I’ve been here on a few separate occasions before and this was my last time.When me and my boyfriend arrived for a late lunch, it was extremely busy and packed, which is understandable with a football Saturday but the work ethic did not match the demand.We were able to squeeze into two chairs at the end of the bar, by a worker who was there drinking on his off day (which he does all the time, apparently). Things were dirty, which tells me that they don’t sanitize between customers, and NOBODY seemed to want to be there. The girl who took our order kept talking about how she was cut but couldn’t leave yet.. she wasn’t doing anything, but at the same time was doing more than any other server I saw.We ordered drinks that I had to remind them to give us, and the fries were sent back because they had definitely been sitting out.The energy of the people there are terrible, they are rude, and everything is subpar.I can find a better burger elsewhere. (& I promise, so can you. . Save your money.)
My first visit to Grill Marks was impressive. Not everyone knows how to cook Bison, but my bison burger was perfect. The Salted Caramel-Heath Bar Toffee Milkshake was the best shake that I have ever ordered at a restaurant. The service was excellent, and that was with a party of 15. Im telling you, they knocked it out of the park!
Burgers and Shakes are delicious!! I had a Mark Combo, Burger with American Cheese on Texas Toast. I asked to substitute Fried Pickles for fries. The burger was on point. Fried pickles lacked a little seasoning, but overall tasty.The banana pudding shake was mind blowing. I could have two of those. Not really. But really good.Marina my waitress was very nice and helpful. I’ll go back for sure.
I don’t know if it’s because I brought my child and she had a mini tantrum before our food arrived at the table but I literally ordered enough food to make up for her little episode. I ordered the hot honey wings, the salmon sandwich, sweet potato fries something I’ve always gotten because my daughter loves them (keep that in mind, it’s important) as well as the s’mores shake for myself and a banana pudding shake for my little one. I went to my car to get a toy for her to play with because it was taking a long time to get my order. Once we got back to the table everything was there covered with napkins with the exception of my salmon sandwich. The wings were excellent as usual but the rest was sadly disappointing. Our milkshakes were literally cold milk. There was nothing banana about her shake, it was vanilla milk with whipped cream on top. My salmon sandwich was perfectly cooked yet extremely bland but the kicker was her sweet potato fries. They were crispy and I’m being kind saying that because out of the whole basket she could only eat 4 because the majority of them were burnt. I literally told the waitress and she explained that’s how they serve the fries and from that point I asked for the check because we’ve had these fries over 5 times and they are NEVER BURNT!!!! I expect way better quality for the price I paid. The servers and wait staff aside from my actual waitress were outstanding. They brought me napkins and assisted me when my server didn’t bother to give me a bag for my takeout items. They quickly came over and bagged my things so we could leave. I’m patiently waiting for them to open so I can speak to a manager, the food I experienced yesterday was atrocious. I never would’ve thought I’d have a dinner date at Grill Mark’s that would upset me so much. I had to update once I got my food this morning to microwave. I was given raw wings. Imagine if I gave my child this to eat!!!! I am livid!!!!!
Really enjoyable experience. Service was good, food was great. Fries are awesome (has fat fries and sweet potato fries). Shakes were slow to come out but that wasnt a big deal for us. Prices are reasonable for what you get.
Grill Marks has been a very specific craving Ive had for months now. I went a few years ago on the regular and loved the food.Now, I still enjoy the food at Grill Marks. The service is just extremely slow. Our server was kind and apologetic but she took another tables order rather than bring us napkins for fresh food that we waited 45 minutes for. The menu here isnt huge. There are more people on the floor at this restaurant than I see in most places. This lunch took forever and we had plans. Ive worked as a server and I have a lot of patience for a kitchen that takes their time however, this was a lot. If your staple is burgers and milkshakes, it shouldnt take 45 minutes to get them out to customers, especially after years at the same location.I was disappointed in my experience yet again. Ive tried here several times and there were just three of us outside this time.
1st timer and I would like to say this place was fantastic. Theres an inside are and a covered outside area. The food was amazing the drinks were amazing and the service was outstanding. Our server Ellie was awesome. Cant say enough about our first time. The place is a little pricey for a burger joint but it is well worth it in the end. I would give it q0 stars if I could.
Pick up from here alot . Food looks amazing and smells really good when I come here . One day I will try
Don’t waste your time or money.. poor service and dirty establishment. A bunch of waitresses standing around. Waited over 15mins without anyone checking or bringing water. Then, notice other parties that came after were serviced prior. We ended up walking out and enjoying the service and entrees at Old Chicago located across the street. Tsunami sushi restaurant located across is also another recommended establishment that definitely has better service.Recommend that management retrain their staff. We don’t plan on patronizing this Grill Marks until the clean up their staff and establishment.
Literally just left the establishment. Ordered food, and it took almost an hour to come. While waiting for my food, my drink was empty. The waiter walked by the table a total of 7 times. I asked another waiter to get my waiter, when he finally came, he brought our food and then asked do I want more drink. Asked for my burger to be cooked well done, and it came with pink in inside. The fries was room temperature. Evidence that our food sat for a brief while before making it to the table. The burger didn’t have any seasoning. While the presentation was good, the food was disappointing. Ordered the wedge salad, and the items laid to the side instead of being on the salad. Disappointed with this experience. I understand everyone is short staff, but if things were communicated as time goes along, this will prevent disgruntled customers. Finally, another waiter at the establishment had the card/receipt holder in the back of his shorts, and not in the pocket. Didn’t speak with management because that would have taken an hour. I paid and left. First time experience, and my last.
Want to give it a good review so bad but man this place has gone downhill. Food is prob worth a 3.5-4 star rating but the service is horrible. Waited 15 minutes after being seated to order drinks and that was AFTER I found a waitress and asked her if we could place a drink order. Food took FOREVER to come out. Waited over a hour. The food and milkshakes are not impressive enough to wait over a hour for. Won’t be back.
Location is trendy. Open air seating is a welcome site in these times. The staff is friendly and attentive. The food choices we made could use some improvement.We had the standard burger, topped with bacon and pimento cheese.The burger temperature was a perfect medium well. However there was not much flavor. The burger came standard with pickles, tomato, and lettuce. The optimal location pimento cheese was ok, but doesn’t live up to the Palmetto state standard . It needs something extra to reach that “Caviar of the South” status. The bacon was ok, but not as crispy as I would have liked. The bun was ok, but could have used butter or a sauce to deliver extra flavor to the meat.The onion rings were ordered separately, no side is included with the primary dish. While not super expensive at $2.99, I was expecting more than three small onion rings. They were nice and crispy. Flavor was ok, standard beer batter.The other order was the Buffalo chicken salad. It was tasty and included a large portion of chicken.Kids menu was sufficient for the Little’s ones in your party.Milkshakes : standard shakes run $6 . We ordered two:Chocolate is made from vanilla with chocolate syrup and did not taste good.Cookies and cream was delicious and included real Oreos in the shake.They do have some fancier options.They allow dogs in the outside dining.They have a good beer selection, but I was surprised about that they did not have more local breweries on tap. I love holy city out of Charleston or Benford Brewing our of Lancaster. (Hint)I would come back here again due to the staff and overall feel of the dining experience . I would definitely choose other dishes.
The atmosphere and the waitress was great. The steakburger with brie was good. The sweet potato fries with orange cinnamon sauce was the best Ive ever had! Skip the strawberry cheesecake milkshake. The slice of cheesecake was absolutely awful. Probably any other shake would have been great, but they really cheaped out on the cheesecake and that is why I chose that shake as I am a cheesecake lover.
Food was ok, service was good except that we were charged full price for an alcoholic beverage, including alcohol tax, for a NON--alcoholic beverage because, according to management, ‘there were no other buttons to push’ on the screen. Ridiculous IMO.We waited about 20-25 minutes for it, but I understand restaurants are struggling to get employees…
It took a very long time to receive our food. We sat over an hour and was told it will be out shortly. At this time the restaurant was not busy at all! I wouldnt want to experience it if it was crowded. Food was good. Drinks tasted blend.
Have you ever wanted fries topped with a can of Campbells chunky soup? This is the place for you!The soup fries were the best part. The smash burger should just be called a regular burger. It shares no resemblance to an actual smash burger.The Texas toast was barely toasted. It was just dried bread. There was a lack of cheese on the burgers as well.Service was OK. The restaurant wasnt super busy but we still ended up waiting a while just to get the check.If you want below average food, come here but I would recommend pleanty of other burger places before Grill Marks. Try The Whig just down the road. If Im being totally honest, Five Guys offers a better burger at a cheaper price.I wont be coming back unless Im not paying.
