Reviews of Al's Upstairs Italian Restaurant (Restaurant)

Mark Arnold

I've lived in Columbia, SC for nearly 12 years and by some cruel twist I had never visited this landmark restaurant until 2019. What a remarkable experience. Beautiful view of the Columbia skyline and river. Soft atmosphere. Impeccable service......all this was just the beginning. The menu is diverse and resplendent. The wine selection is deep and supportive of the exceptional menu. Portions are generous and flavorful with absolutely perfect ingredients. Every phase of this experience was satisfying and rewarding. Highly recommend! 5 Giant stars!

Whitney Rodriguez

Amazing romantic setting! It’s upstairs (hence the name) and offers a great view of Downtown Columbia! We had the fried oysters and crab cakes for an appetizer and they were top notch. The service was exceptional and the server was attentive without being intrusive. It is definitely an adult only restaurant. The price was appropriate for the food and setting offered.

Jack stamler

Called asking for a reservation and was told it was fully booked. After calling upon the manager and asking if there was anyway I could be made aware of cancellations or bar seating I was laughed at and questioned why I even wanted to go there “so bad”. After requesting the owner I was told he would call me and never did even after calling back a couple times. Never tried the food but would gladly go any other place that would respect a paying customer.

Elaine Stowe

Beautiful place, wonderful food, so charming. The view alone is worth it.

Morgan Adams

AMAZING. Some of the best food my family has ever eaten- if I could give it 10 stars I would!

Kia H

Great food and excellent service!

Tyrone Brown

Great dining experience! My wife truly enjoyed her birthday dinner. I was especially impressed with the view and excellent service!!!

Cheryl Johnson Benjamin

The food was fresh and delicious. The lobster bisque was superb. Our server Jacob was on point. Great food, fellowship and service. Celebrating my daughter's 29th birthday.☺

George Thompson

Great place to dine. Excellent service. Thanks Al's

Ke Garira

Really nice ambiance, nice and tasty food. Loved everything we order. Calamari was very juicy. Would definitely recommend.

Shawn Frazer

Fancy as hell, amazing food, attentive service without being overbearing... the view alone is worth a visit.

garland rowe

Always excellent

Janet Grenier

Amazing food and atmosphere, perfect for special occasions or an anytime treat. Wonderful specials that change often!

Linda Ciaccia

Good food with a variety of choices. Great view of the skyline.

Cherie Bramlett

Absolutaly fabulous dining experience! From the moment we walked into the door until we left the service was awesome and the food is out of this world! many compliments to the chef

Doris Bailey

Went to Al's for a seminar. Had the filet...it was absolutely fantastic...the veggies left alot to be desired...but was an overall good meal.

SLF 509

Great service for a large party.

Jacob Gorman

Best steaks/seafood/view in town. Definitely the place to go for a date or anniversary. Allen the head server is great

Freddy Bañuelos

Good FOOD!

Sheila pabon

Prices way too high for the quality of food they serve. I have been there twice in the last 2 months. In both occasions they have either undercook or overcook food.

Alexis Stockard

Really nice place food good service ok.

Ron Whitehead

Great food! Excellent Service! !

Brandon Corbit

If I'm going to pay premium for a premium restaurant, I expect the food to taste beyond exceptional and Al's has consistently delivered. Everything I've tried on the menu has always exceeded my expectations. A great place for a dinner business meeting or a wonderful date-night. My favorite upscale restaurant in Columbia.

Colin Garner

Absolutely the best service in town. Great views. Awesome food. Tremendous wine list. Great ambiance and atmosphere. Ask for a table by the window!

Loretta Brunson

Fantastic, Devine atmosphere for dinner. Food has amazing flavor and is very creative.

Tamra Paschal

Great meal, great view! Our server, Al (not the owner), was charming, personable, and efficient. Loved the lobster bisque and fried green tomatoes as appetizers. Don't usually have the steak at an Italian restaurant, but we both saw another diner's filet mignon, so we ordered it as well. Perfectly cooked medium rare (warm red center) and delicious! We also had a good bottle of red wine and great desserts ( creme brulee and blackberry cheesecake) to round out a wonderful meal. Prices were reasonable, too. We had not been to Al's in a while, but will be back again soon.

