Heaven on Earth. Best BBQ in the Columbia area no questions asked. The restaurant is an amazing experience in and of itself--then you add in the kindest staff and amazing food--who could ask for more? You are seriously missing out if you even pass through the area without stopping in. read more

Everything was AMAZING! Food was absolutely delicious. Entire staff was so friendly! Outside sitting area was perfect for a lunch after visiting the zoo with our kids. We got the Tubman (pulled pork, pulled chicken, ribs and brisket), 3 sides (Mac n cheese, baked beans and fries for the kids). Plus delicious cornbread and we couldn't forget about dessert! Banana pudding and the most delicious cake... walnut cake! Don't let the name scare you, it was HEAVENLY! Tasted like the best wedding cake. I'll be dreaming about this cake. We will be back ASAP! ***The only downfall is there's no high chair for kids that are too young for a booster. That's such a minor thing that it didn't take away from our great experience! I'll just bring our travel high chair next time. read more

Found this place through yelp while visiting. It's the best bbq and greens I've ever had! I highly recommend giving it a try. The atmosphere has a really cool historical vibe. The restaurant is very clean and staff is super friendly. We had the John Henry. It was alot of food. Next time we will probably share a plate. So worth the trip to Columbia!!!! Yum!! read more

I don't give out 5 star ratings but I'm going to make an exception here because this was the best bbq I have ever had. The staff is just about the nicest people you have ever met and make you feel so welcome. The restaurant was so cute and clean. The sauces were spot on but I almost didn't even want to use them because the meat was so flavorful that I didn't want to cover it up. Came back two days in a row to try out different meals. Highly recommend the pull pork, Mac and cheese, green beans, cornbread. We shared the dry rub wings and they were so good. Didn't have any room for dessert but they looked delicious. read more

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I picked this place because it had great reviews, and I'm so happy I did! The staff is the absolute epitome of hospitality, so generous and accommodating. The food really hit the spot, I had a chicken sandwich which had the most tender and flavorful pulled chicken I've ever had, with 3 tasty dipping sauces. I love the decor, lots of historical stuff to look at! read more

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Excellent all around. Flavourful and quality food, great hospitality and ambiance Glad I went

I have traveled across the country and tried many BBQ spots. Railroad BBQ is the best I have found in SC. Great smoke flavor but not overpowering. Well seasoned and the texture of the ribs were perfect. Not overly cooked, so the meat still adhered to the bone, but were very tender. read more

Railroad Bbq - Bar area! - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Best banana pudding I've ever had! You have got save some room for this delicious dessert!

Had the smoked chicken "Engineer" which was some of the best I've ever had, also the whole staff and cook were great!! Everything was awesome!! Will be back!! The place is decorated from floor to wall!! read more

Railroad Bbq - Smoked Chicken Plate - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Holy Sh@$! This place is better than the reviews hyped it up to be!! Came to Columbia to drop our son off at college and wanted to grab lunch on a Sunday. Tried a couple of the highly rated places other times and had been let down. This place is 100% worth the trip! The area is a little rough but this place is awesome! Walls are covered in pictures..tons of history which gives the ambience a very cool feel. You order at the front and then sit down to wait. Got some cold beers and some soft drinks and off we went. Food came out fairly quickly and the ladies that brought everything over were super attentive. 4 of us ordered 2 Tubman samplers...everything was amazing...pork was perfect and 3 sauces provided made everyone happy. Ribs are tender and moist. The brisket was the family favorite! Perfectly smoked and you could cut with the fork! Chicken although the least favorite was still better than most pulled pork we had around here! Sides were amazing...Mac and cheese, BBQ beans and the green beans were the favorites but all were fantastic! The corn bread is better than any I've ever tried! We will be back for sure!!! read more

I've eaten at Railroad several times. The food has always been fantastic and the brisket is some if the best I've ever eaten. The mac and cheese is outstanding and the black beans are excellent. The service has always been top notch. You can spend hours checking out the decor inside. I highly recommend Railroad BBQ! read more

Railroad Bbq - Rack of ribs, Mac and cheese, and beans - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

If you've ever walked into a restaurant and knew immediately that it was "my kind of place!" then you will understand how i felt when i walked into RAILROAD BBQ in Columbia, SC. The staff were super courteous and friendly. The atmosphere was a blues vibe with tons of sports paraphernalia. We ordered take-out so i was hoping that the food quality match the vibe. I was not disappointed. I don't need to be specific because "everything" was awesome! Do yourself a favor and get in there! I'll definitely be back soon. read more

Had an awesome lunch with friendly service and great atmosphere. Truly lucky to have a spot like this in Columbia. We stuck with the BBQ but they had other items including burgers and wings on the menu too. Easy in and out parking. We'll definitely be back! read more

