The Gourmet Shop

i recently planned a girls trip to asheville and found the gourmet shop as a mid stopping point for lunch. it’s located in a cute little shopping area and takes up quite a bit of space in the building. there are 3 parts to it, the wine section, the food spices cheeses desserts and bulk items, as well as food related items for the kitchen, and the dining area which included outdoor seating. i got the bacon brie croissant that had a special jam on it and it was out of this world!! you’re allowed one side and i went with the german potato salad, which was great to my tasting as i loved the flavors. my girlfriend got a panini with tomato soup as her side. she said hers was fantastic. we also got a few desserts and they were divine as well. i highly recommend this place, it’s a little off the highway but well worth the drive! we will definitely be back to try more things!

The Gourmet Shop was alright. The store itself is really nice and has a wide selection of nice things, the food was descent but certainly not anything I would wait a long wait for again. It seems more hype than it was substance which was unfortunate. But I will note that people raved about the chicken salad but we did not order that.

This place has it all! With a large and eclectic selection of wines, cheese, and everything delicious. Atmosphere is bright and inviting. Prices are more than reasonable and service was beyond accommodating. I just bought some wine and cheese from the shop side but I plan on trying the cafe next time. Thank you for making a new comer’s day. I will be returning often!

The food was excellent but I wish we didn’t get the charcuterie. It seemed like their other dishes were more popular. We got cheesecake to go and ate it at home and oh my goodness!! The Oreo cheesecake was delicious!!

We've noticed a marked decline in food quality in the last year: croissants heated to the point of being rock hard, stale bread in the baskets that accompany the cheese boards, stale, rock hard pitas with the hummus, and smaller portions on the boards. It seems like they are trying to cut costs, which doesn't make sense because they are always very busy. Our most recent bread basket came with mostly the end pieces of stale bread, including one that looked like it had a bite taken out of it!! The service and atmosphere keep us coming back, but they need to be more attentive about the food they are putting out these days.

The sandwich was pretty good you get a side I personally don't like cold pasta if you do you love the sides. My personal preference. The sandwich was pretty good but felt the sauce wasn't fully distributed but that's nit picky.

I enjoy stopping at the Gourmet Shop whenever I'm in Columbia, SC! Such a neat place for lunch, a little shopping of unique items, cheeses, and a great selection of wines. This particular time I tried the Turkey Pesto sandwich with the pesto pasta side and a glass of unsweetened iced tea. As always, everything was delicious. I did give the service a 3-star rating due to having to wait roughly 15 minutes before anyone even asked if I was being served. After that though, the waiter that did wait on the table was fantastic and very pleasant. This will continue to be a regular stop when I'm traveling to SC. I highly recommend checking it out.

The Gourmet Shop is my go to place for lunch in Columbia. The food is delicious and well prepared. It’s always busy, but get there before noon or after 1:30, it’s easier to find a seat - but it’s well worth it if you have to wait a short while. Be sure to save time to shop their delicious meats and cheeses in the deli. They also offer kitchen items and have a wonderful gift section featuring Vietri. Walk through to the adjoining area and find an extensive wine selection with a walk in humidor. The atmosphere is very European and casual.

Great food. Absolutely insane way to cut a sandwich ..... Everyone knows you have to cut diagonal (esp for a sandwich that's for dipping in soup!!)

We stop here every time we are in Columbia and it's a can't miss spot for breakfast/brunch/lunch. Not to mention they are the cutest home goods, kitchen, food and wine store! The patio is first come first served and they have seating indoors as well. The service is always friendly and efficient but I wouldn't stop in if you are in a hurry. This is a place to get a Bloody Mary or coffee and enjoy your time. The food is always delicious and you can't skip the chicken salad! They sell a lot of their offerings to go and have specialty cheese, meats, olives etc that you can buy to take home. I highly recommend stopping in and taking a look around.

