The pizza was pretty good. Not to lo much sauce. The bacon was nice and crispy and the mushrooms were perfect. I've lived in Columbia for a very long time and I have never been to this place! What a nice gem! read more

See all

This is a hidden gem. Located in a strip mall that has been there for years. The food is really good. They are known for their Philly cheesesteaks but they have Italian pasta dishes, pizzas, salads, and more. There is a large dining area. The service was attentive. I do plan on going back. I think the cheesesteak I ordered was better than the ones in Philly. read more

Very's Great Philly Food - Greek side salad to go - Sandwiches Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Came in with some great intentions and expectations. Left with nothing. Took forever for them to take our order, served way out of date beer, and then they said they gave our food away and that they would have it out soon. No. Will never return. Great first impressions! Lol read more

Sandwich was great but ordered cheesecake with blueberry topping and the topping came in a separate container and had mold growing in it. They offered to comp it but I wasn't driving all the way back. read more

The ROMEO lunch group went here today, mainly to try the Philly Cheese Steak. Five of us ordered the Cheese steaks and one order of the fries with Cheese and jalapeños. NASA Mike ordered a meat lovers pizza. I also ordered a pizza to take home for dinner and lunch tomorrow. Everyone loved there Cheese steaks. Great flavor, great bun and we think it's the best in town. NASA gave the pizza a 5.0 and said it was excellent. Overall rating of the cheese steaks and pizza was a 4.5, so I'm gonna round it up to a 5. Service was very good. We were seated in a back area with long tables...so had some privacy. read more

See all

I've been coming to this place for years. My wife and I used to meet up here all the time for lunch. The Philly cheesesteak sandwich is amazing. I wish they had a secondary location further up in the northeast area or maybe even Blythewood. Can't wait to revisit! read more

Old school time capsule of a restaurant. If you're looking for nostalgia pizza restaurant this is it. Very solid version of pizza. More of a thin crust variety. Look forward to trying the Philly Cheesesteak. read more

Let me start off by saying our food was wonderful. Husband and kid got cheese pizzas. I got baked spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread. Everything came out fresh and SUPER hot! Our server Angie was kind and generous. She gave my kid a free Italian ice after dinner. I'm only deducting a star because the place needs some serious updating. All the booths seemed to be taped together. Some lights were out, the carpet was old. I know these things can be super expensive to replace so I don't want to disparage the establishment. Overall we had a very nice dinn read more

See all

I ordered a cheesesteak with grilled onions and it came with potato chips. I ordered the fries for an extra charge of a $1.49 which wasn't much at all. Unfortunately, the cheesesteak came with green peppers and few onions. I removed the peppers and was still going to try and eat it. The other problem was some of the meat was burnt and that burnt taste was in the meat. It was retuned and removed from my bill. The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars, was because the server was good and we were greeted upon entering. The place was clean, but the appearance is very dated. I will not be going back here, but someone else may have a better experience. read more

See all

Everything is always good especially the steaks.Check your order before you leave. Not always accurate

This was my very first time eating here. I ordered the cheesesteak and upgraded to add fries. The cheesesteak was good but the fries were horrible. I also ordered the lasagna. Very cheesy, which I love; the actual lasagna under the cheese was ok. read more

See all

Family Foodies visited on September 14th for dinner. We all ordered the Classic cheesesteak and paid the up charge for fries instead of chips. The cheesesteak came out steaming hot. It looked tasty, but looks can be deceiving as the cheesesteak had absolutely no flavor or seasoning. The only good thing we can say about this sandwich was the bread was soft and fresh. The restaurant is definitely dated but seemed clean. The service was OK. Definitely won't be back. read more

Very's Great Philly Food - Classic cheesesteak with fries - Sandwiches Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Wow, I haven't been here in years, but my parents wanted to take my sister out for her birthday, and suggested this place. I think my first thought was man are they still open. Well I'm certainly glad they are. The staff were very friendly, and very patient with my family. My sister tends to get a little off track while placing her order. I think she's just excited, but she starts giving us a history lesson about the place. She might as well have said, picture it, 1991, I was working at Columbia mall... I digress. It was actually quite nice to hear, I just worried our waitress might have better things to do. Anyway, 3 of us got cheesesteaks and I don't think anyone had any complaints. I really enjoyed the Buffalo Cheese Steak, I could have used a little more meat, and less bun, but I still really enjoyed it. My folks got the veggie lasagna which is a favorite of theirs. My wife got the baked veggie spaghetti, she said it was pretty good, but perhaps she might get something else next time. Now the coup de grace was the pizza. The waitress said if we were having trouble deciding they could do a half and half. We got one half white sauce with spinach and chicken, and it's some of the best white pizza I have ever had. The other half was the VERY'S COMBO Pepperoni, Canadian bacon, beef, sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, green olives, black olives. This pizza was really good, not as good as the white sauce pizza, but still very tasty. All I can say is, I'm a fan, and I'll be back. read more

