I went to this restaurant with my wife to celebrate. I can honestly say the service, the food, and the atmosphere was great!! My wife and I ordered 4 appetizers, 3 meals, and a dessert. I can honestly say that we never had to worry about sitting with tons of plates as our server, Dononvan, made sure it would come spread out to allow us time to try everything and wrap it up to go before the next set of plates came. All 8 plates were seasoned and cooked to prefection!!

Blue Marlin offers a charming atmosphere that warmly welcomes guests. While our expectations were high, the culinary experience fell slightly short. The appetizers were satisfactory but didn't leave a lasting impression. The calamari lacked the distinctiveness we had hoped for, tasting similar to other restaurants. The crab cake, though visually appealing, disappointed with a warm exterior and cold center. Moving on to the shrimp and grits, the dish failed to impress with gritty, chunky, and dry grits and small, frozen-tasting shrimp. The scallops on the pasta dish lacked flavor, and the swordfish and potatoes were bland, with undercooked potatoes. On a positive note, the service was exceptional, with attentive staff providing a memorable dining experience. While Blue Marlin's ambiance was enchanting, further refinements to the menu are needed to match the overall experience.

Great service, large portions of tasty food at a terrific price. Pecan dusted Calamari, Fried Green Tomatoes, Shrimp n Grits, Creole Shrimp, Firecracker Flounder x 2. Our party of four visited late lunchtime, it was crowded but we had made reservations ahead of time and were seated immediately. Looking forward to a return visit for the salt and pepper catfish.

I had a Fantastic Lunch with my Bride today at Blue Marlin!! The Seafood Gumbo (no rice for me) is sooo good. We then get the Taste of the South appetizer and split it and still have leftovers. This appetizer is a meal by itself. Fried green tomatoes, firecracker shrimp (with red peppers that will hurt you), crab cakes loaded with crab, Southern Caviar (homemade pimento cheese)!!! To make lunch perfect, we had the best waitress, Katie, that you could ask for!!!

Great first visit yesterday. We ate inside and really enjoyed the atmosphere. Looks of dark wood and low lighting. I love, love, loved that they place big band music inside, which adds to the ambiance. If you dress up, it feels like a swanky night out in 1940s. They offer free bread and butter. The bread was warm and soft with a nice crust and the butter tasted a little sweet- like honey butter. It was so delicious we got two baskets. Onto drinks, I got the summer gin cocktail special, which I thought was too heavy on the cucumber syrup. My gimlet on the other hand was great- so maybe my recommendation would be to stick to classic cocktails. For food, we got the firecracker shrimp appetizer which is one of their specialities. I was really surprised at the quantity of shrimp for the price- very generously portioned. It’s pretty spicy, but really good. For entrees, I got the shrimp pasta (subbed for scallops) and my husband got the shrimp and grits. He said the sausage in his was particularly good. I was a little underwhelmed by the flavors in my pasta. It was very nicely presented and the ingredients seemed quality, but it lacked a sharpness- I think a cheese different than feta would make it a fantastic dish. Overall however, highly recommend for a special dinner or date night. Service was top notch.

Me being a big seafood guy.. this place was highly recommended. Let's talk about the negative first. The parking. Absolutely the worst. They have very limited parking. So chances are you will have to park away and walk to the restaurant. So this place is great besides that. They even have out door seating for the winter. The seats outside are covered and there are heaters blowing down over the tables and you can definetly feel the heat. Inside is nice . Our server was super nice and friendly. There was a decent crowd. But our food came in a timely manner. The server recommended a few dishes. That we tried and he was spot on. But besides all that. What really shocked me.. was the prices. They were not expensive. Moat of the seafood dishes were between 15 and 20 dollars. So now I see why this is a must go to spot. Definitely will be returning

Genuine southern hospitality at its finest! The bartender was great he told me about some of the local favorites. Explain a little bit about the town. I had appetizers for my meal. I love the shrimp and grits, and excellent pimento cheese, and the gumbo was not my thing that night. The building itself is beautiful!

