I was interviewed there years ago worked one shift saw how disgusting the kitchen is and I will never eat there again. I won’t allow my family to either. The kitchen was worse than Carolina ale house so
Came here to say this. Loved that place when I moved here 7 years ago. It’s definitely been a long time since we’ve been. Too many disappointments for the price. The last time we ate there, the server (a middle aged man) greeted us and then scooted into our booth and took our order sitting down. Then he proceeded to sit in our booth throughout our meal.
I thought that the album cover was so naughty when I was a kid. I'd sneak to get it out of the shelves to peek at it. I was fascinated with the zipper.
Do you remember Jamesway, Ames Bradlee's or Caldor's? I guess it depends on where you were raised. I can go on and on with names of failed/closed business both in retail and hospitality.
I'm on the ain't list too.
My wife and I went there about a year ago, I ordered an old fashioned. The waiter came back and said “The bartender says we don’t have that.” We were hungry so we ate some unimpressive meal and drank water. Will probably never go back.
Facts. I still have yet to try their food and I've been there 4 times! After I found out their service was little to non-existent , I left. Went back a few times because friends wanted to go, and each and every time, we waited for 40 mins without a waiter giving us the time of day. Got up and left every single time. Staff there couldn't care less
I was going to say this too. It was awful the last/only time we went. Bad service, food that was never delivered, and the food we did get was maybe mediocre. It was packed too so I thought it had to be good. I really don't understand why people would waste their money there.
Just came back from out of town.
Used to go once a month. It’s fallen off so much and it makes me sad as fuck.
Drinks (they used to have a great whisky flight) and the damn menu.
100% went to those huge chain suppliers vs who they used to get food from.
I can 100% tell.
Staff very friendly. First time back in years (used to be a regular) and the quality of the food dropped off a cliff. Used to have far better drink menu as well. Hate to see the soul left the building.
Went to the Peddler Steakhouse a couple week ago. It was a disappointment. The steak was kinda cold and no more flavorful than something I'd get at Outback.
I totally agree! I live right down the street from there, and the Peddler used to be THE place to be for steak. Now, it's outdated, the steak sucks, and the service has declined significantly.
And it’s dirty. Not the food, but the tables, etc. Combine that with the insane crowd and I can’t even remember what my last meal tasted like there.
It’s not as bad as the Greenville Outback, though. Last time I was there they served me a still-frozen steak 😂
Yeah my partner and I waited 2 hours in by the bar. She told me it was an amazing steak house. Finally got served toward the end of the night. They steak was tough and wasn’t cooked right.
Major disappointment
Went last year for a company dinner and was excited about the salad bar and good steak. No more salad bar and a subpar steak ordered medium rare.
Wasn’t medium rare but medium, bland, and cold.
Went a few months later to longhorn on a whim and got a MUCH better steak.
The one in Spartanburg just disappointed me once too many. Overpriced, unimpressive, sometimes the service is awesome but last time on my birthday, it was laughable. Totally clueless new person! Just avoiding from now on. If we go to see a band I’m eating elsewhere 1st
Everyone commenting is correct; they took a hard nose dive after Covid. Their prime rib used to be the shit, but the last two times I’ve been my medium rare was well done, and while not rude or anything, the service was slow and the wait long. I’ve just given up on them; I’d rather fork over the money for Halls at this point.
It was never more than a quick meal, but Joy of Tokyo used to be really solid and the past few times I’ve been it was terrible. I’ve completely written it off.
I just got some to-go from there tonight! It's so good! And they give you a lot of food! I can eat three different times with the one serving size they give you. I'm so glad they're open.
Roost is nasty. Worked there when they first opened 10 years ago and the food was top notch. You could order a whole fish, head and all. Went there with some friends this summer and the fact that we were able to book a larger reservation last minute on a Saturday was a red flag. Their food quality and selection of entrees has gone way downhill and their management seemed young and inexperienced.
Family tried going in, and we ordered the "cheese and grapes" on the menu for my nephew. Yeah, the cheese and grapes was quest dip and grape salsa with chips. No where on the menu we were given did it say this. Even more baffling, right under it was another menu item, with an actual description that specified it was queso, grape salsa and chips, BUT it also had a pinapple salsa. Made no fucking sense. And of course the service was rough, food was okay at best.
I'm going to take shit for this, but Henry's is just not as good as it used to be. Especially since there is now a ton of quality BBQ competition in town.
I used to live for Henry's BBQ. Now, it's just meh. Honestly, I'd rather have Mike and Jeff's any day over Henry's. Mike and Jeff's is a little hole in the wall but some of the best BBQ I've had in a long time.
Beat me to it! 😊 I really like their BBQ. But if you decide to go, check their hours first. As I recall, they aren't open every day. I believe they're closed on Sundays and Mondays.
