took quite some time to receive food, and our order wasn't right the first time. It took us 15 minutes just to get a drink once seated. The bacon in our appetizer, bacon wrapped jalapeños, was essentially raw. Service wasn't apologetic for anything, nor were they particularly friendly. I would go back and give it one more try - maybe they're still working out kinks since they're new - but I was not impressed. read more

Since Publico has opened, they have made it clear that they're an amazing addition to the Five Points community. I have been twice, and each time I experienced nothing but extremely fresh and creative food, and an awesome beer selection. The Gochujang shrimp and Carnitos tacos are the best I've had in Columbia, and the staff is extremely helpful and personable. A definite must-try. read more

Just tried this restaurant ! Good food ,but our server Jacob made the experience top notch . He was very knowledgeable about all the tap beers , up sold us appropriately, and had great recommendations . Nice experience! Please come to our hometown, Myrtle Beach ! read more

Went to Publico with my 18 year old nephew (who is no stranger to good food) for the first time today and it was, in a word, YUMMY!!! The vibe was great and our server was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. After having been in the food and beverage industry for most of my adult life, I don't just give out praise willy-nilly. THIS IS A MUCH NEEDED ADDITION TO 5 POINTS!!! Go there. read more

Little overpriced but you have to expect that for downtown cola. The atmosphere is awesome and the food is pretty good.