La Gran Colombia

Place set up is weird. Lots of space but is divided by 2 rooms. Sat down waited 15 mins to get drink order and server when place was almost empty. Asked for rostisserie chicken but they don’t have any nor boiled potatoes like other Colombian restaurants around. Asked for grilled chicken instead with low salt on it but instead arrived but lots of garlic and salty. Service on the other hand was not the greatest either. Needs improvement before they go out of business.

I was disappointed to see Los Jarrones close and give way to this restaurant. Los Jarrones was excellent. So this restaurant had some pretty big shoes to fill in my view. And, for the most part, it has.
La Pequeña Columbia is the ultimate Columbian dining experience on Armenia, so I was a bit surprised these guys decided to challenge that. I love competition.
I’ve been here several times, so I’m not sure what the other reviewers are referring to when they say they had to wait «for hours». It may have been a bad day, but I haven’t experienced it. My service has always been prompt and courteous. And the food is outstanding. The fried rice is full of goodness and the Churrasco is competent. I really miss the tomato soup of Los Jarrones. They have a daily soup special which I haven’t tried yet.
La Gran Columbia is a good alternate choice if you want to eat Columbian. I’ve come back and intend to come back, so take that for what it’s worth.

Food is alright. But if you feel like waiting 2 hours to have your meal than be my guest. Foods decent but by the time you receive it you’ll be cranky.

First time in a Colombian restaurant, and the food was delicious! Excellent service! Clean restaurant, beautiful place… and I absolutely loved it! Thank YOU! Next time I go to Tampa, I will definitely stop again! Thank you guys!

First time at this restaurant and order bandeja paisa and two beef empanadas. Everything was delicious specially the beans! We will be back for more!

This is only my second experience eating at a Columbian restaurant, so bear with me as I learn more about the food and what to order.
I ordered the combination plate which came with a salad, a big mound of white rice, a corn cake, a grilled hanger steak, plantains, a chorizo sausage and what looked like a blood sausage, but wasn’t.
Ok, like I said I need to learn how to order, next to me were beautiful shrimp and specialty rice, on the other side some yummy looking cheese dish.
First all my food was great and well prepared. The restaurant itself is beautiful with wall murals and homemade pottery. I dined with a table of fellow UnilocalER’S, so that is always fun.
My expectations were off about the Columbian food. I expected the sausages to be spicy or have some kick and that just wasn’t on my plate. The salad and rice were naked… no toppings or dressings. There is nothing wrong with this, once again my expectations were nust plain wrong.
I enjoyed the meats and nice caramelized plantains very much. Personally I felt the naked rice and salad were a waste as I never eat them like that. I am learning about Columbian food and learned last night from my fellow UnilocalER’S things that will help me in ordering better choices the next time.
The restaurant is great and I heard no complaints from anyone about their food. Unfortunately due to my lack of knowledge and poor ordering, I have to take away a star. I am quite sure on a return visit I will be able to give that extra star.
What’s a girl to do? Learn more about different cultures and their food.

Food was amazing hands down. I absolutely loved this place and can‘t wait to go back. I honestly have no complaints. My meal came out perfect, empanadas were on point and drink was delicious. Looking forward to my return. whoop whoop.