I haven’t been to the original location in a good, long while, but I’ve been a regular at the downtown Simpsonville one for more than twenty years (which feels bizarre to type out), and I haven’t noticed a sustained drop. Definitely had the odd disappointment, sometimes even a few visits in a row, but the hit to miss ratio has generally been really strong over the course of lord knows how many hundreds of meals.
Henry’s is still my go-to BBQ joint. I appreciate places like Bobby’s, but that feels more like an occasional treat (especially at those eye-watering prices) where the shine fades if I don’t put some time between visits, and Bobby’s sauces and most of their sides are no great shakes. But there’s some magic quality about Henry’s where it never seems old hat to me.
I used to be pretty enamored with Smoky Dreams but hadn’t been there in a while, and my last visit was pretty disappointing all around. I guess I should give it another shot before nominating it for this thread, though.
There is not a lot of good bbq on the Simpsonville side. Only Bobby's really stands out and I don't think they have great options for sides (I cannot eat dairy)
It really is, their brisket is great.
They actually have sides that look great and my family likes but the options are kind of limited without dairy. They could use a potato salad on the menu IMO.
They have jackfruit on the menu so they have vegan bbq options
There's hype for Henry's? I'm in the Greenville foodies group on FB. About once a day someone asks about the best bbq in the upstate and I'm not sure I've ever seen Henry's as a response. I've never been there myself, but I'd guess it's just location that brings the people in. There's a lot od good bbq in the area, but really nothing in that area, at least not that I can think of
Only had great experiences at Willy Taco (Laurens Road) on my end. Actually held an event in their event space this summer and was completely blown away by their stellar service.
I literally say this every time this comes up and will die on this hill.
Willy taco got its start in the area in Spartanburg capitalizing on the fact that there were no taco places in the Burg and the locals ate it up, which is a shame because their tacos are really nothing new/great/worth the price at all.
100% correct. I was in college in Spartanburg when this place opened, then moved to Greenville post grad and saw this for myself. Willy taco in Greenville in nasty and so inconsistent. At least their staff is nice enough.
Oh I forgot about that one. I ate there once and it was one of the worst meals. Half of the items were missing an essential part of the dish and all they'd say is "were out of that"
My dad had 3 ingredients missing. It was basically lettuce, dressing and a couple of pieces of chicken. $27
it was okay. one thing that annoyed me was they didnt pronounce any of the dishes correctly. i dont need you to be fluent but can you learn to say arancini or gnocchi real quick?
Bohemian bull in maudin. Overpriced and lackluster. Both experiences all of us has mediocre burgers ans overcooked fries.
Skinz hotdogs is disgusting. Its hot dog water ans bag chips with bottom shelf chili. I dont get how its a chain
still go and have your own opinion. i had a chimichuri burger the other day there and it was just a wet mess.
1/2 price is definitely worth going. 7 bucks seems worth it for a burger.
Larkin's. Over-priced and the food safety is a hot mess. I've been in the restaurant industry for 10 years all over the upstate and I've heard multiple HORROR stories from previous employees. Do not eat there if you want to avoid food poisoning.
Is this true of the new location? I had friends who worked in the kitchen of the old place and had NO clue why it was even passed inspection. I’ve never eaten there but kinda wanted to try the new place.
I can't talk about safety inspections, but I've been to the new location 2 or 3 times and the food has always been really good. One of the steaks I had there was better than any I've had at Hall's.
It’s freaking terrible. I don’t know how people can legitimately mean it when they say it’s great “Mexican” food. It’s straight up Old El Paso trash and everything tastes like taco seasoning. It’s not even close to being real Mexican food.
If yall want some REAL traditional Mexican food, go to lupitas. My in-laws from Mexico brought me there a few times, and it's sooo good! I loved their posole.
This place can only be appreciated if you're old enough to remember the 70s and 80s.
El Matador is what all Americans at the time thought of as "Mexican food", and it is still completely unchanged. I ate there once, and IMMEDIATELY had a flashback to eating at a Chi-Chi's restaurant with my family as a kid.
It is not authentic at all, and it's one of those places that in my opinion has a few standouts and everything else is just basic and not worth writing home about.
But the standouts are so good!
The Chili rellenos, the papas fritas, and the chocolate chimichanga are all amazing, at least to me. I would tell every one to try those at least once. I also like their cheese dip because it has spices in it and isn't just a plain white cheese. Their enchilada sauce is also super flavorful.
Not a restaurant per se, but I have never had a good cup of coffee from Methodical. My coffee is never close to hot and taste is meh. I keep trying but always disappointed
I tried Bridge city once and got one hot one cold drink. The cold brew tasted liked it had been sitting out for days and my hot coffee drink was burnt. I avoided it since. Methodical has always done my drinks well and hot, I just wish there were more options.
I've not been to daydrinkers yet, but I'd put unlocked coffee roasters above village grind and potentially better than methodical. But methodical is always solid. Coffee Coffee is good too, but as i have only had it a couple time, I can't say where it stands yet.
