Restaurants in West Columbia

Chefs at Delhi Palace craft each piece of clay-oven-baked bread from scratch, evincing an attention to detail that helped earn them the title of Best Indian Restaurant 2010 from readers of the Free Times. Plain, topped with garlic, or stuffed with peppers or potatoes, this bread soaks up sauces from goat, lamb, and seafood dishes on the à la carte menu, and also pairs with vegetarian dishes formed from housemade cheese or roasted eggplants. In addition, lunch and dinner buffets lay out traditional dishes under the dark wood arches, ivory-painted columns, and Indian-style murals of the dining room.

Ismael and Silvia Villegas have been snipping off sprigs of cilantro and squeezing limes onto tacos inside Casa Linda Mexican Restaurant's kitchens since 1993. Beneath decorations such as papel picado and piñatas, staples such as chicken in mole sauce and tacos al pastor join specialties such as the Pollo Loco, a chicken breast topped with cream sauce and a medley of squash and other vegetables. The restaurant also shakes and blends specialty cocktails such as açaí cosmos and superfruit margaritas.

Carolina Deli has stood on the frontlines of the lunchtime rush for more than three decades, furnishing empty belly space with fresh sandwiches, salads, house-made sweets, and freshly brewed iced tea. Owners Travis and Melanie Mooney prevail over the homey, family-operated eatery, where Midlands munchers flock five days a week to tackle the shop's diverse menu with their mouths. Carolina Deli's specialty sandwiches, such as the Eagle, stuffed with roast beef, turkey, and bacon, challenge jaw-stretching capabilities with hefty stacks of meats and veggies, and the deli allows diners to design their own meaty, handheld creations. Luncheons, corporate events, and weddings can also treat taste buds to a catered Carolina Deli spread, including an optional, 3-foot tall chocolate fountain, in which guests can dip fruit or "accidentally" drop a penny into before diving in to retrieve it.

There are two schools of thought at Harbor Inn Seafood Restaurant: fried or broiled. Whatever side you take, you'll enjoy the same flounder fillets, scallops, and crab cakes heaped with hearty helpings of baked potatoes, french fries, and hush puppies. Ten-ounce rib-eye and strip steaks provide a tasty alternative to seafood, and a children's menu includes pintsize portions fit for youngsters or the precocious wooden doll you call "son."

Tony's Pizzalicious has dished out hearty Italian food since 1967. By tossing dough and ladling house-made sauce, the chefs create their namesake pies in styles such as the meat lovers and the Hawaiian, or in customized forms that don slices of tomato and pepperoni arranged into scale models of diners' favorite solar systems. A range of classic Italian entrees emerge from the kitchen, too— eggplant parmesan top twirls of spaghetti, and chopped bacon tops baked ziti with a four-cheese blend. Oven-baked subs and foot-long strombolis and calzones help round out the menu.

Trained in the art of sausage making, German-born Wilfried Huller put his skills to use by opening a butcher shop in 1968. The business expanded into a restaurant and moved its current location, where mugs sing glassy songs in toasts over brimming plates of Wiener schnitzel and spaetzle. A German-style buffet sets forth an endless parade of steam, which hints at meats free of MSG, mixed with fistfuls of spices, and smoked over natural hardwood. Cool suds spill forth from bottles and taps, fueling revelry with honey-hued wheat beers from Franziskaner and Maisel. The onsite butcher shop sends homemade sausages with guests eager to enjoy them in the comfort of vacationing neighbors' kitchens.