La lucha between «big» and «small» is real in the Colombian Corridor with La Pequeña Colombiana (The little Colombian) and La Gran Colombia (Large Colombia), and I’m not sure there is a winner between them. I find both to be okay with some aspects being good, while others need refining. But this review is for the new La Gran Colombia, formerly known as Los Jarrones.
Let’s kick off with the good. Like any good Colombian joint, there is plenty of Postobón and Colombiana soft drinks to go around. Their BANDEJA PAISA is a real BANDEJA PAISA, which means you get steak, rice, beans, fried egg, chorizo, a chicharrón and arepa for one reasonable price. $ 14 to be exact. Some places like to call their bandeja paisa something else and charge more money for it – not cool. This is my «go-​to» dish at Colombian eateries and I use it to gauge how good their food is, and La Gran didn’t disappoint. However, I have found that every restaurant’s bandeja paisa seems to have one ingredient that falls short in some way. At this place, it’s the chorizo. Otherwise, the rest of the meal was on point. Like ahi? Theirs is fantastic. Definitely made in-​house. I should have gotten some to go. There is a review from Andrea on ⁴⁄₁₂ stating that it took an hour for her food to come out. All of our dishes came out very fast, so no complaints on their speediness from our party. Lastly, there is a full bar, so you can have whatever you want to sip on. Very nice touch!
Now for the bad. The service was terrible. We were the last to arrive in a party of 8, and we sat there for a long while before a drink order was even taken. We were never given menus either. Seeing that we had no menus, one of our party members handed us theirs. Thanks Steve! Also, there was no follow up once the meals were delivered. No one asked how the food was or if we needed anything, blah blah blah. The two waitresses looked dazed and confused, sort of darting around aimlessly as if the place was packed. There was our party, and a couple in the corner that actually got way more attention than we did. Then, and this is something that really chaps my ass, we were held hostage. It was painfully obvious that the whole table was done eating, and they even cleared away our plates, but no one ever came by to give us a bill. The waitress, Natalia, just stood in a corner fanning herself with a menu (because it was hot as hell), looking at us. We had to get up and go ask for the check after a while.
My rating is a 2.5, but since that isn’t an option, I’m rounding up to a 3. I think La Gran has serious potential. The venue is great, and their food is certainly better than La Pequeña, but they need to work on their service. Also, Colombian Corridor or not, your staff has to speak some Engrish! When I’m ordering and talking to my server, I don’t wanna get the deer-​in-​the-​headlights look. Pick up a phone, call any large company, press «1» and learn some freaking basics.
Will I return? Probably not. I still think La Cabaña has the best bandeja paisa in town, and their staff is way friendlier and attentive.

If you are willing to Wait 1 hour to get
Your meal then try them out, if not stay away! The organization is terrible we had around 4 waiters for our table but still had to wait one hour and the meals did not come out at the same time :/

La Gran Colombia sits in the same location as the former Los Jarrones Honduran restaurant along Armenia Avenue, south of Waters. As a frequent lunch patron of the former establishment, I had known the owner of Los Jarrones and was sorry to hear that he and his wife were taking on a new business partner who had plans to convert the restaurant to an upscale Colombian eatery. I promised to give the place a fair evaluation after the transition, and tonight was my second visit.
I had my doubts about another Colombian restaurant in the same neighborhood as La Pequeña Colombian restaurant (considered to be one of the best Colombian eateries in Tampa), but I definitely support what these guys are trying to do with La Gran Colombia.
The restaurant is divided into two sections — the north salon is used primarily for wedding receptions, parties, and Quinceañeras — a «coming out» party for fifteen year-​old Latin girls. There will be a big Valentine’s Day party in the north salon, and they are promoting Noche de Rumba y Baile which means some serious rumba action all night long.
The south salon is the primary dining area, and this looks just the same as it did under the previous ownership with very colorful and spectacular hand-​painted murals along one wall. You have a choice of sitting in booths around the perimeter or tables down the middle of the room. Chris W. will be thrilled to know that they still have his favorite arcade games sitting in a small anteroom off of the main dining area.
La Gran Colombia now has a liquor license, and they are able to serve beer, wine, and Sangria in the dining room, and mixed drinks in the north salon. For us teetotalers they also have a wide selection of sodas, tea, and juices.
You’ll discover that the menu has a lot of the former Los Jarrones favorites along with some very traditional Colombian entrées. Delicious homemade soups are still there with daily soup specials. Some tasty appetizers including homemade Chorizo sausages, ceviche, empanadas, tostones, and yucca frita. Lots of chicken, seafood, and beef entrées, along with sandwiches. My favorite part of the menu would be the Platos Tradicionales, as these are the authentic Latin yum-​fests including Bandeja Paisa, Churrasco steak & seafood platter, and some amazing Latin combination platters.
For my dinner I had the Bistec en Salsa Jalapena which is grilled thinly-​sliced and seasoned sirloin steak in a creamy jalapeño sauce, with cubed potatoes au gratin (made with melted Colombian cheese), tossed salad and fried sweet plantains. Seriously delicious, and I was using the plantains to sop up the remaining cream sauce.
In layman’s terms I would describe this restaurant as a bit more upscale and certainly more welcoming than a visit to La Pequeña, and the menu is much more diverse. The servers were very friendly and offered to help the customers sort through the available entrées. This is a great place to come if you are new to Latin food, or intimidated by the language issues. The décor is classy, yet still very family-​friendly.
While it is no longer Los Jarrones, La Gran Colombia will be a popular hit with the Tampa foodie community.

purchased a Cuban sandwich for $ 4.50 asked for lettuce and tomatoes. THE UP CHARGE WAS 2 BUCKS! for 2 thin slices of tomatoes and 2 small tears of lettuce that wont cover the tomatoes 2 dollar up fee? don’t walk away RUN!