Restaurants in Mauldin

A restaurant with two faces, Corporate Deli and Yia Yia's "at night" aim to sate cravings for Greek flavors at lunch, dinner, and catered events. Deli pros construct 11 specialty sandwiches to anchor lunchtime meals and whip up beef tenderloin hoagies, quesadillas, and melts. Catering brings the in-house recipes to work, weddings, proms, and special occasions, where skilled staff members set up mobile meals. At night, the staff wraps the building in a cocoon of pita to transform it into Yia Yia's, a Greek restaurant that battles hunger with the assistance of succulent kebabs and traditional family recipes made from scratch.

An armory of hookahs launches cool streams of smoke, which meander out onto America's Pub & Grub's open patio. Waitresses tote plates that hint at the comfort-fare traditions of Cajun and European cuisines with fried catfish, shepherd's pie, and other warming creations. Lights dance across the black-granite bar, where cocktails and draught beers mingle with happy chatter or woes about the tin-can-phone industry. Live acoustic tunes occupy the eatery's airwaves on some evenings, and guests croon their favorite tunes during karaoke gatherings.

The Deli at Pelham Falls enlivens mealtimes with mouthwatering breakfasts, hearty sandwiches, and fresh, wholesome salads. Like the nearby wormhole to Manhattan, the deli's menu of tangy Reubens, pastrami on rye, and roast-beef clubs brings an authentic piece of New York City to the local area. Morning feasts of french toast or three-egg omelets greet the day with melty cheese and creamy pats of butter. Along with grilling juicy burgers and amply stuffed sandwiches, the Deli at Pelham Falls equips corporate lunches and gatherings with catered Boar's Head lunches, savory breakfasts, or meaty deli buffet platters.

Individual spotlights baste wall paintings with buttery light, bringing to life a tiger cut in relief and abstract tangles of color. More light pours in through Bon Thai & Sushi's large picture windows, illuminating chicken and steak steeping in curry, teriyaki, and thai basil. With knives clacking gently against counters, skilled sushi makers fill rolls with salmon, shrimp, avocado, asparagus, and even sweet potato. After shoveling up the last of a tamarind-infused pad thai, guests question their server about Bon Thai & Sushi's private catered events for banquets after athletic events or meetings to decide how many people belong on a croquet team.

A visit to Habiba Restaurant begins with a puff of smoke. Seated on the patio, groups of friends share conversation and hookahs bubbling with a variety of flavors. Inside, these aromatic fumes give way to the appetizing aromas of traditional Moroccan, Lebanese, and Indian cuisine. Here, chefs slide ground lamb onto skewers and blend chickpeas into hummus using nothing but a stern gaze. Lamb shanks are slow roasted in a spice mix, and their refreshing tabouli salad combines bulghur wheat, parsley, tomato, mint, lemon, & olive oil. Bartenders pour wine and beer at a full bar paneled in glossy wood, which reflects walls awash with rich reds and greens.

In 1964, brothers Leroy and Forrest Raffel banded together to come up with a new restaurant concept. Arby's took off almost immediately on the coattails of its hallmark roast-beef sandwich and the founders’ idea of providing customers with fast, quality food. Over the company's 48-year franchise history, its foundational pièce de résistance of thinly sliced, juicy beef has been served in a many permutations, and continues to be popular today, served at more than 3,500 stores in North America. Today’s menu still ignites appetites with traditional beef sandwiches, plus hot and seasoned curly fries, fresh-chopped salads, and desserts good for richly capping off meals or bribing any bridge trolls on the way home.