This is a pretty cool, busy little shop and cafe. It offers outdoor seating, a small market with unique items, cheeses, wines, bakery goods, and indoor seating to enjoy a cup of coffee or a fresh lunch. The service is decent with polite staff, but the atmosphere felt somewhat patronizing, which was a bit off-putting. I felt like that during my first visit as well. Despite all of that, the chicken salad is delicious. They give you a generous portion, and it is delicious with the croissant. While the potato salad had a good flavor, the potatoes were slightly tough for my preference. On the sweet side, the chocolate dessert was a real treat. The velvety chocolate was delightful, and the chocolate shavings added a nice touch. I enjoyed that chocolate goodness.

First of all it was SO LOUD in the restaurant and crowded. It took a long time for our server to serve us, and they forgot to provide me silverware while I am having pasta. The pesto pasta taste bland and half raw. Both of the paninis are underwhelming, taste very basic. The tomato soup was good. Overall experience bad.

Love Love the server! Wonderful ! Ambiance really nice! Comfortable. But the food- it was very busy that day - the day after Thanksgiving. The soup was cold- and the sandwich did not come with jam as I asked for. Chai latte was ok . I will come back when it's not so busy! I gotta give this gourmet another try!

Have you ever left a business and thought, "this place has it all"? Well The Gourmet Shop not only has everything in regards to service-quality-menu items-etc., but they also seem to have it all in regards to selection. I'm talking pastries, cake slices, wine, cookware, sauces, much much more. But let's begin with location. Right in the heart of Five Points (since 1979 I might add), parking is a plenty (it is metered). If it's your first time, it might take a minute to find the door. Just follow the outdoor seating and you'll see it about midway. Upon entering you can either stay wandering and taking in all they have to offer or you can veer to the left for the café. My visit was one of intention; dessert! Raspberry and chocolate cake (Yes, one slice of each. Don't be judging me.) were on the menu which I had with a cup of coffee. Cake is a dish that carries with it a select list of positive superlative; rich, moist, flavorful, balanced. These two slices encapsulated each and every one. Had time and appetite been afforded, I would have ordered others. I hope to visit again soon, but until then enjoy all they offer in my absence.

Food was great! Service was even better!! Thanks Jake!! Decor is cute and the store is "worse than a donut shop" (too many choices for cool kitchen stuff!)

Amazing food! And the store is so much fun to shop around inside. The service was fantastic! The Bloody Mary was a hit! The ONLY reason I took off a star is because of the way they do the seating on the outside. It's first come first serve. But the issue with this is folks "Hoover like vultures!" Not sure why this wouldn't be part of seating where you didn't have people watching you while you eat. If you have time to wait ... it's yummy!

Consistently exceeds expectations, even if you have to wait, it is usually only 10 minutes perusing the epicurean items in their shop. They are without a doubt the best for paninis in the capital region. We usually get the charcuterie board and have the cheesemonger decide, and are always surprised at the selections in a great way. With brunch being their busiest, if a large party, reservations are STRONGLY recommended. Unfortunately, no military rate is offered, but prices are reasonable.

We had lunch at The Gourmet Shop our first afternoon in town. Service was great but I think the overall consensus was that our food was a bland and lacking in flavor. I had planned on ordering a bunch of sandwiches and cold salads to bring onto the base for lunch the next day but we didn't feel the items were flavorful enough. My Mom and I both had the Veggie and my bff had the Chicken Salad sandwich. We each had different sides (pesto salad, potato salad and devilled eggs). I didn't write The Gourmet Shop off. I had browsed around after lunch and glanced over their pastry and cheese selections. The next day we returned after grabbing coffees at Drip across the road and ordered a bunch of pastries and cheese to go. The pastries were absolutely divine! Everything we ordered was sooo yummy. So while, the lunch didn't quite impress us - every single one of the pastries did. They carry a cheese that I really love, and can't find on the west coast. Huntsman Cheddar, sooooo good!!!! I'd say go for the pastries and cheese offerings. The store is great, and if your palate appreciates lighter seasoned food this could be a great lunch choice for you.

