Al’s Upstairs Italian Restaurant
300 Meeting St, West Columbia, SC, 29169
Al’s Upstairs Italian Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in West Columbia for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in West Columbia for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in West Columbia for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
300 Meeting St
West Columbia, SC, 29169 - Phone (803) 794-7404
- Website https://www.alsupstairsitalian.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :5:00 pm - 10:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Dressy
Ambience : Intimate
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Categories
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
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Candy J.
LOVED the view!! Awesome date night place. The "Pasta Ala Al" was awesome, creamy and spicy with these great "pasta pockets" and some really fresh seafood. Hubby got the steak and scallops, cooked to perfection. DO NOT LEAVE without having desert. If nothing else, come just for desert. I had the creme bru le and key lime pie, awesome way to end the meal. We will definitely be back. Just as a side note: Al is a charmer and brings the ambiance up a notch.
(5)Drew E.
One of Columbia's best restaurants! Nice view too (for Cola...)!
(5)P A.
Wonderful meal great waiter When I tell you the food was great whewww..wonderful views. Romantic night
(5)Brandy B.
Such a great experience!!!! I first went to Al's 10yrs ago or so, when I had a far less experienced palette... but I've never forgotten that lobster bisque. Tonight my bf and I had a reservation for 5:15pm (made it online via their website). When we arrived we walked upstairs and were warmly greeted by our server (Ian, maybe), he confirmed our reservation and sat us right by the window... as others have stated, we had the perfect view of the city!! We started with the lobster bisque, and oysters (rockefeller, and fire & bleu). So delicious! For entrees we had the whole crispy flounder (served with a delicious risotto, grilled carrot and haricots vert) and petite filet (served with a grilled carrot, haricots vert, and mashed potatoes) - both were cooked to perfection... our plates were clean!!!! We finished off the meal with the Al's dessert special and we're so glad we did! The food was excellent and Ian was very friendly and professional - combined, this made our dining experience 5 stars!!!
(5)Claudesgirl S.
Wow!!! The view was incredible!! The service was exceptional and the food was soooooooo delish!! We had the Pasta Alla Al and the Mahi. OMG!!! The pasta Alla al "was the best I have ever had." The mahi was so tender and so yummy!!! The view was spectacular. You can see all of Cola from the restaurant. The service was top notch. The servers had ties and the tables, white table cloths. The atmosphere was casual and private. It was a neat experience and We will definitely return .
(5)Rae L.
Perhaps another day besides Valentine's may have proven better. Bread, vegetables, key lime and included beverages were best, but aside from that, the entree - Chilean Bass was rather disappointing. Seated next to wine racks proved to be disturbing, as my friend was asked to move twice in order that a waiter could get into the rack. We were told that the seating arrangements were different due to the Valentine event. Guess they were trying to pack in as many patrons as possible. The waitress appeared to be ill, sniffling, runny nose. Upon inquiry, she informed us that she had a sinus infection. That put a damper on the service as well. I also had to send back my plate which had pasta with pork, which was somewhat discontenting since I had clearly stated that I did not eat pork and was allergic to shellfish. I agree with Lindsey B., we also felt the restaurant fell short on space and food, particularly for the money charged. Doubt that I will return anytime soon, if ever.
(2)Tim H.
Beutiful view of the city skyline at night. Good food. One of Colubia's best streaks. Good veal chop and northern Italian menu items. Good wine. Nice atmosphere and good freindly service. Once of Columbia's better dining experieinces but tends to the casual side.
(4)g l.
Great food!! Loved the ambiance, make sure you get a window seat. No complaints on the steak and the creme brulee.
(5)Steve S.
We are at Al's Upstairs with our lifelong friend Betty Branham enjoying good food and fellowship. We are all enjoying the Filet and salad and fully expect to have dessert.
(5)Troy F.
One of the best Italian restaurants I've been to. The food is exquisite, the staff is engaging and attentive. The only negative I would write is the downstairs portion of the restaurant used for conferences and meetings has a rather musty, old-timey smell to it that is off-putting at first. But given the fact that this building is rather old itself, I can certainly understand. All in all, a very refreshing evening.
(4)Lindsey B.
Recent meal was OK But I won't be back for awhile. It was a table for four and the service was good. The wine was good, and some of the food items were better than average. Nothing was striking enough to bring me back quickly. The chairs were a little bit on the inadequate side for a long meal, and appeared to be fragile. This was an important occasion for us and I just felt the restaurant fell a little short of the atmosphere and food that we had expected. For the amount of money I had hoped for more .
(4)Julie S.
