After looking for an elegant site for my birthday lunch, I found myself at the classically styled Restaurant at the Wilcox. The drive was long from Grovetown to Aiken, but worth it if just to sit in the lobby for a drink. - Travel & Leisure #32 in world - Landmark location - Specialize in ambiance and artfully prepared cuisine - Certified Angus beef - Participates in South Carolina's fresh on the menu - Lobby bar The Wilcox promises a casual and comfortable dining experience and will WOW you with the decor. I wanted to grab a cocktail and light up a cigar while I waited for my table to be setup. I pictured a scene from the 1920's with high society skirts smoking their long cigarettes and saying things like "mind your potatoes!" ==FOOD== The menu ranges from burgers and salads to fish and steak like any place should but they promise to only use farm-fresh or organically grown foods bought from regional suppliers. We started with the tasty crispy calamari ($6) that was a bit chewy and came with a delicious garlic sauce. It was a great starter and plenty large for 2-3 people. (photo) My wife ordered a burger ($12) with toasted brioche bun, mustard cheddar sauce, house-made pickles, crispy onions, and fries. The bacon onion paste were the cat's pajamas, very well made and seasoned. (photo) I went for the salmon ($19) and was surprised that at this price is was bland flavorless with the only saving grace being the veggies. This dish was a real wet blanket on the night because I expected so much flavor and quality. Salmon is EASY! (photo) My sister ordered the Caesar ($9) that came with baby gem, Parmesan, bacon, garlic croutons, soft boiled egg, and white anchovies. There was lots of lettuce, it had a poached egg on-top with anchovies. More of the traditional Caesar I suppose. Tasted fine. I wanted to help save my disastrous entree and birthday dinner for that matter since they don't do anything for special occasions and I ordered the mango cheesecake ($8) which was fluffy and flavorful. It was as sweet and delish as it looked. (photo) Overall I would recommend the Restaurant at the Wilcox just for the experience, even if you get a bland dish like I did. I wouldn't order the most expensive food because it's no guarantee of quality. read more

My sister and I took my Mom here for an early Mother's Day Lunch. Everything was great! This was our first time here, and the Hotel is absolutely beautiful. So much history here! When you enter the lobby there are plenty of couches and a bar area. We went on to the dining room and definitely received the royal treatment. Our waitress was great. Our glasses never got empty and the service she provided was top notch. The food was outstanding! For an appetizer we started off with the Pate. It was wonderful. I had the Grilled Chicken Breast, Falafel, with Cilantro Lime Crema. My Mother and Sister had the Roasted Pork Sandwich. All three of us got the Honey Mustard Brussel Sprout Slaw. It was all so great. I was the only one in the bunch to order dessert. I ordered a Deep Fried Brownie Bite. I just couldn't resist since chocolate is my weakness. I hope we can return. We all had a wonderful lunch! And the place is beautiful. Definitely made a Great Early Mother's Day lunch! read more

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I gave this restaurant 3 stars like I did the hotel it is in , I was here four days and ate breakfast here daily and dinner here once . The staff is friendly and attentive. The menu is very limited and my not have something that you like if your a picky eater . Nothing I ate made me say wow or made me tell a friend to come here . Remember three stars isn't bad, it means the place is just ok . There are places around town that impress me more . read more

Yet another wonderful dinner at the Wilcox. This time we ate in the dining room. I had the pork loin. It was wrapped in bacon with prosciutto stuffing. The pork was cooked perfectly. It was very moist and tender. Two people had to filet. They said it was great and cooked correctly. Two others had the linguini. They were also impressed and thought the meal was good. We ordered the liver pate. We were told it is one of the most ordered appetizers. It was good, even though I am not a fan of pate. Overall, it was another great experience at the Wilcox. The staff is very professional and inviting. They are knowledgeable and eager to please. I highly recommend the Wilcox. read more

The Willcox Restaurant - One of the most inviting restaurants in Aiken. - Steakhouses Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