It's really delicious lasagna service. It's OK price little bit high, but don't forget you paid for quality

First let me say that the staff are truly wonderful. Very very nice and go out of their way to try to make things right when they go wrong. The food is good but it's not a place I would call a favorite, at least right now. I've been coming here for over 20 years. I feel like the food taste and quality was better years ago. My husband got the cheesesteak sandwich with the extra meat. He added veggies and condiments. The meat was flavorless. It was not cooked with any kind of seasoning. And it was so greasy that the bread fell apart after two bites. The extra meat was nice of course but at the same time it was so much that he couldn't taste any of the vegetables or even any of the mayonnaise or other sauces. If we had known that, my husband would have ordered the smaller/regular sandwich at the start. Our server was super nice and she graciously asked the kitchen to remake the sandwich, smaller version. This time it came out with a slightly better flavor on the meat but still super greasy and honestly it was not worth the extra time. My chicken Parmesan sandwich was pretty good except for a big chunk of the sandwich didn't even have chicken because the bread was too much and the meat was too small. I loved the amount of cheese and it had the perfect amount of sauce. The fries are comparable to the flavor of A's curly fries however, they aren't curly lol and mine and my husbands came out cold/lukewarm. I will definitely try this place again but they really do need to improve on the lack of flavor and quality control on the grease. read more

Very's Great Philly Food - Chicken Parmesan Sandwich - Sandwiches Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

My favorite cheesesteak sandwich in Columbia! Service is pretty good and the ambience is fair but I go for the cheesesteak!

Took an hour drive here to try the cheesesteaks. It did not disappoint and prices were reasonable. Would go again if in the area.

My family and I love this place. Their lasagna, Philly cheese steak, pizza, fries, and everything else are delicious. I've lived in Chicago, New York, and frequented Philly, and Very's is the closest to these locations regarding their pizza and cheesesteaks. Anytime our family from out of town visit, we make sure they go to Very's. Let me tell you about their staff. Very's has the best down-to-earth, friendliest team in South Carolina. Our waitress is fantastic; you're a regular by your second visit. I feel like I'm back home when we're there. My experience with Very's is only related to dine-in service. However, we always have leftovers and occasionally order a lasagna to go after dining in with them. read more

Fantastic cheesesteaks. Excellent amount of steak on bun. (I choose the hoagie so it is softer). We request extra cheese. I like the option of ordering on line, and having the meat separate from the bun. That way, I can pick it up hours before dinner. Just warm the steak- and toast the bun- spectacular! Better than a soggy sandwich. I am very happy with Very's cheesesteaks, but my husband is a FANATIC... He'd have them every week. read more

This place was even better than I expected. I was meeting people for lunch and looked for a convenient location. I saw the great reviews and decided to give it a try. The decor is rustic and casual and is a great place for lunch with a group or as a couple. Their specialties are Philly steaks, spaghetti, and pizza. I ordered the Mega melt with firehouse toppings, jalapeños and buffalo sauce. This sandwich is amazing and was complimented well with the seasoned fries. On Saturday evenings there is a pizza buffet, spaghetti buffet on Tuesdays and Wednesdays , and free cake on Fridays. Our server was great, she got all of the orders perfect and routinely checked in on us. I see a return trip in my future. read more

See all

Best lasagna I've ever had for over 20 years and counting! And thats something i don't order outside because my mom used to make it in house. I started going here back in 2021 when i was in undergrad and although i live an hour away, sometimes when one of my friends visits they'll bring me an order. You can add different things to it and theres a vegetarian version but i haven't had that. Im an extreme carnivore lol. The interior is older but its clean. I generally always ordered to go...I've heard the Phillys are good but i simply cannot order anything other than the lasagna special. Give it a try! read more

I was excited to try some cheese steak and some fries. And this is my first time here i order a cheese steak and fries and it wasn't good at all. The bread was to hard and the steak was not seasons at all. I couldn't even eat it. But the service was good and nice. And the restaurant was clean to. But I won't come back. read more

