Review Room 38 Restaurant & Lounge - Columbia

As a wedding venue we are always looking for catering options that are upscale, unique, and delicious and we found what we were looking for when the Room 38 team walked in! The food was hot and tasted so good but it was their service, expertise and above-and-beyond attitude that was more impressive. We'd highly recommend them to cater and provide bar service for any of our couples.

The positives — a comfortable restaurant with nice food presentation, friendly service and multiple seating options in a convenient downtown location. The negatives — wait time for greeting/service was great than 5-minutes during a slow afternoon. Food and drink prices are that of an upscale establishment but quality and flavor was far below expectations. Other negative marks for unavailable items (i.e., Bacon for burgers) and food delivered to table not matching menu description (i.e., Pretzel bits appeared to be just fried bread dough). Chicken on sandwich was overly salty and I probably should have returned it. I really wanted to like this place, but unfortunately I will not be returning. Maybe they were just having an off day and all these things can be corrected in the future?

Room 38 is one of my go-to spots. Consistently amazing service and delicious food. I recommend it to all my friends. Haley is an AMAZING server! She did an awesome job the most recent time I came out for brunch! Their sweet potato waffle fries are a must. Also can’t beat the happy hour pretzel balls! The seafood flatbread is also incredible!

Loved the brussel sprouts. Hot wings were really good too. Our server was really nice. I definitely want to come back to try some drinks.

Stopped by after reading reviews, and heh i hope all know to disregard a bad review from 2 years ago still at top because so many liked it. But anyway we loved the place, not all bright like some places, seats are comfortable and the staff working now are great. Olivia waited on us and we never had to ask for anything. The lobster bisque soup was great but the seared dumplings were some of the best we have ever had. I’m sure others have their favorites here. Raining too hard to sit outside but will come back again.

I just had one of the best meals of my life probably ever. Oliva was our server & she was extremely attentive & personable. She made us feel extremely comfortable ordering the tons of food we did and served it in great time. We ordered 6 different plates of food and 4 of the premium lounge cocktails and somehow only spent around $100. I know that number doesn’t sound cheap, but the portions were much more than we expected and the food quality was a 10/10. We purposely ordered more than we could eat because we wanted to try so many things. The seafood tasted fresh, the fries were hot & crispy, and the presentation of the cocktails was a 10/10 experience as well. The happy hour is pretty good too, going to have to come back and take advantage of it. Overall, we are very happy and look forward to coming back! Thanks again for a great experience to our server, Olivia!

Waited forever for a server in a empty restaurant. Flatbread was limp and tasted nothing like the Bahn Mi flavors offered. Ordered the truffle shoestring fries and were served limp and nasty crinkle cut fries! Guys its not the same thing! Overall I’d avoid this place!

There are 3 reasons why Room 38 is one of the best restaurants in town. 1. Their chicken and waffles is insane. If you haven’t tried it - do it. This Sunday, go and order it. You’ll never be the same. 2. $15 Bottomless Mimosas. This one speaks for itself. Not only that but they have 4-5 flavours to choose from. And 3. Bridget. This girl is the best waitress to ever grace the table of any establishment. She sets the bar very, very high. Super sweet and super attentive. Brunch in a college town with bottomless mimosas on offer is going to be CRAZY at the best of times, but any time I sit down for brunch and get Bridget as my waitress I know I’m going to have a great dining experience no matter how busy the place is. The service is fantastic. So yeah, Room 38 guys. Try it.

