Columbia Restaurant

Went there to hear live jazz, have drinks and appetizers. Weeelllll, the Jazz and Sangria were great… but the service and the COLD crab cakes I rec’vd left lots to be desired. Not sure it’s worth going back — maybe for the music…

If you get the boliche, believe you me… You’re gonna appreciate a solid review of the commode*. As with any restaurant donning tuxedo-​clad staff, you expect the toilet house to be reflective of such standards. And boy does it. Now, one of the two grievances to be had is quickly resolved with a touch of improvisation. Yet again, we are faced with the antics of penny-​pinching when it comes to the quality (or lack thereof) exhibited in the «papel de culo». But where cheapness reigns, thankfully… So does vanity and a sense of grandeur. The cripple stall has decadently soft paper towels with the Columbia’s very own logo within reach from the throne. The small stall (with dimensions fit for a member of the Lollipop Guild) will require you to grab the logo-​laden gerbil furs before entering. The downside of this room that is tragically unavoidable? The obnoxious as hell Cuban music blasting through the goddamn ceiling. 4 stars.
*Based on restroom in Café/​Bar

Some road construction in the area so allow a few extra minutes. Do NOT let this deter you from coming to this restaurant! We have eaten at this location and the one in St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota. Both are great. Get a Mojito or a pitcher of Sangria.
Everything I have ordered has been great. Louisa and Alejandro waited on us tonight and they were superb! Can’t wait to come back!

This was my second time here, and it was great. I love the décor in this restaurant because it has a vintage vibe which is neat since it is over 100 years old. We didn’t have a reservation but we got seated right away. Before you get your food you get this amazing bread (which comes from an awesome bakery nearby). It is timed perfectly so that you get your food almost right after you finish your bread. I went with the mahi mahi cubana which was delicious. The fish had a great flavor and the sandwich came with these plantain chips which were super good.
I would’ve given this place five stars but the service wasn’t very good. The waiter didn’t ask how our food was and he didn’t offer refills on our drinks.
Overall this place is a historic icon and it is a great place to eat. If you are ever in Tampa you definitely need to try this place.

Excellent. We stopped in as tourists and enjoyed the meal and Flamenco.

I had dinner here this past Saturday night with someone who referred to Columbia as the «best Cuban food» they’d ever had. I’d been here once before about eight years ago and wasn’t impressed with the food, so I hadn’t been back. This visit produced the same experience. The building and décor are oddly interesting, but I do not understand the hype.
I had the 1905 Salad and the Roast Pork «A la Cubana» with plantains, yuca, black beans, and white rice. The bread was served in paper and felt hard but it wasn’t warm, so I was never tempted to try it. The salad, okay, but not my kind of salad and I thought it was a little soggy. I’ll admit that the plantains were good, but other than that I found the food to be incredibly bland (and overpriced!). I can make a better Cuban meal at home (and I am not Spanish), or dine at a dozen other Spanish restaurants in Tampa for less than half the cost to dine here.
There were enjoyable parts of my experience, and they included the live music (which was actually very good), the wine, and our pleasant and attentive server. We did not see the flamenco show and wouldn’t mind coming back for that experience, but would not want to sit through an entire meal just for that.

This place was a gem for sure! A must go if your in the area. We took the red trolley and got off at stop one and walked a block and half there. Definitely make reservations and on a Friday we went at 7pm. By the time we left around 830 there was a good amount of people waiting to be sat.
The food was delicious. I want to go back again for dinner and try other meals. We got the shrimp scampi type tapa and chorizo. Both very good. The bread you get is amazingly soft and so yummy. Don’t eat the whole thing tho, trust me you won’t have enough room for all the rest of food that comes.
Big portions too. I got red snapper their traditional way in a gravy with onion and peppers. It was so amazing and so soft. It was one of the best fishes I’d ever had. My friend got the salmon stuffed with crabmeat and asparagus. That was also so tasty. The yellow rice was okay. Really not special, I would have expected a bit better rice from a place like that. It was kinda over cooked and clumped together. Apparently they have «good rice» that sounds much better.
The churros for desert were warm and soft and so tasty! We will definitely be back for sure, I hope.

