Great food and friendly service. Loved the nacho fries and elote particularly. Kids loved their grilled cheese - thanks!

The food is always fantastic! Amazing atmosphere, clean bathrooms, and wonderful service. Our waitress, Lauryn, was super polite and respectful of us and our time. Our food came out in a timely manner and looked amazing!!! read more

Publico - Birria quesadilla, House Kimchi, French fries, and shrimp poke bowl!! - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

We waited two hours to eat. We waited another hour to get our food and then when the food was delivered, it was explained to us that several people had walked out that night from the kitchen, so the food was delayed and not only was the food delayed it was cold and not worthy of eating so we sent it back and walked out. My recommendation would be make sure they're fully staffed before you enter this place and wait that long and waste your evening for nothing. read more

Whoa! This place is everything I want a restaurant experience to be. It's just fun. I'll admit I've lived in Columbia for six years and have never ate in Five Points because I tend to stray away because of the college vibe (not trying to relive those days). Not to knock Cola, but this place doesn't look like it'd be in Columbia. It's modern/sophisticated/not intimidating. It's just the perfect experience. Their specials are quite the bang for your buck. Essentially, a taco is around $5 bucks here and sides are 3-4 bucks a piece. We got the 5 tacos and 2 sides for $23 dollars. You can go ahead and add all that up and it's almost $35 bucks of food you're getting discounted for $12 dollars off. We got a pineapple margarita which was...you know? Fun. We got Cauliflower Bites which were tempura fried and were absolutely delicious. We got the taco deal with: Two Shrimp Tacos, Bahm Mi Taco, Fish Taco, and a Birriah Taco. Our sides were fries and plantains. All just perfectly executed. The Shrimp and fish tasted fresh and not frozen. Plus, they have five different hot sauces at every table that are fun to try out with your food. Places like this make me proud to live in Columbia. Every once in a while I'll go to a restaurant and you just walk out so damn satisfied. That's this place. I'd take anyone here to show off Cola. P.S. - Super dog friendly and puppy menu goes to a good cause. Next time I come I'm bringing my Greyhound to treat her. read more

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Bartenders were mean and pretentious. Would not come here if I were you. Hostesses were extremely nice, which was the only highlight of this experience. You could find better food at any other authentic Mexican restaurant in Columbia. read more

Great lunch in 5-Points with my Bride. Publico celebrates Taco Tuesday on Monday for special tacos. We really liked the tacos and my Bride had a Macrobiotic Salad. Healthy and great. Our servers, Mary Grace and Savannah were so nice and accommodating. Be sure and ask for them when you come to eat these great tacos. read more

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I love the vibe in here. Not only was their Valentine's Day cocktail I got a while back the best thing I have ever drank, but the ramen is absolutely phenomenal. Shoutout to my server Emily for being extremely kind and knowledgeable! She is the best!! read more

Publico - Valentine's Day Cocktails - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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First time visiting today. We went around 2:30. There was no wait and we still hit the brunch menu. We sat outside. The atmosphere here is awesome. The staff is super friendly. Would I go back? Absolutely! If you haven't tried it yet, you need to add it to your list. read more

Publico - Kids Quesadilla - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Went for a girls lunch in one of the igloos. It was spacious and nice. The sun beamed directly in us for the first hour so bring shades of you go during the day. The food was served hot and was good. We had a round of the pineapple margaritas which were really good. The staff was very nice and attentive also! read more

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I noticed this place while looking at some real estate and was like why not pop in and have a drink afterwards. The bartender made a delicious margarita and then I decided to try out their tacos which turned out to be bomb. I wish I had ordered more but had to go meet some friends for happy hour read more

Publico - Chicken Tinga - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Taco's were trash, not a great flavor, soggy tortilla wraps, drinks were great, Environment is fun! read more

The food was good. It just took forever. The waiter stated needed help in the kitchen. The training of workers need to be looked at more seriously. I know it mostly college students but, they need to stop playing in their hair, digging in their shirts while trying to fix drinks and cut up fruit without washing their hands. I noticed this after ordering my drinks. read more

