“Country Cookin’ Makes You Good Lookin’!”
Past
Lizard’s Thicket’s Slogan
I
learned about this gem of a restaurant from my many visits to
Columbia to see my dear friend, Helen Gatch. Initially when I would
visit her, she would always cook for me. One day I suggested to
her, “Helen, why don’t we go to lunch. My treat and your choice.
You can pick anywhere in Columbia and price is not an issue.”
She smiled at me and immediately answered, “Let’s go to the
Lizard’s Thicket”. I had never heard of that name and gave a
little giggle and she exclaimed, “You’ve never heard about that
restaurant before? I’ve been going there for years.” No, I
never had heard of that restaurant since I was living in Augusta,
Georgia and it is a local restaurant but I happily agreed to take her
there.
From
that first day, I knew Helen introduced me to a grand restaurant.
We had a great meal that day and everyone was so accommodating and
friendly to us. Every time I visited her from then on, that is where
she choose to go. One time, Joe was able to join us and since then
has become our go to restaurant in Columbia.
This
restaurant was established by Anna and Bob Williams in 1977 and has
been going strong for over 40 years. Anna and Bob were natives of
the Columbia area and originally thought of opening an Italian
restaurant but they realized good, authentic regional southern home
cooking was needed in this area. Their first restaurant was in a
humble five room home that they converted into a restaurant with
three small rooms and a small kitchen on Broad River Road in
Columbia. They served meals that were based on Anna’s recipes.
Are
you wondering about the whimsical name of the restaurant? After a
visit to Northwest Alabama in the 1960’s, the Williams noticed a
place called the Lizard’s Thicket in the small town of Hamilton,
Alabama. This was a place where people would congregate on Sunday
nights and bring steaks to cook and they could bring their own
whiskey to drink. This place went out of business a long time ago
but the name stuck in their heads. What a great name.
This
family restaurant is now run by the Williams children and
grandchildren and has grown around Columbia. There are now 15
restaurants in the Midlands of South Carolina and in Florence and
they employ over 700 people. They have kept a version of the Chalk
board menu from the original restaurant but have modernized the menu
now. They still serve breakfast, lunch, and supper seven days a
week from 6 am to 9 pm. They have kept their reasonable prices and
it is a great place to take children.
The
food is fantastic here and the portions are a good size. You can
choose how many meats your would like and vegetables. They serve a
wide variety of choices. All the meals come with a complimentary
side of cornbread or rolls. The staff is very friendly and everyone
is treated as family. They have regulars who frequent their
restaurant and the staff will check up on them if they are not there
for a day or two. We have always enjoyed the staff and were treated
wonderfully. My Helen, has since passed on but my family now
continues the tradition.
We
highly recommend this restaurant and you should give it a try. You
will not be sorry. Check them out at: Lizardsthicket.com.
Update:
Because of the Novel Coronavirus, the restaurant is taking all the
precautions they can to protect their customers and staff, so they
have closed the restaurant for inside eating only for now. The
restaurant is still able to do orders for take out. They are hoping
for your continued support during this time and hope you will come by
and order the same great food as always.
Take
care, be safe, and till next time. Bye for now.
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