I’ve been eating at the Columbia for 3 decades.
The menu has changed little over the years and there is not much of a need.
The 1905 salad is a classic.
The service is and has always been above average.
The Dinner show has improved over the years with a (somewhat recent and badly needed) upgrade to the audio and lighting. The show also had axed a young vocalist and culminated in a live performance that showcased each of the basic styles of flamenco.

Great experience over all.
We are from Houston and wanted to try something unique. Yes, this place was it. Food, service, the old building itself, and the show were great, but the Cubano sandwich was amazing!
If you come to Tampa and you don’t come to this specific Columbia restaurant on 7^th st. you were not here. It is a 105 year family owed restaurant.
Our waiter Tony from Peru was so helpful in his recommendations and service.
Make reservations for the flamenco room show… it is totally worth the extra $ 6 per person on your tab… we would pay even more.
Cubano sandwich is a must!
The guava desert was crazy good!
Their house salad was awesome and I don’t eat salads, I love cooked animals!
The sangria pitcher was worth it to start the night. Table side sangria.
Just get there, and thank me later!

Decoration: 5 out of 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
Nice old fashioned, Spanish conquistadors style.
Food not as expected. Waiters are wearing nice but dirty. Place deserve a better management!

I went to Tampa Bay for a conference, stumbled upon this restaurant while we were exploring the area.
This restaurant is in Ybor City Historic District. It was opened in 1905. It is Florida’s oldest restaurant and the world’s largest Spanish restaurant.
Beautiful restaurant– absolutely adored the atmosphere. Service was excellent. They were able to make all sorts of food recommendations, answer our questions, and give us touring suggestions. I ordered the Mahi Mahi «Cayo Hueso» and finished with an order of flan. Price was reasonable in my opinion.
Very cool restaurant in a very cool area! Check it out!

We had a group of 10 people and came here this last Saturday at 3:30PM (called ahead, so got in with no problem). Everyone in our group was pleasantly surprised with the whole experience, from the detail to the outside of the building, to the detail inside, and especially with how large this place is! It is the largest Spanish restaurant in the world after all!
I recommend ordering a pitcher of any of their drinks — we did the red sangria and our server made it fresh (even squeezed the fruit) right in front of us — best sangria I’ve ever had. Another table ordered a pitcher of Mojito and that also looked fantastic!
A few of us ordered the Paella, and we’re so happy we did — our server separated it all out in to the individual portions in front of us, and it was delicious (it takes 30mins to prepare, so enjoy an appetizer as you wait :) !)
Needless to say, going to the Columbia is a must!

This place is all about the show with the flamenco dancers. They were entertaining enough, but I don’t get all the hoopla about this place. The food was meh. Bread, salad and sangria was average. I ordered paella, which was bland and watery. Nothing was amazing.

Gorgeous restaurant! It takes up the whole block with different area’s, flamenco dancing, a retail store, three or four different dining areas, there’s a lot going on here!
I was coming here for the Paella. I’ll be in Basque, Milan & Barcelona this summer and Paella is a dish found all over Spain most native in the Valencia region and I can’t wait to try it but the La Completa Cubana dish won me over here and I ordered it.
La Completa Cuban is roast pork, boliche criollo, an empanada with plantains, black beans and rice, there’s a lot of variety in this dish and it’s delicious!
Your in the historic Ybor City area of Tampa. It was founded in the 1880’s by immigrants from Cuba, Spain and Italy it’s a pretty neat area of town to check out!