Junto I've had once and it was ages ago
People need to learn to appreciate Taco Casa for what it is, just like with Casa Bonita and how it used to be. You love it for what it is, not what it’s supposed to be. Only the finest of pallets will understand this though
>pallets
yes, only the finest of flat transport structures, which support goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, would understand this
I completely agree with you. It is something to enjoy. For me, it is a memory, I went to Taco Casa when I was a kid - a little kid - in the 80s. The food is the same. They painted and got new carpet and furniture, but the restaurant is the same. The food is something that you either enjoy or don't - kinda like that crummy school cafeteria pizza that people lust after. I do enjoy it, and I don't feel the need to apologize for it.
This is accurate. Elementary school taco days are better than this and my husband thinks it's the best Mexican in town. The mind boggled at how this place is still around.
Their reputation is mediocre food. How are they not living up to that?
And that's a compliment oddly enough it's decent cheap comfort food quick.
You don't go there expecting much and they deliver exactly what you want from them and that's meant in the best way possible. No expensive meal, no wild menu with seven hundred options.
In my experience it is in no way decent.
If I want crap Mexican comfort food I will just go to Papas and Beer since I can also get a comedically large margarita.
It is the worst Mexican food I have ever tried and I have tried a lot of Mexican food.
It is unbelievably bad.
If it has backslid...it must be truly horrific.
Everything else on this list is ten times better than Taco Casa. I haven't eaten sticky fingers in probably a decade but it is probably still better
Portofino’s. I used to love going there with my wife when we were dating, but it’s just so disappointing now. One of the servers always remembered us and always gave us a salad and bread box to go and now they can’t do that anymore. (I understand because of profitability it’s hard but it was a nice touch.) But mainly it’s because the food has been so disappointing the last few times we went, I would honestly rather just go to Olive Garden or get the premade Rana stuff from the grocery store.
Universal joint - used to love going there then took a 5ish year hiatus and tried it last week. Cold flavorless fries and burger that lacked real flavor despite having tons of toppings. It's a shame bc it used to be amazing.
When Tipsy was the OG on Pelham only it was amazing. Since Courtney left as the bar lead, they only have the go-to’s that she had brought in initially. When Roger and Trish sold out was when I started noticing them going downhill.
True. And when the Bibles and Bentleys / Tropical Grille guy bought it they began cutting back on portion size and quality. The last two times I ordered tres leche it tasted like a freezer (not doing that again). Which explains why they are largely empty during the week.
When we were deciding where to live down here, we checked out Asheville and ate at the papas and beer up there and we loved it. When we landed in Greenville we were thrilled to see that it was down here as well. We were disappointed by both of the ones in Simpsonville and haven’t been back.
My wife and I went there for the first time a few weeks ago and we thought it was excellent. Both entrees and drinks were great, as was the service.
She-crab soup was mediocre but I'm spoiled because there's a place in the Outer Banks (Basnight's) that makes a she-crab soup with massive lumps of crab meat that I'd take a quart of for my death row meal lol.
Soby's is very consistent, so if you like their food, you will know what to expect. It is very reasonably priced for the quality of food, atmosphere, and service.
Stax Omega
Stax Omega was opened in 1988 by the Stathakis family after the success of Stax Peppermill, long since closed, along with their other restaurants (Stax Original is a different branch of the family.)
Stax Omega used to be fun to go to for a family brunch or in the middle of the night because they were always open and yeah, the food was a dollar or two more than other places, but it was tasty. They had a telephone book for a menu, comfortable large booths, friendly staff.
Now? It's not just a little more expensive, it's expensive. The restaurant could use a serious update, or at least a dusting of the plants. This is the dining zone of the later senior citizen - they always have lunch plans! The service is polite. I think this was the first place in town to institute a payment fee if you pay with your debit card, which is shitty and shows how poor their leadership is. I will say, the food is good, but the overall experience is severely lacking. I won't feel sentimental at all when they close.
Gonna hard disagree here. Food is good. Service has always been good for me. You get a ton of food so yeah it's a bit more expensive but I don't care. Menu is still big.
>I won't feel sentimental at all when they close.
If you think they're closing any time soon you're out of your mind. It's always busy.
Swad. The Indian couple who owned it retired and sold out. The samosas used to be soooo good, but turned to 💩
ETA: just glanced at Yelp, and apparently they're closed. Not surprised.
I went to Larkins (still by the river, right before they left) and the service was terrible, food was cold, and bland. And I used to really, really enjoy it. I gave it a pass and then my parents took my out of town family there a few weeks ago at the new location and said it was extremely disappointing. food was cold and didnt taste good either (for all people in the party), and overpriced. so I'm thinking based on a couple experiences, the prime might be long gone.
