Best of Columbia 2012

Columbians have spoken and once again picked the best businesses in our city! Readers have voted on everything from the best places to eat pizza and fried chicken to the best locations to find children’s shoes or to see a movie. The next few pages will serve as a guide to the city from those who know it best – people like you.

This is your city, your magazine, and these are your choices for the best of Columbia. See who won in this year’s categories and help us celebrate these wonderful businesses that make Columbia a great place to live!  Names with a * are members of our Hall of Fame, meaning that they’ve been named the Best of Columbia for five or more years.

FOOD

Best Appetizer   Bonefish Grill*

Best Bakery   Tiffany’s*

Best Barbecue   Hudson’s Smokehouse*

Best Biscuits   Bojangles’*

Best Boiled Peanuts   Cromer’s P-Nuts, Inc.*

Best Chicken Salad   The Gourmet Shop*

Best Cookie   Insomnia Cookies

Best Dessert   Nonnah’s*

Best Doughnuts   Krispy Kreme*

Best French Fries   Five Guys Burgers and Fries*

Best Fried Chicken   Zesto*

Best Grits   Blue Marlin*

Best Hamburger   Five Guys Burgers and Fries*

Best Ice Cream   Marble Slab Creamery*

Best Iced Tea   Bojangles’*

Best Milkshake   Rush’s*

Best Pizza   Za’s*

Best Ribs   Hudson’s Smokehouse*

Best Salad   California Dreaming*

Best Sandwich   Groucho’s*

Best Steak   Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Best Wings   Wild Wing Café

RESTAURANTS

Best Bang for the Buck   Moe’s

Best Business Lunch   Motor Supply Company

Best Chinese Restaurant   Miyo’s*

Best Coffee House   Starbucks*

Best Family Restaurant   Lizard’s Thicket*

Best Fast Food   Rush’s*

Best Fine Dining Restaurant   Dianne’s on Devine*

Best Greek Restaurant   Devine Foods

Best Healthy Restaurant   Zoe’s Kitchen

Best Italian Restaurant   Villa Tronco*

Best Japanese Restaurant   Miyabi Japanese Steakhouse

Best Mexican Restaurant   Eric’s San José*

Best New Restaurant   Rosso Trattoria Italia

Best Outdoor Dining   Carolina Ale House

Best Restaurant in Columbia   Mr. Friendly’s*

Best Restaurant in Irmo   Catch 22*

Best Restaurant in Lexington   Travinia Italian Kitchen*

Best Restaurant in the Northeast   Solstice

Best Restaurant in West Columbia/Cayce   Terra

Best Romantic Dinner   Al’s Upstairs Italian Restaurant*

Best Seafood Restaurant   Blue Marlin*

Best Sunday Brunch   DiPrato’s

Best Sushi Restaurant   Inakaya

Best Thai Restaurant   Mai Thai Cuisine

Best Wait Staff   Mr. Friendly’s*

Best Wine Menu   Gervais & Vine*

 Emma Marie Rowland, 6, daughter of Bumble Boutique owners Melissa and Aaron Rowland, is stuffed with pride over her parents’ store winning Best Children’s Clothing Store. Photography by Jeff Amberg.