It has been years and years since we had dinner at the Columbia in Ybor City. (We have had take-​out Cuban sandwiches a time or two, which are huge and very good, and we’ve been to the Columbia in Sarasota.)
My idea of the Columbia was a bunch of tourists eating bad paella. Yes, it IS touristy, but it also gets a ton of locals. More than that, the food — at least the dishes we had — is excellent, and the entire restaurant is extremely well run. Prices, while not cheap, are reasonable. Even the flamenco show ($ 6 per person extra) was fun and seemingly authentic, although I’m certainly no expert on flamenco.
I started with a cup of the Cuban black bean soup ($ 4.95), which was very good, and for my entrée had the grilled snapper ($ 26), served with yellow rice and vegetables, plus fabulous Cuban bread, was simply perfect. To me there’s nothing better than a simple and well-​prepared grilled fish. Others at our table had the stuffed grouper with crabmeat ($ 30) and the Mahi Varadero with crab ($ 26), and I heard no complaints. The 1905 salad for one ($ 5.95 with entrée), made at the table was good enough that later we bought a bottle of the dressing to take home. I thought the empanadas de picadillo ($ 9.50) were less successful.
The big surprise was the blanco sangria pitcher ($ 22), again prepared tableside. I have never before had sangria that I could drink, but I loved this!
If there was something I’d like to see improved, it would be the cocktails. We had the Floridita daiquiris and the mojito ($ 8.95 each), and they seemed weak. A little more rum would help.
Our waiter, Eric T., was terrific — professional, always there when needed but not fawning. Of course, the Columbia restaurant itself is an architectural jewel. And I love the free parking in the big Columbia lot just across 7^th Avenue.
With a total of three entrees, two appetizers, one salad, four drinks, one beer and one pitcher of sangria, plus the entertainment charge, our tab came to $ 195 before tip.
All in all, we had a fine evening. My mouth waters every time I think of that grilled snapper, and I can’t wait to try real sangria again.
My recommendation: Don’t be put off, as I was, by Columbia’s touristy reputation. It’s a lot more than that, and a lot better than that.

Short version :
Definitely come here and try it. You won’t be disappointed :).
Long version:
If I get married … I’m having my wedding reception in The Columbia and everyone is invited !!! I’m serious O_​O…
The building is so beautiful and they have this spectacular staircase … Oh my…
Anyways … THE FOOD
With my trip to Florida already booked and planned,
I knew that sometime during my visit, I had to make my way to Ybor city and to The Columbia restaurant .
They’ve been open for over 100 years and it’s with good reason!
Regardless, I was a little nervous because from past experiences when restaurants are popular like this one, something seems to be lacking. Whether it’d be the food or the customer service .
The Columbia Restaurant went beyond my expectations. With their beautiful stained glass, and their Spanish décor
The structure alone will have you in awe
We were greeted and seated right away. Our waitress Jodi was right on it and she made sure our drinks were never empty.
The Mojitos were strong and I love the piece of sugar cane that they put in it :).
To start of they brought out some warm bread with butter.
The menu has something for everyone.
My mother is a Vegan so she had the black beans and she said they were amazing and reminded her of her country o_​o…
The rest of us decided to go with the 3 tapas special
Two of them being whatever we wanted and 1 seafood
We Got :
Pollo al ajillo ³⁄₅
Costillas de cerdo ⁵⁄₅
Croquetas de langosta ⁵⁄₅
The POLLO AJILLO didn’t stand out to me … It was more like Plain fried chicken … Even after I put the sauce on it that was on the bottom of the little plate. But everyone else disagreed and said it was delicious …
The rest everyone agreed on .
The COSTILLAS DE CERDO are a Must try. They are My favorite
The croquetas de langosta were delicious as well
I won’t go on to describe the flavors to you BUT I WONT because then you’ll want to leave to Florida today … And we can’t have that ok …
To finish lunch off we ordered
White chocolate bread pudding
I would come back just for this. It was moist and rich.
We were so stuffed from the tapas that we wanted to stop eating but we just couldn’t because it was so delicious!
I wanted to see the rest of the restaurant and a kind gentleman took the time to show me around. His name was Jose and he was so wonderful.
I had a great experience here and I will definitely be back .
Next time I have to come at night to see the dancing :(
Although they say Ybor city gets dangerous at night … I don’t know how true that is …

