About the Restaurant
Doc’s Barbeque and Southern Buffet is located just close enough to downtown Columbia and to I-77 to make it almost impossible to pass up as a frequent lunch-time meetin’ and eatin’ place for business folk, university staff and students, Fort Jackson soldiers and families from all corners of the metro-Columbia area. Its barbeque and other favorites are good enough to make it a true destination.
Just a few short blocks down Shop Road from the State Fairgrounds, Doc’s opened to the public in May 2006 in the old Dreher packing plant. Partners Jimmy Stevenson, Kirkman Finlay III and Trae McCarthy – three Columbia businessmen who happen to be passionate about food in general and barbeque in particular — renovated the space and named the restaurant after Stevenson’s late father-in-law, Columbia physician J. Frank Martin Sr…. “Doc.”
Doc’s is as clean as a whistle, bright and airy, and full of atmosphere with paintings by “Funky Chicken Man” Ernest Lee adorning the walls. You’ll experience casual dining by either loading your plate up yourself at the buffet, or ordering a specialty sandwich, basket or salad delivered to your table by the most friendly restaurant wait staff you’ll ever meet.
Taking its “cue” from premier Columbia catering company Southern Way Catering and its famous chopped barbeque recipe, Doc’s takes Southern cookin’ to another level by adding fried catfish, fried chicken and chicken wings, and updated versions of classic Southern side dishes created from family recipes and by Southern Way’s and Doc’s corporate chef Greg Patterson.
Doc’s barbeque is smoked seasonally with peach wood from local orchards, and at other times with oak and hickory wood from a private estate on Edisto Island. Diners have their choice of two different sauces… a sweet mustard blend and a pepper-vinegar masterpiece… that are sure to please barbeque fans from all corners of this barbeque-lovin’ country of ours!
Doc’s goal is to provide the absolute best southern cuisine at a reasonable price. We’ll never try to be the quickest or cheapest food available… quality takes time and the freshest ingredients don’t come cheap. We think it’s worth it; and after eating with us, you will too!
Hours
Monday: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Thursday: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Friday: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed