We tried this place for the first time after my daughter's graduation. Everything was exceptionally good, including the service. The white lasagna was a hit with everyone at the table. The steak was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. I wish we lived closer. read more

I dropped by Tombo Grille last night to grab dinner on the way home. I went around 8pm and found an empty seat st the bar. There was a band playing and you could tell all the patrons loved them or that they were a local fav. The bartender was very friendly and gave me menus and took my drink order immediately when I sat down. I ordered the grilled ribeye and seared halibut as entrees as well as the chopped salad & iceburg wedge with a glass of Cabernet. I noticed majority of the people were middle aged to older neighborhood locals. The bathroom was beautifully decorated! I noticed that on my last visit a year or so ago and I still love it! Last time I came, I saw social media post of their daily food specials and wanted to impress my in-laws with a gourmet causal dinner and BOY were they impressed!! Anyways, the bartender gave my updates on my food status which wasn't long at all despite all the tables being full. Once I got home, all the food plus complimentary bread & butter were put in my bag along with silverware. They are also environmentally friendly with their packaging which is a plus. The food was AMAZINGG as always. I wish I took a picture before we scarfed it down. I've never been disappointed by a meal at Tombo Grille and I guess the packed parking lot proves that to be true too! 10/10 as always! read more

Outstanding meal in s great neighborhood restaurant environment. Apps, drinks and meals all were great. Notables; beet salad, salmon, Cornish game hens with lemon fettuccine, and a crazy good bonein pork chop. Excellent and charming service. read more

Tombo Grille - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

We came with a party of 11 for a graduation dinner. The reservation was easy to make and they were very accommodating when we changed the number and the time (typical family function things). On Monday nights, live music and the burger and beer for $10 make for a great time! Highly highly recommend Brussels Sprouts and Brie Skillet appetizers (only $6 at happy hour!) and the pork belly steamed buns appetizer. The burgers are filling and delicious, and I'd highly recommend the shrimp and grits too. Food was great, so the only reason I give four stars is because service was pretty slow. The waitress would disappear for quite a while and didn't bring some drinks until after dinner and asking a few times. Not a huge deal, we still had a great experience and would go back! read more

We have eaten at Tombo Grille several times. We were pleased with the food and service. Two days ago we were there and ordered a glass of wine, a pizza, and a hamburger to be cooked with a warm pinks enter. The glass of wine was brought to the table with a very small amount of wine. The pizza appeared to be made with a pre-cooked commercial pizza shell. Very reminiscent of the 1960's pizzas served off campus at Ohio State University. it was hard to cut and chew. The hamburger was extremely well done, dry, and unappetizing. Kicker was we both had upset gi system for 18 hours after eating. Will not be returning. read more

Enjoy every meal on the menu here And the bourbon selection is best in Columbia With this being Restaurant Week-I decided to do the $29 Three Course Dinner and chose the Blackened Mahi-Mahi Cooked perfectly with great flavor. And the local Adluh grits company it Well Dessert was the Salted Butter Scotch Blondie. I need one of these To Go read more

I always love coming here. Great food, usually great service. Our server tonight ,ashlyn , was terrible. Horrible attitude. The customer should never feel that. Everyone around us, Server wise, was more pleasant. Wouldn't even respond when spoken to. read more

Enjoyed our dinner Friday night but was disappointed for a few reasons. Shrimp and grits dinner, which was one of my wife's favorites is now serve with a grit cake.(ouch) Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and collards are gone. That was my favorite for about 20 years. When I asked about the collards, I was told they were out of season. Blue Marlin never has that problem. Might have to find a Tombo's replacement. Service was GREAT....... Jim P. read more

Tombo has been a longtime favorite place to dine!!! Check out the weekly night specials. I am unable to name them all yet Burger & a Beer Mondays and Pizza & a Bottle of Wine Tuesdays are the best and extremely reasonably priced, I won't list the prices here because they are subject to change slightly over time yet still is a DEAL!!! I love most everything on the menu (most people have raved about the meatloaf, I don't know if it was the one time I tried it, it reminded me of "school" meatloaf yet that was about 4 years back so please don't let that be a determining factor on the meatloaf for you, many rave about it). The brussell (sp?) sprouts are great, salads are usually tasty, the fries on Mondays (burger and a beer Mondays) are scrumptious with the aioli (sp?) sauce that comes with them. My favorite burger is the blue cheese or gorgonzola (one of the two cheeses, I can't remember which it actually is) cheese burger. When it's in season the crab/avocado appetizer is AWESOME!!! I love this place!!! Parking can be a bit tight depending on what time you make it there for dinner. When they have the BAKED POUND CAKE, ORDER IT!!!! I ask every time I visit to double check to see if they have it even if it's not on the menu because it is AAAAMMMMAAAZZZZIIIIINNNNGGGG!!!!! At least to me, it is :D. The Tuesday nights (I believe are the band nights) are pretty nice too!!! Probably my favorite weeknight dinner place of all time!!! read more