We celebrated our sons 21st birthday there last night and we are so glad we did. Food was GREAT and the service was FANTASTIC. You dont usually get that with the size party we had on a Saturday night. What a great place!!!!!
Milkshakes...oh, the milkshakes. Amazing. They have regular milkshakes and milkshakes on steroids. They have adult milkshakes, meaning they have alcohol instead of milk. In addition, they have burgers, sandwiches, etc. I had the Buffalo Chicken Tender salad, which was spicy and delicious. My husband had a wonderful Bison burger. Definitely recommend!
We stopped here after going to the zoo with our kids, the food was delicious, service was excellent and the milkshakes are good! We will definitely be back!
I had the smash it burger, sweet potato fries, & chocolate crack shake....every bit of it was absolutely delicious!!!! The fries came with a cinnamon orange sauce that was out of this world. I will definitely be back. That was one of the best burgers Ive ever had!
Got ignored by wait staff for almost 30minutes even though they seen us. Sweet tea was unsweet. Finally order food came out with moldy lettuce and hair in the food. When politely letting the waitress know I got scuffed at. Sent food back and did not ask for anything else. Everyone else seemed to be seated and order taken when they came in. Guess they dont like mixed couples and fat people. Also had to ask for our table to be wiped down and even though the waitress made multiple trips near our table still she forgot all about the rag until reminded.
Service was pretty good. Not exceptional. We only ordered appetizers (The three-way: skinny fries, onion straws, & fried pickles) & shakes. The food was mediocre. Nothing you cant get anywhere else. The sauces that came with the food were REALLY thin. It was nearly impossible to eat without it dripping everywhere. My daughter ordered the Chocolate Brownie Crack shake. She enjoyed it. However, she said there was a slight chemical after-taste to the ice cream. I had the Carolina Car Bombe shake and it was delicious! I didnt notice any off putting tastes. We will probably go back again someday and give them another chance. May have caught them on an off day.
Not the best place for burgers. Our burgers were undercooked and the fries were just barely warm when they came out. It is overpriced. There is only one combo meal the rest is a la carte.
The server was slow and inattentive, they had over 6 dirty tables for over an hour. The food was bland and we ordered a grilled cheese that the cheese wasnt even melted. Our freakshake was half way put together. We are from out of town and we waited for long periods while other tables that were sat after us got their food and left. Would not recommend!
Worst experience I’ve had here the chicken on my salad was cold and the kitchen closed after we got our food so they couldn’t do anything about it. The cheese fries barley had any cheese. I work a lot so this was my first real meal of the day and let’s just say I won’t eat here again
Wonderful gluten-free options and dedicated fryers. I like their adult chicken tender plate and all their three-way options, but especially the truffle fries and sweet potato fries with delicious dijonnaise and orange butter dipping sauces!
Food was decent. Staff was great! Very dog friendly!
2 stars for the burger, cooked just right!! Service not so much, fries not so much, shake really not so much...20 bucks not worth it.... sorry Marks wont be back
Wait staff really needs to be trained. We had to keep asking for drink refills, the order wasnt correct, and the busboy interrupted the table three times to remove dishes while we were sitting there.Pitiful service.
The sweet potato fries with orange cinnamon sauce will get me to go back here. The sliders combo was so greasy I couldnt get half way through them.
Every time we visit we always run into a small issue. For example they are only accepting cash.. Believe it or not more than once on this issue. Slow service. Pretty much normal at this point. Today however just I just finally felt like I needed to give a review.. We went in this afternoon for a late lunch. We ran into a series of issues from undercooked food to a server that expected 1 roll of silverware was good for 2 people. The management staff took care of the issues, offered us free desert, and discounted our check. (BTW we just wanted good food we didn’t ask for anything else.) That’s all great except it shouldn’t have to be that way.. I’m going with 3 stars bc management did step in and handle the situation.
I was so so unimpressed by Grill Marks. I tried the Firehouse burger with the loaded fries, and both were not as great as I hoped they would be. The service was quick, but our waitress did not check up on us but once. The food left me with very sharp stomach pains not even 10 minutes after I ate. They used to be good, but not anymore. I will not be returning.