AMBIENCE - A+ Love the nostalgic southern large column bldg. - the restaurant is comfortable with large ceilings, airy, - the decorator could work on complimenting the lost look brass sconces on the wall to complimenting the simple beautiful Italian glass chandeliers SERVICE - Had lunch and the waiter was superb in recommendations and knowing the ingredients in the dishes. FOOD - Had the Beet arugula goat cheese salad with fresh lump crab meat - fresh, complex flavors, yet light ...$14? PRICE - worth the experience (great ambience / service) and quality (delicious ) ! I'm looking forward to returning and trying an entree next time. read more

The Willcox Restaurant - Beet arugula goat cheese salad w/lump crab meat. - Steakhouses Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

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Absolutely consistent. My aunt has lived in Aiken now for almost 30 Years! It's only recently I have started frequenting the bar and lounge when I come to Aiken. This time I went about 4 times, twice for dinner, once for brunch, once for afternoon cocktail and light snacks, and today for late afternoon cocktail and Pate, (AMAZING). So actually 5 times ! I too work at high end resort and I was thoroughly impressed with everything from the ambience, to the service, to the food! On the weekends at night, they have live entertainment either a pianist or a guitarist, but either, definitely help to add a great mood to the ambience. I will of course be back! Look forward to my next visit! read more

What an elegant dining experience, truly unmatched in comparison to any restaurant in the area. The setting is divine, classic, gorgeous, and Really, incredibly comfortable and discreet. The service is simply excellent. We enjoyed our food tremendously. My husband had a steak cooked to perfection (medium rare). It sat on a bed of vegetables, zucchini sliced thin to look like pasta, with a delicious pâté of some sort. Mine began with a wonderful green salad, and for dinner I chose the vegetarian ravioli, a decadent dish draped across a long plate with fresh basil, shaved Romano, and roasted red peppers. Absolutely divine. Our guest had salmon. And we ordered a wonderful bottle of Pinot Noir. And, For desert i had the Brownie Bite. What a perfect treat, with an inner core surprise of melted chocolate fudge! All in All, i highly recommend this restaurant for the gorgeous atmosphere and food. Handicap access is easy through the pool entrance. We hear the rooms (hotel) are exquisite as well. Sunday Brunch sounds fun! The bar was friendly. We will definitely be coming back again and again. read more

The Willcox Restaurant - Exquisite dining experience at The Willcox - Steakhouses Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

My husband and I had brunch here for the first time. We called beforehand and luckily were able to get a reservation. Service is impeccable. Our waiter Andrew was the best. Food is fresh and very well prepared. I had the Superfood Brekkie which is must-have! My husband had the crab cake Benedict. Coffee was freshly brewed and we both had their handcrafted Bloody Marys. Highly recommend this place. read more

The Willcox Restaurant - Steakhouses Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

I've been told this is one of the best restaurants in town and I believe it. We had a large group because it was a family dinner and the service was excellent. The food was great too. The fried dough pillows were awesome and my salmon was cooked really well. I'd highly recommend this place for a special occasion. The chocolate creme brulee was also delicious!! read more