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Came by here on a Thursday night around 9:30. I ordered the crispy shrimp burrito as a bowl + shredded lettuce. When it came out the bowl was saturated with crema and other sauces. I ate about half before deciding it was just not eatable... the flavor combo was ok it was just too much sauce on a plate that could do with a light drizzle of each sauce type. Normally I'd speak up and ask to get it remade but it was close to kitchen closing time (10pm) by the time I received my food. Their cocktails are super syrupy and sweet. Honestly, this place is more for casual drinks and apps. Crowd is mostly college kids. read more

Food is absolutely terrible and you can tell the kitchen staff/management literally do not care if the food is absolute crap! The gyoza was cold, limp, and literally drenched in sesame oil...barf! 2 stars is generous and only because our server was super nice along with apologetic for how long it took to get what we ordered. Backyard dog park vibe is very cool and I'd come back for a drink but the culinary chops here are completely nonexistent. Nice stock response from management following the review...smh! Definitely not going back...frozen reheated gyoza covered in oil is not "high quality ingredients!" This business model may work to make money off wasted students but the food is only served so you can sling booze and some tacky pineapple drinks that tasted like pure sugar + zero alcohol. Shame on y'all! read more

Mg rocks. Service great. Delicious and Patio fun. Get the shrimp tacos. Happy hour always fun. read more

Publico - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Came on a Friday afternoon. Menu has a wide variety and kids menu options as well. Large choice of beer and drink options. Overall food was good with slight room for improvement. Burritos are a good portion but shrimp burrito comes in a bowl of sauce and makes it almost impossible to eat with your hands, also doesn't come with chips compared to the chicken or beef. There are weekly specials offer so be sure to check on which day you are coming in. We were the only guest so I can't speak much to the ambience or the service. read more

Disappointed with my St. Patrick's Day pickup order experience at Publico. Despite being understanding of potential staff fatigue, and waiting 50 minutes in the restaurant only to receive incomplete and unsatisfactory food was disheartening. I love publico just wish publico loved me more then one shrimp and no toppings. read more

Publico - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Glad to return to eat here again. Food is still as good as it ever was. Always fun mixture of flavors and the right liquid companion always on tap read more

I LOVED this restaurant. It is indeed a fairly pricey college bar/young professional taco place that makes you think cultural appropriation, but damn, the tacos and drinks were good and it was open for late night food. There were good deals on tacos, especially if you were in a large group. I loved the variety. read more

This is a very hipster kinda place with a menu to match. The drinks were very good and had unique names and the beers were very refreshing and varied in area of origin. There are varioous seating areas depending on your preference (outside or in) Ahhh but to the food. My entree, Chicken and Puffles was absolutely fabulous and inventive. From the menu: Thai marinated all natural, freerange Springer Mountain chicken thigh - Hong Kong bubble waffe - spicy maple syrup- jalapeño butter medallion and a side of fried plantain. TO DIE FOR! I really did not thing the kimchi and the syrup and the jalapeño butter would work as well as they did! really a feast! Now for the not so great part. My wife decided to try the CALENTADO which consisted of: Brown rice, Black beans, House salsa and Spicy Mexican chorizo, in a cast iron skillet topped with a sunny side up egg and served with corn tostadas. ahhhhh....No it was pretty tasteless, and the dish did not deliver what the description Promised. So why 5 stars? because like any place worth their salt there will be dishes that wow and sadly dishes that don't do the place justice. To be fair, our son and daughyter and grandson were there and over all were very pleased with what they had so .... I would highly recommend this place because of the ambiance, and their inventive offererings even if the entree my wife had was the one out of 5 that wasn't up to snuff. Highly reccomended! read more

