These days, Columbia has a lot of fantastic restaurants cranking out innovative, tasty food. But few of the foods at those restaurants are really identified with Columbia — not the way, say, the cheesesteak is identified with Philly. 

However, Columbia does lay claim to a handful of classic dishes, those that people who once went to college or grew up here remember fondly, and those we all still crave when we’re sick or sad. 

We picked eight dishes that can claim icon status. These aren’t fancy — they’re mostly comfort foods, found in dives and holes-in-the-wall around the Capital City. We’re not even saying they’re the best foods in Columbia. They’re just the foods that speak loudest of home. We’ve also provided a longer list of other Columbia classics.

And for fun, we asked Sam Suaudom of Baan Sawan Thai Bistro to pick some wines to pair with a few of his favorite iconic Columbia dishes. The results might get you thinking differently about the foods you know best. — Eva Moore

• Other Classics That Didn't Make the Top 8
• What Should You Drink with Your STP Dipper?

STP Dipper

Groucho’s Deli, 611 Harden St., 803-799-5708

Unless you have some history with it, the STP Dipper is not going to bowl you over the first time you eat one. It’s a pile of deli turkey and roast beef covered in melted swiss cheese and chopped bacon on a soft, microwaved white sub roll — the least obtrusive of vehicles for the protein-salt-fat mound on top. 

The important thing is the sauce. Dubbed Formula 45 Sauce, it’s been around since 1945 — the early days of Groucho’s, which was founded first as a grocery store by Harold “Groucho” Miller, who’d moved here from Philadelphia. (The Dipper-style sandwiches came later, in the ’60s, per Groucho’s corporate history.) The 45 Sauce is a thin, mayonnaise-based, slightly sweet, always-mysterious dipping sauce — packed with dill, and with something that tints the sauce light red, which discussions on sites like Reddit and Chowhound suggest is Heinz chili sauce. It’s like Thousand Island, but a thousand times better.  

While we’ve pictured the Groucho’s version of the sandwich here, you can actually find a version at several establishments around town, including Andy’s Deli, Albert’s Deli, Vella’s and Bar None — the trademark symbol behind “STP Dipper” on the Groucho’s menu notwithstanding. (And no, we don’t know what STP stands for, despite some research.) — Eva Moore

Mamasan’s Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

Egg Roll Chen, 715 Crowson Road, 803-787-6820

Through tough college nights, long cold days or just a regular Tuesday evening, Egg Roll Chen’s Taiwanese beef noodle soup has been there to comfort locals since 1985. There are many things great about this soup, including the tender slices of beef, the soft and chewy strands of egg noodle, and the fact that it somehow only costs a measly $6.35. 

The real standout here, though, is the addictively sweet and meaty beef broth. Fans of Vietnamese pho will love the heavy anise notes that ratchet up all the beefy flavors. 

For spice fans, Egg Roll Chen has an incendiary housemade chili sauce available up front. Be warned, though; this sauce is serious business. A little goes a long way. 

While Egg Roll Chen serves up many of the Chinese takeout dishes that we all know and love, the one thing that has set them apart from others for so long is their special menu of Taiwanese street food specials. Besides the beef noodle soup, first timers should also dig into the yen su jee, a dangerously delicious dish composed of fried chicken pieces tossed in loads of chili pepper and salty goodness. — Bach Pham

Chicken Filet Sandwich 

Drake’s Duck-In, 1544 Main St., 803-799-9290

Chicken sandwiches have become one of the major “it” things to do in the restaurant industry in recent years, with establishments giving their wildest spins on the classic American sandwich. Drake’s, however, has stuck with the philosophy of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” which has worked wonders.

The filet sandwich is a signature of Drake’s Duck-In. Served plain, with a dab of mayo and some pickles, it’s a confident sandwich that puts its faith in the bird. The secret is in the double stack of chicken, which adds a whole middle layer of the crispy bits that everyone secretly really loves most about good fried chicken.

