Bernie's Chicken

The chicken and potato salad are so good. Fried chicken was light with a great crisp. I don't think it can be made any better. Food came out fast and it is a shabby place but who cares, when the food is that good! There is a $11 lunch with 3 pieces of chicken, fries, roll, coleslaw and a super good sweet tea.

I couldn't leave Columbia without stopping here. I love fried chicken and Bernie's does not disappoint! The staff and ordering are super efficient. If you love fried chicken this is the place. Ask for the banana pudding though, I didn't see it on the overhead menu. Prices are great. Three piece special with a drink, slaw and fries under $10 dollars. You can't beat that nowadays!

Got the special, 3pc chicken with fries, roll and slaw. The chicken was very juicy (not greasy) and very flavorful, crinkle cut fries were good and crispy as well! Definitely lived up to the hype.

Wow! Such an awesome local gem!! The chicken is as advertised - juicy and crispy!! The portions are perfect! We got the 4 piece dinner. The old school vibe and friendly service is a great reason to eat in, but many were taking big meals to-go. Definitely recommend the lemonade.

Good Hot and Fresh Fried Chicken. Great local spot to eat with good food along with a nice home town feel.

I ordered the two piece breast meal. My food came out quickly even though it was right in the middle of dinner rush. The chicken was fantastic! Crispy delicious skin and tender and juicy on the inside. Crispy french fries and coleslaw came as my sides. Both of those were great too! I look forward to visiting again 😀

The food was hot and tasty. However, I prefer Zestos chicken. The customer service was great, and the service was quick during lunch hours.

If you’re looking for FAST, friendly, hot made to order food, this is the place. All the locals come here so it fills up quick ensuring your food is hot and fresh. They work on a number system similar to other restaurants, so pay attention. We got 2 lunch specials 10.50 each. 3 piece chicken of YOUR choice fries, slaw, and a dinner roll. Hot sauce is provided at the tables! Plenty of tables for dining in, plenty of parking but it fills up quick! We WILL be back! 10/10

Old school chicken place here. Good place to escape the modernity and embrace a local gem. Their breading is solid, and even on the busiest of hours they turn some customers.

I'm not sure what sparked the craving, but as I passed through Columbia at lunchtime, fried chicken suddenly seemed like the only answer. I asked Yelp for the highest‑rated spot and ended up here. The place was bustling, with most of the parking lot full, yet the ordering process moved quickly. By the time I returned from the restroom, my number was already being called. I had ordered a three‑piece meal with double cole slaw in place of fries and a sweet tea. Settling in at a table, I dug in. The cole slaw leaned too far on the sweet side for my taste, though the texture was crisp and fresh. I skipped the dinner roll and the tea, focusing instead on the chicken. It was thoroughly cooked, meaty, and satisfying. Not especially spicy or bold in flavor, but solidly good. This isn't a fancy establishment. The tables and floor may not be spotless, but the food delivers. Best fried chicken I've ever had? No. Still, it was very good, and worth the stop. [Review 1573 of 2025 - 1374 in South Carolina - 25123 overall]

Chicken was perfectly cooked, customer service was awesome!!! Definitely will try again!!! Also, prices were very budget friendly, but when great food is involved, who cares, well sometimes!

Had to be the best fried chicken I have ever had! Not greasy and very very crispy! Every piece is perfectly cooked and moist. Falls off the bone! The fries are crispy and cooked perfectly too. I think if I lived here I would eat this every day! I'm in love! I needed to get me some more before I went home to NY! The staff are friendly and work very hard. Please tip! They deserve it. You can sit inside or out to eat. It's not fancy but who needs fancy when eating fried chicken! It's comfortable and very casual.

Good chicken but not great chicken. After seeing all the great reviews, I wanted to try what is supposedly Columbia's best fried chicken. I got the three piece special that comes with fries, a roll, and coleslaw. The chicken was fresh, crispy, and juicy. I personally thought it was a little bland and got a few cups of hot sauce to dip with. The fries and roll were nothing special. The coleslaw is chopped finely and sweeter than I'm used to. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Overall, not a memorable fried chicken experience. I've had better wings at plenty of other places. The restaurant has plenty of seating though I hear it gets quite busy during lunch time. The dining area also reminds me of a high school cafeteria. Service was quick and people were nice. I give Bernie's a 3.4/5.