RETAIL

Best Antique Store   Meeting Street Interiors*

Best Appliance Store   Jeffers McGill*

Best Athletic Wear Store   Todd & Moore*

Best Bicycle Specialty Store   Outspokin’*

Best Bookstore   Barnes & Noble*

Best Bridal Wear Store   Jo-Lin’s Bridal

Best Children’s Clothing Store   Bumble Boutique

Best Children’s Shoe Store   Tootsies*

Best Clothing Consignment Shop   Revente*

Best Fashion Accessory Store   Just the Thing*

Best Flooring/Floor Covering Store   Redd Flooring and Design Center

Best Florist   Rosewood Florist*

Best Frame Shop   The Frame Shop

Best Furniture Consignment Shop   Consignment 1st

Best Gamecock Store   Jewelry Warehouse

Best Gardening Store   Woodley’s Garden Center*

Best Gift Store    Gibson’s on Devine

Best Glass Store   Ace Glass*

Best Home Furnishings Store   Strobler Home Furnishings

Best Jewelry Store   Sylvan and DuBose

Best Kitchen Store   Mary & Martha’s

Best Lighting Store   The Lite House*

Best Local Art Store   City Art*

Best Mattress Store   Best Mattress*

Best Men’s Clothing Store   Brittons

Best Men’s Formal Wear Store   Granger Owings

Best Men’s Shoe Store   Granger Owings

Best Office Furnishings Store   McWaters

Best Office Supplies   Staples*

Best Outdoor Store   The Backpacker

Best Pet Boutique   Pupcakes Pet Boutique

Best Running Specialty Store   Strictly Running

Best Shopping Venue   Columbiana Centre*

Best Sporting Goods Store   Todd & Moore*

Best Supermarket   Publix*

Best Toy Store   Be Beep A Toy Store*

Best Vision Wear   20/20 Vision

Best Wallpaper/ Wall Covering Store   Wallpaper Additions*

Best Wine Shop   Total Wine & More*

Best Women’s Clothing Store   Round Robin*

Best Women’s Evening Wear Store   Coplon’s*

Best Women’s Shoe Store   Kicks*

HOME

Best Apartment Complex   Hampton Greene

Best Assisted Living Facility   Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community*

Best Condominiums   Adesso

Best Home Remodeler   Remodeling Services Unlimited

Best Home Builder   Vesta Builders

Best New Home Community   Saluda River Club

Best Retirement Community   Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community*

RECREATION

Best Boat Dealer   Mid-Carolina Marine*

Best Exercise Facility   YMCA

Best Golf Course   Oak Hills Golf Club

Best Place for a Kid’s Birthday Party   Monkey Joe’s

 Heyward Brabham, owner of Brabham Fence Company, will go to any extreme to announce his win for Best Fence Company. Photography by Jeff Amberg.

SERVICE

Best Auto Repair Company   Bob Andrews Motors

Best Car Rental Agency   Enterprise Rent-A-Car*

Best Car Wash   Frank’s Car Wash*

Best Carpet Cleaner   Whitehall Carpet Cleaners

Best Caterer   Southern Way Catering*

Best Chimney Sweep   Top Hat Sweepers*

Best Commercial Interior Designer   Pulliam-Morris Interiors

Best Commercial Real Estate Company   Grubb & Ellis / Wilson Kibler

Best Doggie Day Care   Westcott Acres Luxury Pet Resort

Best Dry Cleaner   Tripp’s Fine Cleaners*

Best Embroiderer   South Carolina Embroidery*

Best Event Venue   701 Whaley

Best Facial   Urban Nirvana*

Best Fence Company   Brabham Fence Company*

Best Furniture Refinisher   Colonial Woodworks*

Best Hair Salon   Shear Xpectations

Best Hardscape Company   Ducksback

Best Heating/Air Service   2nd Wind HVAC*

Best Insurance Agency   State Farm*

Best Insurance Agent   John Brigman

Best Landscape Company   Hay Hill Services

Best Limo Company   Imperial Transportation Services

Best Lodging   Hampton Inn on Gervais

Best Massage   Urban Nirvana*

Best Modeling Agency   Millie Lewis*

Best Moving Company   Two Men and A Truck*

Best Nail Salon   Soak

Best Pest Control Service   Home Pest Control

Best Pet Grooming   Westcott Acres Luxury Pet Resort

Best Plumbing Company   Meetze Plumbing

Best Pool Company   Griffin Pools & Spa

Best Real Estate Agent   Jimmy Derrick, Coldwell Banker United, Realtors®

Best Residential Interior Designer   Ford Boyd Interiors*

Best Residential Real Estate Agency   Coldwell Banker United, Realtors®*

Best Staffing Agency   Roper Staffing

Best Tanning Salon   Beaches Tanning Salon

Best Travel Agency   Forest Lake Travel*

Best Wedding Venue   Millstone at Adam’s Pond

MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT

Best Art Gallery   Columbia Museum of Art*

Best Live Theatre   Trustus Theatre*

Best Movie Theater   Columbiana Grande*

Best Museum   EdVenture

Best Radio Personality   Jonathon Rush*

Best Radio Station   97.5 WCOS

Best TV Personality   Ben Tanner

Best TV Station   WIS-TV*