re: Columbia, Missouri night life and food?

Shakespeares is good pizza but will be closed Thanksgiving (at least I think). There's decent dining overall, but your options here will probably be limited on Thursday. Flat Branch, Addisons, Sophia's, and Sycamore to name a few options. There's typically some places that will do a Thanksgiving buffet depending on how early yall get to town (Boone Tavern used to do this and I loved it, but they're now closed).

Shiloh, Booches and Harpos are some of the staples for the "downtown" bar scene.

If I hear anything about restaurant openings and such, I'll try to update here. Have a good time!