Flying Saucer

Busy and loud during my visit due to KY and SC ballgame. Pros: Hippie bugger was delish and may beer choices. Waitress was attentive although place was packed. Cons: Seating yourself when there is a packed house then having to stand by table and try to hunt down server to clean table.

Great place for a great selection of craft beer. They have a very wide and frequently changing beer menu. Probably the best in Columbia. The food is mostly normal bar food, but it’s incredibly delicious. They’ve got a great soft pretzel (it’s huge) and the nachos are amazing. They’ve also got some less normal things like a bahn mi and pork chili verde that I’ve heard are awesome.

Good food, great beer, and knowledgable staff. The soft pretzels are mouth watering, and there’s always a delicious local brew on draft!

Good beer and burger spot just off Gervais by the Hilton. Unpretentious, good beer list with lots of draughts and friendly servers. Also have Tuesday Trivia and ask about the plates on the walls (sorry saucers).

Love this local bar. Great selection of beers or mixed drinks.

I’ve been a server for 10+ years, and I know we all have our bad days, but the service I received today was absolutely terrible. We were «greeted» with a «hold on I’m busy I’ll be with you as soon as I can» which set a bad tone from the beginning of the meal.
Our server got our order wrong, didn’t listen, and never brought us plates. We didn’t have silverware when our food was brought out. I had brought my family who is from out of town there thinking it would be a great local spot, and we were really disappointed with the quality of food as well as the service. All in all, bad experience that was not worth the money. I will not be going back anytime soon.

Dropped in for a beer at Monterrey with friends, and afterward walked my husband back to his car by Starbucks. When I got back, Monterrey’s or one of their crony partners (Flying Saucer, or Mamas and the Tapas), had decided to tow my car. I can appreciate the need to be judicious in guarding the limited parking downtown, but this ultra-​liberal approach, aside from being wrong, cost me $ 135, damage to my car’s front bumper, and driver side door. I would highly recommend anyone visiting downtown for an evening out to frequent any of the other Vista establishments that are more customer friendly and welcoming to their patrons.
Recommendations — Cola’s, Ristorante Divino, Pearlz, and Nonnah’s in particular.
To be avoided — Flying Saucer, Monterrey, Mamma’s and the Tapps

We came here for drinks after eating out. We decided to sit on the patio since it was such a nice night. However, it shouldn’t take over 15 minutes for me to get a beer. We looked around inside and it wasn’t even that busy. So we are not sure why it took so long. And our server never bothered to check on us other than to bring us our check. Overall, wasn’t really impressed by this place. I will give it another chance though.

Few beers there before a concert. Great service and beer selection. Must have the pretzels with mustard.

Every time I come to Columbia I’ve hit this place up. They have amazing food. The burgers are creative and delicious. The first time I came I had the Miguel burger. I loved the mix of flavors in it. The con to that selection though was that it was very messy. A large portion of the toppings fell out the bottom when I bit into it. My coworker and I also ordered the German pretzels. They were outstanding! I have no idea if they are frozen or baked fresh but regardless they were great. They also gave generous helpings of dipping sauce as well. Kudos for not skimping out on the cheese sauce!
The second time I got the Hippie Burger. I asked for no bun and they still gave me one. I told the waitress I wasn’t going to eat it, i felt really bad wasting food when they brought it out to me with the bun. Other than that though the veggie patty was really tasty. The beer selection is also really great!

Great ambiance, with plenty of room to socialize. I’ve lived in Germany for 6 years and this bar/​restaurant rang authentic German to me. The décor is awesome and the service was good. I only had the soft pretzel, so I can’t really speak about their quality of food. Their menu has a wide variety of items. Overall very nice, and I do recommend it if you want to just hang out with friends and sample a wide range of draft beers and ales on tap.

Even though this is a chain, it always feels like your very own local bar. There is always a great fun atmosphere with an amazing beer selection. The food is of great quality as well.