The Wilcox Story of sustainable local food, suppliers like Neiman Ranch, the philosophy of reduce/reuse/recycle such as the used cooking oil being collected and converted into biodiesel fuel all sounds great. This is the right direction and I applaud that however, something is going very wrong in management and service staff. Executive Chef Regan Browell needs to spend more time with the sous chefs because what is coming out of the kitchen is sub par. The fact that Ms. Browell has such vast culinary experience in different parts of the world and being affiliated with The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company leaves me confused at the quality of the food preparation, presentation and the way it is served to the table. Do we write these reviews to vent or with hope that the establishment will take note and do something? How long can one of the few games in town continue to exist on name alone. The Wilcox needs a face lift, the musty smell as you walk into the building is in itself off putting. I had lunch with two fiends mid September. Our waitress was not welcoming and never smiled as she took our order. My friend ordered the fish and chips, the fish was overcooked and dry however, the outside batter was greasy and her fries were greasy as well. When my friend told the waitress about her dish it was like the waitress took it personally, she had a very defensive attitude and took her dish away with a little aggression. Nevertheless my friend got the fired chicken sandwich as a replacement. Chicken was dry and the fries were still greasy. My burger and our other friends burger...dry, very dry even with the small amount of comeback sauce that was on it and the piece of limp lettuce. We brushed it off as a "bad day" for the restaurant and a waitress with no personality. Late Sept. another friend was visiting from Los Angeles and four of us have birthdays within 8 weeks of each other so we decided to go for a group birthday brunch at The Wilcox. We had reservations for a table of five. I was relieved to see that the waitress I had on that previous lunch with different friends was not waiting our table. However, to my chagrin she was "helping" the newer waiter at our table. Two people ordered the PEI mussels and were very satisfied. Thats is the good news. One friend had a cheese burger with the comeback sauce, called it tasteless. She even joked about how she would not come back for it. Myself and the other friend ordered the eggs benedict. I ordered mine with spinach. The spinach was mussy and I just do not understand how the benedict was served with one poached egg on top of the bread and the other poached egg on the plate so I had to figure a way to pick up the delicate poached egg, without breaking it and place it on the bread. The eggs were more soft-boiled than poached so breaking it was not the main issue and the hollandaise sauce was practically non-existent. My other friends eggs benedict came with bacon and we were all shocked that the bacon was in pieces on the plate! Not under the egg, not full pieces of bacon but instead small uneven broken pieces of bacon. It honestly looked like it had been picked up by hand crumpled up and put on the plate, very unappetizing. We expected maybe Canadian bacon??? OK so instead the bacon was the sliced kind but very little of it and broken into pieces? We had to ask for more hollandaise as there was so little on the plate(s). Two bad examples of eggs benedict. I had asked for another piece of bread and it came out burnt! Now the brunch is almost over and guess who comes over to the table to begin to clear the plates, yes waitress personality! One person was not done eating and this waitress just began removing plates, she was so abrupt and aggressive in her behavior she dropped the butter and just missed my friends leg. The dropped a plate as she came over to my side and began to take my extra sauce, I stopped her and asked her to come back later, she said no! Not a good experience at all. Very disappointing. It is sad because they are one of the few games in town. I will give this place one more try... after all three strikes before your out right? Let me point out that on Yelp there are 10 reviews this year including mine. 5 of the 10 Yelp reviews are positive and are from people living in SC or neighboring GA. The three negative reviews are from people in MA, OK and me a recent transport from CA. The two other positive reviews are from Wa. DC and Washington State, all I can say is they were lucky to get them on a good day! read more

I wasn't impressed. Service was terrible. Food was good. Over priced. I did love the atmosphere.

The atmosphere is excellent and the staff was very pleasant. Beautiful decor and great waiting area by a fireplace with drinks!

The Willcox restaurant about two years ago was wonderful- now they don't have the same things and it's not very great - Turn off is because Covid who is here and they didn't have enough good dishes to serv - or they weren't home by themselves anyway the Willcox is not what it used to be. Very sad about that because it was the best~. Restaurant I've ever been to. read more

we have visited The Wilcox many times for cocktails and love the atmosphere and John the Bartender so wanted to try the restaurant for Christmas Eve lunch. Very disappointed sadly. Fish and Chips was greasy and breading had no seasoning/flavor and the Tuna Poke was swimming in a vinegary sauce. read more

We started this meal as a business meeting and left friends. The food was very good. At our table we had the tuna poke, tomato and burrata, mussels, sea bass, filet, salmon, ribeye and chicken. Everyone enjoyed their meals with zero complaints. Our server, Stephania, was amazing. She knew the dishes and the wine and made perfect recommendations. She helped make this a wonderful experience. read more

If your looking for fine dining in Aiken then this is a must. Exquisite food, excellent service, superior atmosphere and the best bartenders in town to mix up your favorite cocktails. We frequent the Wilcox and it never disappoints. read more

Grew up in Aiken until moving to Atlanta. Willcox has always been a family favorite.