Interesting menu items great drinks cute outdoor seating. Bathroom was really clean which is a definite plus. The inside has a odd smell idk if it's because there is alot of seafood on the menu. Overall clean restaurant wasn't packed at all. There was a incident where there was a hair in my friends food. The manager all but accused her of lying about it. The incident was resolved we will still come back because the menu is awesome and atmosphere at night seem so cool read more

Publico - Shrimp and chorizo quesadilla - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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The service here is next to the worst you'll find in Columbia as a whole. Our server was beyond entitled, nasty, and couldn't even buss her own tables. The host they have at the front with the mini shorts on was disgustingly rude and lost them out on a ton of customers. The food somehow looks amazing, but was next to unbearable. The amount of salt used makes you puff up and everything is always so dry and strange tasting. Overall, the staff here is the reason you should skip. They are beyond rude, standoffish, and poorly trained. I sincerely hope they start taking these reviews into account considering this is the fourth person I've seen in the last week have a horrible experience. I am appalled at the (lack of) service and hope they do some staff training and learn how to control your nasty facial expressions. Might I add, we waited two hours for a plate of tacos lmao. DO NOT COME HERE, 95% of people regret it. read more

Publico is a very cool space with an interesting menu with a variety of foods. Their food ranges from burritos and tacos to ramen to poke. I came here at noon on a Friday and was seated immediately. There are specials for every day of the week, Friday being $2 Jell-O shots. I ordered the El Guapo burrito which had beans, ground beef confit, lettuce, pico, guacamole, jalapeños sour cream, and cheese. While the burrito was decent, the majority ingredient inside was just the beef. The ratio among the other ingredients was way too little. It basically tasted like a jalapeño and beef burrito with slight crunch from lettuce. My friend had the stuffed shrimp and chorizo quesadilla which comes with shrimp, chorizo cream cheese, jalapeños, jack cheese and scallions. She said that it was decent as well, but that she expected more spice based on the chorizo cream cheese and the jalapeños. It ended up being pretty mild. While I admire this place for choosing to go with Mexican-asian fusion, I feel that the end result is a bit lackluster. Maybe the more Asian-inspired dishes are better constructed? For any place that offers ramen, I'd say it's worth another shot. read more

Publico - El guapo burrito. - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Excellent and varied food. Eclectic menu and interesting combination of flavors. Great service and good ambiance!

Nice atmosphere. Good service. Good food. With an extensive menu and drink selection. Location near U of SC is great.

another of my favorite venues-- excellent service, food and atmosphere... friendly and very welcoming. ‼ read more

Publico Kitchen and Tap on Greene Street in Columbia is a great place to go for delicious food and drinks in a cool and unique atmosphere. I have had a really good experience every time that I have been here. Well worth a visit. read more

Publico - Publico - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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The food was just Meh! Spicy beef ramen had overcooked slimy noodles and a flavorless broth. The braised beef bowl had a good flavor, but the portion size for the price was not what I would have expected. The "Latin" rice tasted like the 90 second bags of rice you microwave. The Peruvian Surf and Turf again used the same rice that tastes like it's from a microwave bag. The shrimp and beef had good flavor. read more

More Tap than Kitchen. My wife is GF but I am not so I was hopeful for this place because they came recommended on a GF App. There was a good selection on the brunch menu but unfortunately items were either not available or not able to make GF and our waitress didn't know which items they were able to make GF. In all fairness the food was very good but this is place is more of a trending watering hole than restaurant. read more

Publico - Nachos - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

I will never come to this establishment again. They treat the black people like they are about to steal their stuff. The management caters to the white people more than taking care of minorities. It's really sad in 2022 that this is still going on. If you don't believe me just sit back and watch. Dear Michael., I never cursed out your general manager or the bartender first off I did tell her if you think this policy is right then then it makes you a moron. I never ordered a drink all I asked for was for a menu to purchase food my friend wanted alcohol I didn't want alcohol only thing I wanted was food and I thought it was crazy just have to start a tab on food read more