After having this place bookmarked for the entire time I’ve lived in the Bay Area, I’m finally making it a priority. This review is based on food, service, cleanliness, atmosphere, and value.
Columbia, and Columbia Café seem to always come up when people talk about good places to eat in Tampa. Since I’m moving, I couldn’t put this off any longer. I didn’t want to leave the area having never tried it. Hindsight is ²⁰⁄₂₀.
We shared the Croquettes de Langosta, Pulpo la Trainera, Cuban sandwich, Crab Enchilado, Cannelloni Langosto, and finished it off with the flan. The croquettes were good, and the pulpo was very delicious. The Cuban sandwich was disappointing. It just seemed dry, unbalanced, and not fresh. The other two entrées were great, but the flan was just average.
Service and atmosphere was great, but Columbia fell on its face in the cleanliness department. Upon being seated, I noticed my seat was filthy. It looked like someone dumped their leftover plate in the chair before they left. I started brushing it off as abruptly as I possibly could, and casually glanced at the hostess as if to hint, maybe this should have been done before I was seated. Our tapas plates where placed on the table, and one had someone’s leftovers encrusted all over it. The whole building was dusty and dingy. Not what I expect from a restaurant with such a high price tag. If they can’t keep their dining area clean, I hate to see what the kitchen looks like.
Overall, some things I liked, some things I didn’t. The value for my experience is split right down the middle, but I have to admit, my expectations were high after all the boasts and glowing reviews.

I cleared a Unilocal bookmark visiting the Columbia.
I will not mention my wait time without a reservation; it was so excessive I stopped counting. I was invited to go to the bar, but that was a futile effort. I returned to the front of the house requested to be seated at a table in one of the many rooms of the edifice.
While I was waiting, I had time to pursue the menu. I decided to order the Paella «A la Valenciana».
Bread and butter were brought to the table and I ordered a glass of Sangria.
The Sangria was good.
I was prepared for the wait on the paella as the menu mentions «allow 30 minutes for preparation». The paella is plated at the table.
I cannot state that it was better than others I have eaten, but it was good and satiating.
After dinner, I ordered the coconut ice cream, which is served in a coconut shell. The coconut ice cream was good. In addition to that, I ordered a cup of coffee. The menu mentions that the coffee is roasted in Ybor City’s Naviera Coffee Mill, which I walked by on the way to the Columbia. The coffee was good and I always order it black.
Notwithstanding the long wait, I enjoyed my visit.

This was, without any doubt, the very best Cuban sandwich that I have ever, ever had. I will say little more than that, lest I take away from the amazingness that is La Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City.
Oh, and the flan is insane. You must have it.

With its humble beginnings spanning over 100 years ago (1905) the Columbia restaurant is the oldest Spanish/​Cuban restaurant in Ybor city. Not only is their food and service great, the restaurant makes sure to keep its original interior space. In addition to the restaurant there is a museum and store next door to buy souvenirs and food as well. The even have nightly flamenco shows but only Monday through Saturday only? We arrived on a Sunday so we unfortunately missed out.
The inside looks like you’ve been transported back in time to old Espana. Each room looks different and has elaborate furnishings. There’s a also small pink colored party room off to the side for private events which can comfortably seat 20 – 30 guests, a large bar space that converts to a dining room, and two main dining floors that have upper and lower seating. Aesthetically, the place is beautiful and I love how they continue to keep tradition and quality in their service and dishes. Dress attire is casual dressy however oftentimes you can come in with jeans and tee. There’s no hard dress code in place here which is good.
During my virgin visit there, I ordered the goat cheese and tomato sauce with green olives and capers and that was good. A sangria, and their seafood and chicken paella valenciana. All deliciously represented authentic Spain. I loved it! My all time favorite paellas right now are tied neck and neck between the chicken, pork and artichoke heart paella from café ba ba reeba in Chicago and this one. The only thing I would suggest to the restaurant was that I’d recommend using chicken thighs versus breast in their paella. The chicken from the thigh tends to be fattier and tender versus the breast. But anyway, I’m happy to have visited the restaurant and if I’m ever to return to Tampa in the future, I would come back here for another visit. Perhaps next time for the flamenco show, a Cuban sandwich and a mojito.