Craig Pfeifer

Amazing Italian dinner. The restaurant itself is fairly small, but the staff is amazing. Great wine and food, would definitely recommend.

Brian Miles

I was hoping it to be more of a formal environment but most customers were dressed business casual. Not the best place for a quiet dinner. Food and service was good. View of the city from the window is nice.

Ayanna

Food and staff were amazing. Great choice

terrell bryant

Upscale Italian restaurant. Good menu offerings in a soft and elegant atmosphere with great city views. Perfect date night restaurant or if you want to impress a client. I have a weakness for their lobster bisque that has a nice pastry that accompanies it. Prices are not extraordinary high. Can have a good meal for 2 under $70

Susan Tennant

Love the atmosphere love the food ,!

John Price

Fantastic views and excellent food.

Michaela Pinapfel

Al's Upstairs is the perfect restaurant for a date night! Be prepared to spend more than a traditional night out, but it is worth every penny. My favorite dish is the crab stuffed chicken. Check them out for Valentine's Day plans. You can't beat the prices for everything that is invited. Going later in the evening leaves you with a breathtaking view of downtown Columbia.

Glenn Heimburger

Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Great view of Columbia. Good food reasonably priced. Nice place for a special occasion or just a night out.

Garnet Barnes

Excellent service, nice view, and wonderful food.

Dale Kenison

! Super delicious and good service nice atmosphere, always excellent!

Angela Hampton

I was there for a private event and the staff got my steak(Med well) mixed up with the person next to me (rare). They did serve copious amount of bottomless wine for the event. The parking is SCARCE!

Charles Varn

We came as a large group and they were able to accommodate us well. The food was outstanding and service was very attentive.

Ps J

Definitely the finest restaurant in Columbia. Superlative food and service. Wonderful view of the river and Columbia.

Judy Clair

Excellent food. Great presentation on plates. Attentive wait staff. Accommodates folks with gluten issues.

Jen lybrand

Great service and food.

Ellison Kirby

Great food!

Tara B. Davis

Go to anniversary dinner spot! Great service, the sea bass is always on point and we love the dessert basket!

Shelby Raposa

The food was simply amazing! Great experience! Would recommend over and over again!

Beverly Norris

I have business dinners and special occasions at Al's. When I have people coming in from corporate or other locations I always take them to Al's and sit in the front. My guests are always exceptionally pleased. They wish they had a restaurant like Al's where they are from. The wait staff is wonderful! Food is to die for. I can't wait to go back on Thursday with our new CFO!

Banky Wafford

I had a bellini cocktail to start and honestly I think it was the best bellini I've ever had. We skipped dessert because we don't eat too many sweets but dinner was delicious and the lobster bisque was just as fantastic as everyone said it was. The pastry topping on it really adds to the soup and give it a nice crunch. I highly recommend Al's for a romantic date night or any other special occasion.

Janet Wyatt

Absolutely perfect meal. The scallops were perfect, the best EVER! Can't wait to go back.

Eashmell Sumter

I took my wife out for her birthday and the dinner was GREAT!

Steve Bron

Quality dinner Male sire yoi het a window seat.

Paulette Thompson

Al's is consistently wonderful. Great food, impeccable service and a comfortable ambiance! It is our go to place for a dinner for two or a group of friends. Highly recommend!

Sabrina Kates

This is a wonderful place to dine or celebrate an event. Highly recommended!!

Dominique Haywood

Great service, food, and view.

Millicent Morley

Charcuteri is good. Pasta Als is good and fair price. Nice views. Very enjoyable dinner

Patti Mack

We reserved the private dining room for my father-in-law's 90th birthday and my niece's 24th birthday. The food was fantastic and the service was wonderful. Trevor, our server made the evening super special. I highly recommend Al's for any special event you may be having.

Leslie Thompson

EVERYTHING WAS FANTASTIC! Food and service were absolutely amazing! We were celebrating my mom's birthday and couldn't have asked for more. We will be back! Keep up the great work!

Bill Blackwell

Food and service was great !!