Where do I begin? I had arranged to have my son's graduation dinner at Al's. I know that I was one of the very first people to make a reservation for this special day. I made this reservation in January for the May event. I was told that since we had 14 people that we would be in a private room, we would have a full bar and hors devours would be served. I gave a deposit and figured we were all set. When me and my party arrived my "private room" had another party of 10 in it. I couldn't believe it I would have never agreed to this. I asked for the owner and had the pleasure of speaking to Al directly. He basically told me that it is a private room just with other people in it. WHAT? He was rude and combative and I was not! When someone is told that there party is in a private room that is what expected PRIVATE..His quote to me was "i am not taking the blame for this". He never once apologized. He totally shafted my party and he knew it. Where else were we going to go? Way to run a business Al. You are a nasty horrible business owner. Now the food. The lobster bisque was filled with popcorn shrimp no lobster to be found. The 30 dollar entrees were dried out and overcooked. The bright spot were the servers. They did a great job and I have no complaints about them. I feel bad that they have to work for such and awful man. What a huge disappointment and horrible experience for my son's graduation.
(1)Jessica B.
Nice waiters, cool view of Columbia. Had a Caesar salad & the lobster bisque, both were pretty good. I liked that the lobster bisque came in this cup with the puff pastry baked overtop. I'm pretty particular about the way Caesar salads are made, if they don't come or offer anchovies, then its just a regular salad to me. So, I was pleased that they offered anchovies (upon request), which I ordered extra because I love the saltiness of those little fish. I do wish I was more hungry at the time, but those two dishes throughly filled me up. Would definitely need to come back to try the other food because everyone else's food looked really good.
(3)Keith K.
Great view and lobster bisque was the best I have had in SC.
(4)Finch M.
I went the weekend of May 23rd, 2010. Had a pasta dish that tasted decent, but for $20, I expected much more food. They also claimed to be out of stock on meatballs...what kind of Italian restaurant runs out of meetballs on a Friday night at 7:30PM??? Service was good (we had Ali), she was very pleasent, and we were lucky that she brought as much bread as we requested. If not for that, we would have starved with the extremely small portion of pasta that was given to us.
(2)Christopher C.
My wife and I went here during restaurant week in Columbia. We were impressed by the ambiance of the little place and we had a great view of the Columbia "skyline". The entrees were fantastic as were the desserts. I felt that the portion sizes were exactly right for an upscale place and we plan to go back for special occasions.
(5)Emily E.
Very cute atmosphere and great view of the city but food was sub par for the price. Prime rib had a very strange flavor and the crab bisque was served in a bread bowl that allowed for a meager portion, at best. Creme brulee was decent. Service was good.
(3)EC F.
Huge portions of mediocre gut-busting food. Service was . . . confusing. Awkwardly jocular and overattentive on the one hand (by a guy who told us he wasn't actually our server) and then, when we needed his---or anyone's---attention the most (so that we could pay and get out of there already) it was as if we had all had indulged in a little after-dinner invisible potion for dessert. Neat space, but probably won't go back.
(2)Ann Marie D.
The thing I remember most about Al's was the great atmosphere. It is a fairly small space, considering the amount of tables, but it made for a festive upscale atmosphere. The food was good, and I loved the selection of Italian wines. Our table was in front and we had that great view of the Gervais Street Bridge.
(4)Greg R.
If you sit in front, it's a really amazing view of Columbia - looks straight down the Gervias street bridge. The food is generally good, sometimes very - and on occasion, not very. Your best bet is to go for the steaks or seafood special.
(4)Brian H.
First Italian restaurant that I've visited since moving from Dallas recently. Chose Al's based on the recommendation of a long-time Columbia resident and friend. Great choice. The elegance of the old building, upstairs dining room with river views, friendly wait staff in ties, and the white linen table cloths all come together to make this an elegant restaurant, which would be excellent for a special occasion or a romantic evening out on the town. As it was, my wife and I had our 10 year old daughter in tow. We started with the Caprese salad and Calamari. Wow! Tomatoes in TX never tasted this good! I only managed to have a bite or two of the calamari before my daughter devoured it. For entrees.. my wife had the sea scallops, which she said were cooked to perfection. I opted for the Pasta Alla Al, which consisted of shrimp, lobster, and scallops in a slightly spicy marinara sauce over cheese filled pasta "packets". Looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch today! Only things I was slightly disappointed with were the unremarkable Cab that I ordered by the glass and that I didn't have room for desert. The tiramisu looked fantastic. Already looking forward to our next visit. Next time without our daughter!
(4)