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    Columbia Restaurant

    4.0 (1.6k reviews)
    ModerateSpanish, Cuban
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

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    COLUMBIA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Columbia Restaurant

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    Filet Steak Salteado
    Marko D.

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]The atmosphere was calm and beautiful.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]I had a seat in front of the ocean and got to watch people jet-ski as I had my food. Sitting outside watching the waves and that natural view was awesome.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The service was top-notch. The waiters and waitresses were friendly and attentive and checked up on us. The bread and butter given at the beginning was so good. I'm not sure if the butter was homemade but it tasted homemade and creamy. The bread was crispy and fluffy inside. I got a Cuban sandwich with turkey and pork slices, a side of fries. A Filet Steak Salteado. The Filet was moist and saucy and good to eat with the yellow rice. I also had a steak. The steak was a little dry but I liked the taste of it and how it was cooked to my liking.

    Huckleberry martini
    Kristie N.

    By far the best restaurant in Clearwater beach!!! I dream of this place! This isn't my first time but I forgot to review last time because I ate it too fast lol. -Pollo manchego.........it's soooooo good!!! It just melts in your mouth. This is what I dream about lol!!! -Huckleberry martini.... Now I'm not a martini drinker but I love huckleberries and I never see anything with it so I had to try it. It was good but not my thing. It was strong. To me I think it needs to taste more like huckleberry. -Guava turnover.....was so good sauce and all. Just get it! Always great staff and friendly, fine dining. The best place!!! I will go every time I'm in Clearwater!!!!

    Mahi-Mahi "Cayo Hueso"
    Kate B.

    Parking lot situation is deserving of a 3 star rating. The valet double parks the cars - thank fully the guy was there when we went to get our car that was blocked. Food was great. Our server Debbie was attentive and helpful. She made great recommendations. We tried the empanadas, and shrimp for tapas and then the shredded steak and Mahi for the main courses. Bread pudding for dessert. Lovely outdoor dining. Everything was delicious.

    Entrance
    Lynn U.

    We love this place ... we have the same thing most of the time. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We eat at the bar to enjoy our time with the bartender staff.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Eric is adorable. Cute, young, friendly and knows the menu well. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The view is outstanding.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The food great! Of course, we'll be back.

    Amanda T.

    Of the 3 locations we have tried so far of this "chain" we love this one the best due to location and outside water view. The food is stellar at every location! As well as the friendly and excellent service. We highly recommend the empanadas and the salteado. Can't wait to go back!!

    Dinner time
    Dee W.

    This place is a Florida staple, it's my second time here and they did not disappoint. They gave us some amazing fresh bread m!! I ordered the Adelita red snapper it was so good!! The service was excellent and they were very good with our large group. I'd definitely come back when I'm in the area I recommend you going!

    One of the MANY dining rooms
    Elizabeth F.

    The oldest restaurant in the state of Florida, every single room is like one out of a museum. They have room for about 2000 diners and each dining room has a story to share. For example, the red room where we were seated was Marilyn Monroe's favorite room to eat and it was actually a cigar room back in the day. The bathrooms were so clean and same vibe as the rest of the place. Service was wonderful, super attentive and knew a lot of the history of the restaurant. Now the important part... THE FOOD!! The most comforting, home style, flavorful, Cuban food I've had! I asked for a surprise me plate and she gave me bites of several dishes... AMAZING To finish off my dining experience we had a key lime pie (not as tart as I like) and a Cuban coffee. Highly highly highly recommend! Note: they do not allow tank tops or swimsuits in the dining hall

    Josselin G.

    Overall a great experience from being educated on the history of the restaurant to the food. I will say it's very authentic and it's an experience if you want that for your meal. I recommend knowing the menu before going, as it is not a typical "Mexican" restaurant but Spanish or columbian food. I loved the stuffed peppers. I would recommend them x10. I also enjoyed the sangria. The service was great & attentive. We made reservations and I do recommend reservations as it can be a bit busy. The hardest part of eating here is finding parking and if you vallet you may have to wait as well.

    Phoebe P.

    The food was so gooood!! So glad we made reservations for our first night out here. I wish we got seated outside for the sunset views though since that's the whole reason I reserved for the time chosen. But nonetheless, we're so happy with what we ordered, the presentation, the flavor and the ambience of the restaurant as well. Will come back to try something else next time we visit!

    Stuffed Shrimp "Jesse Gonzalez"
    Stephanie G.

    2nd time dining at this water front restaurant. This time we went during lunch hours. No reservation. We ate outside, with water views. The host/server were both very kind and knowledgeable. Food was absolutely delicious. Started off with each of us getting warm toasted bread. We then had their famous 1905 salad with turkey chunks on the side. This was a special experience. They make it table side! I used yelp photos to help decide what I would be eating. I actually end up choosing a plate from the dinner menu but they were nice enough to order it. I can't wait to have lunch or dinner here again! Compliments to the chef

    William L.