Cindi Ford

I was treated to a graduation dinner by my family with great food and wonderful staff.

David Murphy

Had a rehearsal dinner here and couldn't be happier. The food was top notch with an excellent menu to choose from. The steaks were prepared perfectly. The service was very attentive and the atmosphere intimate. They were very busy with two private parties along with about 100 reservations upstairs and were felt like we're had the place to ourselves. I highly recommend

Steve Painter

Great restaurant, very good food

Kevin Veith

Food was excellent, great service. What's not to like?

Eyal Shaked

Great food! Place does need some updating..... but the food and the service is absolutely amazing

Farnoosh Brock

We went here for an 8pm reservation and they said our table had been closed but the party hadn’t gotten up. It was another 15 min before we sat. Staff is exceptional in manner; they were a little late in refilling drinks but no biggie. The view is so-so; nothing much really. The food is delicious if a bit salty. The parking is tight. Might return.

Jack Dillon

Had dinner there on 12/28/18. The appetizer (crab cakes and charcuterie plank were very good) The entrees were chilean sea bass, filet mignon, and pasta alla al were terrific. The meal overall was a great meal. The only complaints I had were the absence of an espresso at dessert time, and the fact our server had the remaining pasta meal thrown out after we had asked to have it boxed to take home. The view from any seat is amazing and the staff is friendly. Overall I had a delicious meal at a reasonable price. I give it three stars b/c I felt the desserts were of average quality and not up to par with the rest of the meal.

Keyshia White

We’ve been to Al’s several times over the past few years but after last night I assume they have a new chef or were short on food. For $28 a plate and we each had an appetizer my husband and I were starving when we left. We ended up going to another restaurant down the street. One piece of asparagus and my husbands plate was very sloppy... Chef Gordon Ramsey would have definitely fired someone for that plate (Chilean Seabass). My husbands plate should have been much less. Needless to say we were very disappointed... but our waitress was very nice.

Rich Powell

Intimate and cozy setting to get your Italian food fix. If you get a table in the room with wall to wall windows you will get an amazing view of the Congaree and downtown Columbia. The "Pasta Alla Al" and "Chilean Sea Bass" were excellent and highly recommended. Looking forward to coming back.

Eric Davis

Al's has been around forever, great place for an event and super friendly staff. The food has always been excellent to boot!

Cheyenne Suz

Great view and fabulous service! Pasta cooked perfectly and sauces with superb flavor. The atmosphere is cozy and a bit romantic so this would be a great place to take someone special or for celebrating something special. The wine selection is very complimentary to the menu and there is obviously much thought and careful planning going into the place.

Scott Bills

Great meal, great service, easy to see why Al's has been in Columbia for such a long time!

Henry Nocella

The food is great...interesting menu, great preparation and presentarion....however, just about everything else was disappointing. If you have any difficulty climbing a fairly steep stairwell you are in for a problem (no elevator - and "Al's Upstairs" really is upstairs); the decor is well-worn (paint and plaster chipping off the walls where the stairs meet the wall in the stairwell..wobbly, unstable chair at the table...threadbare carpeting); no wall coverings or curtains in the room that overlooks the river causes a very noisey environment. To recap - the food is great, but the ambiance is disappointing.

Ronald Johnson

Great food, ambience quiet and romantic. Highly recommend

United Real Estate -Queen City

Great food, great service, and great value. Olivia was excellent.

Dan Marino

We had a party of 21 at Al's which meant a fixed menu limited to 4 choices. The food was mediocre at best. My filet was dry and tough plus not cooked to my order. Disappointing for how expensive I am sure the meal was. Crab stuffed shrimp were pretty good. Appetizers we're good too. All in all maybe it was because we had a big party the food was not served immediately. The ambiance and service were great.