I had a chance to enjoyBernie's restaurant, this reminds me of a famous chicken spot in Charlotte North Carolina called, the chicken coop. Which is no longer open. I love the taste of the chicken. I'm not sure if they fry it in peanut oil or vegetable oil at Bernie's. But the chicken was Good. How they take your order reminds me of the chicken coop in Charlotte. Healthy serving of fries, potato salad is to die for. And I had a two piece dark cooked to perfection. Bernie's I will see you soon.

First time trying Bernie's! Great chicken! Super friendly staff! Had the grilled chicken sandwich! It was a little spicy. I'm a weakling. Fries were 10/10.

Good chicken, not earth shattering I got to have it chicken but it is good. Maybe if I was local and grew up on it would feel different but I don't see the hype but that's my two cents. Place is packed every lunch and they got it down to getting u in n out so that's a plus

The chicken is always great, the coleslaw is the icing on the cake. Busy atmosphere, no frills. But the chicken is always great. Seriously.

I'm surprised I haven't added this sooner than now. I totally thought I did. It may not be the prettiest place or the place to go to get the best customer service, but Bernie's is a Columbia staple. Their chicken meals are hardly ever a miss. I love that no matter how busy they are, they still accept call-in orders, which cuts down on the wait. I also love when it's busy because everything is fresh. The tea is great, too. I usually go for the chicken special if I don't do the family meal. I appreciate the rolls, the coleslaw, and the little cups of hot sauce. They also serve other things, like hot dogs and such.

Tastes like a less greasy KFC. Food was okay until I saw the protagonist of this picture. Service isn't the greatest either. Certainly not the southern hospitality you hear about. I was on my last two bites when I saw the cockroach walking by. The outside sticker has an A rating too.

First of all, good chicken but not the best chicken I had. Chicken is deep fried and juicy inside but not rich in flavor , maybe my expectations is too high, I ll give the chicken 4/5. The Fries are bland not any salt in it, and not so fresh. I will say the flavor of Bernie s chicken is similar to Zesto. To me it's kinda overrated but still a good place to try out.

It's a great place for chicken, but when they don't answer the phones, it's terrible. Specially if you live a little further away and you wanna order ahead. You should have a recording session very busy please stop by to see us or we are closed so it's pretty much a guessing game so stop putting the phone off the hook

Of course I love chicken. This spot had great reviews. Well to those reading this, this has to be the best chicken I have had at a restaurant. Let's talk about the service I ordered and before I sit down my number was being called. I got a 4 piece dark (only the best part of the chicken... to me) with fries and coleslaw. My coworker got the 3 piece combo (white) with fries and coleslaw. We sat down and took the first bite, first piece of chicken disappeared! Someone in the back has the secret to great food. I highly recommend this spot if you're in town, hands down 5 stars.

Best chicken in Columbia, hands down! Despite how busy it can get, the service is always super fast and super friendly!

Chicken was excellent; golden, hot, fresh, flavorful. I stopped in to grab an 8 pieces family meal. It comes with 2 sides and a 1/2 gallon of sweet tea. It was a lot of food. Potato salad was good, sweet tea was great, but the fries are just ok...they're crinkle cut and unseasoned. The restaurant was busy! But they are fast and efficient workers, so the wait was not long at all.

Best friend chicken I've found in Columbia. Prices are good for what you get. It does get busy for lunch, but they move fast.

I was up in the area do to work., All I can say is this olde Skool establishment has legit chicken sandwiches!! Service is quick and very organized! I'll will be back soon~If my employer sends me up to Columbia soon!

If you're in the Columbia area Monday-Friday this a must. Their chicken is cooked to order and cooked to perfection. If you go get there before 11:30 am because after that it's packed!!

Delicious fried chicken!!! Don't tell granny, but this is even better than hers. They got that good ice, too. The kids loved it and the price was right.

Pretty good food. Can't go wrong with the chicken. The special is just that. Their food is always hot and fresh! I kinda stood there the first time I visited. It's loud and faced paced and you gotta holler that order in. Lol! Much like up north in the city. Only reason I didn't give 5 stars is the desserts are not good. None of them! The chicken and fries make up for that though

Incredible! My son and I were in town for vacation a few days and although I grew up in Columbia, I had never had Bernie's chicken. Criminal I know...Well, we found out today why this place is a hometown treasure. My son even told me it was the best cheeseburger he'd ever had. Lol. I had the three piece special and it was to die for. I couldn't eat it fast enough. Visiting this spot is a must if your in SC ever. It is that darn good! Enjoy.