The food is excellent. I always get the cantaloupe with shrimp. And of course, the breads or croissants are outstanding. Service is usually excellent. The big problem is pricing is a little high and they're not open in the evening. And check out can be very tedious.

They sell Anson Mills!!! Plus array of other locally produced and sourced products. It's like sur-la-table goes local. Fun to shop through all the goods, but pricey. Wine shop attached with great variety. Clean, welcoming and easy to find parking on a Sunday afternoon.

It's located near a shop selling various cooking and home goods so it's on the noisier side but we didn't mind it. The breakfast panini was a little bland, but filling. I would skip it. The cheese grits tasted good but they were dry even with the added butter. The PLT panini was good especially the pesto. The roasted tomato on the side added a nice touch touch to the sandwich. The soup had good flavor but wasn't anything special. I would come again, but likely order something else off the menu.

The food here is so tasty and the ambiance is adorable! I have to confess, I dined here twice this week. My son got the egg, cheese, and bacon croissant with a side of chips. He finished his meal in just 5 minutes. I opted for the chicken salad on croissant with a side of tomato bisque soup. Every bite was absolutely scrumptious!

This is the spot I hit every-time I'm in the area. Pretty sure they are known for their chicken salad--it's delicious. Their mimosas are surprisingly one of the best I've had. Simple but tasty. Seating outside is whatever you can find, & i believe you can add your name to a waiting list for inside seating if it's busy. I haven't had a problem finding seating yet, but that could be luck. They are also very reasonably priced so that's a plus. Definitely a must try if you're looking for a cute spot to enjoy some brunch (& some shopping--they also have a store/deli with wines, charcuterie, home/kitchen gadgets etc.)

Quick service for a busy place. I chose to sit outside because the weather was great. The area is calm and a lot of walkers passing you by. The food, I ordered the ham and cheese sandwich yummy

I have been here four or five times in the last few months with my girlfriend, it has become a favorite of ours when we are downtown. My favorite is the Reuben, though I wish they would put the dressing directly on the sandwich, and between me and you, it's really not a properly done Reuben. It's still a great sandwich, it's just that every Reuben I've had in New York, Montreal, etc. is an open face sandwich, and the bread itself is cooked on the grill and is greasy. That said, it's still a very tasty sandwich and it's nice that it isn't as greasy as Reubens normally are. My girlfriend likes the mimosas a lot, and the tomato bisque is a winner. Service is always done well and with good intent, but where this place loses a star is the ambiance. It's just loud, noisy, there's one bathroom to be shared among a *lot* of tables (I'm stunned that no business inspector has said anything about the ratio of employees + patrons to bathrooms). And there are way too many tables too. Everyone is squeezed in way too closely, and it's to the point where it actively hurts the service because the servers need to do contortions to get around. Don't get me wrong, I love the place! But it feels a bit too cramped, too crowded, too busy to truly *relax* sometimes. J.Ja

The positives are the service was really good even though the place was packed for brunch. The food is mediocre. Grits were bland. You have to add butter and salt. Very skimpy on the meat as well. I got 4 pieces of sausage

