I am all for a good Mediterranean restaurant as I prefer healthy food options. We were passing through Columbia and found this spot through Google Maps. Easy to get to, plenty of parking and the restaurant has a great appearance outside and looked very clean inside. We were immediately greeted upon arrival, and asked if it was our first time there. I guess we showed it, or they really know their customers. I was impressed with the level of customer service shown and also in explaining the food options. Well done! 💯 The set up is very similar to Cava. I asked how the Turmeric Tea tasted and was provided a small sample cup. 🙏🏽 For my meal, I created my own bowl. I loved this option as I could tweak to my taste and preferences from the selections. The serving area looked clean and well presented with many options. I was quite surprised when I started eating at the lack of flavor. I did not expect this from a Mediterranean restaurant at all! I am not a fan of a lot of sauces. I like food flavors to speak for themselves. I had just a little vinaigrette, and they were making the hot sauce, so it was unavailable to me. All the vinaigrette seemed to do was add oil to the food. Maybe the hot sauce would have provided the kick I was looking for. I had several pieces of fat and gristle in my chicken which was also a little on the tough side and severely lacked flavor. I was expecting very flavorful chicken. This was not it. Maybe it was a bad batch. The Eggplant Hummus also lacked flavor which really surprised me. I was hoping for a better meal. Maybe I chose the wrong thing instead of one of their specialties. Though, I must say, the Turmeric Tea is excellent!
Kairos Mediterranean
Excerpts
I am all for a good Mediterranean restaurant as I prefer healthy food options. We were passing through Columbia and found this spot through Google Maps. Easy to get to, plenty of parking and the restaurant has a great appearance outside and looked very clean inside. We were immediately greeted upon arrival, and asked if it was our first time there. I guess we showed it, or they really know their customers. I was impressed with the level of customer service shown and also in explaining the food options. Well done! 💯 The set up is very similar to Cava. I asked how the Turmeric Tea tasted and was provided a small sample cup. 🙏🏽 For my meal, I created my own bowl. I loved this option as I could tweak to my taste and preferences from the selections. The serving area looked clean and well presented with many options. I was quite surprised when I started eating at the lack of flavor. I did not expect this from a Mediterranean restaurant at all! I am not a fan of a lot of sauces. I like food flavors to speak for themselves. I had just a little vinaigrette, and they were making the hot sauce, so it was unavailable to me. All the vinaigrette seemed to do was add oil to the food. Maybe the hot sauce would have provided the kick I was looking for. I had several pieces of fat and gristle in my chicken which was also a little on the tough side and severely lacked flavor. I was expecting very flavorful chicken. This was not it. Maybe it was a bad batch. The Eggplant Hummus also lacked flavor which really surprised me. I was hoping for a better meal. Maybe I chose the wrong thing instead of one of their specialties. Though, I must say, the Turmeric Tea is excellent!
MILK (man, I love Kairos). I usually try to hit Kairos when I'm working in Columbia or Greenville. I get the veggie bowl and load it up and add some extras. I had black lentils, double sweet potato, double chickpea salad and lots of other goodies. So delicious and nutritious. I love the cucumber water and always add that to my order. Man, I sure wish someone would open a Kairos by me, maybe in Alpharetta, Johns Creek area of Georgia. It won't be me though, I'm not cut out to be a restaurant owner. Nice little rewards program too.
MILK (man, I love Kairos). I usually try to hit Kairos when I'm working in Columbia or Greenville. I get the veggie bowl and load it up and add some extras. I had black lentils, double sweet potato, double chickpea salad and lots of other goodies. So delicious and nutritious. I love the cucumber water and always add that to my order. Man, I sure wish someone would open a Kairos by me, maybe in Alpharetta, Johns Creek area of Georgia. It won't be me though, I'm not cut out to be a restaurant owner. Nice little rewards program too.
We were passing through Columbia and were excited to try Kairos, considering that we like Mediterranean food a lot. However, Kairos fell way short of our expectations. We ordered the pita with chicken, spreads including tzatziki and red pepper feta, and vegetables, and a bowl with chicken and vegetables. The pita wasn’t warm, and the chicken tasted quite bland. The bowl was also nothing to write home about. The feta fries(shown in the picture) were an abomination, probably the worst fries we have ever had. The drinks—Strawberry basil and Cucumber cooler—could’ve been easily skipped too. The staff was courteous but that didn’t make up for the abysmal dining experience that we had. We visited on a Thursday evening, and the place wasn’t busy at all(that should’ve been our cue to dine elsewhere, but oh well). I hope they improve because Mediterranean food can genuinely feel like a hug if you do it right. Parking is available outside.