Timothy Blystone

I'm giving Al's a 3-star rating even though I believe it should be a 5. Let me tell you why. On visiting the other night for our first trip there, my girlfriend and I ordered what was to be our first meal. She ordered the scallop dinner and I ordered the 10-ounce filet mignon with stuffed shrimp with Gorgonzola cheese. The scallops were seared to perfection and tasted excellent but that was what my girlfriend ordered and I didn't get much of that meal. I order the filet mignon, the big cut, with Gorgonzola & stuffed shrimp. The shrimp were good, average quality and taste and the stuffing was well prepared and tasted excellent. The only bad part about this meal unfortunately was the centerpiece and that was the filet mignon. In my opinion it was not nearly as juicy as it should have been in fact it was a bit dry. I ordered the steak medium rare and it came out more like medium. This is an expensive cut of beef and it should have been cooked to Perfection juicy and tender and in a restaurant like this it should have been far above average quality. It was not, and for these Reasons I'm only giving a 3-star rating. The service was excellent and the waiter was very attentive. At the end of the meal a person who I believe to be the general manager came to our table and apologized for the steak we were given free dessert as a consolation for the poor quality of the steak. I felt like they should have offered to remake the filet but they did not. On the plus side the Caramel Praline Basket with fresh fruit and vanilla ice cream was far above average in both taste and presentation. The tiramisu was very good although I found it a bit bland. We will be returning to Al's upstairs Italian restaurant in the future and I have no doubt that I'll be able to give a better rating then, but for now it's a 3 and I'm really sorry it has to be this way because I honestly enjoyed dining there. If anyone from Al's happens to read this and I hope you do just know this isn't a a lower rating out of meanness I feel like it's what is deserved because of the quality of the food that I was served. There is more you could have done but you did not, the fact that you handled it as well as you did is the reason that I'm giving you a 3-star rating and not a 1 or 2.

Griffin Burgess

Classic Columbia restaurant. If you want to enjoy traditional and delicious Italian food while dining with the best views of downtown this is the place for you. Always a pleasure to visit.

Elizabeth Crum

Really good restaurant and good wine list and good wait staff.

SD Cockrell

The staff was very professional and the restaurant very clean but the food was a disappointment. The flounder looked like it just came out of the ocean and was drenched in a sweet sauce. I couldn’t taste much of the flounder at all. The risotto was not very good or enough. The dessert was described as berries in a praline shell which was actually toffee and teeth shattering hard. I hate toffee. Most restaurants serve a little more wine also. Not impressive.

Ashley Henderson

Called for reservation a little bit after 5 pm. We arrived around 6:30pm and sat by the window facing the street. From the window, we had a good view of downtown Columbia. I had the famous pasta alla Al. It was delicious. The waitress recommended Chasing Venus Sauvignon Blanc was perfect for the sea food Pasta. Nice view with good food. It was an enjoyable night out.

ASHLEY BURT

Beautiful elevated view overlooking Columbia's skyline. Delicious food, great cocktail and wine selection. Most tables must be able to walk up stairs to be seated.

Brad W

Probably the best meal I have eaten. Great view. Server was very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend.

Chelsea Jones Crosby

Went for a work dinner. Reservations are a must, as the restaurant is small and fills up quickly. Be sure to specify a table with a view, otherwise it can feel a bit claustrophobic. Ordered calamari and stuffed mushrooms for the table. Neither were anything special. The lobster bisque is served topped with puff pastry. While the pastry is flaky and delicious, the poor bisque can't help but break when exposed to that much heat, and the result is a disappointment. Ordered the Dayboat Scallops for an entree. Served with crab cake and risotto. While other plates - like the Pasta Alla Al came out brimming - the Dayboat Scallops proportion was quite light. The dessert tray changes, so be sure to take a look. If available, definitely recommend the praline cup. Given the number of Italian restaurants in Columbia, there's nothing particularly memorable about Al's.

amanda mullins

Eggplant Parmesan was not good. Place is vert small but service was very good and view was kinda nice

Meredith Greenwood

Food was delicious, service was perfect. Sadly there was an odd odor almost throughout.

Dean Hallman

My wife and I have been Al's Upstairs regulars for 20+ years. The food and service is always amazing. One of our family favorites is Al's Lobster Bisque with fresh lemon squeeze, accompanied by their ice-cold Apple Tini. Nothing else like it anywhere. Al's is truly, a one of a kind experience. Very highly recommended!

