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    Columbia Restaurant

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

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    COLUMBIA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

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

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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 :-)

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    1 month ago

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    3 days ago

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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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    4 months ago

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    Jeff H.

    Sangria mixed tableside always tastes better!

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    Page 1 of 41

    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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    Columbia Restaurant

    Columbia Restaurant

    4.0
    (4.5k reviews)
    24.0 mi
    $$

    The original Columbia in Ybor City is a genuine piece of Tampa history -- founded 1903 as a saloon,…read morebecame a restaurant in 1905, now spans an entire city block and claims the title of largest Spanish restaurant in the world. Still run by descendants of the founder. We had a Saturday 7pm reservation and the place was packed (seats around 1,700 people, per our server), but we were seated only 5-6 minutes late and service never felt strained despite the crowd. Started with warm, authentic Cuban bread and butter, then split the Original "1905" Salad -- tossed and served tableside, with Romano cheese, garlic dressing, ham, tomatoes, lettuce, and Swiss cheese. It's basically an entree on its own. The empanadas were also excellent: light crust, extremely flavorful filling, juices running with every bite. For my entree I had the Red Snapper "Adelita" -- grilled, topped with hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, served over their signature yellow rice. Perfectly cooked fish, very flavorful toppings. For dessert, we compared the key lime pie against the white chocolate bread pudding. The pie was well-made -- perfect texture, perfect graham cracker crust, light raspberry sauce -- but a touch light on the tart key lime punch I look for. The bread pudding was the better dish: rich, decadent, excellent. Finished with proper Cuban espresso. The menu here is enormous -- expect to need multiple visits to make a dent in it. Everything we tried was excellent. Highly recommend, but book ahead on weekends; even with 1,700 seats, this place fills up.

    A resounding YES! We came here for the first time a couple…read moreof years ago and it was such a pleasant and memorable experience, we had to come back. We were told that it would be a 30-40 minute wait, but it was hardly a 20 minute wait. The ambiance of the place is so homey, and the staff is generally pleasant. First of all, do not underestimate the BREAD. It is probably, hands down, the best baguette bread I have had in the US. We had croquette and stuffed mushrooms as appetizers. They were good. For my main course, I had the mahi mahi varadero and it was really good. It came with crab and Spanish rice, and was breaded with crispy plantains. It was good, although I generally don't like Spanish rice. HOWEVER, if I had to recommend a dish, it would be the mahi-mahi cayo-Hueso. It was marinated with citrus flavors and it was divine. Now I don't know who in our party ordered the fries, but they were amazing and felt as good as home fries. Now to the dessert, we ordered almost one of each and it was some of the best dessert I have had in my life -not too sweet, made well, and with real ingredients. I would have ordered my own cafe con leche but it was too late for me in the day but man did I wish I could have had my own cup instead os stolen sips. A record would not be complete without aknowledging the staff. Our waiter was Alfredo and he was such a nice, sweet, and accommodating waiter. He was also patient with such a large party. Thank you, Alfredo!

    Photos
    A dining room
    A dining room
    Crab bites (appetizer)
    Crab bites (appetizer)
    Gem of the ocean cocktail. Yes!

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    Gem of the ocean cocktail. Yes!
    Columbia Restaurant

    Columbia Restaurant

    3.7
    (2k reviews)
    46.4 mi
    $$$

    A great place when in Sarasota to visit. Sit outside or on the indoor patio and watch the world go…read moreby. It's a bit pricey, but the food is solid and it's a good experience. The sangria is great and some dishes are tasty! We did the Chicken & Rice along with the Roasted Pork Shoulder. Overall it's a strong must do when in Sarasota.

    Locals were trying to tell me this place is overhyped but I think it's hyped for a good reason…read more The food here was SO good. As a Cuban from the Miami area, this is good Cuban food. And the portions are HUGE. We had a reservation which was well used as it was pretty packed. We sat inside. It was pretty warm inside, though, from the heat so just be prepared for that. We got a pitcher of sangria and they make it right beside the table. It was SO good. Wow. Each person got about 1/4 a loaf of warm bread. They did say it was cuban bread but it wasn't really. But hey the bread was good. We got their famous salad to try (one side order for 2 people to split and one person got it as their entree) and it was very good. They also make that table side. For our meals, we got the lechón, salad, and fish. The portions were HUGE. So much pork. It came with great tasing yucca, beans, and plantains too. For desert, we got the guava pastry and the natilla. The guava pastry was actually kind of amazing. Warm and so so good. The natilla was good but it was closer to a crème brûlée. It was still good, though. I'm excited to go to another (closer) location of theirs again. It was really such good food. We were also able to take our leftovers with us since they gave us so much food. The lechón plate is definitely splittable.

    Photos
    Table side prepared Sangria!
    Table side prepared Sangria!
    Churro dessert
    Churro dessert
    Indoor dining

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    Indoor dining

    Columbia Restaurant - spanish - Updated August 2026

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