I'm born and raised in Columbia and have NEVER tried this place and always wanted too. Well, that ended today. Now I see what all the talk is about. This place is delicious! I wanted to order SOO many things, but I stuck to what I desired. I didn't get to visit the establishment since my ordered was delivered/brought to me, however, from the outside, it looks swanky with cute outdoor seating. I ordered the "create your own" sandwich, which I'm SO happy is an option because I wanted it to be a particular way. I got the roasted chicken on croissant with spinach, tomato, and honey cup mustard, with chips as my side. As a surprise, I was also given a strawberry cake which was super cute! Almost too cute to eat lol My food was AMAZING! My chicken was tender, seasoned, and it paired well with the honey cup mustard which was also sweet yet not over-powering. Definitely a great addition to the sandwich. I have nothing bad to say about it. My cake was good too; I'm not an icing kind of gal yet the cake was nice, moist, and very flavorful. I could eat the cake without the icing! They offer numerous healthy items so whether you're vegan, vegetarian, or simply mindful of what you eat, they have you covered. Customer service was great when I ordered over the phone being that it was for 6 of us, they had our food ready for pick-up within 30 minutes. Awesome timing and accuracy might I add. I will DEFINITELY be going back especially since they offer brunch and open at 9a! ANDDDD they have adult beverages with a robust wine selection that I'm dying to pair with some great cuisine. I only gave this place 4 stars because I didn't physically go to the restaurant, however, I feel like this place will not have an issue getting 5 stars from me!

You have to stop here.... The district 5 points is a must stop in Columbia. Everything was so good. We got chicken salad to go...there is a reason why it's famous...you have to get it. Pesto pasta and shrimp salad were okay. The croissants were light and flakey and breakfast was just phenomenal. I love the shop connected as well, so many cute cooking items.

Cute restaurant with great sandwiches, salads, bkfst items, wine. Everything is very fresh and flavorful. I had a French club sandwich on a baguette--very good.Plus it's connected to a wonderful housewares store with items beautifully displayed my friends and I enjoyed our meal.

The service was great very attentive no wait to order. Food was good loved the micro greens and healthy choices. My husband I enjoyed a lunch date sitting outside which todays weather was perfect!

Man... I keep forgetting how good and amazing the portion size is at The Gourmet Shop! Like, I honestly, should be eating here more often but it's always so packed! You definitely will enjoy this place!

The food is amazing as always!! And the server was very kind and attentive. It's a bit too loud of a restaurant for me. We ordered a carafe of Bellini's but what came was a 'carafe kit' with not enough peach juice to make up for an entire bottle of Prosecco.

Great selection of food and curbside outdoor dining. Not a good place for penny pinching but high quality treats. Bakery is a bit limited.

One of my favorite places for lunch in the city. I don't live here much anymore but I have been here three times in the last two weeks while in columbia. They are definitely a lot more busier with school back in but don't let it deter you. I love the chicken salad sandwich with the tomato basil soup and a side of fruit. I will give them a break next time I visit so that I don't wear out my visit.

sweetest little shop and great lunch options. Recommend for a quick meal with friends.

Always good, always packed, and for absolutely valid reasons. The food is amazing and the portions are great. The atmosphere is what I think of when I think of "The South." It's intimate, inviting, and relaxed. It's definitely a must stop when in 5 Points.

Love coming here because it is the best little lunch cafe in all of Columbia. The ambiance is very cute and the staff are all so sweet. All of their food is delicious and I highly recommend the C.P.A. Panini since it is my absolute FAVORITE! I can also recommend the chicken salad if you're a big chicken salad fan because they have some of the best! I also love getting their Turkey panini, but don't forget to always add the olive tapenade because that is ALSO AMAZING !!

I loved this place. Delicious French-inspired food, friendly waitstaff, and such a cool shop and bakery to look around at while we waited. My husband got the famous chicken salad croissant and felt it was good but not amazing.

Tomato soup and chicken salad were good. They were fairly busy but service was extremely slow. Panini was bland and not good. I think maybe they should have another server for the outdoor tables as we only saw ours to take our order and give us a check. She was nice, but too busy. I did feel bad for her when another table sat themselves at a dirty table and then started waving her to clean it and take their order. I would go back.

Waited 10 minutes in line for a single bathroom that was very dirty. Grilled chicken on sandwich was the size of my thumb and hard as a rock. This the second bad meal I've had here in the last six months. Place has really gone down in the last year. Went to Chick fil afterward and had a delicious grilled chicken sandwich.. add in the lack of parking and noise, and you probably want to skip

Visited the area, and loved the place so much that I ate there twice. The food is absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked. Service is impeccable. The gift shop is filled with unique and eclectic products. I fell in love with this place.