    This is the 3rd location we've visited of the six they have. We sat at the bar and the Queen Bee ordered a half and half combo...in her case half a 1905 salad and a cup of Spanish bean soup, which is basically a Cubanized version of "caldo gallego." This stuff has chickpeas rather than the more traditional navy beans; no kale either. Daughter Unit decided on an order of crab cakes, which is a pair of big, well: crab cakes, also a Cubanized iteration. She washed it down with an "Aguilita"; not my kinda drink so I didn't try any...DU enjoyed it well enough and complimented Eric the barkeep, who spent much of his time chopping limes and running the service bar. He did provide good service and we didn't feel ignored at all, BTW. I settled for a simple tapa; I wasn't really hungry TBH...so it was what they call a "pincho mixta," which was basically 3 skewers of grilled meat...chicken, pork and chorizo, along with caramelized onions. Meantime this place is much like the others in terms of decor. It basically has the vibe of an old Cuban restaurant...which is basically what it really is (DUH). Loads of old pictures of the four generations of family that's owned this lil empire since day one. All the food was nicely prepared and reasonably priced for the area. Would I recommend it? I certainly would...as I noted above, this is the third location of the six they have. It's fairly uniform in quality and the menu is the same. Nice lil touch was the manager on duty stopped to check in on us... So if U want a touch of Old Cuba and/or Spain on your Florida vacation here in Clearwater Beach area, then do yourself a favor and c'mon in after your siesta and have a nice fiesta. Old retro Cuban music they pipe in even gives U the impetus for just that...

    Chicken and Yellow Rice
    Nadia R.

    Fantastic service and clean well lit atmosphere. We dined for lunch and it wasn't too busy. Food was tasty and portions were quite large. Definitely a must try in the area.

    I tore the ham croqueta apart to make you hungry :-)
    Rich S.

    We had a wonderful memorable family lunch at The Columbia Restaurant at the north end of The Shoppes on Sand Key, just south of Clearwater Beach! We reserved ahead because we were a party of 19 for 11am on a Tuesday, and timing it just as they opened made it easy, maybe we even could have been seated without reservations! (Self-parking was already tight, you might want to use their valet.) They had time to set up two long tables for us by the windows. Perfect! They also have some shaded outdoor seating facing the mid Clearwater Harbor area of the Intracoastal. Service was prompt and attentive, and everything we ordered was amazing. Several of us had their legendary 1905 Salad, a meal in itself, artfully prepared tableside, of Florida iceberg lettuce and tomatos, sweet tender julienne ham, Swiss cheese, olives, grated Sicilian Romano, and a classic Cuban worcestershire-garlic dressing. You cant beat their perfect tender moist boneless grillled Red Snapper "Adelita" filet dressed with palm hearts, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and extra-virgin olive oil. Some of us were patient enough to wait the 30min for their loaded Paella. The menu offers a broad range of tapas and appetizers and sides, such as piping hot croquetas and César's favorite bright salad of chopped ripe Florida tomatoes and julienned Spanish onions with their yummy "1905" dressing. So we all shared and no-one was left waiting to eat. At lunch they make Paella "Española", generous individual servings of shellfish, shrimp, calamari, chicken, pork, veggies, and garlic, with Spanish short-grain "bomba" Valencia rice. After they are open at 11am, you could order paella in advance to skip the wait, and there are more paella recipes during dinner hours, including a vegetarian one. I had their simple yet flavorful Spanish Bean Soup, soft garbanzo beans simmered with smoked ham, lightly-spiced seasoned chorizo sausage, and potatoes, supported by a savory chicken and ham broth. And everything comes with their fantastic fresh hot crusty soft Cuban bread! I would come here for the bread alone! And the servers were happy to re-supply me when they saw i had finished mine and was helping myself to everyone else's bread :-) A number of us shared pitchers of superior-rum Mojitos, made in front of us with great flourish! For me, early on I had walked into the as-yet empty bar area, and the terrific bartender, still busy setting up for the day, kindly took the time to craft a custom cocktail for me, a colorful riff on Cuba's maybe-oldest recipe, the Canchánchara: white rum that i requested instead of traditional aguardiente, deep-orange aromatic house-made guava syrup in place of honey, and fresh sprigs of mint and a wedge of lime. Shaken with crushed ice. Sublime and delicious, especially with that guava syrup! Pro-tip: Tip the guy well! It's a custom cocktail you can boast about :-) We've been here other times for simpler meals, often their overstuffed Cuban sandwiches on their amazing bread. Today was a sensational family meal in a lovely historically decorated setting with excellent staff. On the way out we bought some of their rich aromatic coffee, delicious flavors bringing delicious memories of The Columbia.

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    2 months ago

    The food and the service was amazing. It's a must try. Don't forget about the homemade sangria. We'll certainly go back again

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    3 months ago

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    Sangria mixed tableside always tastes better!

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    Love that you had such an outstanding visit, Lynn! Thanks for sharing.

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    Columbia Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Columbia Restaurant

    Are there TVs at the restaurant? Do they have sports games on the TV?

    The bar at the front of the restaurant has a tv above the bar and at least another tv in the corner on the waterside. ESPN was on both the times I frequented the establishment.

    Is there a kids menu?

    I think they do , my daughter had chicken tendies and fries

    Do they have vegan flan?

    Thus far, I've only seen the original Flan.

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