Food was very good=4. Service was lacking=2.5. We made reservations for 7ppl at 7pm on a Sat. night. Our table was available and we were seated immediately. Our waitress was pleasant but immediately informed us they were out of the She Crab Soup and Salmon. My father-in-law and 18you son were really counting on the soup--strike one. We placed our revised orders and our appetizers arrived in a timely manner. The fried green tomatoes and fried pickles were both very tasty. Then the wait began... It was almost 8pm by the time our entrees arrived. When the food did come from the kitchen, several of the orders were plated incorrectly. The waitress took them back to the kitchen to try and correct them and all but one came out correct. My 21yo had asked for fried shrimp to be sub'd for fried oysters, but the oysters were still on his plate. The waitress remedied this by bringing him a side of shrimp--what I expected. All-in-all, the food was all very good. No one had complaints except the mashed potatoes under my chicken and biscuit were cold. It tasted great though. If SSB stepped up the kitchen and service, this would be a 4+ dining experience. read more

Great southern cuisine hidden right in the heart of Sumter. The shrimp and grits is awesome and the portions are hearty so you definitely get bang for your buck! read more

Simply amazing!!! The food and service were both phenomenal. You will not be disappointed!

Food here was tasty. Honestly can't really remember the service though. So I wouldn't say the service was bad. That said, can't really say that it was memorable either. Would revisit, but keep forgetting to look for it. May want to figure a way to attract new customers. Could be a boon, done correctly. read more

Best place to get food in Sumter. Buffalo chicken sandwich is the best and it's huge.

One of the best restaurants in Sumter. My salmon was grilled to perfection with just the right amount of seasoning with a perfect touch of dill sauce No offense, but never expected to find this treasure in Sumter, but delighted I did. It definitely can compete with many of the restaurants in my home state of Virginia. However, the she crab soup was the only item, out of many my sister and I ordered, that would be considered subpar. It was slightly watery with very little crab meat. The southern charm and welcoming warmth from the Maitre D, servers and owner made up for this small slip. I was so impressed that I plan to bring my husband and foodie teenagers next time. Thank you for a wonderful meal during a stressful time. read more

Jalepeno hushpuppies with excellent honey butter were worth the trip. Waitress very pleasant and helpful read more

Simply Southern Bistro - Southern Near Me - Sumter, South Carolina

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Without a doubt this is the best meal I have had in the Sumter area. Honestly it ranks in the top 20 of my life (and I've been everywhere). The service is spot on. They are a very friendly and attentive team to take care of you. Prices are unbelievably low considering the quantity and quality you'll receive. Check it out for sure! read more

Simply Southern Bistro - Fried Green Tomatoes - Southern Near Me - Sumter, South Carolina

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Great food! Great service! I'm currently in town to visit family and heard about this restaurant through word of mouth. The fried green tomatoes are pretty good but the salmon is my favorite. Cooked perfectly and it tasted super fresh. Would definitely recommend. read more

We stopped here for lunch when traveling to see the eclipse today. This is real southern cooking with an upscale touch. The Chicken Charleston, a fried chicken breast over cheese grits with a succulent gravy, and The Rotisserie Chicken with a homemade BBQ sauce were outstanding. The sides did not disappoint either. Fresh collards, slightly sweet with a bit of heat, were quite tasty. I don't typically like collards that are sweet, but the heat was enough to offset the sweetness. The hand breaded fried okra and the fried mac and cheese were fantastic as well. The bourbon pecan pie and Swiss chalet cake were amazing too. Everything is made fresh and it shows. The people were friendly and inviting, so much so that we stayed and viewed the eclipse with them in the parking lot. A great experience. We will definitely stop again if we find ourselves in Sumter! read more

The food was absolutely wonderful! The chicken and waffles is an excellent choice. Cooked to perfection. My husband had the shrimp and grits and loved them. The bistro management and staff are wonderful examples of southern hospitality. read more

Great food proces and service. I hope Sumter appreciates this jewel. Support our local restaurants.

