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What's Cookin' Downtown

4.2 (87 reviews)
Closed Closed
Updated over 3 months ago

What's Cookin' Downtown Photos

Business Info

WHAT'S COOKIN' DOWNTOWN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Quiet
Casual
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - What's Cookin' Downtown

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Menu
Kevin H.

What's Cookin Downtown, Food: I ordered the Ruben and Chicken Sandwich. The Ruben was served hot and the rye bread was toasted and buttery. The corned beef was sooo good. The chicken sandwich was just as amazing however the Ruben was hands down the best. Service: Great service and customer service. Ambiance: I love this restaurant! It's large than it looks. It has a large separate dining area also, outside seating. Well maintained and orderly.

Spinach and Bacon Salad
Kim W.

Food: Very good. We tried the spinach and bacon salad and a fish sandwich. Good portions, prices reasonable. Ambiance: Cute place. A couple hours before closing and half of the seating area was closed. Service: Fast food type order, self serve drinks and condiments. Our order was delivered, then we were on our own. We weren't greeted or asked if everything was to our liking. Our takeaway was if you're in a hurry, don't want to drive through and want to grab a quick bite and go, this is the place for you.

Kylie A.

We came here for breakfast and left with full bellies. The atmosphere made you feel right at home and warm on a cold rainy day. I ordered the small grits bowl with an over medium egg, cheese, and bacon. It hit the spot for a hearty breakfast meal. The employees greeted you with a smile and were extremely helpful when I could not make up my mind as to what to order. We will definitely be making this a regular breakfast spot. In the side room, you can order different takeout and to go casseroles which we hope to try soon!

The Shealy!
Shelby B.

This is the most unassuming little hidden gem in Aiken. From the storefront, and to some degree even the inside, you'd never know this was a place where you can find what might be the best burger in Aiken. I wouldn't say it's the nicest looking place to eat, but it gets the job done and the outdoor seating is very nice! They have a variety of different breakfast and lunch foods, but the burger, and specifically the Shelly burger, is where they really shine in my opinion. This is a huge burger, packed with pimento cheese and flavour that you can't miss out on. Prices are really good for the food and being downtown. Service is classic southern hospitality level kindness.

Half sandwich with soup. $11
Moshi M.

Ambience. B Service. A Food. A Price. A Found on main avenue Lauren's street. Has huge dining area in back and also lots of takeout premade options. Order at counter. And they serve at table. Get your own silverware and condiments. Dining room ultra quiet. Needed music Also serve breakfast. Had curry chicken very light curry but tasty. And friend has Reuben with chunk slices of corned beefi. In toasted rye. Overall, I would come back I'm a FaN!

Angel M.

The food came so quickly. It is a large room with a lot of seating. They made a mistake with one of our orders but did not say sorry and seemed annoyed they had to fix the issue.

French toast with cream cheese and orange marmalade
Katie R.

Quick to get our order, quick to get our food out. It was hot and delicious. Eggs cooked right. French toast tasted with just the perfect hint of the orange. Ambience was nice and cozy. Would love to go back and try more. If I had to pick one thing to change possibly, have juice made or bought for refills. But other wise it's not a big deal to buy a container.

Strawberry cheesecake Cake
Tanzy M.

This strawberry cheese cake was creamy moist and oh so delicious! All I can say is go and hope they have it still available!!! Oh did I mention the graham cracker crust oh my!

Fish sandwich with chips and coleslaw and grilled cheese in the background.
Brian A.

Wife and I happened upon this place while exploring the Aiken area. I ordered a fish sandwich with potato chips and coleslaw and she had a grilled cheese on wheat bread and chips. Service was fast and very friendly! It is a very casual place with lots of local memorabilia. Comfortable atmosphere and not too crowded. We'll definitely be back!

Breakfast plate with turkey and hash browns

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4 months ago

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5 months ago

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9 days ago

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11 months ago

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1 year ago

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6 months ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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9 months ago

Food, services and personnel was great. Time and preparation was quick and the food was hot

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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9 months ago

Solid lunch option in Downtown Aiken. Affordable, good seating options. Consider the Reuben or the Margaret, with hash rounds!

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

Sausage patties were over cooked as were the hash browns. Service time was slow. Overall disappointed. Won't be back soon.

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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5 years ago

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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8 years ago

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2 years ago

Breakfast is great and lunch menus change frequently. Take home casseroles are outstanding

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7 years ago

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

Okay food! Ordering your food was not organized and slow. Eggs overcooked .American Breakfast

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3 years ago

Food and service were good. It's a consistent spot for lunch and easy to get in and out.

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4 years ago

Good food, great atmosphere. Nice place. We were passing through and saw reviews. Glad we did.

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4 years ago

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Good Girl Brewing Co - Holy Water

Good Girl Brewing Co

4.6(43 reviews)
2.1 mi
$$

We love coming here for great beer and apps! Although their food is really good, too! Family…read morefriendly and lots of talented musicians.

