Columbia, South Carolina, isn’t on the Atlantic Coast, but it’s just a two-hour drive from Columbia to the port city of Charleston. Thanks to that, you don’t have to work hard to find good seafood restaurants in South Carolina’s capital city. Whether you’re in the mood for shellfish from the ocean or a freshwater catch like catfish, Columbia’s restaurants can deliver what you need. 
Blue Marlin
The Blue Marlin is right in the heart of Columbia, just a few blocks from the capitol building on Lincoln Street. The Blue Marlin proudly serves Low Country food, the uniquely Southern-style cuisine that came from using African cooking techniques with American foods. Their seafood options begin with the appetizers, which include calamari, Charleston crab cakes, and firecracker shrimp. For main courses, they offer Gulf shrimp and oysters, flounder, and the Blue Marlin’s award-winning shrimp and grits. The restaurant also shows Japanese and Cajun influences with options like teriyaki salmon and New Orleans gumbo.
Pearlz Oyster Bar
Pearlz Oyster Bar is a Carolina chain with locations in Columbia, Charleston, and Charlotte. In Columbia, Pearlz is right by the Blue Marlin, just across Gervais Street, and they make a point of selling raw shellfish along with Low Country recipes and local seafood. Their Columbia menu includes mussels, fried oysters, clams, crab cakes, and tuna, and their soups take you from one end of the Atlantic to the other with New England clam chowder and New Orleans gumbo. You can also get your seafood in a sandwich, or you can enjoy their raw bar with oysters, and peel-and-eat shrimp.
Oyster Bar Columbia
Just a few buildings down from Pearlz on Park Street is Oyster Bar Columbia, a place that can definitely give Pearlz a run for its money. While Pearlz offers an eclectic and new experience, Oyster Bar Columbia prides itself on being an old-fashioned oyster bar where the menu is simple and straight to the point: oysters, shrimp, and scallops served at market price and with your choice of seasoning. That said, you can also get grits with your seafood or try the bar’s unique combination of chowder and grits. They also have a wet bar with beer, wine, and cocktails.
Garners Ferry Seafood and More
Garners Ferry Seafood and More takes its name from the road it sits on. This unassuming restaurant is out on the southeast end of town near the Seafood Academy of Columbia, and it has a surprisingly vast menu. Its basic menu option is a seafood platter served with rice and broccoli or cabbage, and the protein options include whitefish, catfish, flounder, shrimp, snow crabs, scallops, chicken, and more. You can get extra sides if you want, and they offer classic Southern foods like fried okra, hush puppies, and gizzards.
Columbia is a great place to find good seafood served raw, Low Country style, or covered in Cajun spices. You can get it from popular restaurants in the middle of the city or from quieter places with an authentic and old-fashioned style. Either way, you’ll know you found something great.
Image by Chris Gent via CC BY-SA 2.0
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