Doc's Barbeque & Southern Buffet

April: For some strange reason there is a lack of good buffet BBQ restaurants in this portion of the state. We have to travel all the way to Columbia, SC for a belly-up-to-the-bar experience when it comes to BBQ. No problem; it is well within the 100 mile radius. One of our first stops was Doc's Barbeque and Southern Buffet just off of I-77 on Shop Road. We used the excuse of being on the way to visit the Lovegrove's to make a pit stop for dinner one night. The cool thing about this restaurant is that is housed in an old butcher shop. The loading dock and swinging doors are still in place but the smell of raw pork has (thankfully) been replaced by delicious smoked pork! The buffet is large and reasonably priced. It is stocked with a wide variety of side items (collard greens, mac & cheese, corn, lima beans, coleslaw, potato salad, etc.) as well as two types of barbeque and fried chicken. Much to my liking the BBQ is lightly sauced so that you can add your own flavor. This restaurant being in Columbia, mustard is the standard fare, but there was a hot vinegar choice and it was a fine sample but the mustard is king in these parts for a reason. You have to try it on the cue at least once before passing judgement. I am only a recent convert but have been pleasantly surprised by the nice flavor that it brings to decently smoked pork. The side dishes were all tasty and typical southern fare. Best part was that the banana pudding was on the buffet so dessert was included in the price. This made Lane very happy and the pudding was very good.

One of the best parts of this experience was running into a Winthrop graduate student from the School Psychology program and her fiance having dinner. They were just as surprised to see us there as we were of them but we got a good laugh out of it. Turns out, they are having Doc's cater their rehearsal dinner this coming spring. I think that that sort of review is the best of all.

Doc's Barbeque & Southern Buffet, 1601 Shop Road,
Columbia, SC 29201 (803) 799-1532

Distance from home: 76.74 miles