I've traveled the world and I must say the Willcox Inn and Restaurant are among the best. The staff is remarkable and the place flows with Southern hospitality. Mickey and her team truly know how to do it. Bravo read more

This place is my weekly hangout. Especially during hunt season. Most of the horse Community here in Aiken hangs out here every Tuesday evening after the Tuesday hunt. We make it a point to have dinner here almost every Tuesday during hunt season. Love the pool area during the spring and summer. The food is delicious and very consistent. Severs is pretty awesome. read more

The Willcox Restaurant - Steakhouses Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

I recently visited this hotel and had an almost perfect experience. After enjoying a facial and a massage at the spa facility I decided I would try the restaurant for lunch. I must say my experience and opinion of the hotel was ruined, not by the food quality, but by the manner in which the bar/restaurant manager (brunette with glasses) treats the employees. I listened to her belittle and repeatedly chastise the wait staff unnecessarily in front of the customers. If you have an issue with turnover and staff attitude, she would be your reason. For an upscale establishment I would expect more, nobody wants to listen to someone acting as a tyrant over others. I would recommend you provide your Manager with some serious coaching! read more

Went here for Father's Day Brunch. Never even heard of this place before but looked beautiful. Love the Plantation Style home and the surrounding is beautiful. Food presentation was amazing and DELICIOUS! Oh and great service was a plus. read more

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What a beautiful setting for a Sunday brunch after church! I stepped up to the large southern mansion and into a warm dark-wood paneled living room. Beyond that, was met with excellent hospitality & service for a terrific Sunday brunch where repeat customers known by name and guests are genuinely treated as guests. Today I enjoyed the smooth and creamy root soup made with sweet potato, carrot, turnip, and onion... very good. But on the warmed plate, my entree consisted of two beautiful crab cakes, laid on top of crunchy fried green tomatoes. On top of the crab cakes (which had a light hint of lemon) were two poached eggs with hollandaise sauce. This is about as good as it gets! With the atmosphere, service and good prices (crab cakes - 12, soup - 4, and my virgin bloody mary - 2.75) The Restaurant at the Wilcox gets a high recommendation for Sunday brunch. read more

The Wilcox is a great place to enjoy the Aiken atmosphere. Nicely upscale but not pretentious. I had the burger and a salad...just felt like it and it was good...a little well done but overall quite nice. The bar is nice as well. Update...had lunch here and ordered the buyer again...not so good at lunch and my wires sandwich was tasty but a little soggy... We are 50/50 here now...downgrading my rating. read more

The Wilcox has amazing food and everything is always cooked perfectly. The atmosphere and service is amazing!

Enjoyed a lovely lunch last week with my husband. We shared a Calamari appetizer - crunchy with a mild aioli dip ($6.00). He had the Fish & Chips, a generous portion, tasty, hot and at $10.00 a good deal. I got another small plate, a lamb Gyro served on a skewer with a spicy Mediterranean (?) Salsa that had, among other things, chickpeas and interesting herbs in it. It was plenty at $8.00 and together with the shared appetizer a perfect meal. Excellent unsweetened tea was our drink choice. We always enjoy the attentive white tablecloth service in the beautiful setting of the Willcox Restaurant. read more

The chef at the Wilcox is very traditional yet has some very creative combinations to his dishes. The service is typically slow especially for large tables so you have to be patient. On this last visit we waited almost 20 minutes for our drinks mostly beer and wine with a cocktail or two ordered. I think they only have one bartender servicing the entire restaurant and the bar. Appetizers took a while and we waited for dinner in excess of a 1/2 hour after the appetizers were cleaned up. The ambiance of this historical landmark is certainly enjoyable. read more