The food here is terrible. I ordered the duck breast and it arrived with flabby skin. Since the skin wasn't crispy, I couldn't eat it. On another occasion, I ordered a porkchop, which arrived so dry and overcooked, I had a hard time chewing and swallowing it. This place isn't a bistro. I don't know where they find their cooks, but they're obviously untrained and definitely not chefs. Go to Hampton's instead. I've never had a bad dish there. read more

This is my first time in Sumter, South Carolina and this restaurant came highly recommended. I tried the fried green tomatoes ( yum)! And the pork chop, mashed potatoes. True southern hospitality! Loved it! read more

Food is amazing. Wait staff are on point with amazing service. Best duck sandwich we have had in years. The tomato and cucumber salad was spectacular. This place is truly a hidden gem in a strip mall in Sumter, SC read more

The food was soooooooo freaking good. The service was top notch. I had the pork belly and grits. Even after being stuffed was still convinced to partake in a sweet potato cheesecake dessert. read more

Very sweet restaurant to visit. Stopped in for lunch on a Monday while I was in town for business. The portions were perfect, and the price was very affordable. Atmosphere and staff were absolutely charming and the food was delicious. read more

Wow. Everything was great here. It's clean, the service was good, and the Chicken Charleston that was one of the recommended entrees by the waitress was just amazing. Don't be afraid to ask for a half order. I'm tall and 200 lbs and the half order was plenty. Highly recommend this place! read more

I have long since learned that good grits cannot be had outside of the South. That being said, I had the shrimp and grits. In short...very good...real close to being great. I had the full order for dinner...quite frankly it was almost more food than one person should eat. Highly recommend. As an aside, I rated it a 5 because for Sumter SC, it doesn't get any better than this. read more

My family and I ate here one Saturday afternoon and really enjoyed ourselves. Service was good. We didn't have to wait long at all. Our cups never ran empty. Food was good and filling. Nice experience. read more

Simply Southern Bistro - Southern Near Me - Sumter, South Carolina

At my wife's suggestion we tried a different restaurant this afternoon--Simply Southern Bistro. It has been in business about 6 or 7 years however this was our first visit. We were not disappointed! My wife had the Chicken Charleston (fried chicken breast over cheese grits with a smoked sausage and crab sauce), and I had turkey breast with a choice of two sides. I chose mashed potatoes with gravy and a sauteed spinach with bacon, mushroom, peppers and onions that was out of this world! Both dishes were outstanding! We also had two servings of cheese biscuits that put Ruby Tuesday's cheese biscuits to shame. I can fully understand why Simply Southern Bistro is rated so highly! We will definitely be returning!! read more

Dined here yesterday and my dinner partner and I were very impressed. The She Crab soup was DELICIOUS! The burgers we ordered were amazing. The service was perfect, and the restaurant was clean. Will definitely be returning. Thank you for the lovely meal. read more

Located in a small strip mall, I would easily drive right by Simply Southern Bistro if not for the reviews on Yelp. The staff was friendly and helpful. The menu offers interesting selections, like real roasted turkey and duck. I ordered the roast turkey breast platter that comes with two sides -- I chose sweet potato fries and roasted veggies, both were extraordinary. My husband got the roast turkey sandwich with cranberry mayo, cheese, chutney on whole wheat bread with one side -- he chose mac and cheese, also delicious. The cheese biscuits at the beginning of the meal were delicious, and small enough not to be overwhelming. Reasonably priced, we had a very nice lunch for two for $25. We will definitely stop here again. read more

I love this place The portions are large and delicious every time!I highly recommend it.

Down south for a small trip from Michigan. Tried this place to get some southern food. Tried the Pimento Cheese dip and the loaded chicken biscuit. Off the charts amazing. read more

The food was absolutely delicious, there is absolutely no complaint there. As far as our server Belle, my group of 9 was severely disappointed in the service. She was very rude, very stand offish, barley said a word to us, even though we were extremely nice and low maintenance. read more

We love this place. It's small, it's like eating at your grandmas house. The food is so amazing. Try the fried pickles. Those are our favorite. We have had the same waitress every time and she is so awesome. I'm sorry I cannot think of her name right now but I will catch it for next time. If you are in the Sumter area definitely eat here. It's very worth it. read more

A family member brought us here last year and the food was incredible! Southern food in a restaurant with a nice ambiance. This part of SC does seafood very well even though they're not on the coast, so I'm having crab cakes, oysters, and squash. They started me off with a cheddar cheese biscuit - delicious! read more

This is a small, intimate restaurant that is part of a small strip mall. It features southern food but is not country cooking. One of their features is their rotisserie chicken and they offer everything from traditionally southern shrimp and grits to rib eye to burgers topped with green tomatoes. Everything I've eaten has been good for both lunch and dinner. The prices are reasonable. It's one of my favorite places to take out of town guests and is a great, local date place. read more