So good!! The chicken salad on a croissant was delicious. Will definitely be back! Not a huge fan of seating yourself, because it becomes chaotic during a rush, but overall, we had a great experience.

Had a delicious lunch here! I'm not normally a soup person, but the tomato bisque here was phenomenal. Made me want to become a soup person! I also had the goat cheese pesto panini with tomato/feta pasta salad. Both of those were good, but the panini had slightly too much goat cheese (and honestly, I would've been happy with just a giant bowl of soup). Service was quick and the shop inside is really cute. Great place to have a good bite, then walk around and take a snack or two home!

First of all, this place is huge...seemingly takes up a block of retail space at Five Points boutique district! Honestly??? Aside from being very big, the place is very, very busy...with things crammed in this way and that...too much so! From what I saw, majority of the store section is filled with chocolate, croissants, breads, and a medley of deli/homemade foods. Also, noticed some Christmas tablewares...and a room filled with wine bottles! Then to the left of the shop is another cramped-in section for the deli and coffee diners (with some patio seatings lined outside as well). Again, way too packed in. I was so overwhelmed with the horrible space, I honestly didn't look too hard at all they had to offer. The place gave me a MIGRAINE. That's how bad! Although I did see some unique brands of chocolate (and this is the only reason I'm giving this at least 2 stars), there really weren't much else there that I thought was gourmet. If anything, the place is much like a crowded, mom 'n pops country version of Dean & Deluca. Of course, I couldn't stand being in such a tight space, and had to run out as soon as I grabbed a coffee. I also didn't like the check-out process. After having to order my coffee in a corner of the deli section (not really even a space for a line!), I had to take the receipt and walk way across back to the store section to pay for it. What a ridiculous, painstaking process! BTW, I ordered Hazelnut Coffee, and it was served in a paper cup...and tasted OK, nothing special. Nothing "Gourmet" about ANY of this!! THE only thing I liked about this shop was its unique, tantalizing chocolate selection (great gift items), but overall, I personally did NOT like this super-cramped, so-called gourmet shop.

I've only heard great things about this place so I decided to give it a try with some friends in town. We were there for a Sunday brunch and man were they packed. The host told us it would be about a 2 hour wait, we still decided to wait just in case it would be shorter. Surprisingly the wait was less than 45 minutes. I understand over quoting for sure but that was a little bit much. Once we were sat we weren't greeted for a couple of minutes. It took our waited a hot minute to come to us. Once we were finally greeted we ordered drinks and food. We decided to go with mimosas for the table. Once we ordered our food though it did take a long time for it to come out but that's understandable with how busy they were. Once the food came out everything was hot and delicious. I'm a big fan of grits and they were really good. I finished the whole cup. Probably should have gotten a bowl instead. Everyone at the table said they enjoyed their meals that they had received. Overall a great experience and a nice shop on the inside. If your visiting or wanting a great brunch I would highly recommend with family or friends.

Loved this place! We had lunch in their cafe section which was good (only complaint is coffee drinks were served lukewarm), tried their tomato busque, their breakfast panini, and their C.P.A. panini (to which we added perrano cheese). But even more exciting was the actual shop. My sister and her husband were very impressed with the service in their large wine room, very knowledgeable and helpful. I spent most of my time at the cheese counter - I wish I could remember the guy's name who helped me but he was fantastic, also very knowledgeable and patient. You can sample cheeses if you seriously intend to buy, which he was great with and also offered solid recommendations. Their pantry goods were extensive and most seemed quite reasonably priced (as were their cheeses). I highly recommend visiting here and plan to go back next time I'm in the area!

I LOVE this place!! I just graduated from UofSC and I'm going to miss this place so much!! Best hummus ever!! I love their paninis, soups, and pesto pasta, too. They also have a really great store that's nice to walk through. 10/10 recommend.

