Polliwogs

My wife and I had not been to Polliwogs in a while. We were very disappointed. The quality of the food has gone downhill. I don’t think we will go back

I really had hoped for a bit more from this place, especially since I’d been here once two years ago and really enjoyed it. But my most recent visit was a bit of a disappointment.
To start, the night I’d chosen to go was a «live music» night, which I was excited for, as it adds a bit of atmosphere and vivacity to a night out. Unfortunately, the volume was so excessive it was impossible to talk to anyone at my table except the person immediately next to me, and that was with raising our voices.
Secondly, I came on «Craft on Draft night» which also advertises $ 1 bud light drafts! I ordered one, and the waitress didn’t ask if I wanted draft or bottle and proceeded to bring a bottle for which I was charged $ 2.75. I certainly wouldn’t have ordered a bud light if I hadn’t been sure it would only be $ 1, as that is a value I can get behind.
Thirdly, when we asked for «split checks» the waitress brought two checks, assuming we were two couples, without asking at all. When I then asked for actual split checks as we gave our debit cards, she then decided to split our checks down the middle rather than actually splitting based on what we individually ordered. I did not ask to pay half of my mate’s meal.
Finally, the food was mediocre. My friend and I both ordered burgers «medium» and received them well done. Otherwise the food was alright, but if not cooked to specification, certainly not worth the $ 11 pricetag.
Altogether, not a great value and a bit of a disappointment. I don’t think I’ll be back.

People don’t often think of Northeast Columbia as being the greatest area of town to get something to eat. There are a lot of chain restaurants and big box stores around here. What a lot of folks don’t realize is that Polliwogs in the Northeast side of town is one of the best places in the city for a casual lunch or dinner. I come here all the time around happy hour for one of their big juicy ass burgers (w/​a fried tomato on top) or something like the Palmetto Philly which I think might be the best sandwich in town. They have daily «Chef’s Choice» specials and a revolving list of local beers on tap. All the burgers are outstanding. High quality local meat. This place just kicks ass. Quit thinking about it and just get your ass in there immediately. I highly recommend getting the Chef’s choice Mac n cheese as a side. The chicken dip starter probably has like 10,000 calories but so what? It tastes amazing. Go run a mile and eat some fat free yogurt if you don’t want to enjoy your life. Don’t put that on the rest of us. Quit reading this and go to polliwogs right now.

We came here for dinner while visiting family is SC. Awesome wings & burgers! The pretzel bun is perfect!

The food was pretty good, I didn’t care for the tacos I got, the grilled chicken had no flavor but I did enjoy my garden salad and the buffalo chicken dip. Loved the big drink cups too.

Service was mediocre. The place was pretty much empty and it took over 1o minutes for the appetizers, then 20 minutes more for the entrees. Fries were cold, service, slow and barely came over to check on us. Wings were good, but for the price, no way will we step foot in there again.

Really great crowd and great vibe. My buddy and I stopped in to watch the football game. We had the brisket and the Philly cheesesteak. Both were great. Fantastic beer selection. Columbia needs more places like this: Sports bar/​restaurants that aren’t packed with undergrads. It reminded me of Winking Lizard from back home. I will for sure be back.

My husband and I had dinner here last night we ordered the fried shrimp appetizer. We received six absolutely delicious fried shrimp nested in a cone fields with french fries. This was absolutely delicious.
My has been ordered a cheeseburger with shredded prime rib on a pretzel bun and onion rings. I ordered shrimp and grits. We both shared our meals and enjoyed every bite tremendously.
I really need to backtrack a moment and let you know that when we entered this restaurant we seated ourselves. As we circled the bar we were greeted by the friendliest locals you had ever met. They were so warm and welcoming we almost wanted them to join us.
Our waitress was incredible she worked alone serving all the tables. She took exceptional care of us and we can we wanted for nothing. Our meal came to about $ 40.
If we were to be staying in the area any longer we would definitely go back. It would be an absolute must.

