The Oak Table

I love this place, I have eaten here I believe 6 – 7 times in my visits for work to Columbia. I highly recommend the (sp) Saracha Fries and their buffalo chicken tacos when they are serving them. Wonderful service and atmosphere.

Great food & service. The ambiance was fantastic. They even gave granddaddy a free sorbet for his birthday.

Delicious dinner last night. Pork Chops were juicy with savory ‘pot likker’. Marrow bone appetizer, so so good. Only negative is steep pricing for pork chops – $ 35. $ 25 range seems more appropriate, and in line with high-​end restaurants I have visited in Columbia & in the northeast. But flavor wise, the meal was fantastic!

The drink was pretty good got the state house — if you like grapefruit go for it !. But if not stay away– the roasted pepper sorbet was absolutely horrible — but the service was nice

Was driving through looking for a place on Unilocal and we decided to stop and try this place out. Very nice place, service was great. I would have probably label this as 3 $ not 2. But was worth the money. Recommended on any visit to Columbia.

Amazing lunch today! I ate with a work party so didn’t select off the regular menu. I am vegan and our event planner was kind enough to call my dietary preference ahead and the waiter was prepared with the selections the chef prepared. The wait staff was PERFECT always refilling drinks and clearing the table and placing food without being in the way, never talking over the presenter and being EXTREMELY polite. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for group lunches or working lunches in Columbia.
The food was wonderful. I had some of the crusty bread with different deli mustards that came with the charcuterie plate and a salad to start. I don’t think the salad had any dressing but the juices from the pickled onions and roasted red peppers gave it a good flavor. The chef prepared a flavorful white rice with roasted sweet potatoes, parsnips and cauliflower which was delightful and well spiced. I would have loved it a little hotter. My dessert option was the creamiest sorbet I’ve ever had with a real mango flavor — maybe they used a lot of the fruit which smoothed out the texture of the homemade sorbet. In either event, it was tasty and I do wish they would advertise more vegan/​vegetarian capabilities on their menu — it was delicious!
I absolutely LOVE the décor and atmosphere here. If I owned a restaurant, it would look like this. Would love to come have a drink here one evening.

For the price, ³⁄₅ stars.
The drinks were good but not outstanding. The specials and explanations by the server when we got seated were exhausting to listen to. They need to print a small menu or just make things less complex.
I had the scallops and my friend had the fried chicken. There was a lot going on on the scallop plate, but I’m not sure that the beet drizzle and whatever else really made the scallops taste better. The bread was good. The dessert, a fancy carrot cake, looked extravagant paired with a 1 minute at-​the-​table awkward sauce drizzle by the server but wasn’t as tasty as the carrot cake inside out cookies at Trader Joe’s.
I have loads of experience at restaurants like this, and the menu needs work. The quality of the ingredients and selection available certainly stands out among its competitors, but I didn’t feel any more satisfied than I would have at cheaper, less extravagant restaurants. That’s a problem.
It looks better than it tastes.

Ricotta gnocchi = *
.I’ve.ever.had* = perfect pillows of sinful bliss! Flavors of the toasted pecans, brussels sprouts leaves, in a butternut squash bisque, topped off with freshly grated grada padano cheese!!! Culinary genius! I was in town for work and will come back here anytime I’m in Columbia!

We came for a birthday celebration for a family member. We sat at a cute little round table tucked in a corner. COZY! Service was excellent! We had an awesome server and the manager even helped clear our table between courses. Three of our party had the ribeye, which they all left no trace of. Two of us had the duck. AMAZING and not greasy at all, which I was worried about. The crème brûlée though little was still shared and oh so delish! This is one of my favorite places in Columbia!

Mmmmmm… I’m EXTREMELY picky about my restaurants being an avid Unilocaler & From Los Angeles. So when I when my man brought me here for dinner this past Saturday night I was eager to see what all the hype was about. Don’t fall for The beautify ambiance and complimentary Valet parking!!! This place could use a lesson or two in the guest services department!!! We were greeted with a huge smile until we were asked if we had a reservation. The Hostess let out a disappointing sigh and I was a bit taken aback but still not ready to whip out my Unilocal App just yet! So she walks us over to THE worst table in the building, and when I asked if a booth was available or other seating (possibly away from the door and kitchen area) she looking in another direction quickly said «no, the others are all reserved» so we sit, and notice that the table wobbles (huge pet peeve of mine) and that our waiter is busy Hostessing as well as trying to handle his tables. I get that it was a Saturday evening, but this place was far from busy!!! We didn’t order an appetizer, but an order of scallops came out and the waiter sat them on our table, reached over them TWICE, then walked away. I asked my BF if maybe he ordered them as I used the Ladies room and he said he thought that I’d ordered them… 2 – 3 mins later, the waiter comes over and goes «oh I’m sorry, y’all didn’t order these did you? I’ll just take em over to the correct table and will be back for your orders» I was seriously PRAYING he would take them back to the kitchen, when he walked right over to an older couple and sat those cold ass, reached over, breathed on scallops on their table and pranced back over to us asking «so y’all had enough time to look over the entrees or do you need more time?» I ordered the Rib Eye and Arugula which was absolutely awesome, but my boyfriend’s PorkChop was undercooked to the point of the GM apologizing and removing it from the bill… (much appreciated! … See Pic) we were ASKED «y’all gonna want some dessert?» Rather than given their dessert menu with a smile and recommendations on a yummy sweet ending to our dining experience. The drinks were pretty good, but a lil over-​priced by about $ 2 – 3, and the food was decent. JUST MAKE SURR YOU ASK FOR YOUR PORK CHOP WELL DONE!!!