Drake’s Duck-In has been a local institution for years, with the Drake’s family having opened its first restaurant in Columbia in 1907. (The family no longer owns Drake’s.) The Duck-In has been at its Main Street location for the past 20 years. 

Besides the chicken sandwich, I’m willing to say that they have one of the best chili slaw dogs in town, along with a killer bologna sandwich that could convert many nonbelievers. — Bach Pham

Gouda Mac and Cheese

The Whig, 1200 Main St., 803-931-8852

As human beings, we have many important firsts in our life: the first steps we take, the first day of school, the first kiss. The moment that the Whig’s gouda mac arrives at the table and is laid in front of you is another. 

The Whig has only been around since 2005, but for me it feels like The Whig has been there forever, supplying students and locals the greatest dive bar food known to man. 

Locals talk fondly of this underground haven for many reasons. For some, it’s the fries, for which The Whig likely sold their soul to achieve the perfect crispiness. For others, it’s the massive burger smothered in beef gravy or the perhaps even larger chicken sandwich that is smeared with a thick layer of spicy pimento cheese. 

For me, though, the gouda mac is the one dish that continues to call my name. Unlike typical mac and cheese, the Whig uses a penne pasta. The pasta is generously covered in a thick, creamy gouda sauce that oozes all over the plate. The best moment is when you manage to get the perfect bite where all the cheese has dug into the pockets of pasta and bursts into a cheesy euphoria in your mouth. — Bach Pham

Pizza

Pizza Man, 341 S. Woodrow St., 803-252-6931

Pizza Man’s pie is an acquired taste. It’s thin — thin like a lavash cracker, not like a floppy New York slice, and when it’s fresh out of the oven it’ll snap like a cracker, too. Very pleasing. You can get it weighed down with toppings, or minimalist, with just tons of cheese (the peppers and sun-dried tomatoes pictured here are by no mean de rigeur). It’s best washed down with copious pitchers of domestic beer. There are lots of great pizzas in Columbia (Thirsty Fellow, Dano’s, Persona), but Pizza Man — in both toppings and ambience — is a natural descendant of the kind of Greek pizza served by many Midlands Greek-Italian restaurants.

Pizza Man, too, is an acquired taste. The dive bar at the corner of Rosewood and Woodrow streets has been around since at least the early ’90s, and it’s a Columbia classic itself, with torn-up booths, arcade games, dim lighting and a cast of regulars. — Eva Moore

Pimento Cheeseburger

Rockaway Athletic Club, 2719 Rosewood Drive, 803-256-1075

Food historian Robert Moss — who got his Ph. D at the University of South Carolina, but now lives in the Holy City — has argued that the pimento cheeseburger is native to Columbia. The first local version, Moss wrote for Garden & Gun, seems to have been created at the now-defunct Dairy Bar, which opened in 1954 on South Main Street. The Rockaway’s version, though, is the current Midlands classic. It’s plenty big, but not gigantic — seriously, who needs a half-pound burger? — with a thick schmear of mayonnaisey pimento cheese. (While some local pimento cheeses incorporate fancier flavors like chipotle, this is the traditional stuff, with a mild red pepper flavor and a thorough cheese flavor.) The burger also has fresh tomato slices, lettuce and grilled onions, with pickles on the side. When you eat the burger, the cheese mixes with the tomato juice and drips out all over the fries.  — Eva Moore

Bee Bim Bob

Blue Cactus, 2002 Greene St., 803-929-0782

Blue Cactus is a Korean and Southwestern restaurant, but doesn’t serve the insane mishmash of hipster stuff like kimchi tacos. Just Korean. Or Southwestern. It’s one of the few places that feels both eclectic and comforting all at once. Maybe it’s the wall of hot sauces from around the world, or the unique southwestern flair of the interior, or the jar labeled “Ashes of Problem Customers,” but there is something pretty special about sitting in Blue Cactus and experiencing everything it has to offer.