The Brunch menu on Sundays is amazing!!!! Major props to The Chef, the waitresses and hostesses that work on Sunday's are on point. Me and my besties have not been there in like 4 months. Last Sunday around 1 we all decided we wanted to go. Most of the time we do make a reservation but this Sunday we didn't. We were greeted with friendly smiles as always. The place was packed. One of our favorite waitresses had remembered us and came right up to the front door to say hi and ask how many we had, she was so sweet to remember us. I told her we didn't make a reservation ( which I recommend doing if you want to eat am 10-12 on sundays, but it's super easy to do on line). She was like no biggie we got you. 2 secs later we were sat outside on the new patio in the most comfortable seating area. At first sight you realize you are sitting on an oversized sectional split into two tables. But once you sit down it's is so cozy and the placement of the tables gives both parties tons of space. It is surprisingly kid friendly, my 10 year old and my friends 11 year old love the pancakes and French toast, when they saw the menu had changed our waitress suggested the blueberry cheesecake pancakes. The kids loved them. The new brunch menu is amazing, 12 dollar bottomless mimosas ( which I enjoyed watching my friends drink) and I will point out that the mix of generations, and family vs non family is all welcomed here. I would suggest everyone try the brunch at least once.

By far the best brunch in Columbia. The food is phenomenal and the staff and atmosphere are second to none. On top of that the place really knows how to throw a party at night ���

This is one of my favorite places! I have always had excellent service and everything on their menu is just amazing! I highly recommend the pretzel bites and their happy hour is the best time to go have drinks! Every time people from out of time come into my work and ask me where to eat, this is the first place I recommend! 10/10

I have had the pleasure of dining here numerous times and have never had anything but the best food, service and atmosphere!! It is by far my favorite spot in Columbia and would gladly recommend it to anyone!

Went with a group of friends for their happy hour specials, unfortunately our waitress swapped many of our drink orders for similar, but more expensive drinks that were not part of the happy hour deals. After we questioned the pricing on the check she stated that she 'didn't want to offend us' by asking if we wanted the happy hour specials (although we had been specifically asking about the happy hour deals)... After this response and asking for a manager we still had to argue for about 20 minutes that we were unfairly charged and even then didn't reach a resolution. Would not recommend this place, poor service, shady upcharges.

In a recent discussion with my husband about our top 5 favorite Columbia restaurants, we both placed Room 38 on our list. We love meeting friends for happy hour to enjoy the happy hour drinks and sharing plates. Everything I've had on the menu has been fantastic. Must try dishes: Pretzel bites, garlic wok-fried edamame, thai chicken lettuce wraps, bahn mi flatbread, pear & prosciutto flatbread, original sliders, sweet potato fries, mussels, and salmon skewers. The bennys, sexy stack, and f'n burrito are fantastic brunch choices. If I was forced to give criticism, I'd have to say that the wall/corner bench seating is lacking in the comfort category, despite its cozy appearance. Love this place!

I will never get tired of the amazing food and drinks here!!! By far the best happy hour and Sunday brunch in town.

Excellent customer service for catering! Worked with them for a group of 40 and they were very accommodating for dietary restrictions. Everyone complemented the food and there was not much leftover because everyone took second helpings. Easily would recommend them for catering a dinner!

My favorite place in Columbia. Real cool place, real delicious, unique food. I had the Ahi Nachos and they were ridiculously good. There was so much tuna in it, the homemade tortilla chips were different then most, and there was a real tasty slaw mixed throughout. My wife's food was very good as well.

Incredible, up beat, stellar vibes here! the food is to die for and the service is so good! I could tell that they really care about their customers, and don't even get me started on the brunch...OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD. 10 out of 10 would recommend

A great place for a business lunch, happy hour or night on the town. The food and staff are absolutely amazing!!! They also have a great VIP room for private gatherings.

Great place no matter what time of day! Lunch with clients, dinner with family, night out with friends; they catered to every need! Service is spectacular and food is absolutely delicious. It would be a mistake if you made a visit to Columbia and didn't make a stop by 38!

Excellent service, delicious food, amazing cocktails. Serious kudos to the management here for running a great show, and always having your staff's back. Strongly suggest this place.

Perfect place for many things: food for sure, drinks are great, staff is total pro, even some dancing if you're feeling frisky!

Love this place! Great food, great drinks, and great service!!

Had the Thai chicken lettuce wraps. Great mix and the peanut sauce is perfect. Very good place to eat and have a cocktail in Columbia, MO.

Absolutely nothing bad on this menu. Atmosphere is super unique and cannot say enough great things about the entire staff. You also need to check out their Sunday Brunch special with all you can drink Mimosa's.