New Years Eve menu was varied and everyone enjoyed their entree. Appetizers were quite good and had larger than expected portions. Salads especially the beet salad were spoken of highly. We had 4 of the desserts offered and had no complaints. Service was a little suspect at times but it WAS NYE so it was understandable. All in all a good to very good experience. read more

Tombo Grille - NYE - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Man I love this place..........Excellent food, Service is off the Chain..make sure you ask for "Jake" to be your server. They have some awesome weekly specials like $3.00 taco Tuesdays and other specials. Its a great addition to Forest Acres. I always see people I know, casual atmosphere, and they have live music to dine by. Its high on my food recommendation list, plus its its a neighborhood eatery if you live in Forest Acres as I do. read more

Excellent food, excellent service! This local establishment is one to patronage. They deserve a come back and a must to try if you haven't tried it. Unlike other the restaurants, food is prepared as it should be. Deliciously with a nice presentation. I always say 'if you're not gonna eat it, do not serve it' We only tried the 'small bites' and those were very good. They took their time to let you enjoy every morsels of your food. They did not rush you out (like other restaurants with your bill). Atmosphere was delightful, clean, no crumbs of food on the floor, no unruly guests, and everyone seemed to enjoy whatever they ordered! Servers are pleasant and seemed to enjoy their work. read more

See all

We have lived in Columbia forever and always forget about Tombo Grille since it's away from downtown. We decided to try for restaurant week and were very impressed. Definite southern comfort food with an upscale touch. The mac and cheese we got for an app was out of this world - creamy cheesy goodness with bacon - how can you go wrong? We also got the shrimp and grits and the veal meatloaf. I am a shrimp and grits snob and it is hard to find GOOD shrimp and grits, even in the south. But tombo grille did them justice. (Second only to Blue Marlin) I didn't like that the shrimp still had the tails on, but that is just a personal preference. The veal meatloaf was tender and juicy and we both were stealing bites of each others food. The service was great and our server Jake was very attentive. We will definitely be back. read more

Great all around! Wife and I went there for date night and had a great time. The band was not to loud and the waiter was very patient with us as we took our time.. Looking forward to going back very soon. Oh and yes we licked our plates clean read more

Great neighborhood restaurant. Prices are fair for the quality of product you receive. Lettuce is the best in town. Big supporters of local farmers and products. Service is great and the menu changes seasonally. The also do specials on certain nights for dates, pizzas, and their amazing burgers. read more

Never been disappointed at Tombo. They make an effort to focus on fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. There is an option for anyone at any price range which is one thing that makes Tombo really stand out. In my opinion they serve the absolute best burger in town. On Mondays, the burger plus a beer is only $9 too. Great all around! read more

Frequenting most of the downtown restaurants, I was looking for a new place to try. Tombo Grille was an amazing experience that I'll be returning to often. My date was a vegetarian, and Chef Maass came to our table to discuss options. The house was about half to 3/4 full at the time, so having a chef attend our needs was amazing. The menu didn't offer any vegetarian dishes, but Chef Maass whipped up an amazing Pumpkin Risotto, using only vegetable stock, that made me wish I was a vegetarian. I had the duck special that was prepared masterfully and cooked to perfection. The waiter's knowledge of wine pairing to our appetizers and meals was unprecedented and even though were were much to full, we had to have dessert. The decor was nice, and we quickly were relaxed and enjoying ourselves. Can't wait to attend again! read more

One of the best meals I've had in Columbia. Great quality food with a more rexaled atmosphere. The veal meatloaf was great.

Great location. Great good. Friendly staff. Love this place. Husband had ceasar salad w/fried oysters, I had pear salad with arugala and goat cheese. We split a flat bread pizza with fresh heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. For dessert, grilled pound cake w/ice cream. The website calls it creative comfort food. I call it wonderful! read more

One of my favorite places to eat in Columbia. Flash fried brussel sprouts, the short rib, and their burgers are top notch. They also have great salads with actually local ingredients. I got the scallop special with grits and it was excellent. These people take the time to make you great food in a relaxing atmosphere. A+ read more

Honestly I'm in shock this place doesn't have a perfect rating. I've been twice in the past month and it never disappoints! I consider this Columbia best restaurant by far! The only suggestion is that I wish they would carry some more local beers like Westbrook and River Rat brewing. read more