Food and service was alright. But the bathroom and dining area could use a makeover. It seems like they haven't made any upgrades since they opened.

I've heard a lot of good things about Bernie's and I also worked at Bojangles when I was younger so I came in with high expectations. It was a smaller kind of mom-and-pop restaurant, but was still booming with business. You order your food at the counter and get a receipt; once they finish making your food, you go up to the counter to pay and get your tray. I ordered the $7.25 three-piece special which came with three pieces of chicken, fries, coleslaw, a roll, and sweet tea. My friend ordered the two-piece chicken with baked beans and a lemonade. Her meal also came with coleslaw and a roll; however, she paid more than me for less food, so definitely get the special. Food came out very quick and hot. The chicken pieces were kind of small, but the skin was so crispy and flavorful. It was more charboiled skin so it's not the type of skin you get at KFC or Popeyes that's thick and clumpy. I got a wing, a drumstick, and a breast. The cook on all the pieces was perfect, even the breast was juicy which is generally harder to nail on white meat. I do wish the chicken meat itself had more flavor, but nothing a little ketchup and hot sauce can't fix. The fries were crunchy and hot. The roll was just a roll, kind of dry so I didn't eat it. The coleslaw had a weird after taste that kept me away. The sweet tea was soooo sweet, but still irresistible. Bernie's is good, not the best, but still one of the better options in Columbia. For the price, there was a TON of food; I left stuffed. Although, I don't know if I see myself coming here very often. What they need to do is add a spicy chicken!

The best fried chicken in columbia. The sides are pretty good too. Fries, Slaw, Baked beans or potato salad. They also have great peppers& rolls.

Some of the best fried chicken around. Order ahead. Good pre-tailgate stop. Surprising not more slammed on game days!

This chicken is so good. You will literally lick your fingers and your lips. It's crispy and tender at the same time. I drove over two hours and every mile was worth it.

This is great broasted chicken and very reasonably priced. We had the daily special which included 3 pieces of chicken, coleslaw, fries, a roll and tea for $9! Including the tax. Because we got all white meat, the total bill was $20 for the two of us!

The chicken is the Best in Columbia! Customer service is not consistent and the building is could use some sprucing up but the 3 pc chicken meal plus tea makes it all better!

Chicken is always good and fresh The line may look long, but it goes away pretty quick and we walk in the door and know what you want your order

The chicken was delicious, but the sides weren't all that great. I did have to wait a bite to order, but the lady was super helpful. They could definitely use an upgrade to the restaurant, but it was at least clean.

Delicious and reasonably priced. The chicken is always perfectly cooked and not salty like Zesto's. Love the coleslaw also.

I LOVE THIS CHICKEN!!!!! I'm from Phoenix AZ and my niece lives in SC. When I visit I got to go to Bernie's!!!!! My last visit I brought back some chicken do you know when I pop it in the air fryer baby!!!!! I don't like white meat but BERNIE!!!!! You got me digging the white!!!!! Don't chang nuttin!!!!!

Upon first impression, what a dirty S Hole! It looks dirty from the outside but I was ok with that, some of the best "Mom & Pop" places do not look great from the outside. OK, first off, all their meal deals come with cole slaw and you're not allowed to substitute. So if you do not like cole slaw, too bad, we won't put it on your plate and you can pay an extra $1.50 for a 4oz side. I said I was eating in but they packaged it up to go with no fork in the bag. I looked at 5 tables before settling on less of all evils! Filty, greasy tables, I watched the woman walk around and wipe down the tables and benches with a wet rag, the same rag on at least 8-10 tables and benches!! No degreaser, no fresh bucket of water just smeared the grease aound all over the tables and benches!!! The bathroom made me feel dirty just walking in, I had to use a piece of towel to open the nasty, black, filty door. The place says est 1979, I think that's the last time it had a through cleaning, don't know how it passes a health inspection? The chicken was OK, nothing really stood out as fantastic, I won't go there again.

True rating: 3.5. (Couldn't give a 4) Service: clearly a local favorite spot. High turnout, efficient, and food comes out fast. Food: like most people i got the 3 piece special which is 3 chicken, fries, slaw, drink, for $8.00. I don't like slaw so she let me get double fries. I subbed one chicken for a breast for $0.50 surcharge. Chicken came out hot and was juicy, breading not heavy, not light, but to me it was just "ok". Same with the French fries, no seasoned salt, basically no salt on them so u must use ketchup for sure to make them taste good. Roll, was just a regular Walmart dinner roll. Drink, sweet tea had a ton of ice, not much drink but i ate there and was able to get a refill on my way out. Tea is made with not too much sugar so that can be good or bad depending who cares. I also got a red velvet cake and it tasted like just a regular Walmart cake, meaning it was decent, but it wasn't RICH, no substance or wow factor, just a regular piece of basic cake. Good thing it was only $1.75 so i didn't feel cheated. This is an example of U get what u pay for in relations to the cake. Overall: decent place, but absolutely nothing stood out. Would i come back, yes maybe, if I'm in the area bc it is cheap and decent, but am i driving out of my way to come back? No. I'm from Charlotte so much better spots to go to in my opinion. (For those that care, this place is NOT black owned, i asked)

Simple fried chicken, but darn good! And the game day special is worth a trip out of the house, even if not attending the game (or if the Gamecocks are playing elsewhere). Just to the point, great southern fried chicken!

Everyone said it was amazing chicken. Well it was okay a lot of people said I would love it. I've had broasted chicken before, but Bernie's had no flavor. Sadly disappointed probably not going to return.

There is a lot to like about this place. There's a vibe here that you won't find anywhere else. A vibe that tells you the food is gonna be good. The chicken was... fine. It wasn't bad. I've had better. This is a whole experience though, and you should check it out.

Excellent fried chicken. REALLY loved the coleslaw & could have eaten 4x the amount-loved it that much!!!

I'm not sure why southerners like these kinds of places. It's the same everywhere, just average greasy fried chicken with boring sweet tea and slaw. nothing special. Absolutely filthy/disgusting inside.

Awesome chicken my wife got the hotdog she said it was great. The staff was very friendly. I have been here a few times in the past but forgot how good it is.

Great chicken and fast service, my grandma always said that, if the parking lot's full, that's where you want to eat! They were right, every time I come here the lot is full the service area is full but the staff is so on top of their game, you barely even feel the wait. Now, let's talk about the chicken! It's always so hot and so fresh, I live in Charleston but any time I'm near Columbia, I make it a priority to get over there. I always get the 4 piece and eat it on the road. It's so tasty, like finger chewing off tasty.. don't know much more about the history or anything else, I just know the chicken is Good!!

Chicken was sooo delicious!!! Sides, potato salad and coleslaw, were a great compliment to the sumptuous chicken. There was a line to order but service was fast that we got our food in no time. The ladies were really very nice. Wish I lived closer as I would visit this place every week. Would definitely recommend this place!!!!

Best fried chicken around. Reasonable priced! I wish they would open a location in Lexington.

Yummy for my tummy. Today I experienced some good eating..... The fried chicken exceeded my expectations.... I will definitely be back

Bernie's Chicken is in my opinion the best place for fried chicken in Columbia SC. It is super fantastic. The staff is courteous a polite. They take orders and service you very quickly. My favorite meal here is the 3 piece chicken basket packed with dark meat, Fries, cold slaw and ice tea. If you are looking for some great fried chicken you owe it to yourself to stop in here. Let me be the first to tell you. You will definitely enjoy it. Five stars from me.

Absolutely the best chicken anywhere, anytime! Will go every time I get a chance! Brought friends with me and now they agree! Bernie's is the best!

This place was amazing! The chicken is off the chain, and the 3 piece meal for $8 is unbeatable. My friend got the cheeseburger and said it was delicious. I also got the pecan pie and it was very good. 10/10 recommend this place.

Bernie's has been in the Fried-Cluck business in an excess of 36-years....Me thinks they have learned well "deep-frying-chicken"....go early before 1100AM, kindly request the 3-piece special (Cluck, Fries, Slaw, Tea) ask for the order to be "CRISPY".....Once U give the order a few minutes to cool, biting into the skin is potato chip crisp w/salt, the meat is tender & juicy chased with a practiced gulp of Sweet-ICED Tea.....OMG...Damn all the cooking shows and go for some Tasty Fried Cluck....it is that simple. If ya pay cash, U get a discount...... Me thinks its time for the State or accompanying States to identify a road-trip treasure known as "National Fried Chicken Trail"......anybody, anybody ??