“Secrets, secrets are no fun unless you share with everyone.”
We’re firm believers in this motto. So today, we present Columbia’s Secret Menu. Go ahead and bookmark this because this list is the ProTip of all the ProTips.
Here are 33 secret menu items we discovered from local restaurants and don’t worry, you can thank us later.
929 Kitchen & Bar — “Our staff loves our pop mandoo or as our chef calls them “baby mandoo” which are mini pork filled versions of our regular menu mandoo and are not written anywhere on our menus! Our Sunday specials are also our favorites😍 these are our KFC (korean fried chicken) and Korean Curry Platter.”
Ally and Eloise Bakeshop — “Mexican chocolate baby cakes with a touch of cinnamon and a light glaze or teh Nutella crumb muffins.”
BLD Diner — “We will be reopening soon and when we do specials will include house made Lobster Ravioli as a dinner special from my first restaurant I owned in Boulder.
Blue Marlin —“We do actually! We have “The Tour Of The South” which is our off the menu appetizer plate. It features our signature firecracker shrimp, fried green tomatoes, mini crab cakes, and southern caviar (pimento cheese) with pita chips. It’s definitely a favorite amongst our staff and regulars!
The Tour of the South from Blue Marlin | Photo provided
Blūm Coffee — “The new libations menu is “hidden” + the lavender or orange cardamom matcha lattes are popular choices that are not on the regular menu.”
Cantina 76 — “The Quad: While most Cantina regulars are familiar with the Tres Hombres or “the trio” this is the salsa, queso and guac sampler + a small dirty queso. You can also get a mini dirty queso on its own instead of the traditional menu size. The Bird Dog Taco feat. fried chicken, honey mustard, lettuce, tomato. This taco is often featured as a special that runs occasionally, but can be made any time! Buffalo chicken quesadillas or surf and turf quesadillas. Both of these are offered in taco form, but if you’d rather have a quesadilla, they can be made easily. El Rancho Dip — queso, ground beef, sriracha, pico, guacamole. It’s not on the menu but it’s a secret fan favorite.”
The Bird Dog Taco from Cantina 76 | Photo provided
Cinnamon Roll Deli — “One of our customer’s favorites is the chili grits. Topped with an egg to order, our award-winning chili goes on top of grits, complete with cheese, grilled onions, cilantro, and sour cream. Some of our customers have unofficially named this “Chits,” short for chili & grits. :) It is a must-try!!! Everyone loves it.”
COA Agaveria y Cocina — “We have two cocktails that are “off menu” from previous seasons that locals still order — La cosecha + Yelapa sour.”
Curiosity Coffee Bar — “Okay, here we go! Iced red espresso with oat milk vanilla and hazelnut, cold brew spritzer — cold brew coffee and seltzer, iced matcha with lavender and honey, and a new addition to the menu that should be released this week is the strawberry matcha: with strawberry purée, matcha, vanilla, and oat milk. Served hot or cold. ❤️”
Drip — “The CHEWBACCA isn’t on the menu per say but it’s a root beer with vanilla syrup and a shot of espresso and also, a few people from time to time will order a mocha with house made honey habanero syrup to spice up their day and put a jiggle to their walk.”
Duke’s Pad Thai — “For meatless Monday we have new menu item spicy tofu salad served with white or brown rice + our new Fried fish cakes seem to be a hit as well.”
Enzo’s Delicatessen — “Here is what the staff eats and are all available as off menu items to those who know! Each item is named after an employee.”
Sandwiches named after the Enzo’s staff | Photo provided
The Gourmet Shop — “We have an adult grilled cheese with raclette and jarlsburg cheeses, and the Turkey Pesto grilled as a panini is always a fan favorite. Neither of those are on the menu.”
Groucho’s Deli — “Our Slaw Reuben is a “hidden gem.” It’s our reuben variation — Columbia’s finest since 1969! Extra-lean pastrami, melted muenster cheese, heated ‘kraut, and German mustard served on Jewish rye bread. Take it up a notch and sub Groucho’s Famous Herb Slaw for “kraut”.”
Hampton Street Vineyard — “We have made Black River Caviar into a fun bar snack. It is HSV’s version of loaded fries or rustic-style caviar set. We use our Crispy Potatoes, and add Creme Fraiche, Black River Caviar, and chives. We are still working on a name, but we try to send them out to all of our friends.”
The Hideout in WeCo — “We have a Peanut butter, honey, and banana toast that isn’t featured on our menu as well as a Nutella Cheesecake smoothie! The smoothie has nutella, cottage cheese, banana, and graham cracker crumbs. 😋”
Home Team BBQ — “Our fried ribs fit that description!”
Immaculate Consumption — “We just started to add chili lime mayo to any of our sandwiches (our favorite is on the turkey avocado pita!)”
Indah Coffee — “We do a Vader — it’s a glass bottled coke with a shot of espresso. A sparkling Matcha - Matcha with Topo Chico. Mocha coconut lattes or an undertow — a double shot floating or laying over milk (it’s a cortado size).”
Kao Thai — “Staff consensus is the yellow curry! Not on our menu but great choice for vegans because the recipe doesn’t call for fish sauce. It’s also the least spicy of the curries in general.”
Midwood Smokehouse — “Our beef rib is on and off the menu depending on availability but it’s huge!”
Motor Supply — “A 20 oz bone-in, grass-fed ribeye from Hunter Cattle Co., will be offered in a select number of 10 per night. This is not on the menu, but it is currently offered as a special. Overproof Daiquiris by Head barman Jake Smith. It is not on the cocktail menu, but Jake loves to make them.”
Ribeye special from Motor Supply | Photo provided
A Peace of Soul — “We offer “Wing Platters” and “Wing Buckets” occasionally.”
Piecewise Coffee Co. — “Smoked maple bourbon and lavender lemonade. We also have a drink called The Havana (latte) which is a brown sugar and white mocha combination! It’s a play off of a cubano!”
Primal Gourmet — “We recently partnered with an extremely talented chef in town who is now making handmade hand rolled pastas every Sunday in our kitchen. They are out for sale in our market the first part of the week and range between $6-$8 per package. No one in town has anything like this stuff — it is absolutely ridiculously amazing!”
Housemade pasta from Primal Gourmet | Photo provided
Publico — “Our staff loves to have our kitchen team make them a delicious Chimichanga — a deep fried burrito filled with shredded chicken, jalapeños, shredded jack cheese, and grilled onions topped with Queso and Salsa. It’s not on our menu!”
Publico’s chimichanga | Photo provided
Spotted Salamander — “Spotted wrap — it’s everything on the salad all wrapped up in sandwich form.”
Steel Hands Brewing — “We call it our “Half & Half” - its half coffee lager mixed with half pecan brown ale and served in our Coffee Lager logo glass mug in the taproom on tap. It’s a fan favorite and originally started by our team. 🍻 It also uses hyper local ingredients to SC with Loveland Coffee in our Coffee Lager and Pecans from Golden “Kernal Pecan company in our Pecan Brown Ale. It’s simply delicious!”
Sweet Cream Company — “We have what’s called a “Special Special” and that is using our cold brew latte as a base in a milkshake instead of milk.”
Tasty as Fit — “Just talked with the team and everyone agrees that our manglow smoothie, add strawberries. It tastes like a tropical paradise!”
The Twist — “We have a hidden item called the Fish Fry. It’s our chopped and seared tilapia tossed with onions and green peppers drizzled with cheddar cheese.”
Urban Cookhouse Devine Street — “Buffalo Chicken Wraps are a staff and customer favorite. They are really delicious.”
Villa Tronco — “One hidden menu item that we’d like to share is our Veal Carmella, named after the owner, Carmella Roche. This dish features breaded veal cutlet, fried and lightly dusted with parmesan cheese, and served with sauteed spinach and angel hair alio (with oil and garlic). One of Mrs. Carmella’s favorites!”
The Well Cafe — “We have what we call “berry matcha” - a refreshing take on our original matcha. Filled with antioxidants, adaptogens like ashwagandha + reishi mushroom, spirulina, açaí, and so much more. 😛”
The Well Cafe’s Berry Matcha | Photo provided
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