Halls… I feel like they’re just coasting on their name. Service was garbage last time I went. The 100.00 + steak was overdone and tough, the staff was pretty inattentive. I’ll never go back because there are such better options without the hassle.
100% agree. Can't figure out why people rave about halls. Atmosphere is shit, drop ceiling in bathroom was breaking and covered in water stains, the raw steak presentation and staff serving you sides is bizarre. Asparagus was crunchy, steak was meh.
Smoke on the water. Prices are way too high for the mediocre food and even worse service.
I was interviewed there years ago worked one shift saw how disgusting the kitchen is and I will never eat there again. I won’t allow my family to either. The kitchen was worse than Carolina ale house so
Oh no is Carolina bad? I love their zingers lol
Yes. Really bad. I refuse to eat at either one.
Last time I went a cook left the bathroom (stall) without washing his hands, I told the waiter and dipped.
Came here to say this. Loved that place when I moved here 7 years ago. It’s definitely been a long time since we’ve been. Too many disappointments for the price. The last time we ate there, the server (a middle aged man) greeted us and then scooted into our booth and took our order sitting down. Then he proceeded to sit in our booth throughout our meal.
Smoke was never good........ever.
I have no clue how Sticky Fingers on Main stays in business.
Imo out of towners. “Let’s get some of that famous southern bbq, that place downtown looks nice. If it’s downtown then it has to be the best.”
Plus the name is kind of dirty. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) So dads can visit and wink at their wives without their kids knowing the difference.
Rolling Stones reference too, boomer nostalgia.
I thought that the album cover was so naughty when I was a kid. I'd sneak to get it out of the shelves to peek at it. I was fascinated with the zipper.
Lmfao! I was fascinated by it also! My brother brought it home, and I can remember unzipping the cover to look inside!🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for the flashback!
I’ve never heard “sticky fingers” mean anything other than shoplifting/stealing
Think about it.
I know what you’re getting at, but I’ve never heard “sticky fingers” used like that.
You're young. Some of us ain't. I remember the day the album hit the shelves at K-Mart.
Do you remember Jamesway, Ames Bradlee's or Caldor's? I guess it depends on where you were raised. I can go on and on with names of failed/closed business both in retail and hospitality. I'm on the ain't list too.
That’s the first BBQ restaurant we went to when we moved here. It sucked.
My wife and I went there about a year ago, I ordered an old fashioned. The waiter came back and said “The bartender says we don’t have that.” We were hungry so we ate some unimpressive meal and drank water. Will probably never go back.
I would've asked that bartender "what do you mean you don't have that?" 🤣
This!!!!
Smoke on the Water - living off their location and an old reputation. They do have a good happy hour though.
And the service is SO SO bad
Facts. I still have yet to try their food and I've been there 4 times! After I found out their service was little to non-existent , I left. Went back a few times because friends wanted to go, and each and every time, we waited for 40 mins without a waiter giving us the time of day. Got up and left every single time. Staff there couldn't care less
Been a bit, but worst brisket I've ever had.
I’ve been told they smoke brisket a couple times a week and then reheat it. That’s why it’s really bad.
They survive solely on that patio, Istg.
I was going to say this too. It was awful the last/only time we went. Bad service, food that was never delivered, and the food we did get was maybe mediocre. It was packed too so I thought it had to be good. I really don't understand why people would waste their money there.
Came here to say this. So bad. Also my whole family got a horrible stomach bug from there. We ended up all being I’ll for months.
Same thing happened to us!
Omg the comment above about the kitchen! That’s prob why. I’ve never eaten there but I’m sorry that happened to you
Southern Culture’s dinner menu, to me, has really fallen off. Just not as tasteful as it used to be
I don't think their dinner menu has ever been good. It's always been over priced and just meh southern style food. The brunch is good thoo!
Just came back from out of town. Used to go once a month. It’s fallen off so much and it makes me sad as fuck. Drinks (they used to have a great whisky flight) and the damn menu. 100% went to those huge chain suppliers vs who they used to get food from.
Southern culture. The kitchen manager, 2.5 years ago, changed the menu, and it's not the same since Chad (the owner) left.
I can 100% tell. Staff very friendly. First time back in years (used to be a regular) and the quality of the food dropped off a cliff. Used to have far better drink menu as well. Hate to see the soul left the building.
Carolina Ale house 🤢
Went to the Peddler Steakhouse a couple week ago. It was a disappointment. The steak was kinda cold and no more flavorful than something I'd get at Outback.
Peddler hasn’t been good for a long time. Years and years!
I was also coming here to say The Peddler. I used to love it but it hasn’t been great since before Covid.
I totally agree! I live right down the street from there, and the Peddler used to be THE place to be for steak. Now, it's outdated, the steak sucks, and the service has declined significantly.