David Tanner

Possibly the best dining experience I have ever had. Staff was very attentive. Steak melted in my mouth. Coldest beer ever. Key lime pie awesome. And great view of the city. Six stars out of five.

Christopher Smith

Very good Greek food . Far from Italian food but besides the old squeaking chairs I over all joyed it .

Rick Stirrat

This restaurant provides the best dining experience of any restaurant, bar none. The food, the staff and the view of the Columbia skyline all blend into an atmosphere that will leave you with a wonderful memory you won't forget!

Mike Keck

Had the pan seared chicken on top of pasta and vegetables. The meal was excellent. The service was also excellent.

Allison Martin

Great place! The food is amazing! This is my boyfriends FAVORITE place to eat! Get a table by the window and the view at night is worth the visit!!

Jeff Covington

Pasta Alla Al was one of the best things I ever ate. Good service and a great view to boot!

Bill Gallaher

We were skeptical until we went upstairs the service was amazing and the food was even better have to give this place 5 + Stars

Tricia Kelley

Absolutely fabulous food and views of DT Columbia.Reservations a must. Highly Recommend.

William Thompson

Als is the best restaurant in Columbia! I eat here often with friends and clients. The food is always top notch and the service is on point. Al is the nicest guy in the world and always makes sure his patrons are satisfied. Just finished another amazing meal while writing this review. Salmon wrapped in bacon with asparagus and a risotto that was out of this world!

TMPAugusta

They have hosted an Xmas party I've attended for the past two years. The open bar is ample, the food is very good and the service is exceptional.

Cathy Raver

Excellent food. Get the lobster bisque- best I've ever had.

Richard A Little

Food is very good to excellent and presented very nicely. Servers were polite and attentive without being overbearing. Atmosphere is warm and inviting. At limited number of window tables there is a great view of the Columbia skyline plus. Only minor issue is the relatively steep stairway that might prove a problem for the elderly or the impaired. All-in-one: an experience worth repeating.

April Stroman

Customer service was not good waited over 15 minutes for drinks and bread

Mrs E

My husband and I stopped here on a whim. I'm so glad that we did. It was soon after the restaurant had opened, so we were quickly seated. (I would recommend reservations if you come around 7 because the restaurant gets crowded quickly). Our server, Layna, was so sweet and knowledgeable. The food was delicious. We enjoyed our visit from beginning to end.

Kenny O'Brien

Great food! Great service!

Bobby thompson

It's over priced

Bobby Thompson

I wouldn't go here, food has no flavors an over priced.

Aaron Holt

My wife and I frequent this restaurant alot and we love the food and staff. The only thing I would say is that the owner needs to put some money into it. Like fixing the ceiling and restrooms, and some other details just to make it look a little better and update the place.

angela johnson

Had dinner at Ruth Chris last night. Here is my assessment: First off got there at 5:15 I should was told they were not taking seating anyone without reservations until 9:45 pm. Oh well we thought we went to bar to await a bar booth. My smart daughter suggested I use my phone to make a reservation.

Bart Arnold

Great meal and view.

Sharry McCann

Great service, the food was perfect

David Faulk

Wonderful dinner. I've been going to Al's for 29 years now & have always have breathtaking experiences. Like No Other!

Eric Millan

Perfection!

Caleb Bartmess

I reserved a table for 2 to celebrate my wife's birthday. I don't think I could have picked a better place. The food was prepared and presented well. Our waiter was attentive and very polite. Really nice food and service. The atmosphere really set the mood. I will definitely be coming back.

Michael Austin

Great food, great service, great atmosphere! Recommend it 100%.

Samantha Zinner

When i tell you the most amazing meal i’ve ever eaten in my entire life i mean it. I got the day boat scallops they were so delicious. Great food great view!

Rick Ackerman

I don't write reviews, but I'm making an exception. We've lived in Columbia for 8 years, driven past Al's Upstairs hundreds of times and never ate there--until last night (my wife Rory's birthday). I've been bemoaning the lack of a quality Italian restaurant in Columbia. No more!! We had one of the best dining experiences we've ever had anywhere: food and service beyond outstanding! We were greeted by Al and from then on every staff person we encountered called us by name. We had a great table overlooking the city--a great view, but you can't eat the view. You CAN eat the food, in fact, we had a tough time choosing from the menu and list of specials. I've never before been to a restaurant where I would have been confident picking blindly from the menu and been delighted with my choice. Our only regret is that we missed so many opportunities to eat at Al's Upstairs over the past 8 years. We look forward to many more great dinners!! Thank you Al and your staff!!

