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    Blue Marlin

    3.9 (856 reviews)
    ModerateSeafood, Steakhouses
    Closed 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 4:30 PM - 10:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Blue Marlin Photos

    Business Info

    BLUE MARLIN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Classy
    Outdoor seating
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Blue Marlin

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    Charleston Crab Cake
    Linda S.

    Exceptional Food Exceptional Service Exceptional atmosphere These are the reasons I keep returning! Make sure to ask for the complementary collard greens

    Menu
    Shilisa D.

    Upon arrival we were greeted by the hostess and seated. The restaurant has a nice steakhouse feel. We ordered the ribeye, she crab soup, crab cake, the pecan salad. The ribeye was delicious and cooked to perfection. The she crab soup was very bland and soupy. The crab cake was mediocre, it really didn't have the crabby taste and the salad was just okay.

    Moscato
    Stephenie B.

    In town for business and our client suggested to meet at this restaurant for dinner. First thing inside was very clean and nice. Didn't get to get a drink at the bar but looked very comfortable to sit at the bar if you didn't want to wait for a table. Our server was the best and gave us a couple of recommendations to choose from. I forgot his name...I need to remember these names so I can call them out here! Anyway....I started out with a glass of Moscato which was had the perfect sweetness and not overly sweet. Very crisp and refreshing. Then I had the She Crab soup, which was very rich....and had a lot of crab in it. It was DELICIOUS!!!!!! We did share the firecracker shrimp as an appetizer and the shrimp was cooked and seasoned perfectly and not overly spicy but just enough to give it a kick with the peppers! And I had the Seared Scallops with Pasta. It had a little too much cheese for my liking however the scallops were not overcooked and was very good! The pasta was fettucine and it tasted like it was homemade! But the dish was very good. Would definitely come here again when I'm back in town.

    Travis T.

    The complimentary bread with butter was delicious, but the shrimp and grits were bomb. The crab cakes with rice and collard greens were delicious too. The inside had a historic and cozy feeling to it. Overall, I would return to this place whenever I'm in Columbia again.

    Grilled Teriyaki Salmon
    Anna K.

    The Salmon Salad was amazing! I love when the salad dressing and lettuce are a perfect ratio. The service was very attentive and accommodating to our requests. Great for a nice dinner with friends and family.

    Award Winning Blue Marlin Shrimp & Grits
    Letoya W.

    Service was great, but the food was a major disappointment. The shrimp and grits had poor presentation and looked unappetizing. The quality of the ingredients was subpar - shrimp were very small that lacked freshness and flavor. Overall, the dish fell well below expectations. Raise the prices to get better quality products and become more competitive. Gain back your recognition of Award Winning Shrimp and Grits.

    Crab Cake Sandwich
    Billie Y.

    How amazing was it all. Special place for a nice night out. Food was amazing and located in a wonderful area. Food was on point and everything was great.

    Shrimp, Grits & Andouille
    John E.

    Another great meal at Blue Marlin. Pinak and Rilee were great for our meal at the bar! We ate at the bar as normal so I could watch the tube and have easy access to cocktails. With the Masters Tournament in town, met folks for the UK and had great conversations! The Latern Parade with New Orleans styled music graced patio diners. It was great!!!

    She Crab Soup, collards, palmetto pecan salad and the best bread ever!
    Vee F.

    Blue Marlin was so on point today! I would give 7 stars. I had the she-crab soup, which was tasty, the palmetto pecan salad was delicious and the sweet tea was perfect. The collards were PERFECT, the last two times I ate there, they were so salty I couldn't eat them. My server, Sydney was super sweet and really nice. I've never had a bad server to be honest and the ambiance was great. I had a couple of servers check on me even though I was not in their section and the cooks were having fun in the kitchen but not to the point where they were a disturbance. I have been eating at Blue Marlin for over 30 years and they have been consistent. See you all for lunch next week.

    Pan-Seared Scallops

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    5 months ago

    The food is excellent, and the ambiance is pleasant. Last time, the wait was long but manageable.