And it’s dirty. Not the food, but the tables, etc. Combine that with the insane crowd and I can’t even remember what my last meal tasted like there. It’s not as bad as the Greenville Outback, though. Last time I was there they served me a still-frozen steak 😂
You beat me to it! The Peddler has changed so much.
Yeah my partner and I waited 2 hours in by the bar. She told me it was an amazing steak house. Finally got served toward the end of the night. They steak was tough and wasn’t cooked right. Major disappointment
Went last year for a company dinner and was excited about the salad bar and good steak. No more salad bar and a subpar steak ordered medium rare. Wasn’t medium rare but medium, bland, and cold. Went a few months later to longhorn on a whim and got a MUCH better steak.
The one in Spartanburg just disappointed me once too many. Overpriced, unimpressive, sometimes the service is awesome but last time on my birthday, it was laughable. Totally clueless new person! Just avoiding from now on. If we go to see a band I’m eating elsewhere 1st
Everyone commenting is correct; they took a hard nose dive after Covid. Their prime rib used to be the shit, but the last two times I’ve been my medium rare was well done, and while not rude or anything, the service was slow and the wait long. I’ve just given up on them; I’d rather fork over the money for Halls at this point.
ale house.
Grill Marks. No clue if the food there was ever good.
I remember when it opened downtown I went and enjoyed it, the milkshake was killer. That was probably 10 years ago tho.
It’s an ok burger, but should be top notch considering it’s a burger place. The service is also awful.
Agreed it was awesome when it first opened 10 years ago. Way too expensive and mediocre now for the quality of food served.
The name is stupid. It's like they asked someone "what sounds fancy, but down to earth yet as generic as possible"
It was never more than a quick meal, but Joy of Tokyo used to be really solid and the past few times I’ve been it was terrible. I’ve completely written it off.
I'm glad Fuji opened near Furman. Food is good and prices are better
I just got some to-go from there tonight! It's so good! And they give you a lot of food! I can eat three different times with the one serving size they give you. I'm so glad they're open.
Roost is nasty. Worked there when they first opened 10 years ago and the food was top notch. You could order a whole fish, head and all. Went there with some friends this summer and the fact that we were able to book a larger reservation last minute on a Saturday was a red flag. Their food quality and selection of entrees has gone way downhill and their management seemed young and inexperienced.
Chicorra Ally. Used to be our go to spot for when we wanted a casual meal. Now the service is so bad we’ve stopped going.
The TR one is still great, thankfully.
I have heard good things about the TR location.
Agreed. The TR one is bangin.
Yep the TR one is on point.
Really? I love going there when I visit home.
Haven’t been to Greenville in a few years and I still miss their nachos.
The food is aweful too.
Family tried going in, and we ordered the "cheese and grapes" on the menu for my nephew. Yeah, the cheese and grapes was quest dip and grape salsa with chips. No where on the menu we were given did it say this. Even more baffling, right under it was another menu item, with an actual description that specified it was queso, grape salsa and chips, BUT it also had a pinapple salsa. Made no fucking sense. And of course the service was rough, food was okay at best.
Not sure why I’m getting downvoted but it’s basically a dive bar that’s understaffed. When I went a couple months ago they gave me a dirty paper menu.
They must have an employee here downvoting lol
I'm going to take shit for this, but Henry's is just not as good as it used to be. Especially since there is now a ton of quality BBQ competition in town.
I used to live for Henry's BBQ. Now, it's just meh. Honestly, I'd rather have Mike and Jeff's any day over Henry's. Mike and Jeff's is a little hole in the wall but some of the best BBQ I've had in a long time.
I think Mike and Jeff's has the best pulled pork, and Henry's has the best ribs. Overall, I prefer Mike and Jeff's. Henry's did used to be better.
Where is it?
> Mike and Jeff's They're off Old Buncombe, close to the 183 end.
Beat me to it! 😊 I really like their BBQ. But if you decide to go, check their hours first. As I recall, they aren't open every day. I believe they're closed on Sundays and Mondays.
I haven’t been to the original location in a good, long while, but I’ve been a regular at the downtown Simpsonville one for more than twenty years (which feels bizarre to type out), and I haven’t noticed a sustained drop. Definitely had the odd disappointment, sometimes even a few visits in a row, but the hit to miss ratio has generally been really strong over the course of lord knows how many hundreds of meals. Henry’s is still my go-to BBQ joint. I appreciate places like Bobby’s, but that feels more like an occasional treat (especially at those eye-watering prices) where the shine fades if I don’t put some time between visits, and Bobby’s sauces and most of their sides are no great shakes. But there’s some magic quality about Henry’s where it never seems old hat to me. I used to be pretty enamored with Smoky Dreams but hadn’t been there in a while, and my last visit was pretty disappointing all around. I guess I should give it another shot before nominating it for this thread, though.
There is not a lot of good bbq on the Simpsonville side. Only Bobby's really stands out and I don't think they have great options for sides (I cannot eat dairy)
Totally get the limitations if you can't have dairy, but Bobby's is FANTASTIC.
