Brunch is a very important meal of the day, especially for a college student. After a night out, a student is allowed to sleep in and still be able to eat breakfast past noon. It is an excellent way to recover from the previous night downtown with greasy and delicious breakfast foods.
Columbia is the perfect college town to find A+ brunch spots. Five Points and campus happen to be located in the center of this metropolitan, capital city. It is the perfect mix for hungover college students and chic brunch restaurants. Even if you don't go downtown or drink, who doesn't love a tasty and fulfilling breakfast closer to lunchtime? These 10 brunch joints in Columbia, SC, are the places to go to order anything from stereotypical waffles, bacon, and eggs to cinnamon rolls and crêpes.
1. Cafe Strudel
Although located in West Columbia, this brunch spot is very popular for college students and residents who live in Columbia. And even though this restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, their brunch is always packed with a line out of the door. Orange juice is a must order with their juicer placed in the cafe for you to make your own fresh cup of oj. You will need to call ahead or expect high wait times for a table. As busy as this place gets, people will still wait to be able to eat here for brunch and enjoy a typical breakfast past the morning hours.
2. The Gourmet Shop
The coolest thing about The Gourmet Shop, other than it being a fun place to look around and shop, is that it has a cafe attached to the store. The cafe opens up outside to have seating set up and down the street in Five Points. Before having brunch, you can explore the inside of this different brunch spot and find unique items to cook with, from seasonings to utensils, along with sampling goods you wouldn't have anywhere else.
3. The Devine Cinnamon Roll Deli
This is the perfect brunch place if you're craving something sweet. Known for their cinnamon rolls, the Cinnamon Roll Deli will meet your sweet tooth needs. Breakfast is served all day and they close at 2 p.m. while being closed on Monday. Their menu expands into breakfast sandwiches and a lunch menu. Their "Cinnamon Roll Deli Cake" was featured on the Food Network and a large size can feed up to 17 people. Essentially it is a huge cinnamon roll and who wouldn't enjoy that?
4. Eggs Up Grill
This brunch spot also closes at 2 p.m. but opens at 6 a.m. every day of the week. Eggs Up Grill is a classic breakfast food place to sit down to eat brunch. There's two locations in Columbia. One is on Devine Street and one is on Forest Drive. They fill up their tables decently fast, so make sure to call ahead or make a reservation!
5. Bourbon
Bourbon is a Creole and Cajun-inspired restaurant on Main Street. Brunch is only served on Saturday and Sunday starting at 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Their "Biscuit of Champions" was featured on the Food Network due to the size and items included on this biscuit, such as andouille sausage, crispy chicken breast, bourbon smoked bacon and andouille sausage gravy. Bourbon has sweet Creole-Cajun breakfast foods as well. If you want a more upscale and different flavor of brunch items, I highly recommend Bourbon. It's a great place to take your parents for brunch when they're in town (and paying).
6. Crêpes and Croissants
My absolute favorite thing about eating brunch at this authentic French creperie and bakery is choosing between sweet and savory crêpes. This is the perfect date because one person can order a savory crêpe to split while the other person orders a sweet crêpe to split, and then you can devour them in that order. It's balance. You wouldn't find this location unless you were looking for it (closely). It's located on Sumter Street and not near your typical places to eat or hang out in Columbia. It's tucked away and totally delicious!
7. IHOP
The IHOP on Assembly Street is always full of hungry college students and families. It is a classic and cheap place for breakfast 24 hours a day. Conveniently located near campus, it is accessible for students who live on campus craving brunch while being a typical and low-priced meal. You can't go wrong having IHOP for brunch in a college town.
8. Le Peep
This restaurant in the Vista is open for breakfast, brunch and lunch. It opens at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and they close at 2 p.m. The menu ranges from Griddle and Skillet meals to South of the Border and healthy options. There are so many options that everyone can go for brunch and have each of their cravings satisfied.
9. Immaculate Consumption
This small coffee shop on Main Street behind the Statehouse serves sandwiches and salads with their long list of hot and cold beverages. If you aren't a big fan of breakfast or don't like to eat first thing in the morning, Immaculate Consumption is a small eatery that allows you to grab brunch with a couple of friends who want a quick bite later in the day. It is made for those who love coffee past noon. A great place to grab some caffeine and food in-between your classes on campus during the weekday.
10. Waffle House
Waffle House is always a classic go-to for brunch, especially for hungover and broke college students who stayed up way too late downtown. More conveniently placed than IHOP in Columbia, it is located in the middle of Five Points. The "All-Star Special" is basically made for college students with being only $7.30 and comes with all the breakfast food items you need. It is super filling for being lowly-priced.