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    7 months ago

    They turn away potential customers who are willing to spend money on a Saturday at 920pm when they close at 10pm. Laziness

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    3 years ago

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    4 months ago

    I always enjoy going to the Blue Marlin. The food and ambience is always good. Service is good.

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    Page 1 of 22

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    4.2(483 reviews)
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    I am not sure how this restaurant 'only' has 4.2 starts! It should be 5!!…read more About 3 years ago, we tried Halls Chophouse of Charleston and was undeniably impressed by the quality of the steaks, sides, and the service. Since we were in the Columbia area, we had to come back! The service here is top-notch, and ALL high end restaurants should take note. Servers and managers are always standing around in the hallway practically waiting to help you, are there to start conversation and make you enjoy your experience. Our waitress constantly came around to check on us. Great work! In Charleston, we got the prime rib and loved it. So, as a result, we got the prime rib again AND loved it again! It was just like how we remembered it; tender and great flavor. Their sides come in large portions (shareable). They do have great mac-and-cheese. It kind of gives us like a Spanish vibe, probably because it consists of a certain spice or Jalapeños (my guess), but that does not make it spicy! All it does is adds complexity to the flavor. For dessert, we shared the cookie skillet. It comes with ice cream on top with chocolate syrup and caramel on the side. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.. that's how we like it!! I highly recommend you give Halls Chophouse a try. You will not be disappointed!

    I love this restaurant. I've had nearly every item on the menu at this point. The wait staff has…read morebeen fantastic (special thanks to Andy) for every one of my visits. They are pretty accommodating for walk-ins. The mood is always right with the live music at night and dim lighting in their back dining rooms. The only bad experience I've had was with the burger that came out a little too rare.

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    We stopped in, and you should too. After a bit of a slow start due to their staffing issues, our…read morewaitress was personable and attentive. The menu has great choices that I haven't seen elsewhere. I ordered chicken salad in a bread bowl, and it was really delicious. The bowl is topped with cheese and popped in the over, so it arrives hot. The bread bowl had a wonderfully crispy crust and tender inside, and the chicken salad was warm and tasty. I've had soup bread bowls, but not hot and crispy, and of course, not chicken salad. The sides menu is a long list; I chose onion rings. They were plentiful, crunchy, and very flavorful - as far from the heavily breaded limp onion rings most places serve as you could get. We ate in the late afternoon, but the place still had several parties like us. We liked the vibe, casually upscale, and unpretentious. Go!

    We had 8 members from our lunch group here today for lunch. Great service...waitress set up a high…read moretable for eight and took our drinks quickly. We had three orders for the Madarin Chicken Salad, two pizzas, a prime rib sandwich, a hamburger, and a chicken wrap. Also had a side order of the truffle parmesan fries. The fries were great and everyone liked them. The Mandarin Chicken Salad was also very good, loaded with mandarin oranges, crisp lettuce, nuts and tons of other goodies. The salad dressing was fabulous. All three of us liked it. Pizzas were great and so was the hamburger and wrap. All in all it was one of our top rated lunches this year. We rate everything on a 10 scale so it ended up with a 9.25 average...so half to give it a 5 based on the Yelp 5 star system.

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    Bourbon

    4.2(713 reviews)
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    Not my favorite, just very average. Pork chop had good taste…read morebut didn't stand out and even on a weeknight, service was pretty average. Great spot if going for drinks but should be low on the list for dinner spots.

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    Goat's - Mussels and frites

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    We came here for dinner and drinks on a date night. The environment is nice and cozy and when you…read morewalk in you see a beautiful dessert display! We of course had to try a slice of peanut butter cake. My husband loved it (he picked the dessert). I picked our drinks and they have an excellent drink variety. We started our meal with the queso tots and they were delicious! Wiped them out! I ordered the lobster mac and cheese and he got the philly cheesesteak. He absolutely raved about his sandwich and said it was the best he ever had. I wouldn't order the lobster mac again but it was presented beautifully. I look forward to going back and trying the mussels. I saw many of those orders coming out and definitely looked so good! Great spot to check out for drinks, desserts, and a bite!

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    The Hollow - Duck confit

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    4.4(104 reviews)
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    Blue Marlin - seafood - Updated May 2026

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