In a recent visit to his hometown of Columbia S.C., Craig Melvin of the Today Show, stopped by his favorite local spots, including Mr. Friendly’s! We certainly miss having Craig as a regular in the dining room, and thrilled to know he still thinks of us. Pay us a visit soon to try his favorites – Shrimp & Grits, Fried Green Tomatoes with Pimento Cheese and the Charleston Chicken Salad!

I have a nostalgic bias when it comes to soft shells, which I first tried at Mr. Friendly’s, one sautéed, one steamed, with no breading. It was like eating the marsh on the first spring-like day, when there’s just enough warmth in the air to take off your shoes and feel the sun.

An uncoated, steamed or sautéed soft-shell crab is a delight, but so is one breaded and fried to crispy perfection. A recent lunch special at Mr. Friendly’s, the Crab Louis salad, keeps this fried treat light. Crisp lettuce and cucumbers, sweet grape tomatoes, and blue-crab roasted corn salsa are the perfect match for the fried soft shell. The salad’s wedges of hard-boiled egg put it in a league with Cobb and Niçoise salads, but with a superior protein.

Crab Louis (also spelled Crab Louie) is a classic dish whose history is hard to trace. It may (or may not) have been served first on the West Coast, possibly in Seattle, or maybe in San Francisco, in the early 20th century. The dressing most often resembles Thousand Island or occasionally Russian, chef’s choice. Like many classic American dishes, the origin and exact recipe is untraceable, meaning interpretations are endless. Mr. Friendly’s particular iteration, with fried soft shell instead of just the typical lump crab, is the perfect way to enjoy a soft shell crab for lunch.

Mr. Friendly’s is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner Monday through Saturday from 5:30 p.m.

Written by Anne Wolfe Postic
Free Times Publication
April 4, 2019

Click here for the article! 

The Art of Real Estate Team, a local real estate agency, dined with us recently for lunch, and judging by their video review – thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Why the video review? To better serve their clients and encourage relocation to the Soda City! We’re proud that after 20+ years of serving lunch & dinner, we’re still a top pick for locals and out-of-towners alike. Check out the video below, and their full review by clicking here!

A big thank you to the readers of Columbia Metropolitan Magazine for voting Mr. Friendly’s the BEST WAIT STAFF! The magazine recently released their annual “Best Of” edition, and we are very proud to be chosen as we strive to be the most dedicated service industry professionals in Columbia!

Columbia Metropolitan Magazine has been polling its readers for over 20 years, to find out their top picks in all sorts of categories, not just restaurants. To see the entire list of winners, please click here!

Readers of local newspaper, Free Times, have spoken again!
This year’s “Best Of Columbia” issue marks the 25th anniversary of the annual readers’ poll, first launched in 1989.  Since then, readers have been able to nominate their favorites for a long list of categories including Food & Dining, Politics, Culture, Nightlife, etc.

We are very proud to announce that this year we won BEST RESTAURANT as well as, BEST SOUTHERN RESTAURANT!   Not to brag, but that makes it 9 times winning Best Restaurant out of the last 10 years! THANK YOU COLUMBIA!

Also a shout out to our sister restaurants – Solstice Kitchen who won Best Restaurant Northeast and Best Neighborhood Bar (runner-up),
and Cellar on Greene who won Best Wine List (runner-up).

To see the entire list of winners, click here!

Just this week “The State” newspaper made it’s top picks for the best food in the Midlands – and where you can find it.  We were thrilled to get a mention, along with our sister restaurant, Solstice Kitchen!

Solstice Kitchen got picked for a top spot in the “Farm-to-Table” category for their unbelievably delicious Sweet Tea Brined Heritage Farms Pork Chop.

And yours truly, Mr. Friendly’s, scooped up a top spot in the “Dessert” category for our famous Moonpies! This homemade dessert consists of freshly baked praline wafers layered with white chocolate mousse and drizzled with chocolate & raspberry sauce. Moonpies are served Monday nights alongside our House-Ground Meatloaf and Half-Priced Wine!

To read the entire article, click here!

The always-handsome photographer for the Free Times, Jonathan Sharpe, stopped by Mr. Friendly’s this week to take part in our annual MARDI GRAS celebration! While enjoying a nice afternoon on the patio, Jonathan dined on the always popular Louisiana Crawfish Cakes with grilled corn maque choux and creole mustard remoulade, plus a Myers’s Rum Hurricane from the bar!

To see the Free Times article online, please click here.