81 taps and hundreds of bottles to choose from. Drink 200 different as a UFO memeber get a plate/​saucer on the wall! Taps always changing
Good food and a new menu just posted

Take a unique name for a bar and grill, add over 200 different beers, a beer club, waitresses clad in tattoos and plaid skirts, a large outdoor seating area, open spacing, great pizza and fondue and what do you get… Drum roll please… Flying Saucer.
Red deserves a shout out. One of the best waitress/​server experiences I have had in a long time. She gave my friend who ordered unsweetended tea, the choice of sweeteners. She let us sit and relax, checked in periodically, gave great detail in describing the food and was extremely polite and attentive.
She alone made the experience so worthwhile.
Outside on the patio is fun people watching and great historical and political murals.
Inside are hundreds and hundreds of plates with dedicated drinkers who have drank over 200 beers or more…
Enjoy the fondue, fries or pizza. All excellent comfort foods and great prices.
Visit the State House while you are nearby.

We came here after a great concert to grab a few drinks before heading out. Really cool environment with an awesome beer selection on the menu… they didn’t have the beer on the menu I wanted but that was understandable. What wasn’t understandable was our waitress giving absolutely terrible service. Not only was she extremely inattentive, but we had to order drinks and food multiple times just so we could get some nasty watered down queso and corndogs with obnoxiously strong mustard.
I’ll make it back here eventually to give it another shot if it happens… but I would be totally fine with never coming back here.

Just a bar review: the beer selection is spectacular and the prices aren’t so bad. Their specials are good during happy hour and the service is usually on point. The crowd is definitely a bit better than the bars in five points but it definitely has more students than some of the other vista bars.
This place is great for people that want to have a conversation with a group of friends instead of the deafening bump and grind of other places.
Expand your beer tastes here!

Whoever’s idea it was to put bratwurst on a pizza is a freaking genius!
This has been one of out favorite go to happy hour spots for years. There have been a lot of changes to the menus over the years and we’ve never been super impressed with their food (besides the pretzels & bratzels) but we had the pizza today & it was perfection. We got brat & arugula and then kalamata olives on half and toasted red pepper on half. The crust was thin & crunchy, the sauce was delicious & the toppings were plentiful.
As mentioned before, the pretzels are fantastic (with ranch, queso or spicy mustard). But the bratzel is where it’s at. Sliced brat on top of a soft pretzel w melted cheese (my mouth is watering).
The beer menus is plentiful an always changing, just keep an eye on the prices (some are up there).

If you’re into beer, this is definitely the place to be. They have a huge selection and a nice variety of seasonal options. If you want decent service or food, you might want to skip it.
I sat alone on the patio. There were about three other parties there when I arrived, and two waitresses working the patio. It still took 10 minutes for someone to even take my drink order, which was done with an attitude. I ordered a burger and fries, which should be easy enough. The burger was horribly dry, the tomatoes were over ripe and mushy, and the fries tasted like off-​brand freezer fries, which were also terribly dry. I tried to get my waitress’ attention to ask for some ketchup or anything to save the burger, and I was ignored. In fact, the only reason I got my server’s attention was because another customer pointed out that I was trying to get her attention.
There aren’t many options in this town, but I still would rather go just about anywhere else for food.

A co-​worker and I went to Flying Saucer after work one day. For me this is a great place to unwind. I enjoy drinking beer, and better yet, trying new beer. I really love making my own 6 pack at places like Total Wine and World Market. Apparently I’m not the only one. This place was packed to the gill, but… there was no wait! We actually ended up sitting at this long bar table thingy. This is pretty cozy for meeting new people.
We both ordered a beer sampler. The one we ordered came with 5 — 4 oz samples. I ordered french fries. I love french fries, but I was shocked when I was delivered an order of shoe string fries! I was shocked, but pleasantly surprised. They were really good. My co-​worker got the pretzels. They were delicious as well. We asked around and everyone one was enjoying the items they ordered. They have a pretty great menu, there is something for everyone.
Bottom line, I would recommend going. I would go back again and invite a friend. You’re going to enjoy the selection, the company, the service, and the décor!

The Flying Saucer is a great place to grab a beer and relax with friends. They have ample seating and the place is almost always busy.
The beer selection is overwhelming! If you’re indecisive, this isn’t the place for you. They offer flights of beers too, in case you’re in a sampling mood.
The food is your basic bar food. The burgers are solid and the pretzels are big and hearty! The staff is friendly (and usually pretty quick…, there are exceptions though) and the atmosphere is noisy. What else would you expect in a bar in the state capital?