Everything was amazing! We were heading back to Boston and wanted to enjoy some bbq. We came to the right spot! The hospitality was top notch and it was such a fun vibe. My dad's so picky and he thought it was the best beans and ribs he ever had. read more

Worth checking out history on the walls. Food and services was nice. Worth checking out read more

This place is awesome. Great friendly staff. The ribs were fantastic. The pulled pork was so tender. Great sides mac & cheese and excellent collards. read more

Railroad Bbq - BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Great BBQ with a wicked list of sides. Gotta come back for dinner when they have more menu options but i was not underwhelmed with the classic brisket sandwich and baked beans. Sauce options go dumb too. Def comin back 7.5/10 until further notice. Ambiance and vibes also exceptional service read more

Railroad Bbq - The R. Mc Queen Sandwiches BBQ Baked Beans - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

My new favorite bbq place. Please don't tell Big Bulls Bang'n Bbq that I'm cheating on them

Some of the best BBQ I've ever tried. The beef brisket just melted in my mouth. The pulled pork was great too.

Amazing BBQ my faves were ribs, greens, sweet cornbread, and red velvet!! Omg was the red velvet cake good! Very friendly staff and excellent service! Love the atmosphere and decor! We will def be back when visiting Columbia!! read more

Great food, nice people, cool decor. That about sums it up but is you need more detail, here goes. We ordered take out last week for Railroad and it definitely will NOT be the last time. We wanted to try as much as we could so got the Tubman (ribs, brisket, pulled pork and pulled chicken) plus a couple of extra sides. It fed 4 adults with some left overs (note: if you have big eaters results will vary). Perfect smoke and tenderness. No sauce needed but we tried all 3 and have no complaints there either. Collards were great. No way you'll be able to tell they're vegan. Mac and cheese, baked beans and slaw all also good. If I have one criticism is that I personally like my slaw a little finer chop, but that's picky. It was still good slaw. Hope these folks are around a long while, just be sure you order early. They're only open 'til 6:00. read more

This was some of the best barbecue I've ever had. We ordered The Tubman, which ended up being enough food for us and our kids, with plenty of leftovers. The brisket was amazing. The ribs were amazing. I don't like chicken, but even the chicken was amazing. The collard greens were perfect (and the mild was plenty spicy). The kids went crazy for the corn bread. Everyone working there was so friendly and helpful, and we didn't have to wait long for our food. A great spot, and one that we'll definitely be back to next time we're in Columbia. read more

My goodness, this bbq joint has some of the best Southern bbq soul food I've ever been pleased with trying. We got The Feast which was a sampling of all their main meats and choice of 3 sides. We got the collard greens, bbq beans and Mac n cheese. All very flavorful and delicious. The meats were all very moist, tender, and smokey tasting. The brisket was the star of the show, cooked and lightly seasoned to perfection. They have a few different bbq sauces you can dip or soak your meats in as well, all adding that extra flavor, but you won't need them as the meats are just as good without them (though I do like putting sauces on meat). Also, you can't do dining in the South without having Southern Sweet Tea, which is on point here and made to perfection. In addition, the service and hospitality was very on point, especially considering we came 30 mins before close and we didn't know what to order, they were very patient and made us feel welcome with no rushing us at all. The inside is very well lit and clean, and you'll get a nice mix of history and sports nostalgia that is displayed on the walls and tables, giving this place a unique vibe where you feel like you're surrounded by so many stories as told through time. One of the owners, Kevin, is very friendly and passionate about bbq as well as history, and he'll tell you thought provoking stories about his life, his passions and how life was growing up in the Carolinas. If I had to define a place that has Southern hospitality, delicious bbq food, and wonderful owners and staff, this is it. This place has it all! If you find yourself in Columbia, SC and you're jonesing for some bbq, look no further. Railroad BBQ will change your life. read more

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BEST BBQ IN COLUMBIA!!! If you e never been, you're cheating yourself. The shredded chicken is amazing. Who am I kidding, It's all amazing.

A very unique and interesting place. The inside is warm and friendly as is the staff. Oh, and the food is delicious.

