To my mother, a trip isn’t based on what you do but what you eat. Therefore, during your summer trip to your soon-to-be home, you have to taste great food while enjoying great company.
Summer Welcome is no exception. While it may be filled with busy activities, that doesn’t mean you can’t pencil in to taste some of Columbia’s best eats. From greasy diner food for breakfast to a candlelit meal at a square table with your loved ones for dinner, CoMo has it all and more.
Welcome to Columbia! You and your taste buds will be glad you came.
####Breakfast:
**Main Squeeze**
This is what heaven looks like for vegetarians. Main Squeeze serves up some of the best vegetarian options in town with healthy and gluten-free options. Popular items include the breakfast tofu tacos stuffed with lettuce, onions, tomatoes and avocado or the Acai Bowl that’s blended with frozen blueberries, banana and almond milk, topped with fresh fruit, gogi, cacao nibs, hemp hearts, coconut flakes, chia and granola.
_28 S 9th St, open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m._
**Broadway Diner**
This restaurant is a favorite weekend hangout for MU students for two reasons: They’re open 24 hours, and you can get a pancake with coffee for under $5. While the food isn’t necessarily the strong point, it’s the experience that brings you back. Broadway Diner hasn’t updated anything inside since it opened back in 1949 as a Minute Inn, making every visit a trip back in time.
_22 S 4th St, open 24 hours_
####Lunch:
**Sub Shop**
The Sub Shop is the best sandwich shop in town, hands down. This local favorite has been serving sandwiches on their own fresh-baked bread since 1975. Their signature sandwich is the Veggie, a sandwich piled high with fresh veggies, loaded with three different cheeses and baked to perfection.
_209 S 8th St, 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m._
**Pizza Tree**
Pizza Tree is my favorite place to eat in town without a doubt. Maybe it’s because their homemade ranch is some of the best ranch I have ever tasted or the atmosphere is trendy, but everything about Pizza Tree is great. They sell slices all day, every day and even late night slices Thursday through Saturday till 2 a.m. for those late-night munchies.
_909 Cherry St, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m._
####Dinner:
**Addison’s**
Addison’s is the type of restaurant you always take your family to when you’re in town. From the atmosphere to the fact that they have something for everyone, it’s the perfect place to unwind after a busy day. A crowd favorite appetizer is the Nachos Bianco, a plate of Italian pasta chips topped with Asiago cheese sauce, tomatoes, scallions, kalamata olives, banana peppers, mozzarella cheese, and chicken, black beans or chorizo sausage.
_709 Cherry St, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m._
**Sycamore**
Sycamore is my mother’s favorite restaurant in Columbia because everything is fresh and local. While it may be a little more expensive at dinner time, the quality of service and food you receive is well worth it. While I would say I am an adventurous eater, I order the same thing every single time, the BBQ pork sandwich. The sandwich consists of an overnight-smoked patchwork pork shoulder on focaccia bread accompanied by a house slaw with a side of their house BBQ sauce. It’s probably one of the best BBQ pork sandwiches I’ve ever had, and I’m from Texas.
_800 E. Broadway, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m._
_Edited by Katie Rosso | krosso@themaneater.com_