Came here Friday night got a bison burger asked for it well done comes out pink I asked for another or to have it fixed .. the server assures me that its cooked and thats how their well done comes smh.. then I asked for my shake to go since I lost my appetite.. and its a glass of milk with a big cookie and a small scoop of ice cream at the very bottom.. terrible food and service .. dont know who to blame cooks or waiters but I wont be back.
I’m normally a big fan. Today the bun tasted old and the milkshake had a champagne price with a beer presentation. Dismal at best. Definitely not worth 10!Update. Added 2 ⭐️ ⭐️ after I asked the manager what happened today. She took care of the situation quickly without question. Thank you.
First time going there. Food was great! You got to try the milkshakes!
Very disappointing experience. Tried this restaurant during restaurant week and though they were understaffed and the restaurant acoustics were quite loud, the food quality was good. We came back to use the patio, a great pet friendly space, but the experience this time was not great. Of the 4 beers I wanted to try, three were “out” with no replacements offered. (Typically kegs which are finished are replaced with the same, or another similar beer). Additionally, my spouse’s food came approximately 20 minutes prior to my burger arriving. Again, it’s understandable that a burger may take more time to cook, but this is a clear failure somewhere between the kitchen and our table. Other similarly sized tables seated well after us got their burgers delivered well before any of our food came to the table. The “medium” burger came out well done, and the truffle fries were cold and limp, clearly having been made prior and waiting on the burger to finish cooking. This restaurant was a total disappointment this time. The quality of the food is good, but with overdone burgers, poor timing, and cold fries, I could not recommend this place and certainly won’t be coming back again. Note: no apology or explanation was offered for any of the above disappointments.
Good burgers and service. Nice selection on the menu. Able to sit outside with our dog. Overall a nice experience.
Wonderful eatery for burgers and shakes. I would say the shakes are of artesian quality, unique and beautiful to see, and even better to taste. You can’t go wrong here, no matter what you choose!
Good food. Good vibes. Friendly staff. Ill definitely be back.
Great spot, delicious burgers. Will definitely be back when visiting Columbia SC
Grill Marks is a great burger and shake spot in The Vista. Their burgers are absolutely delicious and they are 100% customizable. The fries have a spice mix on top that was pretty good too. They have an insane milkshake menu. Let’s just say that the $10+ shakes are HUGE and definitely shareable. No wonder they have won awards for them. They are impressive! The service was fast and courteous. They also have outdoor seating that is dog friendly. Bonus: they have a bag of dog treats for $5. Overall, it’s an all-American place that is worth stopping into when you have a burger craving.
I enjoy finding local/regional restaurants that the whole family can enjoy. Grill Marks comes through with an assortment that satisfies. My wife and I like the Bison Burger which I think they call Yellowstone. The kids are still experimenting with some of the funner names; Smash it, Hawaiian punch and such. But I really think they come here for the Milkshakes, I mean FreakShakes.
I wouldn’t go if you’re in a hurry… or if you prefer decent customer service
Good experience! Tasty shakes and burgers. I loved the three appetizers deal and enjoyed the white truffle parmesan fries were great, the fried green tomatoes were ok, and the Hawaiian Punch burger was good but not as flavorful as I was hoping even though I enjoyed it a lot. Good service and Im happy with how everything turned out.
Food is great and the staff is friendly!The service is a bit slow sometimes. And today I saw someone behind the bar open something with their teeth. That was a bit jarring considering COVID.
The wait was long but definitely worth it. Hands down best burger I have ever eaten. Definitely coming back.
Our party of 8 was seated exceptionally fast and our orders were taken quickly... on a fairly quiet Sunday afternoon. It took quite a while to receive our drinks from the bar and forever to have our dirty dishes removed (which really annoyed a few in our group), despite several staff members standing around doing nothing. Also, the Roasted Pina Colada and Perky Kilt lacked flavor and were very runny. Everyone enjoyed their apps (esp. Chowder Head Fries), burgers, and decadent Freakshakes.
Love the atmosphere and food every visit. We had Emma and she was very attentive and respectful. Sat outside in the gorgeous patio. The entire staff was kind and ready to serve. Amazing!