Recently two of us had dinner here for the first time in order to use a Living Social coupon that was about to expire. Our overall experience was good, but could be improved. I would have given 3.5 stars if that was an option.
First of all, the
website is out of date. It states that Tuesday is buy one burger & get the second half off. Negatory. We found that out after ordering two burgers. The meat was cooked exactly to order and looked very nice. However, it was rather dry and the taste was bland. The burger garnishment was unusual and very good — mixed greens, friend green tomato and onion rings. Every burger comes with a choice of several side items. We got fried okra and mac-​and-​cheese, both of which were very good.
Happy Hour prices were good for what we ordered. Well drinks were $ 2.75 and wine was $ 5.00 for a 8oz glass. BTW, the large outdoor porch looked inviting but we skipped it when we found out that smoking was allowed there.
We might visit again to try some of the many local dishes that looked interesting. Since I like beer and this is a «beer garden», I will try a Wednesday when all the many draft microbrews are only $ 3.

Great food, great and often unique specials, great staff.
Been going there for years, and it’s one of the friendliest places around. Many regulars, and we are always happy to see new folks come to the Wog.

Love this place. My husband and I just discovered it a few weeks ago and they are awesome! By far our favorite place to get wings. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is only because it sometimes takes a while to get our food but I know that’s just because they make it fresh. We will be going here frequently! Love it

This place is amazing and uses fresh and local ingredients! Highly recommend this place!

The food and service here was mediocre. Nothing terrible, but nothing that stood out either. I had chips n salsa with a fish taco and pulled pork taco.

Friendly, fun, great local place. Definitely get the Fried Oysters in hot wing sauce and their version of fried okra.

We walked in and the music was so loud (we had to shout at each other across a small table) that we asked if it would be OK for us to sit on the porch. The waitress said, «Sure! I’ll be out there in a minute to bring you some menus.» We find a spot on the porch and wait about 15 minutes before boyfriend goes in to find a waitress. While I’m waiting 4 people come out onto the porch to smoke and boyfriend still has not come back so I went inside. He had not found a waitress that would give him the time of day so we left. I doubt I will go back. This was my second time there and the food last time was not at all memorable or noteworthy.

A place like the Kracken in Rosewood this place serves drum roll please… Local SC and NC beers we can be proud to serve! The people working here are a lot fun too. The burgers and appetizers we had were pretty good, I can’t wait to try more items.

The service is great, this spot captures the southern hospitality and total atmosphere. The veranda is beautiful. I enjoyed a Sunday brunch, eggs Benedict. The coffee served was a special blend of a sweet Italian roast (elli). The cost is low

I think that Polliwogs, so far, is my favorite place to eat in Columbia. We had been wanting to go to this place for a while, and when we did, we were not let down.
The bartender recommended a local IPA and it was very delicious. We ordered the Spicy Chicken Dip for an appetizer, and it was fantastic. It tasted very homemade! I ordered the Carolina Cuban with Sweet Potato Fries… the Cuban was a perfect melody of sweet and savory, the pork was tender and flavorful, and the fries were addicting!
My boyfriend ordered the Boss Hogg Burger with Mac and Cheese. I had a taste, and it was the best tasting burger I’ve had! And the Mac tasted just like my Mom’s.
The outside porch is great, we sat outside while it rained on the tin roof… now that’s Southern Comfort! I just hate that such a place like this has such terrible scenery, like a nice view of Two Notch.
You can definitely tell this food is fresh and homemade. I would definitely recommend this place to locals if you haven’t been, or a MUST go to for visitors!

it was good. Not the family restaurant we were hoping for. No kids menu at all and more of a bar feel but food was really good and since I had a Living Social coupon I did not mind the kids ordering full priced meals and taking some home.
I will go back. :)

Delicious surprise!
I used a living social coupon not knowing anything about this place. But I was pleasantly surprised. My party ordered the wings, fries, broccoli, 2 burgers and the mac and cheese and it was all delicious and fresh!!! We were really impressed that the fries were hand cut like we would make them at home and the mac and cheese was baked, cheesy and delicious. The burger had a pretzel bun and with 8oz of meet it was very good. The wings were fried hard and honey mustard sauce was put on them and they were also very good. The portions were generous as well! If I had any negative to say it would be that the waitress took a while to come and check on us and bring the check. But the food was great and the décor is very charming SCish and inviting, besides the huge bar in the center with the flat screen TV’s around (I could do without that part). Check it out!!!