Husband and wife duo Lloyd and Mary Reese opened the cafe in 1994, bringing the USC area a much needed dose of ethnic food. Before the Slow Food movement was a thing, Blue Cactus has cooked meals from scratch from the very beginning, ensuring that every plate sent to the table is made with all the love and care it deserves. 

There are many delicious things to dive into at Blue Cactus, but it is the bee bim bob that everyone always comes back for. The dish is classic Korean, featuring a variety of vegetables over rice with a choice of tofu, beef, chicken, or spicy pork. The fried egg is labeled as optional, but really should be mandatory for all of the delicious things it does for the dish. A spoonful of spicy bean paste is also a must. 

It is a beautiful dish that is uniquely destined to be destroyed and mashed into oblivion until well combined, leaving a bowl of different flavors, textures and colors that makes each and every bite as exciting as the last. Comfort food at its very best. — Bach Pham

Hash and Rice

True BBQ, 1237 D Ave., West Columbia; 803-791-9950

Let’s be clear: Any version of Carolina hash and rice is a classic, unless you’re doing something weird to it. It’s just that True BBQ’s hash and rice is the best hash and rice. It even says so on one of the signs: “Best hash & rice in S.C.” Although many Columbia-area barbecue restaurants have been doing it longer, nobody does it better.

For the uninitiated, hash is a thick, spiced gravy made from pig meat (and sometimes, we’ve heard, beef) and organs. Some versions accentuate the strong liver notes more, some less; others have a pronounced onion flavor; most local versions have some mustardy and sweet dimensions. True’s hits all those spots just right, with a palate-filling texture and mild meatiness. It’s served on plain old converted white rice as part of the dinners, which feature chopped pork, ribs and other tasty meats and sides. — Eva Moore

Some Other Classics

What else did we consider for the list? Lots. — Eva Moore

El Nacho Man nachos at Yesterdays

You could put half the menu at Yesterdays on this list, but the massive plate of nachos known as the El Nacho Man probably most deserves the honor.

Black bean dip at Hunter-Gatherer

It’s so simple you sometimes feel weird ordering it, as it is literally pretty much just beans. But it’s damn good, and it goes well with the house-brewed ESB.

Rib-eye steak at The Kingsman

People freaking love this steak.

Dipped cone at Zesto

A little ice cream cone, some vanilla soft serve, a thin chocolate shell and a scattering of nuts. Pose in front of the iconic giant ice cream cone in Triangle City for a photo with your dessert.

Cornmeal-fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese at Mr. Friendly’s New Southern Café

A Five Points upscale classic. You can get them on a burger, too.

Crispy flounder at Cola’s

This flash-fried, bone-in whole flounder drizzled with apricot-shallot sauce was such a hit at Five Points standby Garibaldi that when the restaurant closed, its owners — who also own Cola’s — put it on the menu downtown.

Honeymoon roll at Camon

A blend of chopped scallop and mayonnaise on rice, scooped into a cylinder of seaweed.

Rush’s peach milkshake

This Midlands-based burger chain makes a seriously delicious milkshake with chunks of fresh peach.

Pizza at LaBrasca’s

It’s been there for you.

Shrimp and grits at Blue Marlin

A Lowcountry dish, to be sure, but it’s made with Columbia’s own Adluh grits.

Sandy’s slaw dog

Chili, coleslaw, mustard and chopped white onions on a hot dog — it’s not unheard of, but Sandy’s has perfected it.

The Dixiecrat at the War Mouth

The War Mouth is pretty new, but it’s added this historic Columbia sandwich — a grilled sausage link and mustard on a slice of white bread — to its late-night menu.

Red velvet waffle at KiKi’s Chicken and Waffles

Drizzled in cream cheese frosting, this creative take on a Southern classic has won many fans.

Liver nips at Shealy’s BBQ

OK, Batesburg-Leesville isn’t Columbia, but this dish of German origin has deep roots in the region. The nips are a sort of flour-and-beef liver dumpling, served in beef gravy. Shealy’s sometimes has them on the buffet.