Great, thick, burgers cooked rare, medium rare, well done, to your liking. You may struggle to pick it up or bite it its so big. Sides may have to go home with you. My husband couldnt finish his whole meal. Great prices forShakes so big and thick they will split one into two cups for you to share.Dine inside or out.
Pros:Spacious, clean, inviting dining area to include the patio.The milkshake was well crafted and deliciousOptions were varied.Cons:The burger was good.. Def not not great. I ordered medium, it came back fully cooked. Also lacked the flavor I was expecting.. But this may be due to the avocado not being in season. (Ordered burger ala South of the border)The fries were seasoned beyond belief. Pretty sure I met my sodium level for the week eating those.The meal took a looong time despite it being lunch and the restaurant being mostly empty.Overall.. Ok.If I ever get more than a hour for lunch, I might come visit again.Edit: Returned for a second trip for dinner and with more time to spare.Nachos for happy hour, were very spicy. Normally this is a good thing for me but not at this level. The service was good until it was time to check out, our server disappeared, once we checked out with another server we were told she was assigned a large party as way of excuse.Good news is my burger was not overcooked this time (beermans burger). Instead it was undercooked.Ordered medium, got a dripping red center burger. Fries were adequately seasoned this time so thats an improvement.Still not impressed. Less likely to return soon.
Awesomeness! If you are looking for a great atmosphere and good service this is the place for you. The burgers are amazing and so are the shakes. They also have a wide selection of drinks, from soft drinks to wine and liquor. Its a good place just to hang out and catch the game with some friends or bring the family. They have outside seating, a bar, fireplaces, wheelchair access, and the cleanest bathrooms I have ever seen in public. The service is excellent and you wont find a better burger anywhere. The food is cooked to perfection and the ice cream for the milkshakes is made in house daily. YOU GOTTA TRY IT, YOU WILL KEEP GOING BACK FOR MORE!
I really wanted to like this place. Unfortunately, mostly because of the service, it fell short of great. My husband ordered a medium rare burger and it was super pink and cold. Mine was the wrong burger but I just went ahead and made it work. We had to get our credit card out and act obvious to get our check. Something was missing or off with about almost every part of our meal.Maybe our server was having a bad day, who knows. I am always a 20+% tipper even for mediocre, today was the first time I can remember ever leaving less. I am just having a hard time with getting good service anywhere these days, I think I am just starting to believe those days are gone. Sad.
Nice burger joint downtown! I had the Yellowstone which is an interesting burger and havent had it anywhere else..Craft Can beer cost $5.50 for a 12oz which sucks but order a draft.
Get place for gluten free people like my wife
Good food, decent prices, pretty good service. Parking is terrible, but that goes for all of Columbia. Be sure to get your jalapenos on the side if you have any issues with spicy food as they were heavier than expected on my burger. The sweet potato fries were not as good as most places. Overall a good experience.
The burgers in the sandwiches needed to be seasoned - the chipotle ketchup on my firehouse burger was tasty, it needed more, the blondie in our Salted caramel Heath Bar crunch dessert was like a brick, had lunch here on a Saturday, not terribly busy, okay visit, just okay, drove from Augusta - our previous visit was better
Not worth the money. Service was very slow. It took over an hour to receive appetizers (which were under cooked). Alcoholic beverages & food were inconsistent. Some drinks were more full than others. Some burger buns were cold, other burgers missing items. All the fries, even ones that were requested to be crispy were all soggy & limp. Staff were all very friendly, but we wont be returning.
This was my first vist here the hot honey chicken wings were to die for they were just rite 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤
The first thing that we were impressed with was the menu! So many choices of not your average burgers and appetizers! It was hard to make a decision. The atmosphere was wonderful and service was great! We had the Chowder Head Fries which was awesome and we shared a Firehouse Burger. We had to take off points for the burger being slightly overcooked...we asked for medium rare and it was well done. Otherwise the food was delicious. Would have liked to try a milkshake but couldnt fit it in!! Lol!!