Staff are super kind and polite despite being understaffed. I enjoy the black history lining every wall, as well as the 1960's/70's diner feel. I ordered the brisket sandwich with mac and cheese and potato salad. The brisket was tasty and not dry, the mac and cheese was a little greasy but it was good, the potato salad was great read more

Was in the area and thought we'd check out this spot - soooo glad we did!!! Nice THICK slices (3) of brisket.. it was sooo tender & juicy!! We also had the loaded wedges... soo good too!! The sides were scratch made which was also a great thing.. Didn't even need to add salt or pepper!! Covered Outdoor Patio seating during the pandemic.. still able to watch the TV, & listen to sports the Wait staff were soo nice as well!! Truly a hidden delight! read more

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If I could give them 0 stars, I would. They were out of brisket and pork which was fine but then they had us wait 40 minutes to let us know that they were out of the ribs we ordered. I basically tipped them $10 to waste my time. They were less than apologetic and the whole experience was just wild and highly disappointing. Don't come here!!! read more

The ambiance is very nice. We actually enjoyed looking at the pictures more than eating the food. This restaurant was recommended by a few of my friends and I thought it would be nice to take my out of town colleagues there for lunch. First, it was not explained that you place your order at the counter and seat yourselves. The waitress actually took our drink order at the table. So confusing. We noticed people getting their food after we sat down and inquired. Next, I ordered the dry rubbed wings with mac &cheese. The mac & cheese was delicious but the wings were horrible. They were dry, crispy and shriveled up (by the way, recommended by the wait staff). My colleague ordered the pulled pork sandwich and another ordered the pulled chicken platter. Both said the meat was indistinguishable. Was it chicken, pork or both? Neither of which were hot. Not at all what we expected. Maybe it was a bad day for BBQ, but it will be a long time before we try it again. No kudos this time, just the side eye. read more

First time trying takeout from here, ordered the Tubman to sample the menu. Fantastic all around, perfect cook on the bbq and the sides were delicious too! Mac and cheese cooked the real southern way, no shells and cheese here. Loved it read more

Railroad Bbq - Tubman meal and salad...ate the ribs before remembering to snap a pic. - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Great food and great people and options for different dietary habits (vegan, vegetarian, keto). The brisket melts in your mouth and the vegan sides have so much flavor! Try it all, you will like whatever you get. read more

I love this spot. Excellent menu, quality brisket, quality sides, quality people. I definitely like the vibe there, but even if it was average, the food is superior. It's a bit more expensive than I want it to be, but everything is these days and you get what you pay for. I'll gladly pay the premium for this quality. read more

Love this restaurant had my daughter's graduation luncheon on Thursday the food was amazing wait staff was nice and kind everyone had a really good time owners made sure everyone and everything was taken care of everything on the menu is good ribs pulled pork baked beans collards mac and cheese okra wings etc if you are having an event this is your spot thanks again read more

An excellent restaurant. The BBQ is amazing!! Four of us came and basically tried a little of everything. All of it was on point. Go there. You will not be sorry. It has great environment. Very clean. Everyone we dealt with there, from the person taking our order to the one giving us refills, were the kindest and most helpful people. I spilled some sauce on myself and was trying to get it off and before I knew it one nice server was handing me a towel saying "here you go, this has some soda water on it and will help get the stain out". First of all that was such great customer service and it DID get the stain out!! We were visiting from out of state but we all decided to come back just for the food and how we were treated. Would give over five stars if I could. read more

Oh my! This place is AMAZING!!! I had the brisket fries and it was delicious. We will be back for sure!

The food was delicious. It was a great day for outdoor dining. Thanks to the Cook and the wait staff. read more

Railroad Bbq - The food was delicious and the day was nice for dining outside. Kudos to the Cook and Waitstaff. - Barbeque Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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I thought a previous reviewer who said it was better than Texas BBQ was mistaken, but she couldn't be more right. By far the best BBQ I've ever had! The brisket potato wedges, Mac and cheese, green beans, corn bread, baked beans and the ribs..all so good. My husband said the ribs were top notch, ridiculously good. I don't know when we will be back in this area but if we are ever within 100 miles of railroad bbq we will be back. And to top it all off the staff is so kind and we got exceptional customer service! We LOVED Railroad BBQ! read more

This restaurant is doing a fantastic when it comes to Covid protocol by only offering carry out services. The customer service is great and they are ready to take your order promptly. We ordered the BBQ sandwich with baked beans and 1/2 rack of ribs, pulled chicken with collards and fries. The total was $34.08. At that price I knew the portions was going to be plentiful. The 1/2 rack of ribs contained 3 bones and the pulled chicken was an ice cream scoop amount. The greens was different. They had a sweet vinegar taste which is something I am not accustomed to. The pulled pork BBQ sandwich was hearty. The meats were smoked to perfection and tender and also seasoned well. I would give it another try skeptically. Great atmosphere and a very clean facility. read more

A small and quaint place with lots of memorabilia adorning the walls. The food was great the brisket was excellent, the green beans to perfection. The service was simple put they make sure you don't miss a thing. Definitely a place to come back. And if you have never be here, but it on your list read more

Food was banging! Only bbq spot I've enjoyed since being in cola. I got the platter with brisket pulled pork and chicken with Mac and cheese yellow rice and green beans. Everything was so good and fresh. Nice portions too. 10/10 from the sides to the meats to the sauces. read more