I love Blue Marlin. Every time I come it is a great experience. We had a precious server who kept checking on us to make sure we were good. I ordered the jumbo fried shrimp and the coleslaw was amazing. I am normally not a big fan of coleslaw but this was made with a vinaigrette and had pumpkin seeds. I ate it all. The shrimp were cooked perfectly and had just the right amount of batter on them. The french fries were good too. I can't wait to yo back and try their fish or shrimp and grits.

This one is good and the prices are surprisingly phenomenal, I'd have you know! Most of my restaurant reviews are high because much research is done before visiting the store. The photo shows medium, you might wish to select well done. Please notify the server about your vegetarian preferences. They did an excellent job in accommodations. The meals were delicious. I hope that you can still walk afterwards. ¡Disfrutar!

Really nice place to sit outdoors and have a nice meal, when the weather allows. Service is on point. I had the salmon Pontchartrain with shrimp and scallops topping it. A grit cake that made my eyes roll back in my head. My wife had the scallop dinner. Both meals were exceptional. Maybe her fingerling potatoes were a little overcooked, but overall, two really fine meals. We had the pecan crusted calamari for an app. Light batter and a very healthy portion. Oh yeah. Instead of before dinner bread....... ask for complimentary collard greens. I promise they will be as good as any you've ever had

Was an awesome experience. The staff was very friendly and the service was amazing. Our server Hillary went above and beyond to ensure we have a great experience. Their portions are very generous and the prices are very reasonable. We'd ordered multiple items, however I loved their She Crab Soup and the starter variety with southern pimento cheese. Update: Visited again at this place and the same amazing experience. Will definitely recommend and visit again.

Wow. Flavor!!! The jalapeño mescal mule too. All the food was full of flavor. A great stop for us on the way home to Florida from Tennessee. Gumbo. Shrimp and grits. She crab soup. Calamari and crab cakes!

Sat near the bar during lunch hour. Bartender took order within 5 minutes of sitting down and had tea and bread at my table. 1:15pm. Food arrived at 1:35. Was able to eat and get check closed out by 1:48. Just to give a general idea of how long it takes during lunch hour. I ordered the ahi appetizer and BLT side salad. Really big servings for lunch. Price was $20. That amount is about average for lunch in Columbia. 4 stars simply because it took a little bit longer to get food. Definitely will come back for dinner. Overall, great experience!

We came for drinks and appetizers on our date night. We got fried green tomatoes and the fried shrimp appetizer. They both tasted absolutely great? The flavors worked so well together, and we will be back next visit to SC. One thing I will say I was not fond of the blueberry lemon martini it reminded me of NyQuil. The espresso martini was great, it has the best flavor. Our server was friendly and brought everything to the table rather quickly even with the restaurant starting to pick up and him having multiple tables. Kudos.

Went here for lunch around 1:30. Street parking at meter & a short walk. Place was packed. They had a private party as well at the adjacent facility. We waited 10 minutes, not too bad. Another couple decided to eat at the bar instead without waiting. We ordered the soup & salad as appetizers. Portions were huge. The waitress did warn us that although it’s a side salad, it was more a full salad. The soup portion was a bowl not cup. The seafood gumbo was tasty & texture was perfect, although it could use more seafood. The walnut cranberry salad was light & refreshing. We also ordered the calamari as appetizer. It was lightly bartered & cooked perfectly, although the squid was thin. The dipping sauce was a winner. The fried oysters entree was excellent. Oysters & fries were crunchy & tasty. The shrimps & grits dish was just ok, need some Cajun seasoning & green onions. I prefer my grits a bit denser. Again portions were large for a lunch menu. Will definitely return to try other items. Our waitress was awesome & took good care of us. 2 thumbs up!

Nice seafood restaurant. I had the fried shrimp that had great flavor. The coleslaw was ok. But if you follow my reviews, you know I'm not a fan of coleslaw anyway. We sat outside and it was a beautiful day and the service was great. A Southern Tea topped off the meal and it was an excellent choice.

Not been for a while, great quality affordable lunch .. soup and salad ( she crab, wedge) and Parmesan encrusted fish ( can’t recall which ) . Service top notch and very attentive, space nicely decorated for Xmas. Only minor point was why were we served “tinned” green beans , when plenty of fresh options available !

Great fun lunch. Ate outside. Justin was great. She crab soup needed more Sherry and a little less nutmeg. Tuna was great with slaw. Hubby had salmon.