This place was quite a surprise! My daughter was there for 10 weeks in the winter for horse show season. While I was dressed up, she came in her barn boots, breeches, barn coat and barn hat. The staff treated her just as politely as everyone else. I eventually saw several other barn people arrive and the staff made everyone feel at home. While the place might reek of old Southern charm, don't be fooled into thinking it's an elitist place for the rich. Granted, it's not cheap but they know how to treat their guests....all of them! My daughter had the scallops and I had a terrific steak. Her scallops weren't dripping in butter like some places serve them and still had a nice butterly, lemon flavor that was just right for the food. My steak was perfectly rare as I asked. It's very hard to get a rare steak just right. It was seared on the outside with just a thin layer of red in the middle and pink all the way through. The sides are wonderful and their desserts are outstanding! It was an hour ride back to Columbia where I was staying with my brother and I was still thinking about their desserts and maybe I should have gotten another to go! read more

I loved the ambiance but the service was a little off and my burger, which was ordered medium-rare, came well-done. I would have sent it back, but the waitress disappeared for the next ten minutes and I ended up eating it. The delicious Alabama white sauce was the reason. read more

The Willcox Restaurant - The Alabama White BBQ sauce makes this burger. However, mine came well-done although I ordered it medium-rare. - Steakhouses Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

The Wilcox is an excellent place to visit and have dinner in Aiken, South Carolina! I'm visiting from Texas and I absolutely love the atmosphere. The only reason I can't give five stars is because the waitresses either need to wear or not wear nail polish. Chipped nail polish is totally unacceptable, when serving good in such a fine establishment. read more

Lovely spot to relax and have a nice cocktail and a dinner. Housed in a historic hotel so there is a classy ambience Setting is a little southern formal but the place is relaxed The food is fresh and presented well. The lollipop lamb is delish. Fresh good burgers. One of my family favorite. But leave the toddlers at home read more

Aahhhhh the Willcox............fabulous place. The atmosphere is second to none! The food for the most part is more wishful thinking. It always sounds great but for some reason I am always disappointed. But for the pate and the truffle fries which are always good! Alas, I am a bit of a food snob but a place of this stature should be stepping up their food game. I love the hotel as a whole and will continue to stay there when I am in town. Although I wouldn't choose to eat dinner in the restaurant, I wouldn't say no either. I gave them 4 stars because of the atmosphere and the small plates that you can order in the lobby which I think are better than the dinner items. And the drinks. They make some really good cocktails. The Ginger Nut and the Extra Dirty Belvedere Martinis are great!! ***UPDATE*** I mentioned before that I wouldn't say no to eating at the restaurant again and as it turns out, I had dinner there a few nights ago! It was really good!! We had a great waitress which always makes a difference. Ironically, the truffle fries weren't very good, which they normally are, but everything else was yummy. We were a group of 7 or 8 and everyone ordered different things and we were all happy. I had the scallops and they were very flavorful and perfectly cooked. I'm sure that I will be eating there again. OH AND I SHOULD POINT OUT......I have never cared for any of the desserts here!!!! They always look and sound great but always disappoint!!!!!! read more

HOLY WOW!! The food was OUTSTANDING! Everything we had was mouth watering. Filet minion, Jamaican beef patties, cheese appetizer, scallops and finally the crepe tiramisu cake.. omg! No words! Service was excellent as well. Fine dining at its finest! This was my first time going to the Wilcox, my husband took me for my birthday. Will be back every birthday from now on!! read more

They have great appetizers and I would definitely recommend the Parmesan truffle fries and the New Zealand lamb bites but when we got our main course the steak was a big disappointment. If you want a good steak then you'll have better luck at an outback and it will cost you half the amount. There was only one gluten free main entree which my husband got and it was very peppery and disappointing. Overall the atmosphere is nice but I wouldn't spend any money on their main course. read more