I absolutely love this place! It was recommended to us by a local for breakfast/ brunch. When we walked inside I immediately fell in love with the half store, half restaurant and deli in the front! So many things you could purchase. They even had a wine cellar in the back of the store which is nice! We went on a Saturday and it was busy which was expected. They are usually busy from open to close so be prepared to wait if you don't get up early. The chicken salad sandwich is delicious and the mimosas are strong lol. I always enjoy going here!

Very tasty! I stopped in Columbia to visit my sister, and this place came highly recommended. I was very pleased with the service, ambiance, and definitely the food. Everything was very fresh and the homemade bread was delicious! We also grabbed some sweet treats from the market for dessert later which looked divine as well. Parking was limited, so be aware, though we were able to get a spot right up front. Lastly, the sides were unexpected gems- I absolutely loved the pasta salad and the pesto my sister head great! Will definitely come back!

A local favorite nestled in the heart of Five Points. The Cafe portion offers a array of salads and sandwich. If you do not like any of there signature dishes they also have a create or own sandwich/side dish option. For this trip I opted for roasted shrimp salad on a croissant with BLT. The create your own sandwich was served with choice of a side, I went with the bowtie pesto salad. Portion was hearty and did not leave me disappointed. Shrimp salad was prepared with the perfect amount of mayonnaise and had a tasty brightness. The sandwich was so filling that I ended up taking my pesto salad home to enjoy the next day. In addition to the cafe the Gourmet Shop portion functions as a standard gourmet shop, selling high quality cheeses, pastries, kitchen items, and wines. Great place to go if you are in need of getting someone a gift. Great service although do beware, the shop is a favorite so there is typically a line.

If you like Brie cheese, they have a delicious warm Brie cheese plate with a raspberry jam and crusty French bread. Their tomato soup is really good and they have a pick two option where you can opt for deviled eggs and yummy tuna salad among many other other tasty choices! Check it out!

Very cute area and the food hit the spot on a hot day! I like that you can also shop there and see the different selections of stuff.

We really enjoyed a lovely Saturday brunch here. The atmosphere and waitstaff were excellent. While I wouldn't write home about the food, there's nothing to complain about either. It's first come first serve to sit at the outdoor tables and we found a table right away. The wait for food was long but that's what we expected on a Saturday for brunch. Our server was out to take our order quickly and kept the coffee flowing during our wait. We didn't check out the inside too much but it looked like a great place to gift shop!

best place for lunch, brunch and italian deli style food in the columbia area. however because it's the best it's most likely ALWAYS packed esp. on weekends. they have indoor and outdoor seating and you can shop around their store or surrounding stores while you wait - they give you a buzzer timer pad to wait so you can't go too far. from a native italian northerner, 11/10 recommend for the south

A solid four stars for this place. It would be 5, but my sandwich, a delicious Bacon and Brie criossant, was kind of discombobulated, the cheese had mostly run out of the sandwich and was on the tray more than it was on the bread. The croissant itself was obviously a handful of days old, as it was very stale. If I had been eating in the restaurant, I likely would have asked for a replacement, because it was really tough. The bacon was cooked really crispy, which I don't mind, but if you're someone who likes floppy bacon....make sure you make a specific request. Although the appearance isn't perfect and the criossant was old...it still tasted wonderful! The deviled eggs were awesome and had a really nice flavor to their filling. I would absolutely eat this meal again. Hopefully next time I get it, the sandwich is put together a little more carefully and on fresher bread.

This place is such a vibe, I love seeing all the cheeses, meats and everything in the place. The service was awesome and the food was even better, definitely our new to go place. The charcuterie board and tomato bisque are out favorite They also have a homemade spread they sell and give with your food, amazing.

A lovely diner-style sandwich shop with a lot more than just sandwiches - surprisingly roomy inside, take a peek at the extensive wine and cheese collection after your meal!