I hadn't eaten at Very's in probably 15 - 20 years until a couple weeks ago. I moved away from the area in 1994 but back then, Very's was one of my staples. Even though I travel through Columbia a couple times a year, I have always had a difficult time getting through during their business hours. But not this time! Still the best lasagna, other than my mom's, after all these years! Very's knows what most Italian restaurants have never learned; that the secret to great lasagna is the cheese! Despite their beef lasagna having great tasting beef, notice their menu states they use 5 cheeses! That's the secret to great lasagna. That's all you really need to know. This isn't your normal, cheap lasagna, where what you notice is the layers of pasta and tomato sauce, tasting like it came right out of a TV dinner. No, in this lasagna you probably won't even notice the pasta, though it's there, providing the structure holding the entire dish together. You won't be choking on an acidic, pungent tomato sauce either. Instead, your mouth will be engaged in a warm orgy of cheese, comforting, no, coaxing your senses to blissful contentment. The sauce melds with the cheese, which is why there is no strong tomato sauce flavor. Why are you still reading this instead of heading to Very's? Hey, I'm talking to you! read more

First of all, don't order the "personal/single" size pizza. The crust for it is that crispy, bland, flavorless, cracker frozen pizza crust you expect from the $1 frozen pizza you buy at the dollar store. Your kids probably won't have a problem with it because the rest of the pizza - the sauce and toppings are actually pretty good. The other pictures of pizza look great, so I guess just order a larger size that is more likely to use fresh dough. And just so you know, because I asked, they don't make their own meatballs so you might want to keep that in mind if you order meatballs for your spaghetti or a sub. I have never eaten a pre-made (not fresh in-house) made meatball that was good. So I guess order them at your own risk. I also ordered the "Special" Lasagna. It's good, quite tasty but it is different from any other Lasagna I've had. The cheese layer isn't a Ricotta layer like I'm used to. Their cheese layer is a rich creamy cheese sauce that would probably make a fantastic alfredo. The italian sausage had a mild kick to it that really kicked up the flavor. It was tasty enough that I didn't dock this review more than one star for the awful pizza. The Lasagna also came with their version of garlic bread. A hoagie baguette slathered with a faint garlic and butter flavor that tasted like it was probably from a jug and not fresh garlic and butter. They are supposed to be known for their philly cheese steaks so maybe next time I'll try that. I'll post pictures from my phone. read more

Last time I was here was right before the pandemic. I would frequent them on the weekends with my granddaughters to do the all you can eat pizza. Well, I decided I would like their special lasagna. They use to put them in the aluminum to go containers and they were reasonably priced. I got a styrofoam container and I spent $17+ and I don't think I will be back. Not worth $17+.... read more

Very's Great Philly Food - Special Lasagna - Sandwiches Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

I order me the 11" megamelt cheesesteak. It was so delicious. They made it the exact way I ask for it to be made. It was made fresh and was ready on time. I love how fast my food was ready. I also love there cheese fries as well. I was not disappointed at love. Best cheesesteak that I have had by far. Will do going back again. Great customer service and clean environment. read more

I live up in Charlotte but I am in Columbia for a work assignment. There is a Talk thread there about how we don't have a good cheesesteak place in the Queen City, so I searched Yelp (of course!) and found Michael's review. Everything I know about Philly cheesesteaks I have learned from reading it. Smart man, he clearly knows what he's talking about. So I made the half hour trip from the Harbison area down to Very's and I can say that it was well worth the trip. The cheesesteak was excellent. Not greasy, not too wet, and on a nice soft roll with lovely melted cheese on top. I scarfed down the "large" with a Bud Light (it seemed appropriate). Service could have been better, but that's just a small ding. I waited ten minutes for the girl to take my check before I asked and found that I should be paying up front. And in doing so, it gave me the opportunity to give my compliments directly to the chef. (He's apparently here from Philly specifically to cook these wonderful sandwiches.) read more

Very's Great Philly Food - Very's - Sandwiches Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

Only ordered the Philly cheesesteak to go. Not worth $10. The staff was very nice and so was Russell. The bun was soft and actually good but the meat just tasted store bought and like I could make this at home. The meat was greasy and salty. For $10, I was expecting homemade chips when I read the menu and not a bag of lays. read more

Very's Great Philly Food - Philly Cheesesteak - Sandwiches Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