Great food and service but, a little loud for my comfort level. Needs sound dampening really bad. Couldn't hardly hear people talk at our table. Otherwise I would have given 5 stars.

Stopped by the Blue Marlin for lunch while in Columbia on personal business. Decided to make this stop at the suggestion of my bank representative. I am extremely glad we made this our lunch stop before heading home! The staff are absolutely amazing! Very friendly and accommodating! The owner greeted us at the door and also stopped by our table several different times to hold conversation. I am pleased to say that this has been the absolutely best lunch experience we have had in a long time. The people here are so warm and welcoming. We ordered a couple of different apps. First was the crab cake. It's presentation was A+. Well made and tasted great. Our other app was the crab and spinach fondue skillet. Wow! This dip was overloaded with crab meat, cheese and spinach! To be honest, my wife and I got fairly full off of the appetizers, but we forced ourselves to save a small amount of room for our entrees. For entrees, I had the firecracker flounder and my wife had the Blue Marlin Chicken Pasta. Both of us absolutely loved our entrees and could not be happier with our entire experience. And the icing on the cake is the prices. The vast majority of the prices were unbelievably affordable. You definitely get more than what you pay for here! Our servers name was Justin and he was 100% amazing! We will have no problem making the 1.5 hour trip to come back here for dinner one night.

I so wanted to enjoy this. I usually don't leave poor reviews but feel like there needs to be some balance in the reviews as we were in town for the weekend and used google to pick this place. Came here for the shrimp and grits and let's just say I only ate a quarter of it. Texture was a bit off (both too loose and chunky) and on the bland side. We also had the salmon with scallops and it was also not finished (it's not often we leave scallops uneaten but they were over cooked). The plate had some conflicting flavors going on. We did an appetizer sampler (not on menu), shrimp were tasty, crab cakes could use some additional seasoning, the pimento cheese with fried pita was tasty and the fried green tomatoes were a bit over fried. Maybe it was an off nite based on all the good reviews. Waitress was super nice and friendly though and at least the prices were reasonable.

My husband and I ordered take out today. The service was phenomenal. I value good customer service. I must say that the service was pleasantly unforgettable. I heard about the shrimp and grits, so me and my husband had the entree along with the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer. As a Hopkins, SC native, I love southern food! Our meal was delicious. Keep up the great work! Job well done.

Wonderful outdoor dining experience with heated ceilings. Food was really good and so was the customer service. The prices were also very reasonable.

So... I'm a northerner with not much southern food experience. I really liked Blue Marlin! I had a crab cake and it was awesome. I also had the oyster and shrimp skillet - tasty! My fellow traveller had the blue Marlin shrimp and grits and he thought it was good. They also gave us a side of collared greens. They were good. Staff were very friendly. I highly recommend going here if you find yourself in Columbia, SC! Enjoy!

What a great place! -Loved the sidewalk tables where it was cool enough to enjoy the afternoon. -Our waiter, Jack, was attentive and friendly. -The food was abundant, well-priced, and very tasty. We enjoyed salads, gumbo, shrimp and grits, and collards. I wish they had places like this in Charlotte, where the food is often much more expensive and poorer quality.

We had a lovely meal at Blue Marlin. The food was very good and delivered hot. The wedge salad was fantastic. The ranch dressing was absolutely delicious. The other dishes were very good. Only mediocre note was the green beans - they seemed to lack real flavor and were a touch undercooked. We'd be happy to enjoy another dinner here some time in the future!

Shrimp and grits are excellent. Salmon salad was absolutely delicious! The manager also stopped at tables, thanking p ppl for coming in. Great service, great food, nice vibe for date night or out with friends. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

First time in the South and first place we ate a meal. Great service and delicious food!! It was so good we went back the next day for dinner. Seared scallops in fettuccine and a ribeye steak with mashed potatoes and green beans.

The Blue Marlin is a cozy restaurant in Columbia serving steak, fish and a variety of other plates. I’ve been to Blue Marlin a few times. I recommend scheduling a reservation. The filet has always been cooked just right and flavored well. The corn grits, vegetables, and spinach are excellent sides. They also have a nice red and white wine selection. The outdoor seating has heaters when the weather is cool.