I was excited to come here as soon as I saw the crispy duck in the menu. I had a few issues with the dish. A) it only comes out a medium rare which is fine but mine came out almost rare... the cook reminded me of seared ahi tuna B) the fat was not rendered C) the skin was absolutely not crispy... wet and gelatinous. The waitress also did not bring me a knife to cut the duck. Was I supposed to cut thebmeat with a dinner knife? The host did come and ask if he could do anything (after I had to ask him for a knife) but I was tired from a long day at work and just wanted to leave so I said no. The waitress also failed to ask if anything was wrong with my dish when 80% of the duck was left on the plate. I also ordered the risotto. It came out in a large rice bowl. Reminded me of fried rice. Strangest risotto dish I had ever seen. I will not be back. Giving it 2 stars instead of 1 because the other food here might be good. read more

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Vegetarian take. The menu kindly labels the items considered vegetarian (nothing listed for vegans), but the Worcestershire sauce in one of the sides made me lose faith. I ended up with the hummus and a salad, neither of which had any flavor. The staff was great. The place is fun. read more

As always a great dinner at the Wilcox. The Caesar Salad is the best I have had anywhere and luckily thats always on the menu. Try it you won't be disappointed. The other must try item from the bar is the Parisian. It's their own specialty martini...Great! read more

My husband and I came here for Sunday brunch. Based on the reviews and the fact that we enjoy trying new restaurants, we drove 45 mins from Evans. The atmosphere is quaint and we were seated right away. Unfortunately, everything went downhill from there. The waiter took our order yet somehow managed to barely speak to us the entire hour we were there. My husband's waffle was burnt and sausage looked undercooked (though when we questioned this, we were told they come already cooked and they simply heat them up). I ordered the hash brown stack which was extremely greasy and salty. I expected the hash browns to be homemade but instead they were reminiscent of those from McDonalds. I've never left a negative review before but this was an extremely disappointing dining experience, and I hope it will help others manage their expectations. read more

Lovely historic hotel. Beautiful, cozy lobby and elegant rooms. Delicious breakfast. But... 1) breakfast (only for hotel guests) is served in a Comfort Inn level side room which dampened the deliciousness. Why it's not served in the main (empty at breakfast time) elegant dining room where lunch and dinner are served (for outside guests) is a mystery, but left me with the sense that hotels guests are not worthy; and, 2) fireplaces were not lit in the morning. As one of the reasons we chose this hotel was to have a relaxing space to sit out of the cold this was disappointing and once again gave the sense that the hotel guests were not worthy of attention since they were lit in afternoon when outside guests come for lunch and dinner. read more

The Willcox is a beautiful establishment and The Restaurant is a perfect compliment to the property. It is located in the dining room- where the Willcox had a formal restaurant once before, and where they serve breakfast. Expect great service and a server who is familiar with all of the menu items as well as the wines. I have food allergies and our server was easily able to steer me clear of the items that may have been a concern for me. We had a party of 6- and 5 of us ordered steak. They were cooked perfectly. The sauces complimented excellently. We had all 3- the Bearnaise, red wine jus, and the au poivre. There was no leftover steak at the end of this meal. The steaks came with 3 or 4 pieces of fingerling potato. We did not have any additional sides. The 6th member of our party had the Salmon Salad as her entree. She devoured it. She noted that the Salmon was probably the best she has ever had. Several of us had salads before the meal- the Caesar and the Wedge. Both were the perfect way to start the meal. Overall, The Restaurant can EASILY compete with Prime for the best steak in town. read more

My boyfriend and i live in aiken, and when we need a quick vacation we go to the willcox, (we pretend between eachother that we're not just enjoying dinner but also staying the night in a new and excited destination...venace? lol), we enjoy our meal by the pool during twilight hrs, and a martini in the den type lobby. And we never leave w/ a complaint in mind. The staff have always been friendly and precise. Just be prepared for it to have the pricetag of an emergency vaca. read more