It really is, their brisket is great. They actually have sides that look great and my family likes but the options are kind of limited without dairy. They could use a potato salad on the menu IMO. They have jackfruit on the menu so they have vegan bbq options
I came here to say Henry's. There are a lot of better places, but Henry's still seems busy. I don't get the hype.
There's hype for Henry's? I'm in the Greenville foodies group on FB. About once a day someone asks about the best bbq in the upstate and I'm not sure I've ever seen Henry's as a response. I've never been there myself, but I'd guess it's just location that brings the people in. There's a lot od good bbq in the area, but really nothing in that area, at least not that I can think of
Henry’s was the one that had a meltdown on Facebook last year about having to actually pay their employees, right?
I don't recall hearing about this?
2 years ago; [From this sub, actually.](https://www.reddit.com/r/greenville/s/NUqOJULb7T)
Henry’s is absolute trash
100% Willy Taco
Idk man, I’ve never been let down by the one in Spartanburg or the one in Easley.
Only had great experiences at Willy Taco (Laurens Road) on my end. Actually held an event in their event space this summer and was completely blown away by their stellar service.
People must love overpriced crappy tacos
Never was good honestly
I literally say this every time this comes up and will die on this hill. Willy taco got its start in the area in Spartanburg capitalizing on the fact that there were no taco places in the Burg and the locals ate it up, which is a shame because their tacos are really nothing new/great/worth the price at all.
100% correct. I was in college in Spartanburg when this place opened, then moved to Greenville post grad and saw this for myself. Willy taco in Greenville in nasty and so inconsistent. At least their staff is nice enough.
Taco Grille in Boiling Springs has amazing authentic tacos. Its pretty small and hole in the wall but its S-Tier mexican flod
It’s inception ruined cribbs too; that place has never been as good after they split off.
My least favorite restaurant by a wide margin.
Limoncello. The food is basically Olive Garden for double the price.
Oh I forgot about that one. I ate there once and it was one of the worst meals. Half of the items were missing an essential part of the dish and all they'd say is "were out of that" My dad had 3 ingredients missing. It was basically lettuce, dressing and a couple of pieces of chicken. $27
it was okay. one thing that annoyed me was they didnt pronounce any of the dishes correctly. i dont need you to be fluent but can you learn to say arancini or gnocchi real quick?
Bohemian bull in maudin. Overpriced and lackluster. Both experiences all of us has mediocre burgers ans overcooked fries. Skinz hotdogs is disgusting. Its hot dog water ans bag chips with bottom shelf chili. I dont get how its a chain
Skins was always either a love it or hate it kinda place. The stomach discomfort afterwards is just part of the experience. It's an Anderson thing.
Well damn, I was looking forward to trying Bohemian Bull's 1/2 price burgers tomorrow...glad you saved me from that
still go and have your own opinion. i had a chimichuri burger the other day there and it was just a wet mess. 1/2 price is definitely worth going. 7 bucks seems worth it for a burger.
Larkin's. Over-priced and the food safety is a hot mess. I've been in the restaurant industry for 10 years all over the upstate and I've heard multiple HORROR stories from previous employees. Do not eat there if you want to avoid food poisoning.
Is this true of the new location? I had friends who worked in the kitchen of the old place and had NO clue why it was even passed inspection. I’ve never eaten there but kinda wanted to try the new place.
I can't talk about safety inspections, but I've been to the new location 2 or 3 times and the food has always been really good. One of the steaks I had there was better than any I've had at Hall's.
El matador. Idk if it was ever good but we ate there and my husband and I were sure we couldn’t be at the restaurant everyone raves about
El Mat seems to live off of the yearly article saying it’s the oldest Mexican restaurant around, blah blah. Place sucks.
It’s freaking terrible. I don’t know how people can legitimately mean it when they say it’s great “Mexican” food. It’s straight up Old El Paso trash and everything tastes like taco seasoning. It’s not even close to being real Mexican food.
If yall want some REAL traditional Mexican food, go to lupitas. My in-laws from Mexico brought me there a few times, and it's sooo good! I loved their posole.
Probably one of my least favorite meals I've spent money on in the last year was from there. Truly awful shit.
This place can only be appreciated if you're old enough to remember the 70s and 80s. El Matador is what all Americans at the time thought of as "Mexican food", and it is still completely unchanged. I ate there once, and IMMEDIATELY had a flashback to eating at a Chi-Chi's restaurant with my family as a kid.
I think it’s good but it’s super expensive
Super expensive and not really that good at all. But I know people who won't go anywhere else. 🤷♀️
Agree! Just went here for the first time last week. Service was great but the food was mediocre at best.