I took my wife here on her birthday. She really enjoyed it. She has a different pallet than I do. Everything was a little too fancy and rich for my tastes. I got a coffee rubbed ribeye which I found just ok.

Food is very interesting and if your looking for flavor, this is it. Service was amazing, bar selection was amazing! Kahlyn, our bartender, was very attentive and gave great advicethanks to all the staff, you rocked it

I’ve been here a few times. Setting does the trick with a nice view of the State House. Food is good, and the ribeye is the best thing on the menu. I would rate it above average for a fining dining establishment.
The only disappointing thing I’ve encountered so far with Oak Table is they have a condensed menu on Sunday evenings. The menu is pretty limited to begin with (only 2 items or so that catch my eye). The Sunday evening menu is just so small. I personally think the fried lobster is overrated.
All in all… a nice addition to Columbia.

This place is gorgeous! Love the décor and ambiance!
Service was excellent. Very attentive, helpful and polite.
I ordered a glass of wine. The wine had a bit of fuzz or hair in it. The server whisked it away without question or comment and brought a new glass immediately.
I had the scallops from the tapas side of the menu for dinner. Fabulous! 3 large scallops, cooked to perfection, served with crumbled chorizo and beets.
I really wanted a large side of vegetables – something seasonal like Brussel sprouts or squash. They didn’t have anything. Their sides were truffle fries, grits, maybe a potato? Not even a green salad. This was my only disappointment.
The dessert menu looked fabulous and unique as well. They had a rosemary ricotta ice cream I was tempted to try.
As far as price, the food was priced appropriately. The wine and cocktails were pretty pricey.
Also. Parking is slim to none. I used the adjoining parking ramp. Convenient and didn’t have to step outside the building to get to my car. The ramp elevator was right next to the restaurant door.
This place deserves 4.5 stars.

Friendly staff. The truffle fries were excellent. A tasty unexpected surprise? The smoked ketchup!

I was expecting a lot more based on the reviews here. For the price point, I left disappointed. Had 4 different cocktails (all $ 10+) between my girlfriend and I, and not one I would order again. The food was good, but overpriced for what it was. Sitting at the bar would give you a beautiful view of the state house, probably a good way to start the night for out of towners, but many better places to get dinner for the price point.

On my recent visit here I tried the charcuterie board and was not impressed. The shredded quail had a far too many bones and the chicken liver was really salty. The only thing I liked was the mustard and the roasted peach salsa to put on the bread. Now the deserts here are definitely worth the hassle of parking on Main st. okay ! The chocolate bone marrow ice cream with smoked cake was executed with time and precision. The flavors exploded in my mouth and had me wanting to lick the board the dish was served on. The butterscotch bread pudding was also a home run and I would highly recommend it to future diners. So it was a roller coaster dinning experience from meh to oh yeah ! As I left feeling satisfied a few steps out the door and I was hugged by some drunk homeless guy asking me to play a round of golf, well only on Main Street can you find this kind of entertainment.

It is with a great sadness that I have to update my review… considering how much I bragged about the Nueske’s Bacon in my original review I felt it misleading to send you here expecting the most delicious bacon only to be disappointed. The Oak Table recently acquired a new chef that apparently hates rainbows, laughing children and sunshine… he removed the Nueske’s Bacon from the menu.
Pause for a moment of silence.
I think it had something to do with the cost of acquiring some of the ingredients from faraway lands or perhaps he is a life ruiner, can’t be sure.
But what I am sure of is that I can no longer let my rarely given 5-​star approval appear before you.
Considering that now I have not tried anything from this new menu a real review of the food will have to wait. Until then I’ll be in a state of mourning and searching for something delicious to make my taste buds happy once more.

Definitely a higher class, higher budget sort of place. They have valet parking during the busy hours for those that prefer that to the plentiful street parking around it.
The cocktails are very thoughtful and delicious — but you pay the price as many of the cocktails are north of $ 10. I visited for a couple drinks and an appetizer and the food was just as thoughtful and well executed as the drink.
Definitely a good place when you don’t mind shelling out some extra money. The extra dough definitely yields a better experience than restaurants and here the premium is worth it.
Plenty of outside seating too!

I’ve only been once.
We decided to go on a Saturday night when plans fell through for an out of town trip to Charlotte (we were planning on indulging aka pigging out at a few «upscale» restaurants there), and I still wanted my fix and remembered Oak Table.
I booked our reservation around 4pm for 6pm through the Unilocal app (really cool and convenient).
We arrived around 5:40 and found a spot right on main just a little ways down!!!
We were greeted by the hostess who was accompanied by a server, I told her we had reservations, she confirmed them, said something to the server who then started walking off without any transition (no, «ok you guys can follow him,» or «ok, please come with me I’ll seat you.»), the hostess THEN apologized and said, «oh you can go with him.»
The restaurant was empty — which kind of worried me initially (considering they opened at 5pm).
Our server came over introduced himself and quickly left (that was his tone for the rest of the evening as well).
We ordered specialty cocktails to start, then 3 apps, 2 entrees, and dessert (see pics).
My bf really treated me and I think we got a complete Oak Table dining experience.
I realllllllly loved the truffle frites and calamari.
I never got a warm sincere feeling from the server — he got the job done… but it just wasn’t what I was expecting from a server at a fine dining restaurant (the manager came by twice throughout our time there to check on us and he seemed more enthused on finding out about our experience than the server).
The ambiance is gorgeous, the view isn’t too bad either (I’m sure it’ll be even better once the tree is up at the state house). The place was almost packed by the time we walked out, a little after 7pm (so go early if you want to beat the crowds).
I’m glad I was finally able to check The Oak Table off my list… on to the next!