I think this is a hidden gem in Sumter. It's got a clean, friendly atmosphere and the cooking is far better than some around here that boast about be traditional. I'd take this over other "southern style" restaurants around here any day. I had fried green tomatoes and shrimp and grits. They were both done nicely and there were quite a few items on the menu I'd go back to try. Sumter doesn't seem to have the best choices for dining unless you go with the chain restaurants, so I found this to be a breath of fresh air here. read more

An excellent out- of-the-way restaurant with a good chef and quality food. Service is good, and the entire staff are very helpful.

Came in tonight for dinner with some friends. It was my first time. First of all, I like how you can order "half" or "full" portions of their entrees. Sometimes I don't feel like ordering a lot of food and taking it home so it's a great option. We started off with the fried pickles and complimentary cheddar biscuits. They were both good. The biscuits are tiny but it was perfect cause I always get filled up on the bread and it didn't happen tonight. I ordered the shrimp and grits as my entree which was really good, it was not too salty. My husband got the cucumber salmon and the cucumber sauce was delicious. Our friends and I were enjoying each other's company a little too much and didn't leave until 9:20pm (20 mins past their closing!). No one asked us to leave nor did we ever feel rushed...we were having such a good time that we stayed way longer than we thought we would! read more

NEVER come here on a holiday, EVER. We waited an hour and a half to be seated after being told it would only be 15-30 minutes. Once we were FINALLY seated, it took a whole hour to cook plates for FOUR people. Seriously? The resturant was half empty, there was NO excuse for the time it took for our entrees to be brought to the table. Our food was stone cold, almost raw, and they didn't even have any sides ready and one person in our party never even recieved their meal. The manager walked by our table several times and never spoke a word to us. It took us walking back to the kitchen to call for someone to even acknowledge the situation. We paid for our drinks and appetizer and left. This absolutely ruined Mother's day for my mother. We will not be coming here again.... read more

OK food. And for Sumter not too bad. Hamptons is 10 times better. That said service is excruciatingly slow. Forget it if you have a party of more than 5 read more

Got there about five minutes before they opened, and they had the open sign on and were ready for business. I had a terrific chicken salad sandwich and house salad. Pecans would have been crunchier if added last minute when making the sandwich instead of being incorporated when the salad was made, but still really good. Family had salmon and roasted turkey, plus two veggies with each. Had two rounds of complementary cheese muffins which were tasty. Total bill for three meals was about $35 - close to what we would have spent on fast food. Very much recommended. read more

Excellent food and service! The fried Mac and cheese was out of this world. The fried chicken was juicy and perfectly crispy. Biscuits and mashed potatoes all on point. The experience was totally worth the spike in my cholesterol. Will definitely be going back when I visit Sumter again. read more

Far and away, my favorite restaurant in Sumter. Don't let the fact that it is in a small strip mall throw you off. Every time my wife and I have gone to this restaurant over the past few years, we have not been disappointed. I'm glad that there is a good local restaurant like this, and we always try and bring our friends. We had a waitress challenge us to try the pimento cheese appetizer. She said that if we didn't like it, she'd buy it. She made a very safe bet. My wife doesn't like pimento cheese, and we both loved this (it does have bacon on it). As far as main meals, My personal favorite is the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. My wife, who doesn't usually like hamburgers, likes the burgers here. read more

Best southern restaurant in Sumter. I've been here Almost ten times and I can't come up with one reason not to like this place. The customer service was fantastic! Love the old man as a host he was so friendly and welcoming, as we seated a waiter/waitress would come less than 3 minutes and we had drinks taken down along with free butter biscuits. The food had hint of Asian style in it- they had served duck with grits and it was AMAZING! Their pastas were also on point! Ribs were amazing and the full rack of ribs were tastier than outback. I just love love love this place! read more

Great service and even better food. Had the shrimp and grits, was awesome. The fried green tomatoes were delescious.

We had dinner Friday evening at 6pm, no waiting. My queen-cut prime rib came med. rare just as ordered. My friend ordered fried shrimp which was delicious to include house cocktail sauce. With two beverages our check was $39. Outstanding service and food. We're proud to have you in Sumter! upon leaving around 7:15 there was a short wait. read more