Eve E.

The 1st time I ate here the food was amazing. I recently went back, and the food and service was not the same. Not sure if I would return.

Anita Cross

Went for a graduation celebration, had reservations but we still had a wait time. The cusine was delicious and staff was courteous. Will visit again parking is limited.

Joe Hawk

I've eaten at Al's upstairs on many occasions. But I'll never walk through their doorway again. Today when I tried to make a reservation for my son to have his prom night there. I was told they did not allow prom night guest, that their quota was full. I have great memories of having my prom night dinner at Al's upstairs. And at some point, I guess the restaurant has become bias towards young people. I grew up in Columbia, and I'm very proud of my city. But it makes me disgusted, when companies practice age, or race discrimination...

W

Loved it but my wife embarrassed me due to her getting drunk and falling everywhere. Sorry for that. Al's upstairs is a awesome place

Sandra Taylor

Food was good but tables are too close together. Too many people in the same room. Could barely talk to my dinner partner and kept bumping elbows with the folks at the table beside me.

Cartisha Fayson

The waiter Dustin got me to step outside the box and try something new. I'm glad I did. The food was absolutely great!!! I like scallops now..

Nate Carnes

Nice quaint establishment that my wife likes. Took her there for her birthday as she requested. Hostess got us a very nice view of the city line for an early evening dinner. A little disappointed that they do not have a little birthday treat anymore.

Caitlyn P.W. Jones

Amazing Italian dishes, Romantic atmosphere and Best Cheesecake I've ever had, hands down.

Tommy Thomas

Great food

Jeremy Livingston

Very nice and very upscale. Everything from the wait staff to the dining experience was superb. Looking forward to the next visit already.

Margaret Truett

A very enjoyable experience. Good service, great food and excellent desserts! Would definitely go back again!

Floyd Rountree

great place.

Matthew Fortner

Food was superb, service was good, atmosphere was great. Everything restaurant wise was excellent.

barbara williams

Went here for my birthday with my husband since we were referred here but what we didn't know was that though this place opened at 5 an we made reservations at 1pm prior we still got there an no table was available for us so we had to sit an wait only to finally get a table an they then created a all black section so if your black Africans or brown you will be put with your own kind lol sorry not sorry Very terrible experience would never come back an then we waited 1 hour for our food that they took to another table an then brought it to us after reheating it in the microwave

Isaac Hawthorne

A nice cozy place with a great view. Oh yeah....the food is delicious.

Benita Hecker

Very nice

Tracey Gifford

Good meal and great service

Charlie Cobb

Got the worst acid reflux that I have ever had after eating at Al's Upstairs. The food tastes good, but the after effects made for a terrible night. It was not only me but three others in our party who commonly ate the same things. Service was outstanding.

daryl potteiger

Best Italian restaurant in South Carolina. Also my anniversary place. Love it!

Stuart Smith

This place is really nice. Friendly staff and really good food.

Nancy Buntyn

Service, selection and taste - all excellent!

Amber Brown

Phenomenal food. Prices weren't too bad either. 20 to 35 for entrees. Staff amazing. Atmosphere nice.

Richard Longphre

Al's Upstairs has always been consistently outstanding. It is our favorite restaurant in Columbia. Kudos to Al and his entire staff.

Dr. Stephen McCauley, CISSP

Excellent view, excellent service, excellent food.

Angie Sims

Excellent food and service

Art Brown

Outstanding meal experience

Meiko Reddick

It had a great atmosphere and the food was awesome! I definitely recommend.

Kevin S.

Excellent food, drinks and service, one of my all time favorites!!!

Nidia Dopico

The chairs are very uncomfortable and the food could be a lot better. Take some lesson from Abreccis in Coral gables in Miami,Fl

Ken McClendon

Loved it! It was our first visit and we will definitely be back soon!