Very's is very okay. It's a nice little affordable lunch spot or a fun little night out for something a little different. They are in a super sketchy strip mall and inside definitely needs an update. I got the chicken parmesan sub with fries. The sauce was excellent and cheese was very good. The bread they used was honestly some of the best I've ever had. My glaring standout was that the chicken was frozen. When you bite into fresh chicken you get "striations" in the chicken. You know...it will have some ripped portions and it will fall out. This chicken was mushy and felt "factory formed" like with the Tyson chicken you buy in the frozen food section. If I'm spending $11 dollars for a chicken parmesan sub I do expect the chicken to be fresh. It had the frozen after taste. Anyway, my wife got a Philly Cheese Steak and she said it was excellent. Since it does say famous chicken Philly cheese steaks I get that the chicken isn't the big point there. I just expected a little more for eleven dollars. I will be back because their pizza looked excellent. read more

Very's Great Philly Food - Chicken parm sub - Sandwiches Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

Excellent subs. Get the Italian w extra meat! Husband ordered Philly Cheese Steak. Said it was the best he's ever had. Go!

It was ok cheesesteak was good but nothing to write home about. I will say the service was good.

Well....so I went here with a friend for lunch. I had never heard of this place and had never seen it before. It is located in a strip mall off of Two Notch! So my friend told me to try the lasagna, as this was great! I could've slapped her, because it was not the tastiest thing I've had. The sauce tasted like imitation marinara, but it was listed as Very's own sauce. The beef looked like the meat that comes on school pizza. I could not get past the first taste. I spit it out. I did get a salad off the salad bar and the ranch was fab...along with the salad. I could've eaten that all day. Our waitress was great. I actually had her as a waitress at another establishment and she has been the bomb every time. All in all, I doubt if I return. That lasagna was a deal breaker. Lasagna isn't hard but I don't think I'll be back! read more

The pizza here is our new favorite. It has so much flavor and just the right amount of sauce and cheese and toppings. The salad was fresh and tasted great! The chicken Alfredo was a 2 out of 10 stars. It's definitely not worth $16... it lacks seasoning and any flavor .. very bland. We will definitely return for pizza though! read more

Food was AMAZING!!! We got food for lunch and supper - the bomb pizza, pepperoni, lasagna with pepperoni, beef spaghetti with meatballs, and the garlic bread. Seriously EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING! I'm being generous knocking off one star because it was so hot in there when we first got there and then the air went out half way through our meal. Not to mention, I have a 9month old and they had no changing station in the bathroom - it's 2022, get a changing station. read more

My husband and I absolutely love this place. I'm sad I live across town now and we don't get to go as often as we would like. All you can eat spaghetti night was one of our favorite nights to go. The spaghetti was always fantastic and the garlic bread that went with it was devine. The pizza buffet is also great. We always tried to make sure we were at Allison's table and she would ask if they were anything we wanted on the buffet and put in a request with the kitchen for us. And, yes, they do have some of the VERY best phillies in town. If you go, I highly recommend trying to sit in Allison's section. All of their staff is great, but she is absolutely top notch. read more

Very's Great Philly Food - Sandwiches Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

It's a comfortable place. Our server was super nice. Ordered the Phili Cheesesteak. It was very salty and the fries were cold. I'd go back to try their Italian food but I personally did not find the Cheesesteak appealing. read more

So let's get the 5 star rating out of the way. Is this what I'd call a 5 star dining establishment? No. But it is the best cheesesteak I've had outside of Philly (well close to Philly). Out of the "top two" ie Pat's and Geno's in Philly, I'm quite frankly not a fan of either. Geno's steak reminds me of lunch meat and Pat's is cut too thick and too fatty for my liking. I don't really care for the "new kid on the block" Tony Luke's either. The best cheesesteak around Philly imo is Ray's in Lansdale. The meat is of very high quality, cut thin, dry texture but moist meat, and sliced thin. Everything I love about Ray's can be found at Very's. I like my cheesesteak like I like my pulled pork. Cut/shredded thinly so it wilts nicely to give it a drier texture. A high quality meat has to be used for this to be successful and not have dried meat. Once you actually bite into the meat, the trapped juice is exposed and melts in your mouth. Very's succeeds in every sense in the right meat for a cheesesteak. The steak is of great quality and cooked perfectly on the flattop. Another key to Very's being great is their use of very little oil. The steak is not greasy at all, and any juices comes from the meat itself. That is their philosophy with all of the food though. Even their fries are oven baked, not deep fried. I don't think they even have a deep frier on the premises. Ok, so that's one of the three essential components of a cheesesteak. Let's talk about the next two: the roll & the cheese. The rolls are imported Amoroso rolls from Philly and are perfect for a cheesesteak. They are soft and hold up well to the steak. The next is the cheese. They do not offer the "authentic" cheese whiz (thankfully as I hate the dreaded stuff), and instead top the sandwich by default with provolone, though I'm sure they'd be happy to put on whatever cheese they have. My only complaint about the provolone is it's not very sharp, but I like a strong cheese. By default the sandwich comes plain (as it should be eaten imo), but you can add onions, mushrooms, peppers or even make it a pizza cheesesteak by adding mozzarella and sauce (all at no additional cost). As far as sides, I won't bother going into too much detail. The fries are great, though as I said, oven baked. The vegetables are all fresh and the salads are actually pretty decent. I plan on trying a couple of the hoagies and definitely the pizza at some point. Bottom line, if you're looking for a cheesesteak in Columbia, this is THE place to go. read more