Such a strange dining experience here. Was it positive or negative? Yes.Ate here with 3 other friends after moving furniture in the SC sun all day. We were super excited to try it - for 3 of us, it was our first time there and our friend had raved about the shakes. I dont live in Columbia so this was a treat. Our waitress told us that it was only her 2nd day serving alone so asked that we be patient with her. Were not monsters who are rude to servers so of course we were patient, even through incorrect orders and long waits.I ordered onion straws and a What the Cluck without tomatoes - a grilled chicken sandwich with Swiss cheese, bacon, avocado puree, shredded lettuce, and mayo on Texas Toast. Im not sure what I got because its not exactly anything on their menu. What I got was a triple decker sandwich on dry toast that was lettuce and bacon on one layer, fried chicken tenders and lettuce on the next. Thats it.Since I was the only one who had ordered chicken (2 friends had burgers, another had a salad), when the chicken sandwich was brought over, I accepted it but once I took a look at it, I realized....this is nothing that I ordered. Because we had waited for awhile and were hungry after working (and since the waitress was busy with another table), I let it go for the moment. When she came over to ask about dessert and the bill, I told her that I hadnt actually gotten the sandwich that I ordered. It was then that she informed me that they didnt have the ingredients for what I had ordered so they had made me something else instead.I find that to be puzzling on 2 fronts. They had chicken to fry tenders but not to grill for a sandwich? There was no Swiss? No avocado puree despite the fact that my tablemate had a salad with tons of avocado on it? And I wasnt even asked if I wanted to order something else, just someone else made an executive decision?Okay.....wasnt going to fight this young, new waitress. I let it go despite my friends telling me that I should complain to a manager. Decided to try a milkshake. Didnt get one of the Freakshakes (though my friend did and it was massive and delicious). I ordered a caramel espresso shake and a friend ordered the cookies and cream (this detail is important later).Cue another long wait wherein the waitress came over and told us that the shake person had left so the bartender was making them and thats why it was taking longer. It was 3 in the afternoon on a Sunday, so it seemed a little early for the only person who really knew how to make a milkshake in a restaurant where milkshakes are a big draw to dip out but I dont know how it works around there, again not gonna argue, just want my delicious ice cream treat to wash away my disappointing sandwich experience, please.When our shakes came over, the Freakshakes is easy to distinguish since it had a huge Blondie on top and comes on a plate. The caramel espresso and cookies and cream? Not so easily distinguishable, despite coming in tall glasses. The bartender told me which was which but I forgot, the waitress told us and passed them to us to try. You might think that caramel espresso milkshake would be a different color from the cookies and cream because of the caramel and espresso...or at least thats what I would have thought but it wasnt since the caramel espresso milkshake is just a vanilla milkshake with ground up espresso beans dusted throughout.Or thats what I got, at least. After the sandwich kerfuffle, I wasnt sure what anything was really supposed to be and didnt have a whole lot of faith or trust left in the experience. I just called it a wash and we decided that the restaurant would be a skip on our next trip to Columbia.So out of the 3 things I ordered, the 1 item that was correct was good and the portion sizes are on par with the pricing. The Freakshakes probably cant go wrong. And if you like playing Russian Roulette with your order, then go ahead!
Only ate at Grill Marks once. Me, bride and adult son. About 5:30 on a Wednesday.Food .... really good. We got burgers with fries. Bride ordered a drink specialty. My order included a milkshake.Service .... the young lady was very nice and efficient. But .... everything took a long, very long time to get to the table. So long I didnt really want the milkshake.With that much time to get food and drinks, we wont go back.
Best shake Ive had in a while and secretly want the thing that the fries are usually held in.
The dining experience was nice, but there was nothing special to draw me back.
We were excited to try Grill Marks. We left disappointed. We felt the food was average & overpriced for what we got. Service was slow, although in their defense it was a Saturday afternoon. Bottom line - there are better options in Columbia if you want a good burger.
Food and service are always solid! Its a must every visit for my family.
Gourmet burgers are fantastic. Fries and dip are to die for. Alcoholic shakes are great and creative. Atmosphere is superb, and pet friendly. The only draw back is the exorbitant prices.
It took 20 minutes to get seated, even though the restaurant didnt look full. They did offer a seat at the bar, but I wanted a table. Then it took about 30 minutes to get my food (just a burger)! The waitress never checked on me so I could find out when my food would be ready. When I did get my food (Hawaiian punch burger) the burger was average.
Great burgers, shakes etc., and great service too.It’s four-star food & service but the prices are about twice what they should be. Just looking at what we ordered, the margins this place makes must be yuuge.You’re essentially paying a massive premium over the next lowest tier of burger place in order to finance their beer/liquor license.