Kirtus Warner

Our treatment by staff and owners was absolutely excellent. Al's upstairs is a top notch restaurant all the way and the entire experience was perfect. All the food had slight Gourmet twists that made it unique yet traditional. Very, very rich food, so make sure you go with an appetite! The portions were not massive, they were perfect, but I must emphasize it was extremely rich. It was quite obvious that only the best ingredients were used and the preparation was spot-on. We were very very pleased that we got one of the best window seats in the house with a perfect view of the Vista. Also worthy of note most parts of the restaurant had some kind of of you even if they weren't window seats. We could not have asked for a more perfect evening and the setting definitely helped make it so. Will definitely return. Thanks guys. You really came through for us!

Tamiko James

The service was excellent and the food was delicious. I will be returning to this restaurant real soon. I highly recommend it.

William Clark

Good food and atmosphere

Bruce Cannon

Come to Al's regularly and have never been disappointed. The wait staff are wonderful and Chef Michael continues to raise the bar with his creations. His take on Seafood Cioppino is incredible.

christian brown

I've been to Al's a handful of times and I have never been disappointed. The Italian food is pretty close to authentic and the seafood there is always spot on. On top of the excellent food, the staff is always very professional and the view just adds to the great dining experience. Would recommend to anyone visiting the Columbia area!

Megan Dawson

Went here for my anniversary dinner and was pretty disappointed. The place was loud and didn’t have any music playing which made for a lame atmosphere. The stuffed mushroom appetizer was alright, the crab was a little too fishy for my taste. I ordered the scampi which was a smaller portion than I expected, but the shrimp were nice and large. I also spent all night with severe food poisoning thanks to my entree. The best parts were the appetizer bread and the key lime pie. It wasn’t worth 75$.

David Smith

My wife and I really enjoyed our experience. The view of Columbia was fantastic. Our waiter was "Johnny on the spot" and got us checked out in a hurry when we realized we were running a little late for our next engagement. The food went beyond our expectations. I got a New York strip and it was cooked just like I wanted it. Dessert was also incredible....Even the coffee was great. If you are going to spend time in Columbia, Al's needs to be on your itinerary!!

Karl McCollester

An institution in Columbia. The interior is in need of refreshing. When we went they didn't have a staffed bartender and the server was acceptable but did not provide service as amazing as you'd hope a high-end place would provide. Having said all that, the view is still great and the pasta is the best I've had it Columbia. I'd gladly pay another $8 per plate for the quality of food they provide in return for an improved experience.

Jessica Faulk Dillard

Had a sunset view of Columbia with the delicious Tuscan Kabobs. Beef super tender and grilled veggies were amazing. Great date night spot. Will definitely return!

Kathy Wolfe

Food is always fabulous, wait staff is very knowledgeable of the food and wine. The atmosphere was breath taking look on to the city.

Beth Banco

Al's Upstairs has been a wonderful fine dining restaurant in Columbia for years. It's right by the Saluda River and overlooks the city's downtown area. My parents used to come here in the 80's and 90's for date nights and now my husband and I enjoy coming here for special occasions. We've been here several times for anniversary dinners, and it's a fantastic dining experience....great atmosphere, attentive service, and excellent food. If you get a table by the window, the views of the city are spectacular. We always enjoy our date nights here!

Tammie Jones

Lobster bisque. Yummy!

Robin Jacob

We ordered food through a delivery app. There was a mix up with two similarly named entrees. The manager made new food right away and delivered it himself. The food was delicious. Thanks for solving the problem for us.

Frederick Hogsett Jr

Great service! The wait staff was excellent and the everyone (party of 4) thoroughly enjoyed their appetizers and entrees. It was my second time patronizing Al's and everyone else's first time. They thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience!

Stan Seabrook

AWESOME...Trademark Bisque. A MUST try if are there for lunch or dinner

John Gordon

Amazing as always. Yes, the building is old. I like it that way. If it's that important to you maybe you'd prefer Olive garden. The food here is so much better.

Delano Cunningham

Amazing food, and service at a great location!!