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Thirsty Fellow in Columbia, SC, or to be exact, Thirsty Fellow Pizzeria and Pub, is one of our favorite spots for pizza, pub food, and drinks in Columbia.
It also happens to be very close to where we live. So, we end up here a lot both dining in but also for takeout.
They actually have one of my favorite pizzas in Columbia, due in part to an ingredient that’s not so common at other pizza places around town.
Read on to see my full thoughts on Thirsty Fellow in Columbia, SC in this full review based on our many experiences eating there.
Review of Thirsty Fellow in Columbia, SC
As I mentioned above, Thirsty Fellow is very close to where we live. So close, in fact, that we can walk there.
That means we have been here many a time, sometimes just us, sometimes meeting family or friends, and sometimes me even popping in solo.
That’s not to mention picking up food to go!
It’s one of our favorite pizzas in Columbia, but it also has a fairly expansive menu, and pretty much everything we’ve tried here has been good.
Since we go here so often, this Thirsty Fellow review isn’t based on any one visit but more a collection of thoughts based on our many times eating there.
Hopefully, it’ll give you a good idea of what to expect if you want to hit Thirsty Fellow yourself.
Thirsty Fellow Location and Hours
Thirsty Fellow has a very privileged location!
Thirsty Fellow Pizzeria and Pub on Gadsen Street in Columbia, SC is one of only a small handful of places within a few minutes walk of the Colonial Life Center, home of Gamecock basketball and plenty of concerts and other events.
While there are plenty of places up in the Vista a doable but slightly longer hoof away, Thirsty Fellow is just a block away.
That makes it a well deserved popular place to pregame before heading over to the arena, but it’s also good anytime.
Speaking of that, here are Thirsty Fellow’s hours:
- Tuesday-Sunday: 11 am-9 pm
- Closed on Mondays
Simple enough!
I seem to always get a craving and go by here on Mondays, forgetting they’re closed though!
In addition to the privileged location near the Colonial Life Center, the place itself is pretty nice too.
There’s a nice bar that’s a pretty decent size.
There’s a pretty decent sized dining room, and there’s also a pretty solid covered outdoor porch/patio.
The outdoor tables could perhaps use an upgrade, but the bar and inside tables are all pretty nice, and there are booths as well as high tops for larger groups.
That being said, they can get packed on game days, so if you want to grab a bit before a game here or even just watch the game, I’d suggest getting here a bit early as you might have a wait.
Thirsty Fellow is Dog Friendly and Family Friendly
This has become pretty common place at bars and restaurants around town, but Thirsty Fellow’s outdoor patio is dog friendly and there is often a dog or two out here when the weather is nice.
It’s also family friendly, and I wouldn’t hesitate to bring kids here.
There are usually plenty of families, and it hits that sweet spot of a good place for a family meal or to catch a game with drinks, similar to a place like D’s in Cayce.
Thirsty Fellow Menu
Honestly, Thirsty Fellow has a pretty solid menu.
Self billed as a pizzeria and pub, the pizza is the highlight for us personally, but we’ve had good burgers, sandwiches, and even wings here. When we go with my mom, she often gets a salad, and they all look really good.
They also frequently do rotating specials, including things like chili dogs, creative twists on grilled cheeses, and interesting appetizers like cheeseburger egg rolls.
They usually have a good variety of beers on tap, more options in bottles, and both house cocktails and a decent selection of liquors.
You can checkout Thirsty Fellow’s full menu on their website here.
Food Has Always Been Good
Like I said, we’ve eaten here plenty of times, and we’ve always enjoyed pretty much everything we’ve tried.
The pizza is the highlight for us, and what we usually order, especially for takeout.
However, Susana has gotten burgers here a number of times and enjoyed them. We got wings at least once as an appetizer and found them to be good.
I think their Philly Cheesesteak is actually one of the better ones around town.
Probably the only thing I’ve gotten here that I wasn’t impressed with was the Carolina Chicken Sandwich. It’s not that it was bad, it was just a bit too dry between the hoagie and the breading on the chicken tenders.
It could have just been an off day, and your tastebud’s mileage may vary.
I will say the chicken tenders are really good. In fact, sometimes when I’m waiting for a pizza to go and having a drink at the bar, I see someone with them, and think to myself, oh man, now I want those!
I’ve always been tempted to try the meatball hoagie too but have never pulled the trigger.
If you’ve tried it, I’d love to know what you thought in the comments!
Their sandwiches all come with homemade chips, which are good. However, the small up charge to upgrade to fries is worth it in my opinion, and we usually do that when we don’t order pizza.
However, we always end up coming back to the pizza here more often than not.
In fact, it’s probably my overall favorite pizza in town.
It’s always a solid crust, sort of on the medium thin side, a la New York style.
The sauce is always good and seems to have the right ratio of sauce to cheese, not too little or so much you’re spilling sauce everywhere.
Oh, and that ingredient I mentioned in the introduction I love here are Peppadew peppers. Honestly, I think the first time I had ever tried these was here. They are red, sweet peppers with just a hint of spice.
Pepperoni, Italian sausage, and Peppadew peppers is my go to, and one of my very favorite pizzas anywhere.
Susana usually goes with just pepperoni or with shrimp, both of which are great too, and I appreciate they will let you do half and half on any of their pizza.
Service Can Occasionally Be Hit or Miss
So, ok, I’m not really very critical or tough about service in restaurants, but this is one place where I’ve noticed it can be a tad iffy at times.
To be clear, no server has ever been rude or anything like that.
Food almost usually comes out pretty quick although every now and then it seems to be slow, but coming to take the order, checking if we want additional drinks and/or getting those drinks, or bringing the check can sometimes take a while.
I don’t know, I guess this is just the reality of college kids being most of the servers, and it is not everytime we go.
So, while I’m noting it here as a minor complaint, it wouldn’t ever stop me from going back or recommending it to others.
If you’re in a hurry, like perhaps to catch a game, when they are often overcrowded anyway, you might want to hold off on ordering an end of meal drink and be on top of asking for the check though.
I do generally find service at the bar to be good though.
Thirsty Fellow Conclusion and Final Verdict
In conclusion, as long as you’re not expecting Michelin class service, I think you’ll be pretty pleased at Thirsty Fellow.
The pizza may be the highlight for us, but anything on their menu that sounds good most likely will be.
If you’ve been to Thirsty Fellow, I’d love to hear what you thought, if you like Peppadew peppers too or have some other favorite ingredient, and what your service was like in the comments below!
Cheers and Happy Exploring!