Columbia Restaurant Week begins Friday, and 21 downtown restaurants and cafes are participating.
Some restaurants will offer fixed-price menus, according to Columbia Restaurant Week's website. Smaller eateries, like coffee shops and delis, won't have fixed-price menus, but they'll serve special coffee flights and quick food options.
Carol Boorady and Zach Lee, self-described foodies, say they're looking forward to enjoying the interesting options the restaurants will be serving.
"I look through all the offerings of the restaurants to see which one can do something exciting with vegetarian food," Boorady said.
Even though fixed-price meals can be expensive, Boorady and Lee are still planning to eat at two or three participating restaurants this year. They said they want to recognize the effort it takes to be part of the event.
"Our restauranteurs have worked really hard to make this happen," Lee said.
Boorady said the event benefits more than just the restaurants.
"There's been some bad publicity about downtown, and I think this is a great way to showcase downtown," she said.
The event will run until Aug. 9, and a list of participating restaurants is available on the event's website.