Went with my parents before Christmas and it was great! The effort to use locally sourced ingredients is much appreciated. The wild boar ribs with mashed butternut squash and goat cheese was yummy! My parents both had the shrimp and grits and both southerners declared them delicious. Service was very attentive but not too intrusive. Very nice ambience especially for the neighborhood. read more

It felt like trickery to go to a really nice restaurant that continuously advertises burger, beer, and live music for $9 and they only offer you PBR or Stoney's. Yuck. Did have a great waitress though. read more

Not what I expected. My husband ordered the steak special it was fatty and tasted to much of charcoal and grease. I ordered the hen. It was flavorful and enjoyed the sweet potato garnish more than the side. Dessert was awful maybe forgot the sugar all together in the blondie. However the small bite mac n cheese was amazing! Rich and full of flavor. Nice environment and staff. read more

Three words: fried brussel sprouts. Until this restaurant, my husband spoke of brussel sprouts like he did of "picking up pine cones" after school. In other words he called them "punishment food". BUT he loved these! Tombo also makes a mean burger and their menu changes seasonally. The Mac and cheese is a great starter and beer list has quite a few local brews. But the best part is dessert. Try the butterscotch blondie! You will thank me later. read more

Food and service was good . Mac and cheese a bit too rich, I am a mac & cheese snob! Service was good. TOTAL Forest Acres crowd! Kinda weird how that works! read more

One night here, and we want to go back. Classy band playing that night, friendly staff, GREAT ambiance. The food was very good. We want to go back for another music night. read more

Tombos is a very intimate restaurants , but the food has a large flavors and the live music adds to the overall pleasant atmosphere.

The atmosphere the staff and the food were 5 star in my opinion. We arrived a little late and we were apologized too about being out of some items. This is ok with me because they go from garden to table. I was told they don't even have a freezer. Very fresh and very well prepared. read more

Tombo Grille - Grilled Meatloaf. - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

Went to Tombo for restaurant week and had an awesome meal! I had the spiced pumpkin soup, Cornish hen, and brownie. Everything was cooked to perfection and the portions were very reasonable. I've been in the past for their burger and a beer Monday night special. I've never been disappointed. Great food and service! Highly recommend for a casual mid week dinner or weekend date night! read more

Wonderful atmosphere & great service, couldn't be happier with the staff. Scallops on risotto.....wow, the shrimp & crunchy polenta dish wash well worth it also. Unfortunately the pizza fell short, phenomenal crust with their style oven, high temp, and thin crust but there just wasn't enough sauce or cheese for it not to taste like bread. Desert-Chocolate Budin......bring a glass of milk and call a taxi! I would dig innately recommend for a nice dinner out to anyone. read more

The food + atmosphere make this restaurant one of my all around favorites in Columbia. It's thoughtfully prepared, I have never had a bad experience here. read more

Found this place Monday evening and was pleasantly surprised! From the outside it looks very small and dark but when we walked in, there was live music and plenty of room to move around. Our server, Tabitha was super knowledgeable and friendly. I got their $9.00 beer and burger special and it was a TON of food. We started with the Brussels sprouts and I'm glad we did! They were cooked perfectly. The only qualm we had was the salmon dishes my fiancé and room mate got were a little high for the portion size. Everything was delicious, nonetheless, and we can't wait for our next visit! read more

AWESOME!!! The food is fantastic. Each bite is so flavorful. You know you are in for a great meal when the first bite of your appetizer (Mac and cheese ) makes you exclaim, "O My God" and your eyes roll back. This place is my new obsession. read more

This place is tucked away in Forest acres. Its what I would consider to be high class dining. The food was good and the atmosphere was very social and a little noisy. It seems to attract Forest Acres upper crust. Overall a good dining experience but for the money there are other places I'd rather go where the portions are bigger and the atmosphere is quieter such as Ruth's Chris or California Dreaming. read more

So this is a two part review! My girlfriends and I had girls night this evening and we had a great time until the entrees came out! I ordered the shrimp and grits and OMG, the grits were cold so I sent it back. On top of that the shrimps were undercooked damn well raw and blue. I isn't send the plate back and just ate around them. We spent over $300 and at the end of the night the owner came over and asked how everything was. I told him about the shrimp and grits and told him I already paid the bill and will just cook the shrimp when I get home. He asked if he could see them so I gave him the to go box back and he walked to the kitchen as he said he needed better lighting. Well this asshole owner Lyn comes back with a raw shrimp on a plate to explain that my shrimp were not raw. Well I didn't say they were raw I said they were undercooked and still blue. Don't insult my intelligence. It was rude and inappropriate. He didn't bother to say let me give you a new plate to take home or a discount on a future visit. Not that I was asking for anything but at least offer or improve upon my experience before I leave. Now if it weren't for Kimber the awesome waitress I would have handled this situation a little different. Message to the owner Lyn, you definitely need to go back to school and take a course on business etiquette!!! read more