I decided to check Aiken out last week and made sure to stop by GGB. I really enjoy trying local…read morebeer and figured I'd swing by. All in all, I really enjoyed my visit. They have a great space with plenty of seating, both indoors and out. They have TVs throughout the brewery so watching a game there is probably pretty easy. I started with the onion rings and then went with the double smash burger and I have to say it was solid. They also have a great selection of beers which included several guest taps. My only piece of constructive criticism is that when I got my 3 growlers filled at the end of my visit (because they have good beer and I wanted to drink more later), my growlers were neither sealed nor labeled. For those that don't know, breweries usually label the growlers with beer your ordered and seal it so it doesn't leak. I've only ever run into this once before, it was in Amarillo, TX. I didn't make a fuss about it but it didn't come off as the most professional or polished in that respect. I'd really like to see them reexamine this part of their operation and possibly consider branded labels for the growlers (so that you know what you're drinking) and branded caps (their dog logo would fit perfectly and be a good way to rep the brand). Overall, I had a great visit. But I'll inquire before getting my growlers filled again.

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Good Girl Brewing Co - Holy Water

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Malia's - Wild boar

Malia's

4.2(178 reviews)
0.1 mi
$$

The people and food was great I had the Wild boar and it…read morewas awesome Visiting from NYC and here for a week I'll be back for the rest of the menu Thank you

I was in town visiting family and we chose Malia's for dinner. We made a reservation for 3 at…read more6:30pm. We were kindly greeted as we walked in and we loved the new decor. We were then seated in the small side room to the right that has 3 tables. Everything started off ok, then soon declined. We felt like we were forgotten because we were seated away from the center area. Service became worse. Our waitress, Paige, was nice at the start, but we felt as if we were being rushed. We were there on a Wednesday evening and there were plenty of empty tables. We were very easy and only there for 1 & 1/2 hours. We felt like we were bothering her. We asked three times (2 different employees) for wine/water refills, which we waited 15 minutes for. Just as we were getting up to find someone to cancel them, they were brought out in a hurry. The wedge salad is good, very small. A small, adorable, well behaved dog was sitting in a chair at the table next us. Her head rested on the table with her owners. She was let down and went over and vomited between our table and hers. Numerous employees noticed it and walked past/over it several times without getting it up. It continued to sit there as we ate our meals. Then, an employee stepped in it and continue on as if not to see it. We really wanted this to be great and see that the new ownership was going well, but we were terribly disappointed. We unfortunately will not be back. For the price of food and atmosphere, The Willcox is a much better option. I truly do not like writing such a negative review, but hopefully they will improve the issues we in countered tonight.

Photos
Malia's
Malia's - Caesar salad...HUGE, for what reason? But so good

Caesar salad...HUGE, for what reason? But so good

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The Willcox Restaurant - Chilean Sea Bass,
salsa verde, charred cherry tomatoes

The Willcox Restaurant

4.1(150 reviews)
0.4 mi
$$$

We came today for their Easter brunch and had a very pleasant experience. We called in the morning…read moreand they assured us that walk-ins were welcome, even though reservations were booked out. The hostess Victoria was a gem; she's very kind and welcoming. She was able to accommodate my family of 4 with a table inside the dining room after a 40 minute wait. We just killed time by checking out the downtown area that was a short 3 minute walk around the corner. Our server was Michael and he made our dinning experience very memorable. He was sweet, engaging, and checked in on us often. He kept welcoming us back to visit again. That's the southern hospitality we keep hearing about. Food was delicious. They had a really good spring salad with fresh peas, asparagus, radishes and a Dijon vinaigrette. We all went back for that twice (buffet style). They served roasted lamb with a mint chimichurri style sauce. It was cooked very well. Shrimp and grits were fresh and flavorful. I highly recommended coming here. Seems like a treasure a lot of locals enjoy. Thank you Wilcox staff!

I wanted so badly for this to be a good experience, but unfortunately it was one of the most…read moredisappointing dining experiences I've had in a long time. From the beginning, service felt off. A manager came to our table asking odd, uncomfortable questions instead of addressing the lack of service. The "special of the night" we were served was not what had been described, and when concerns were raised, the situation was dismissed and brushed off. The entrée--duck over butter beans with kielbasa topped with bbq sauce --was truly revolting. We waited nearly two hours without drinks or real service. By the time a very mediocre salad arrived, the bar had closed and staff had begun clearing furniture, and the warmth of the room had disappeared entirely. Things took an alarming turn when someone put out the indoor fireplace, sending ashes and embers onto me. What should have been treated as a serious safety issue was met with dismissiveness and laughter. After doing my best to stay positive all evening, that was the moment my patience ran out--I was frustrated and angry, and rightly so. To top it off, I was handed a $70 bill for this experience. Never an apology or accountability for the evening. This wasn't a small mistake or an off night--it was a breakdown in hospitality, professionalism, and responsibility. Extremely disappointing.

Photos
The Willcox Restaurant
The Willcox Restaurant - Arugula Salad,
arugula, fig and honey chévre, pickled fennel, strawberries,
champagne citrus vinaigrette

Arugula Salad, arugula, fig and honey chévre, pickled fennel, strawberries, champagne citrus vinaigrette

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What's Cookin' Downtown - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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