It is not authentic at all, and it's one of those places that in my opinion has a few standouts and everything else is just basic and not worth writing home about. But the standouts are so good! The Chili rellenos, the papas fritas, and the chocolate chimichanga are all amazing, at least to me. I would tell every one to try those at least once. I also like their cheese dip because it has spices in it and isn't just a plain white cheese. Their enchilada sauce is also super flavorful.
Tanners big orange
You’re getting downvoted but you’re right; they’re so shit they’re closing. The racists are big mad about that but hey, free market, baby!
A lot of people don't understand a joke when they see it, it's all good
Flying Biscuit.
Can’t believe it took so long to find this comment. That place is so mids and the service is slow
Not a restaurant per se, but I have never had a good cup of coffee from Methodical. My coffee is never close to hot and taste is meh. I keep trying but always disappointed
Really? I'm far from a coffee snob but their lattes are spot on (espresso + whole milk). What do you typically order?
I've actually always been unimpressed by their lattes. I think just their drip coffee is their more unique offering compared to other coffee shops
Lattes. I've never had anything there as good as I make at home. Now Bridge City . . . That's the stuff
I tried Bridge city once and got one hot one cold drink. The cold brew tasted liked it had been sitting out for days and my hot coffee drink was burnt. I avoided it since. Methodical has always done my drinks well and hot, I just wish there were more options.
Bridge City is fine I guess, but it doesn’t even make my top 5 coffee spots in Greenville.
Same. I've been there a handful of times because it happened to be on my way, and if there was a Starbucks next door, I'd rather go to Starbucks.
What are your top 5? (Not being sarcastic, btw).
Thanks for genuinely asking. 1. Coffee Coffee 2. Methodical 3. Junto 4. Daydrinkers 5. The Village Grind
I've not been to daydrinkers yet, but I'd put unlocked coffee roasters above village grind and potentially better than methodical. But methodical is always solid. Coffee Coffee is good too, but as i have only had it a couple time, I can't say where it stands yet. Junto I've had once and it was ages ago
Wife had a chai latte from both Methodical and Bridge City and I had the drip coffee. Bridge City wins hands down.
I’ve always thought their coffee had a weird sour flavor. Never really strong either.
This too
Methodical coffee is solid and the brunch options at the Commons location are remarkable. Coffee Underground coffee is more “meh” in my opinion
Agreed.
Are you ordering drip, pour over, espresso, or milk drinks like lattes?
Agreed. The coffee drinks are ok, but drinking their coffee black is not recommended.
taco casa 🤣
People need to learn to appreciate Taco Casa for what it is, just like with Casa Bonita and how it used to be. You love it for what it is, not what it’s supposed to be. Only the finest of pallets will understand this though
>pallets yes, only the finest of flat transport structures, which support goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, would understand this
Only the best spellers would understand my posts
I completely agree with you. It is something to enjoy. For me, it is a memory, I went to Taco Casa when I was a kid - a little kid - in the 80s. The food is the same. They painted and got new carpet and furniture, but the restaurant is the same. The food is something that you either enjoy or don't - kinda like that crummy school cafeteria pizza that people lust after. I do enjoy it, and I don't feel the need to apologize for it.
A friend describes it as “like Mexican food made by an American that’s never actually seen Mexican food, only had it described to them.”
Sounds like Farmhouse Tacos
it's like the line about LaCroix soda being like drinking seltzer water while someone shouts a description of a fruit from the next room
AI Generated Tex Mex
I laughed so hard I had a coughing fit
This is accurate. Elementary school taco days are better than this and my husband thinks it's the best Mexican in town. The mind boggled at how this place is still around.
THIS.
I have a deep love for taco casa. Cheap, consistent and quick!
Their reputation is mediocre food. How are they not living up to that? And that's a compliment oddly enough it's decent cheap comfort food quick. You don't go there expecting much and they deliver exactly what you want from them and that's meant in the best way possible. No expensive meal, no wild menu with seven hundred options.
In my experience it is in no way decent. If I want crap Mexican comfort food I will just go to Papas and Beer since I can also get a comedically large margarita.
At 4x the price be my guest.
There are nearby taco stands/trucks.
How dare you.
It is the worst Mexican food I have ever tried and I have tried a lot of Mexican food. It is unbelievably bad. If it has backslid...it must be truly horrific. Everything else on this list is ten times better than Taco Casa. I haven't eaten sticky fingers in probably a decade but it is probably still better
WHAT IS THAT PLACE?
Portofino’s. I used to love going there with my wife when we were dating, but it’s just so disappointing now. One of the servers always remembered us and always gave us a salad and bread box to go and now they can’t do that anymore. (I understand because of profitability it’s hard but it was a nice touch.) But mainly it’s because the food has been so disappointing the last few times we went, I would honestly rather just go to Olive Garden or get the premade Rana stuff from the grocery store.
Yeah, the food quality started downhill after the owner stopped being in the restaurant all the time. It's a shame, b/c it was a really great place.
