Best of Columbia 2009

MOVE's annual rundown of the best Columbia has to offer features old standbys— Shakespeare's and Sparky's— and new standards: Pickleman's, McGinty's and Bleu.

By the MOVE Staff

Published May 5, 2009

Best Breakfast

Editors' pick: Café Berlin

We once got a He-Man toy as the marker for our omelets instead of a number, and admittedly that shit brought us back. Their food is a surprisingly pleasant mix of interesting and delicious. The sheer variety of the menu scores Café Berlin some major points in our book, as does the pancake burrito. Oh yeah, and they serve a lot of local food, so that's pretty baller.

Readers' pick: Broadway Diner

Best Ice Cream

Editors' pick: Sparky's

How many ice cream stores do you know with a mascot? Not many? We didn't think so. And the other thing -- their ice cream is really, really good. On the real, we've written about Sparky's somewhere between four and 117 times in over a half-decade of existence, so we're not really sure what more we can say. The staff is personable almost to a fault. The fake TV is so money. And ol' Sparky himself is a beast among men. Also, Guinness Floats FTW!

Readers' pick: Sparky's

Best Burger

Editors' pick: Booches

Obvious answer? Yes. Boring answer? Yes. True answer? Still, yes. Billiards (and to a lesser extent Flat Branch Pub & Brewing) gives these eternal burger champs a run for their money, but as the old adage goes, don't fix what isn't broke, and Booches doesn't. These little burgers deserve extra props this year for not losing their identity in this ridiculous new saturation of mini burgers (what up, Billy Mays?!). Although our tendency not to carry cold hard cash affords us less Booches than we would prefer, it's hard to imagine an occasion when these babies aren't an absolute treat.

Readers' pick: Booches

Best Late Night Meal

Editors' pick: Pokey Stix from Gumby's

Easily our most inexplicable local delicacy, Pokey Stix have moved from a guilty pleasure to an accepted obsession over the years. While seemingly consisting of only cheese, bread and about four pounds of butter, there have been few better 3 a.m. foods ever known to mankind. It might not be fair to say that Pokey Stix have defined the past few years of MOVE, but it's hardly fair to say they haven't either.

Readers' pick: El Rancho

Best New Establishment

Editors' pick: Bleu

We already sort of yanked Bleu's chain a decent few times in our column on the best upscale bar in Columbia earlier this semester, but recognizing it merely for that seems to discount the merit of this establishment. The drinks are legit, and featuring Ciroc Vodka specials during the same year as Diddy's reign as Twitter MVP seems more than apt. But the food ain't no punk either, ranging from fairly cheap lunch specials to some fancier dinner options. And their gourmet macaroni and cheese mixes our taste for delicacies and childhood all in one. Columbia needs more places like this.

Readers' pick: Bleu

Best Non-Fancypants Restaurant

Editors' pick: Formosa

Featuring one of the downright loveliest views of Columbia (Formosa closes before the El Rancho rush, so by technicality the downtown district can still be considered lovely) the restaurant sitting atop Broadway boasts all the best qualities of the top Chinese food places in town with none of the drawbacks. Formosa has a nice semi-formal atmosphere and lacks, say, the shady isolation of Hong Kong. And it boasts quality service that tops the frequent shortcomings of China Star with specials that often barely edge out the quality food at Q's. Sometimes winning really can come from simply not losing.

Readers' pick: Flat Branch

Best Delivery

Editors' pick: Hot Box Cookies

As shocking as it might seem, we here at MOVE actually do have a few organizational meetings from time to time. And the biggest simultaneous fuel/deterrent to these meetings: Hot Box Cookies. While we're rarely on that eat-a-dozen-cookies-while-tipsy tip, a glass of milk with a mixed box of these in the daytime is our forte like Joseph (the ball player, not the Ponzi schemer -- thanks Wikipedia).

Readers' pick: Gumby's

Best Place to Get Drunk

Editors' pick: Shakespeare's

What more can a college kid ask for? The best pizza place in town also happens to be the best place to get drunk. Not only is the location perfect -- the exact spot campus transitions into city -- but it also makes lunch beers excusable if you're catching a break in between classes. For how small the bar is, the selection is great, as well as cheap. Shakespeare's location makes this the best place to grab a slice and pre-game before a night on the town. We only wish there were more than one bartender so we could get a drink faster.

Readers' pick: Shakespeare's

Best Bar Night

Editors' pick: Wednesdays at Thirsty Turtle

One day a week, a Columbia establishment actually has a more impressive special than Addison's happy hour. It's not just the most ridiculously cheap special in Columbia, but the combination of quality of beer, lack of cover and lack of an hour wait at the bar and that really pushes Wednesdays at Thirsty Turtle over the top. If a buck and a half for a midweek glass of Fat Tire or APA is wrong, then we ain't been right in some time.

Readers' pick: Many-way tie

Best Coffee

Editors' pick: Coffee Zone

By covering America corner to corner, Starbucks obviously overestimated the amount real estate they needed, and they're now paying the price by losing both tons of money and franchises. But the unique atmosphere of local coffee shops never dies, and that atmosphere is no better exemplified than in Coffee Zone. The Middle Eastern and Arabic cuisine match the array of specialty coffees, teas and drinks, which all feel authentic. Located next to The Blue Note, it's in the heart of downtown. And by the way, Coffee Zone stocks multiple brands of cigarettes - you won't find that at the Starbucks down the block.

Readers' pick: Kaldi's Coffeehouse

Best Bar Amusement

Editors' pick: Shuffleboard at McGinty's

With all do respect to the ping-pong table at Top Ten Wines and the nearly identical shuffleboard table at The Deuce, this one was a no-brainer for us. We would be hard-pressed to find a nicer group of people to run a bar than the folks over at McGinty's, a historically chill bar that has grown even more welcoming recently under new management. And while it may have been merely incidental, creating a consistently enjoyable bar with no distinct stigma or stereotype in a college town is so small feat. Also, group karaoke dances to "U Can't Touch This" are never a bad idea.

Readers' pick: Watching people