I really love this place. Food is amazing and they have whatever beverage you could possibly want. Service always good. Love the inside/outside atmosphere, and right at the entrance to Segra Ball Park One of our favorite spots in Columbia. read more

Was not impressed. I'm your margarita girl and so I was so excited to try this place after leaving the fireflies game. The food was just not good at all. It was Friday night so I grabbed the margarita in the pineapple. It was the cutest however didn't taste spectacular at all like I was expecting from this place. The second one I got - I'm positive wasn't even a margarita. To me it tasted like Malibu and pineapple juice. Won't be some place I choose to go back to. read more

Publico - Pineapple margarita - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Mary Grace was soooo amazing!! Great service, she gave great details about everything on the menu! She gave her preference as well as the popular items and weekly specials. She was very attentive and respectful!! Love love love her! Will be coming back to get serviced from her! Thank you Publico for the amazing, fresh, lunch! read more

We love their food although it can be a little expensive for what you get. Great ambiance and outdoor spaces at both Columbia locations. Service at the location by the fireflies stadium can be slow and inattentive but good beer selection. Outdoor seating is dog friendly!!! read more

Only cold breakfast food on Sundays btwn 10-3. No real tacos. Food took 30 minutes to come out, then was cold. It was not busy. Somehow they didn't realize they were out of chorizo until most of the food came out. Coffee was really weak. Usually their regular food is just mid but not bad like their brunch menu. Our server was nice. read more

I've ordered from Publico twice via DoorDash and I have been delighted to receive such fresh and delicious food each time. So kudos to both Publico for making great food and to DoorDash for getting it to me still and and looking as if just left the kitchen rather than being packaged, moved about several times and then deposited at my hotel door. Both times I ordered the Flash Bang Shrimp Tacos on corn tortillas and I can't recommend this dish enough it was fabulous. Soft fresh corn tortillas, juicy fresh and perfectly fried shrimp topped with house made kimchi, sriracha aioli and slivers of green green onions. Possibly the best shrimp tacos I've had! I also had the Vietnamese Noodle Salad which was a huge salad for the price (11.99) full of noodles, sliced cucumbers and fresh baby spinach and topped with large grilled shrimp and while the shrimp were well seasoned I can only assume the vinegarette that was to dressed the salad was forgotten because there was no seasoning nor spice without the shrimp. I also had on my second delivery in addition to more shrimp tacos the elote corn off the cob. The corn was very good and a great side to choice for the tacos. The elote was well spiced spiced and full of flavor from the cojita cheese, lime and chili. Publico has a great variety and definitely warrants an actual trip to restaurant to try more of what they have to offer. read more

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I had read great reviews about this restaurant, and my partner and I were very excited to try it out after a long day at work. On Tuesday, 8/30/22, at approximately 615pm, we entered. There were 4 tables currently sat, all but one had food and drinks. We were greeted with smiles and sat. About 10 minutes of waiting, another couple came and sat near us. They were greeted and their server even apologized for their wait. All the while, we hadn't even been acknowledged since we sat. The other table before us had already been there for 30 minutes and received the same service, or lack thereof. Another 10 minutes went by, and after we got tired of watching the servers socializing at the hostess stand, we got up and left. I did say something to the host, and she seemed annoyed that I was even speaking to her. I was excited to try this establishment, but we will not be returning. read more

Food is absolutely delicious. Nice environment, friendly staff. Very clean place. Hot sauces on the table are really good, garlic one is the best one. Overall we had a good experience. That said, service takes a while. It's worth the wait, but you'll be there a while before you get your order. read more

Love, love, love the food and atmosphere! Kelly the manager is amazing. My husband and I took our daughter to the Igloos for Valentine's Day and loved it! We had so much fun and can't wait to go back. read more

Publico - My on Valentine's Day! - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Stopped in after a day of shopping for a quick bite to eat. They had a daily special of a pineapple margarita which was very delicious! The taco was very flavorful and the service was quick! read more

Publico - Pineapple margarita - New American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina