River Rat Brewery

What a cool place! First - it’s completely family friendly! And dog friendly too. There’s a small indoor bar area, a covered porch that can be used for private events, a larger covered area,and a huge grassy area with picnic tables and space for Cornhole. One of the coolest features is the former grain silo turned into a stairwell that leads up to a bridge to a rooftop bar that has the loveliest view of Williams Brice Stadium. The rooftop bar is limited to 21 and up. We were at a catered event that served BBQ and Mac and Cheese but apparently they have great snacks foods and I heard the nachos are great. And, of course, local brews. The Raspberry beer was great and the Red Ale. No one in the group said anything but good reviews on the beer. If you don’t care for beer, they have a wide selection of wines and some frozen drinks. I can’t believe it took me so long to finally get to this place. It has a great ambiance, great brew. We had a wonderful evening!

Great outdoor space and very good food! We enjoyed the pimento cheese quesadilla and the brisket pimento cheese steak. The bread was excellent and they have a wide variety of drinks!

Great beer great people!!! Plenty of places to sit and enjoy the beer they have here. They have a full menu not just bar food. Plenty of games and activities. They just had their 10 year anniversary and we were here for the grand opening and it has grown so much.

We were at the armory close by and stopped in for lunch. What a cool place! I'm sure it's a party during USC football games. The staff was friendly and helpful and our food was fantastic. Definitely recommend and plan on returning in the future.

One of our favorite spots in Columbia for good food, drinks and corn hole! Honestly, the frozen lemonades were incredible. I would say, if you order a side a fries, expect an platter size for 2-4 people.

Staying in Columbia SC on our way home, we went here at night for late supper and a local brew. Wide variety of beers on tap. I tried the Fruit Sour and it was really good. Not too sour and plenty of flavor. We got Smoked Chicken and Pork BBQ tacos and they were generous and super delicious. Some of the best I've had. Also got the nachos and they were basic, but good. Great atmosphere with limited indoor and plenty of outdoor seating. Tight parking lot but you can park next door at the Construction company. Friendly staff present. Wanna go back.

River Rat is one of the best breweries in town. The atmosphere is just perfect to have a few drinks and food with friends while enjoying cornhole games on the playground. Services are fantastic 👌 Highly recommended.

This was an ok experience, would have been better if the servers and wait staff would had been more positive about their roles. The food was delicious and delivered quickly. There was 8 of us that came in on bikes, the beer was the normal citrus flavor but also what we were looking forward too. The atmosphere of the building is top notch and worth the effort to visit, you will not be disappointed.

We stopped by River Rat on our way back from Congaree National Park. The building is super neat with lots of parking! The inside portion is very small so it was pretty crowded on this veryyyy hot day. There's an upstairs rooftop bar with bar seating and couches and it's the perfect place to chill out and enjoy your beer! We actually ordered prosecco with a king of pops popsicle popped right inside the glass. You could choose between 6 flavors of pops for your drink! It was $7 which I thought was a great price for the drink and the popsicle. There's plenty of beers to choose from and the bartenders were really great. Really want to visit again to try the beer!

It's so sad that this spot is closing. The location is great next to the stadium and I like the multiple seating options, inside outside and on the roof. There weren't any gluten free safe food options but my friends had the nachos and tacos. I did try one of the frozen wines and it was strong and delicious.

Super cute brewery especially at Christmas time! Service was super fast and efficient considering the amount of people that were there today. Food was your typical bar food. It was nice to have the melted pimento cheese and chips for a change. If you're looking for a super cute hang out spot that is up to date on cute Christmas decor this is the spot. They have games you can play as well as corn hole boards. A ton of heaters outside to keep you warm on a chilly winter day as well!

The craft beers are fantastic but nothing beats the brisket in my opinion. Fun environment for kids and adults! Definitely come hungry....

Not ready to drive too much further and hungry for dinner, I stopped in to River Rat. A couple of delicious beers and a fantastic burger later, I was ready to drive. No one seemed to mind that I sat in a corner for two hours with my laptop. It was hard to say "No" to their Bohemian Pilsner which was crisp and just a little bitter. Followed up by the Kolsch that went really well with the cheeseburger. Yes, the house burger was great with just LTO, pickles and American cheese. A bit messy, this was the sort of burger you have to eat in one go as it didn't like being get back down on the plate. Good service and a neat spot. Well worth spending a meal here. [Review 18932 overall - 907 in South Carolina - 2455 of 2022.]

Great spot in Columbia, SC! This brewery offers a variety of in house made beers including on wheat, Pilsner, Gose, Sour, Kolsch, Ales, Lagers and Stouts. They have ample space in their outdoor patio and upstairs which has a direct view of the Gamecock stadium from afar. Make sure to check their website on upcoming events and specific day discounts and activities.

So sad to hear that they're closing at the end of December so we just had to come try them out before they go! First off, the atmosphere is typical brewery spot but their outside layout is beautiful, big and fun for people to just hang out. We got a beer flight which was about $10 and you get to choose 6 beers from their list provided which is a good price. The tropical seltzer and luminescent were my favorites. The luminescent was smooth and the tropical seltzer was fizzy and fruity (kind of obvious with the name) but it tickled my throat lol. I wasn't a fan of the Cumber but if you like cucumber taste, this one is for you. The truffle fries my girly got were so good! Especially when you get to the bottom with the fries that soak up the oil . The fries were light, airy and crunchy. The truffle was perfect touch to the salty starch. We didn't try the other food, but I will take it that the tacos were bomb cuz my friends tore them up lol. Honestly if you can, please go try them out before they close. I believe they close dec 30 or 31.

Walked in, there's no one seating. Just walk to the bar. I got a glass of wine. He got a lager.. They don't have bottles or can beer. It's all what's made local on tap.. We didn't wait long for our sweet Thai chili & chipotle bbq wings. They were both good. Atmosphere is casual, not noisy. Several people outdoors with their dogs. Parking was ok, so many people in and out for to go orders. You can also park across the street. We'd come back to try other foods.

Great open air bar near Willie B Gamecock Stadium! Turf for the kiddies to play, romp and also area for the pooch. The upstairs bar entrance spirals through a grain tower and open into a bar with gas heaters. Topped off with local area micro brews, this local is a cant miss!

Went on Father's Day. This is a family friendly restaurant. There is a lot of outdoor seating with trees for shade. Bring some bean bags and they have corn hole to keep you busy. Serve yourself cold water or tea and canned soda can be purchased if you don't drink alcohol. Enjoy the outdoors while you are waiting for your food. We had an enjoyable afternoon with the family. Get out and enjoy a meal with family and friends.

Such a fun brewery and a great spot to have some cold ones! This was one of my favorite breweries while visiting Columbia. The taproom is a little small but it's a great spot! They have some killer merch and the beers are damn good! I love their logo and had to get a t shirt from them. Definitely recommend if you like good beer! Cheers!

Here's the deal. If you're a college age kid this place has a lot of great features. Great outdoor sections with TVs everywhere. They have an old silo with a staircase leading up to a roof top bar . I'm sure it has a great atmosphere for SC game days ! The food is walk up window ordering. You get a table # and once your food is done a sever finds you (Which can be difficult) and brings food to your table. The food was good ... they provide plenty of options (wings / burgers/ salads / etc.... FYI This is a brewery, so there is NO liquor! Bring your bests for hole game ! The competition is fierce!

From Venue to the food this place was my favorite brewery we've visited so far! I'm already looking forward to going back. This place has a nice size back patio it's many picnic tables, metal tables and even small porch with a TV outside. With even a top deck to enjoy. The back patio is dog friendly so we brought our pup while we had lunch with friends. Next time we'll try to dine up stairs ! Looks like a neat spot. The pretzels were delicious they were a bit salty but so good! The burger and especially the fries phenomenal! But my favorite drink had to be the nifty Prosecco pop that while not on their official menu - you can get the pops they sell that are non alcoholic and mix in with Prosecco 10/10 recommend Husband really enjoyed his 2 beers which was luminescent lager & some type of Pilsner which I got to try and while beer isn't my favorite but that beer I tried was crisp and great!

Terrible service and they were out of the only vegetarian option in their menu. Arrived at 340. There was a table full of food behind us and we tried to order food and the guy at the register said they don't take food orders until 4. Rather than just taking the order and explaining the kitchen won't make it until 4, they had us wait. At 4 a giant line formed in the middle of the room. Waited in like 15 minutes to find out they were out of the only 2 items on the menu I was waiting for, 1 including the only vegetarian option. Also the beer was super mediocre.

We were on our way through Columbia after hitting up Congaree National Park looking for lunch and on a whim pulled in here because it looked cool from the outside. I'm so glad we did stop because this place was lovely! The ambiance inside was friendly and like fun/cozy combo. The bartenders were super nice and helpful in helping us decide what to eat/drink. We took our meals and beverages outside and it was a cool space as well. Very spacious although I imagine it gets packed on game day. It looked like they had a projector for the game which we thought was really cool if that's true. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area or passing through the area.

Beer and food are good but there are wayyyyy to many children running around everywhere!!!!

Check out the Sunday jazz brunch, always a good time! Their smoked wings are also fantastic, but I just wish the portions and the flavor were bigger for the brunch menu (like the breakfast burrito) Always appreciate the brews though!

We were so excited to eat here on our visit to Columbia. First of all, there are no clear instructions on what to do as far as seating. Not really a big deal, we just went to the bar and asked what to do. They instructed us to order at the bar and then have a seat. There were no menus, so we googled the menu. We ordered pimento cheese and nacho appetizer, pimento cheese, and brisket Philly, and buffalo wings. The wings were pretty good. The pimento brisket was good, the pimento cheese and chips were just OK. I can't really recommend this place, and doubt we will ever return. It wasn't a disaster, it was just very awkward and we receive zero service at our table. When I paid, I had to, in front of the bartender, decide if I was going to leave the 20% suggested tip. It just wasn't that great of an experience.

Delicious food and great drinks! Even gave samples of the beers. Cute outdoor area for dining. TVs, heaters, and string lights. The staff was very nice too.

This place is fun and comfortable. Inclusive crowd and the fried green tomatoes were hella bomb. Next time I'll be sure I remember to chew instead of shoveling down my pie hole.

This brewery has taken COVID-19 pretty seriously. The beautiful open space with a variety of high top, picnic bench style tables were really nice. Well spaced out and had fans. I tried 2 IPAs, both were great. I really like that they offered half pours so I could try a few that I might like. The Ruben sandwich was spot on. The burger was good. We were so hungry after a hike. Suggestions: Did not see anyone cleaning the tables between customers nor a mechanism to figure out if it's self cleaning or not. Given how the establishment has gone the extra mile to be safe during this pandemic, i recommend either information on self cleaning or have staff clean tables as people leave. Issue we saw is, once people clear their tables out after eating & drinking, it was unclear if it was sanitized. Parking was a plenty, hand sanitizer provided friendly staff. I highly recommend a stop if you are around the area.

Great fresh beer. Food was a major plus too! The servers recommendations were spot on. We definitely enjoyed it. Kid friendly! Be sure you know to order at the bar.

Neat spot with super delicious food items and great beer. I had the BLT and it was the best I've ever had - the bread is fantastic.y husband had the brisket Philly and ate the whole thing. He said it was one of the best sandwiches he's ever had. Chips and salsa were surprisingly delightful - lots of chips and the salsa was refreshing, not spicy but flavorful.

A nice brewery with food , wine and obviously beer! There is indoor and outdoor seating , along with TV:s . We sat at the indoor bar while this initally seemed like a good idea.. However.. people kept coming up to order or pay their tabs... This not great for conversation The food is "in house" and the wings are crisp and tasty... Beer was good! I enjoyed a winter lager and we also had a red ale... While we didn't have much time ...it is worth a second visit!

Had a group of 9 people for beers and dinner with 2 separate orders placed. Ordered at the bar (all food and beverages) and pay including tip. Gave us table number and went to table to wait for food. After the first hour of waiting for food, was told it would be out shortly. The was repeated again after 90 minutes. Then told our bill would be comped and food was still be ready shortly. After two hours, found out our food was never being made. Never had anyone from wait staff or management visit our table to explain or apologize. We initiated all discussions with the staff. Was very disappointed that we were lied to about order status all night. Will never go back and have shared my frustration with several others that have had similar experiences. Have two stars because the beer was OK. Service and management cannot earn my trust back.

Five of us were in town for a USC game and happened to find this place when looking for parking. River Rat has a great selection of beers, prompt service, fun atmosphere, and even though my family was wearing the visiting teams attire all the South Carolina fans showed great hospitality. We ordered several appetizers that were all very good. Spent a couple of hours here before the game and had a great time. We would all definitely revisit on a return trip.

Really cool ambience at this location! I sat outside while I enjoyed some delicious food and really good cold beer. The only thing that holds it back was the mosquitoes. I wish they had more fans or mosquito zappers there.

River Rat definitely has the best food of all of the breweries in town. Their beer is great too, Astronaut Sauce is delish and very similar to the Wicked Weed Astronomical. Out by the stadium and has a fun rooftop with TV's making it a great place to weekend for away football games.

I had been wanting to visit River Rat for a while now and we finally stopped in a few weekends ago and it was definitely worth the wait. We stopped in and grabbed two beers a piece; I got the winter warmer and astronaut sauce, and Kelsay got the luminescent lager and kolsch story. One of the owners stopped by and gave us a run down of the beers, the area and let us know about the menu changes that are coming soon (brunch fans get ready). All in all, River Rat beers are amazing (River Rat Red is top 5 beers for me). The space is awesome, check out the rooftop bar on a nice sunny day.

Quaint, urban style brew pub...great food and even better beer. Ample outdoor patio space & typically good veg/vegan options (aside from COVID). Beer doesn't hold back...an IPA is an IPA! Sometimes gets too crowded but that was prior to COVID. Go have a beer...and tell them Kelsey & Tim sent you.

Great afternoon to pregame at River Rat! Jared and Tony took great care of us. Wings and beer were awesome. Keep up the great work.

This place had a fabulous atmosphere! Loved the upstairs balcony with the water steam fans to keep you cool. Couch area also gave it a nice touch. Not to mention Their IPAs were very tasty, loved the astronaut one! Great place for kids and dogs on lower outdoor level has astroturf instead of grass. Would love to visit this place again if we ever are in the area.

Good beers. Good vibes. Great bar and outdoor patio area. The burger was amazing. I think we tried all the different version of fries. The indoor area does it crowded on cold and rainy days so dress for the outdoor patio area (they do have heaters). I forgot which beer but there are some brews on tap that comes with a glass. The IPAs are good. Definitely my go to place when in town.

River Rat is a fun, family friendly brewery that also serves up amazing good. I appreciate the delicious vegetarian options. The beer is great with something for everyone. Don't miss the Prosecco Popsicles! There's a meat lawn area with toys and space for little ones to run around. Service is friendly and attentive. My favorite brewery in town!

The wings are fantastic. River Rat has stepped their game up lately with their smoked wings. The Buffalo and house bbq are top 3 in Columbia.

Incredible brewery! Terrific food! This place has it going on. It's hard to brew a variety of beer styles and do them all well. River Rat seems to be one of those exceptional places. As well, food is definitely more brewpub style - nice presentation, terrific flavor combos and high quality. We wish we'd found River Rat earlier during our Columbia stay because we would have visited multiple times.

I have heard great things about River Rat and was super excited to try out some of their beers. I ordered their seasonal Twisted Lemon Wheat Ale and the American Kolsch Story. While the beers were refreshing, neither of them were memorable. I was hoping that the Twisted Lemon would have a bigger lemon flavored but I hardly tasted any at all. Since they do offer sampler pours I would be willing to come back and try some of their hardier beers such as their Hazelnut Brown Ale in hopes that it has a bolder flavor. While the taproom is really small there is an open, outdoor patio where most people headed to after they ordered their beer from the bar. Unfortunately is was freezing outside so I opted to stay inside. The night I was there they were hosting their weekly trivia night which was a fun time. For a weekday night this place was packed so I'm sure the weekends are even busier. When the weather warms up a little bit the outdoor area would be a nice place to hang out.

A hidden gem, in Columbia, SC. I wasn't sure what to expect coming here especially with this being the first brewery I checked out in the Columbia area but was I amazed. The atmosphere was just what you would expect from a craft brewery with their own rat flair (River Rat Brewery lol) except at first glance it seems rather small but upon further exploration, you come to realize that the place is in fact much much larger than expected. They have a really cool rooftop bar, large outdoor seating area, and a covered wooden pavilion. They are also kid & dog-friendly and have a ton of room for activities. Beer wise what was on tap when I was there was a nice range of styles. I tried almost everything they had on tap and didn't have a single beer that I didn't like. The brewing style was also fairly unique and things seemed to have their own flair. I have to say the biggest wow beer wise was the Octoberfest. I've had many treatments of this at various places and I have to say the River Rat had one of the best. I haven't tried the food yet but I will update my review once I do. I did review the entire menu and they seem to have a very large menu from a brewpub including but not limited to sandwiches, wings, tacos, and more. The food seemed to be a cut above the rest in terms of quality but again I haven't tested it myself so I will reserve that for my update. All in all, I think this is going to be a regular spot for me especially considering they have a growler club and much like other breweries they do special releases and such.

Cool location. Good Brews. Great flight deal!! When you first arrive at River Rat Brewery, your eyes are drawn to two things: the view of the University's stadium, and the fun outdoor second level (accessible via the coolest spiral staircase). This place is quaint on the inside. Coming mid-day on a Saturday, we waited in a line to order our drinks from the bar because there were only two people pouring drinks from the first floor. (Not that I minded - I was doing a flight and needed time to read through the list!). I was really impressed with their flight deal - you get to choose 6 drinks for around $10!! Add in the fact that each of their brews is absolutely delicious, and you have $10 well spent. Highlights from the flight: the chocolate cherry stout, astronaut sauce (a pretty popular choice from what I hear), the black cherry seltzer, and, my FAVORITE, the lager. The lager really impressed me by how smooth and even slightly creamy it was - it went down really easily without feeling watery like some lagers - definitely my favorite from the entire flight! Overall, I was really happy with my experience at River Rat. As far as vibes, this is definitely a great place to hit up on a sunny day as most of the seating is outside. The downstairs caters to young families, with long tables and plenty of room for children to run around and play. The upstairs (where we sat), which is restricted to 21+, had more of a college / young adult crowd.

Love the laid back atmosphere here. It's almost always going to be a great place when you see dogs welcome and this is one of the good ones. And guess what, the beer ain't bad either. Their Brewmeister has created some great staples and their seasonal selection has a few that I wish were year-rounders. Make a point to find this place whenever you are in Columbia.

Stopped in to grab a 4-pack to-go and the server let me try a couple of his favorites - always a plus! Good vibes overall, and the beer was a 4.25/5.

This is our first time here after the game, between USC & Tennessee. USC won that game!!! The River Rat Brewery, has a large selection of beers. The menu has a large variety of different brewery beers. Not too expensive, very economical to come & try. The Pilsner I am trying is clean, and lightly bold no bland after taste. Haven't tried the food yet, but we will be back to do that!!

I love this place. I love the atmosphere, the people, the selection and now I love the food. They have one vegetarian option and one vegan option. I opted for the vegetarian option which was a chick pea burger along with my flight of beers. The American Kolsch Story is my ride or die here ; I hope they always have it. We didn't sit outside due to the weather but enjoyed ourselves and the chatter of everyone around. If you like breweries, this is one to come to!

Came in to eat. Sat across from bar, was ignored for about 20 min. No guidance on menus or to order at bar or how they expect you to order. Two women working a bar of 3 patrons and two guys working outside section. None of them could bother to help us.

Super rude lady bartender before the football game. We were two of maybe five people in the place at the time. Very short with us. No wonder there's nobody else in the place. I could hardly taste the beer because her bitter attitude was so overpowering.

River Rat has a really nice range of beers- you're bound to find at least one or two that you like. Both times I've been here, I've gotten a flight. With the flight you can pick any 6 beers on their menu. I've always been impressed with the number of beers on tap. The first time I was here was back in the summer when it was nice and hot out. The backyard patio area was open, and people were out playing corn hole, and chatting around the picnic tables with their dogs. The second time I was here was a rainy winter day. Inside the tasting room we found that they had a selection of board games to play, and new monstrously huge TVs to watch the football game. The staff is exceptional. Always friendly, and really knowledgable of their beers. I haven't tried any of their food, but I've heard good things about it. Whether you're looking to chat with a friend over a beer, or make it an afternoon of beers, River Rat is definitely worth a visit.

Great food, awesome beer; the environment is awesome but it's over crowded af. It's time to expand by maybe adding a third bartender so you don't have to wait ten minutes to order a beer or maybe have a designated "flight attendant"so both bartenders aren't pouring flights for eight people and creating a giant line.

A friend and I went on brewery crawl recently. River Rat was stop three. First, $8.50 for a flight of six! Best deal of the evening! All of them were great. The Cellar Series IPA was top notch. As was the BA Abby Ale. I've had RR beers before from local shops and at beer festivals. RR is one of Columbia's top tier breweries, no doubt. Also, the BBQ sandwich was really good! Bottom line: River Rat is a good brewery! Already planning to go back.

It's so nice to be able to go somewhere that the kids can play freely while we enjoy a relaxing meal! The short rib Benedict is probably the best thing I've ever eaten! The nachos were fantastic, and of course the beer is great! The Cornhole/play area for the kids is really what makes this place special. Definitely give it a try!

Beer average at best. Bathrooms were beyond filthy. Literally shit on the stall, wall, and just look at the bathroom brush. Rude staff. Will never return.