Very's Great Philly Food - Sandwiches Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Ok so we were visiting Columbia and looking for food. Of course, I consult my magical Yelp app for assistance. I see the rave reviews posted by my trusted fellow yelpers, like Paul B. I say "forward to yonder cheese steak deliciousness, husband". I often speak to him like this. He is used to it. I was slightly on edge by the mention of roaches in one review. I am extremely wary of cleanliness issues but I press on. We arrived, were greeted and seated promptly. I am pleased, but looking for evidence of aforementioned crawling things... I see none, but I do see thick black crusty buildup on the ceiling fans and a/c vents. I remain on edge...so I resort to my ultimate "do I stay or do I go now" test. (test = I visit the restroom....if nasty and/or no soap is available, I make a pass by our table, grab husband by the collar and make a break for the exit with haste....if clean and properly supplied with soap I return to table, sit down and proceed to look over the menu) Husband is used to this too. The restroom is spotless and well supplied for hand washing. I am again pleased. I decide that a chance for a good cheese steak is worth overlooking the overall need for a deep cleaning. The sandwiches were excellent. All that was mentioned in the prior reviews, and then some. A neighboring table was served a pizza and it looked and smelled great. Husband and I decided to try pizza next time we visit. A good cleaning and this place would have gotten the five stars from me too! read more

Very's Great Philly Food - Gooey and delicious! - Sandwiches Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

I tried this place for lunch based on some of the Yelp reviews and they all got it right! The outside of this establishment is very underwhelming and a tad bit scary. It could do with some maintenance....especially their sign, which slowly chipping away. The inside was better. I appeared to be clean, but a little outdated in furniture and decor. Kind of a mix between those creepy cafeteria type restaurants in retirement communities and something you would find in your tacky great aunt's house. But fear not! For the food is delicious! I ordered my food to go, so I can't tell you much about the sit down service. However, the lady that took my order at the register was very polite and I received my meal relatively quickly. I had the Mushroom Cheesesteak, all the way (lettuce, tomatoes, and grilled onions) with a side of their seasoned fries. The fries are very reminiscent of the Arby's Curly Fries without the Curly. If you like those, then you will love Very's fries! The cheesesteak was also great. It was a lot of meaty, juicy flavor in every bite! The only thing I didn't like was that you had to add the fries for an extra charge. I'm a big fan of meals and deals, so I don't take too kindly to all the separate little dishes. That being said, the price wasn't awful. It was around $10. I'll have to go back and try their pizza some time! I've read a lot of reviews of how wonderful it is! I'll let you know when I do. read more

Very's Great Philly Food - Sandwiches Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

I don't like giving 3 star or less reviews but I want to stay true to my experience. As such, I'm giving this place 3 stars. My wife and I were both craving a Philly cheesesteak and hoped on Yelp to see what we could find. Not to my surprise, not many places popped up. We did not feel like driving too far or out the way so we picked this place. The reviews were mixed but we know they are of others opinions, so we decided to go ahead and try it out. We called ahead as we drove so we did not have to wait long. The person who answered was friendly and helpful. We ordered a large Philly with everything except lettuce and mushrooms and a side of their seasoned fries. We were both really surprised because up north, the Philly places usually sell the Philly and fries together as a combo. Arrived and the food was ready upon arrival. It tasted just ok. The large Philly with a side of fries can feed two people or one very hungry person easily! I liked that they cut it in half, seeminglyaking it two sandwiches. The Philly wasn't seasoned that much and the fries were over seasoned. Eating them together was perfect. However, I don't feel that I should be getting my seasoning for my Philly from my fries, especially if they do not come with the sandwich. Overall, it was ok. Going to try some other places first before I return here for this particular desire. read more