We went here for their Christmas eve menu and found the place pleasant if unremarkable in decor, but ultimately were disappointed in the food and service. When we arrived for an early dinner, there were few other diners; by the end of our meal it was a full house. I mention that because I could only imagine the relative lack of attention by our waiter might have been because of fewer staff on a holiday eve, but until the crowd built up, it should not have been an issue. That said, the waiter took our orders in a perfunctory fashion and then there was a long wait for drinks with the fellow not to be seen anywhere. Eventually those arrived as well as the beet salad, which we found tasty, fresh, and nicely plated. With the entrees, things went downhill. Our flatware was partially taken, but there was none to replace it for the entree. After asking for new flatware, it was unceremoniously plopped in the middle of the table for each diner to retrieve. Fine if this were a cheap bar, but shoddy for a supposedly nicer dining establishment charging $30 an entree. And to those entrees, the "crispy duck breast" as listed on their special menu was decidedly uncrisp with a rubbery skin that was inedible. One in the party ordered it medium and stressed she did not want it pink. It arrived pink, also with a skin like a super-gelatinous gummy bear. Keeping things on the undercooked side, an order of the pork also arrived very pink to the degree it was bloody rare in part. The duck, at least, could be eaten. I looked to the waiter to remedy things. Again, no one on the floor until finally I caught the eye of a water server to ask our waiter to return. We pointed out the too-pink pork and asked why a supposedly crispy duck had overcooked mushy vegetables and an equally squishy skin. "Oh, sorry." I asked he tell the chef and to also return the pork to the kitchen. We got the pork back from a different waiter who said "here's your duck back" (it was the pork at least), and noted "well, it all looks the same" when we pointed out it should be the pork. Did the waiter return and say anything further to apologize for the kitchen and the weirdly and undercooked dishes? Did the chef or kitchen staff? Did the hostess or any manager? No. Was the salad or nice presentation of each dish worth the lapses in service and questionable cooking times and methods? No. For the price, during a holiday or not, there are far finer fine dining establishments in Columbia. read more

This place is a solid 3.5 to me but I will give ot 4 because of good service. So I ate here with some friends for restaurant week. I had the mac n cheese to start, and it was pretty good. Started off on a good note for the meal. It was plenty of mac and chese and they sundried tomato was very good. It was plenty cheesy and the sweetness if the mushrooms and tomatoes gave a bit of tang and change. It comes on a tiny bed of spinach which i didn't know but overall all flavors were balanced and each flavor combination was good. I say order it. The second course was ok. That is it, just ok. I ordered the NY strip. The steak had a sauce but it didn't contain much flavor. It was cooked perfectly and it was pretty but pretty bland. The mashed potatoes had a good smooth texture though. They didn't have much flavor and the most flavorful thing on the plate was the asparagus. It was cooked well and was delicious. So the four stalks were the best part of the entree. Why 4 stars you ask? The panna cotta was delightful. Small but just enough. I wish I had more on the plate. My friends also loved it. Get the brownie if you want more quantity in a dessert, not much more but some. They said it was good. read more

This place is wonderful. They made me feel like I was a local, nice and friendly employees and bartender was exceptional. I had the shrimp and sun-dried tomato pasta with bread, and it was delicious. Presentation was great and I look forward to going back read more

I used to like this place but had a pretty bad experience this past Monday. On Monday's they do the burger and a beer special for $9, which is a great deal. I've had it before and I've been pleased. This time however, the service was lacking and the food was not what I've come to expect. First, we ordered the smoked mahi dip as an appetizer. The mahi dip was fine, nothing spectacular, but the crostini it was served with was literally inedible. Hard as a rock and cold, it seemed like it had been grilled and then sat out for hours before being served. Onto our meals.. My burger was ordered med-rare and came out more like rare, which was OK. My mom ordered hers well done, she can't stand any pink in her burger. It came out medium and had to be sent back. Our server never came to check to see how our food was, so we had to flag her down to get the burger re-cooked. This was actually the third time we had flagged her down (she forgot one of our drinks at the beginning of the meal, and we had to ask for new crostini). She literally did not check on us one time and we had to get her attention each time. They are busy on Monday nights so I'll attribute it to that, but still no excuse. Only other complaint was that my dad's entree salad was tiny. $17 for three scallops and a salad that was sized more like a side salad. Even though my other visits have been pleasant, this visit left a bad taste in my mouth and I'm doubtful I will return anytime soon. read more