Top 10 Greek Restaurants to Try in Columbia, SC

Columbia has a genuinely deep Greek food culture rooted in a history that stretches back to the early 20th century, when Greek-owned restaurants were a common feature of South Carolina's main streets. Today the Palmetto State capital holds a Free Times Best Greek Restaurant competition with serious contenders each year, anchored by a Devine Street landmark that has won the title multiple years running and a West Columbia institution founded by Greek brothers who arrived in America looking for opportunity and found it by opening a restaurant that now sources olive oil from their family farm in Greece. No ranking here, all are worth your time.

Mediterranean Tea Room

The winner of Columbia's Best Greek Restaurant in the Free Times Best of Columbia competition for both 2024 and 2025, the Mediterranean Tea Room is described as a tiny Columbia landmark that unassumingly sits off Devine Street and makes every guest feel as though they are dining at the table of a friend. Staff are not only knowledgeable of menu items but accommodating to any dietary concerns, portions are large and food is consistently delicious across every visit, and every dish including the hummus, chicken salad, tabouli, eggplant pizza, mujaddara rice, and salmon and chicken pita has been excellent. The best place in Columbia for authentic fresh Greek food according to devoted regulars who have tried the other options and keep coming back here.

Grecian Gardens

A West Columbia Greek institution founded by brothers George and Alex Koutrakous who moved from Greece to New York before choosing South Carolina as their land of opportunity, Grecian Gardens has been open for nearly forty years and sources olive oil from the Koutrakous family farm in Greece to this day. The 2024 runner-up and 2025 runner-up for Best Greek Restaurant in the Free Times competition, it serves everything from roasted chicken to gyros to lasagna, the gyro platter with Greek salad and homemade tzatziki is excellent, the saganaki flaming cheese is wonderful, and the dessert wheel in the lobby has been drawing eyes for decades. Alex Koutrakous describes the Greek tradition of philotimo, the duty to make every invited guest feel fed, happy, and cared for, as the philosophy behind every meal.

Zorba's Greek Restaurant

A Columbia Greek institution that has been serving the community since 1989 and is described by devoted regulars as a beloved dining spot they have been eating at forever with consistently good food and service, Zorba's Greek Restaurant features live music and dancing, a full bar with Greek wines, a private room for celebrations, and a menu spanning Greek specialties, pizza, and pasta. The moussaka is outstanding and described by a longtime loyal regular as now exceeding Grecian Gardens, the grape leaves rolled and covered with an out-of-this-world lemon sauce are exceptional, the Zorba's Special Salad with Greek salad plus deli meats and mozzarella is enormous, and the creamy chicken lemon soup and Zorba's chicken falling off the bone are highlights. A 2025 Free Times honorable mention.

Ariana's Greek Restaurant

A charming family-owned Greek restaurant on Cross Hill Road described as the best authentic casual Greek food in the Midlands by a devoted regular who has never had a bad meal there, Ariana's Greek Restaurant is a go-to destination for genuine Greek cooking in Columbia. The gyro and souvlaki pita are excellent and described as some of the best Greek food a picky Greek food diner has ever had, the food is very picky-person approved and definitely some of the best around, and the overall quality and warmth of the family-run operation reflect a genuine love of Greek culinary traditions.

Ambrosia Taverna

A well-loved Columbia Greek taverna that earns consistent enthusiastic praise for its authentic Greek food with generous portions and the kind of warm and welcoming service that makes every guest feel genuinely at home, Ambrosia Taverna is a dependable and satisfying option for Greek cuisine across the Midlands. The food reflects a genuine commitment to Greek cooking done well and the overall quality and atmosphere make it a worthwhile stop for anyone seeking authentic Greek dining in Columbia.

Pitas

A well-regarded Columbia Greek and Mediterranean pita spot that earns consistent strong marks for its great Greek food with super friendly service, affordable prices, fresh ingredients, great falafel, and an excellent veggie platter, Pitas is a dependable and enjoyable casual option for Greek street food across the city. The gyros are juicy through and through and regulars describe it as a spot they will definitely be repeat customers for.

Nick's Gyros and Subs

A Saint Andrews Road casual Greek and American restaurant that serves Greek and American fare until 2 AM on weekdays and around the clock on weekends with a drive-thru window for convenient late-night service, Nick's Gyros and Subs is a distinctive and dependable option for Greek street food in Columbia. Nick's Piraeus-born founder learned traditional Greek cuisine from family and carries on that heritage with genuine Greek hospitality and the philosophy that every guest invited through the door deserves to be fed, made happy, and sent away content.

Greek Boys

A well-regarded Columbia Greek restaurant that earns consistent strong marks for its fresh and flavorful Greek food, large selection of authentic Greek dishes available online ordering with super ease, and the kind of honest and satisfying Mediterranean cooking that makes it a dependable neighborhood choice for Greek food in the Midlands, Greek Boys is a solid and enjoyable option for Greek cuisine across Columbia. The food is impressive in its selection of fresh Greek offerings and the overall quality and convenience make it a reliable go-to.

Kairos Mediterranean

A well-regarded Columbia Mediterranean and Greek fast-casual kitchen that cooks everything fresh in-house with no commissaries and no freezers, Kairos Mediterranean delivers build-your-own pitas, bowls, and salads with fresh lamb, harissa chicken, falafel, hummus, and more in a clean and welcoming setting. The food is fresh, healthy, and flavorful and the overall commitment to quality Mediterranean cooking done right makes it a natural choice for anyone craving honest Greek food in Columbia.

Green Olive Restaurant

A family-owned Mediterranean and Turkish restaurant near the South Carolina State House that delivers great Turkish red lentil soup, excellent stuffed grape leaves, and a hearty gyro platter with basmati rice, grilled vegetables, and homemade tzatziki, Green Olive Restaurant is a very casual and dependable option for Greek and Mediterranean food in downtown Columbia. The eggplant parmesan, falafel pita with fries, and half-chicken meal are all satisfying and the service has been consistently on point across multiple visits.

Conclusion

Columbia's Greek dining scene reflects a city with genuine Hellenic roots, where Greek-owned restaurants have shaped the local food culture for over a century and where the annual Greek Festival on Sumter Street draws crowds with the smells and sounds of a little touch of Greece every year. From a Devine Street landmark earning back-to-back Best of Columbia wins to a forty-year West Columbia institution sourcing olive oil from a family farm in Greece, there is more outstanding Greek dining worth discovering across the Midlands than most visitors passing through ever take the time to find.