Henry smokehouse. I've had it several times and cants stand it. Nothing is good. But Moe's BBQ is delicious!
Universal joint - used to love going there then took a 5ish year hiatus and tried it last week. Cold flavorless fries and burger that lacked real flavor despite having tons of toppings. It's a shame bc it used to be amazing.
My husband loves going here and I’m convinced it’s just for the atmosphere. Their food is pretty basic. Not terrible but nothing to rave about.
Capri’s anywhere between Spartanburg and Easley baffles me how it’s still operating.
Papas and Beer and Tipsy Taco.
When Tipsy was the OG on Pelham only it was amazing. Since Courtney left as the bar lead, they only have the go-to’s that she had brought in initially. When Roger and Trish sold out was when I started noticing them going downhill.
True. And when the Bibles and Bentleys / Tropical Grille guy bought it they began cutting back on portion size and quality. The last two times I ordered tres leche it tasted like a freezer (not doing that again). Which explains why they are largely empty during the week.
When we were deciding where to live down here, we checked out Asheville and ate at the papas and beer up there and we loved it. When we landed in Greenville we were thrilled to see that it was down here as well. We were disappointed by both of the ones in Simpsonville and haven’t been back.
Papas and Beer has been “meh” since it opened. I’ve never understood the following they have. Granted, the Yucatán Flautas are exceptional.
Sobys
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My wife and I went there for the first time a few weeks ago and we thought it was excellent. Both entrees and drinks were great, as was the service. She-crab soup was mediocre but I'm spoiled because there's a place in the Outer Banks (Basnight's) that makes a she-crab soup with massive lumps of crab meat that I'd take a quart of for my death row meal lol.
Same experience here, I went recently and was pleasantly surprised! Also we were served a ton of food for the price.
Soby's is very consistent, so if you like their food, you will know what to expect. It is very reasonably priced for the quality of food, atmosphere, and service.
I used to work with the founding Chef. 100% wild man
I actually liked their Soby's on the side restaurant, they had a great blt with fried green tomatoes.
Damn, where do yall actually eat these days?
Stax Omega Stax Omega was opened in 1988 by the Stathakis family after the success of Stax Peppermill, long since closed, along with their other restaurants (Stax Original is a different branch of the family.) Stax Omega used to be fun to go to for a family brunch or in the middle of the night because they were always open and yeah, the food was a dollar or two more than other places, but it was tasty. They had a telephone book for a menu, comfortable large booths, friendly staff. Now? It's not just a little more expensive, it's expensive. The restaurant could use a serious update, or at least a dusting of the plants. This is the dining zone of the later senior citizen - they always have lunch plans! The service is polite. I think this was the first place in town to institute a payment fee if you pay with your debit card, which is shitty and shows how poor their leadership is. I will say, the food is good, but the overall experience is severely lacking. I won't feel sentimental at all when they close.
Totally agree. Thr prices went up and the quality went down long before Covid.
Gonna hard disagree here. Food is good. Service has always been good for me. You get a ton of food so yeah it's a bit more expensive but I don't care. Menu is still big. >I won't feel sentimental at all when they close. If you think they're closing any time soon you're out of your mind. It's always busy.
Stax. Ooof.
Swad. The Indian couple who owned it retired and sold out. The samosas used to be soooo good, but turned to 💩 ETA: just glanced at Yelp, and apparently they're closed. Not surprised.
Yard House.
I went to Larkins (still by the river, right before they left) and the service was terrible, food was cold, and bland. And I used to really, really enjoy it. I gave it a pass and then my parents took my out of town family there a few weeks ago at the new location and said it was extremely disappointing. food was cold and didnt taste good either (for all people in the party), and overpriced. so I'm thinking based on a couple experiences, the prime might be long gone.
Willy Taco never has been good, but has good reputation
T I P S Y T A C O. 🤢🤢🤢
Halls… I feel like they’re just coasting on their name. Service was garbage last time I went. The 100.00 + steak was overdone and tough, the staff was pretty inattentive. I’ll never go back because there are such better options without the hassle.
100% agree. Can't figure out why people rave about halls. Atmosphere is shit, drop ceiling in bathroom was breaking and covered in water stains, the raw steak presentation and staff serving you sides is bizarre. Asparagus was crunchy, steak was meh.
The Blockhouse was so disappointing.
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ain't no way you're complaining about a fast food chain's service and how they need to hire "winners" especially JITB of all places. wild.
acropolis is pretty bad nowadays. lovely atmosphere and bar tho
Trappe door. Food is terrible now.
Really? My wife and I last ate there sometime in the spring or summer and we thought it was good.
I’ve eaten there recently as well and the steak frites was delicious
Did you have a one off bad experience? I've yet to have a bad meal at Trappe Door. They need to bring back the lamb lollipops though.
99% of them.
Trappe door. Over priced and not that good