Columbia Restaurant - United States

This is a well oiled machine. From the moment we arrived we enjoyed the professional staff who genuinely seemed to enjoy working there. The restaurant is beautiful and every presentation shows attention to detail. We had a private room for 15 guests that was lovely. Slight smell of mold, but that’s the smell of old Florida. Our Cuban guests enjoyed the food as much as we did. We had every appetizer…the garlic shrimp was my favorite. The 1905 salad is a must, the paella is perfect and every dessert was delicious! We had both pitchers of the white and red sangria and there is a nice gift shop next door where you can buy the pitchers, coffee, and painted stoneware.

Amazing!!! This is the oldest restaurant in Florida and so far it’s my favorite of all the oldest restaurants. (I have been to a handful). We came in before our reservation and they seated us early and started off on a good note. Once we sat down we were greeted with friendly staff. We ordered a pitcher of their sangria and if you drink I highly recommend it. From there we ordered appetizers, dinner, and dessert. See my photos and the captions below for details. All the courses were amazing. I will definitely be coming back on my next visit to Florida. Side Note: It can get pricey if you have a large group of people.

I did not realize this was the oldest restaurant in all of Florida until after we left out. The atmosphere was amazing! It felt like you were in the old country! The beautiful design and architecture really stood out. This place had such character and you could just see the history and all the hard work that went into it over the years. The story itself of how it came about is remarkable. The list of people who used to come in and the current ones are mind blowing. The service was excellent and the portions were big and the price was very fair. The food was amazing and you could just taste the authenticity. I wanted to get desert, but after the bread and the calamari and the Sangria, I couldn’t eat another thing. I can not wait until the next time I am back in Tampa, I will certainly be back! A heads up, this place gets busy so I suggest making your reservations well in advance. The parking is not the easiest to find once it gets busy, the lot fills up.

Columbia is a Tampa institution, and rightfully so. They’re the oldest restaurant in the state and a lot of their menu staples seem unchanged by food trends in the best way. Their menu includes timeless classics prepared with long-standing techniques and great ingredients. Their 1905 salad is the perfect balance of crisp, tangy, and salty. The crab croquettes are spicy, slightly crunchy on the outside, and a soft seafood flavor throughout. You can’t beat their main courses either! Save room for dessert, especially their white chocolate bread pudding which offers a crispy exterior and soft bread inside. I’m not big on white chocolate, but this is perfect because it’s not cloyingly sweet at all. There’s plenty of free parking across the street. There’s also a gift shop where you can grab some of their signature dishes, pitchers, seasonings, and sangria mix. Highly recommend getting a reservation if you’re visiting anytime during the weekends.

We went to the Columbia for a Valentine's day dinner and the flamenco show. To start off with the restaurant itself is very beautiful and historic. Many locals recommended it as well. Our waitress (Savannah) was extremely attentive. All throughout the night she made us feel as if we were the only table she was taking care of. She gave us great recommendations about the food and what to order based on what we typically like and our drinks were always filled! We never had a moment where we were waiting on her or looking for her. All of our food came out quickly and was excellent! The portion sizes were great and the pricing was very fair. The flamenco show was also very entertaining, energetic, and fun! We would definitely come again next time we are in the area.