As a native Floridian, I remembered a visit to the Columbia restaraunt when I was 5 years old. I…read morealways eat here when I visit Tampa. I have moved to Arkansas and cannot get enough when I visit.

The semester is ending. Our small group are separating and going in new directions. Some will…read morereturn, some we may not see again. So where to go for a special celebration? Tampa's oldest and finest restaurant, The Columbia. Atmosphere - historic and beautiful. Service from Nick, our friendly and knowledgeable server, impeccable, intentional, making each of us feel special. The food - ten out of ten. Ten people and every need was met, every item well prepared with perfect timing. It was a great celebration, not rushed, just right. A night to remember with special thanks to Nick and the staff at the fabulous Columbia.

Brought friends here for lunch and decided to try the milanesa today, with fries and yellow rice as…read moresides. Just as I expected, this place never disappoints. I've only had Argentinian-style milanesa before, and I can easily say I liked the Teresita style better. The marinara sauce on the milanesa brings enough acidity to cut through the grease from the fried meat -- the meat is thin and crispy, but not at all dry. The fries and yellow rice make the meal an absolute steal based on the amount of food you get. My friend had the fried fish, which looked delicious -- excited to try it myself next time. Will definitely be back to try more items on the menu!

I really wanted this to be a home run, especially being in Tampa, where the Cuban sandwich was…read moreborn, But what I got instead was a foul ball. I ordered takeout at lunchtime expecting something fresh and satisfying. The Cuban sandwich was the biggest letdown. They try to get slick by loading you up with slices of ham while giving you very little pork, when the pork should be the star. I even left specific notes on the order: no salami and add mustard. Somehow, they still left a piece of salami in there and didn't put any mustard at all. A Cuban sandwich without mustard? I don't know. It was so bad I had to take both halves of the sandwich and move all the pork onto one side just to make it resemble something decent. There was one tiny slice of pickle. Don't take my word for it--check the pictures. That's why I always include them. The soup? It reminded me of Lipton soup. No knock if you like that, but this was basically Lipton soup with grease. As for the coffee, it was takeout coffee, so I can't even complain too much. I got it to wake me up, but honestly... after this meal, I should have just stayed sleeping. Overall, really disappointing given the expectations.

This place was packed Saturday around 11:30, but didn't take too long to get our food. This bakery…read morehas been here forever and by the amount of people and the amazing food, they will be there for much longer. We got the breakfast sandwich that was amazing, ham and cheese croquet, cinnamon rolls that was huge and the guava and cheese pastry. Very small inside. But everyone just shuffled to make room for each other.

A while back while visiting Tampa, I had two foodie goals. One of them is to acquire Cuban pastries…read morefrom the 1915 La Segunda Bakery. They have four locations, and we went to the one in the Ybor City Historic District. La Segunda is an institution for Cuban bread and pastries, baking 18K loaves daily and ships nationwide via Goldbelly. Our niece's BF is Cuban, and he said buy anything with guava. In the box (see photo), we bought two each of guava flip (kind of a folded tart or empanada), guava turnover, and guava flip with cream cheese. All of them are delicious! I like the flaky guava turnovers the most even though they didn't survive the transportation across the country in my backpack as well as some of the others. Even though slightly crumbly, still yummy! I also bought butter cookies, sold by the pound. Those are relatively ordinary; I'll skip those in the future. Next time, we are carrying Cuban sandwiches home! I really wish I carried them home. I was having Cuban sandwich withdrawal. This location is older but functional; there isn't seating. Their customers know what they want, and everything moves FAST. If it's your visit (like it was for us), I suggest looking at the menu online to know what to order. The service is friendly, even though I can tell he was a bit exasperated that I didn't just yell out my order and I asked questions. I honestly don't fault him. Busy places have their own pace, and the customers are the ones to keep up. That's perfectly ok.

I ordered the roast pork sandwich and it was the best I have had so far! A very good sized…read moreportion. Full disclosure I am half Cuban so...sorry Mom this was really good. I also got a café con leche which you can get without sugar. The bread was also great. Next time I am in Brandon I will be going here.

Delicious Cuban sandwich!! I loved my Cuban from here, I was craving one that was made all the way,…read morewith lettuce and tomato. So glad they offered that. The last behind the counter was so friendly and nice. She made it so good! The bread was so yummy too. I also had a side of yellow rice and beans, mmmm so good too! I really loved the food here and the prices were reasonable. Will definitely be back!

I would put 3.5 if that was a choice. We had a reservation on Mother's Day. We were seated right…read moreaway. Waiter was nice and he refilled waters regularly. Had the homemade white sangria- very good. Cuban bread delicious. Split an order of empanadas- originally ordered the beef but they were out of that so we had the chicken- good. My husband had not been here before so he got a half and half of the Cuban sandwich and their 1905 salad and liked both. I got the Pollo Manchego and it was very good. My son's girlfriend got the Mahi-Mahi and enjoyed it. Only blemish was my son's meal. He ordered the Palomilla- steak was cold, burnt on the bottom. The server did replace it for him and the second one was better. My husband got the flan for dessert and liked it. I got the churros. They were not dusted with cinnamon sugar (as the description says) and they were out of the chocolate sauce so gave us 2 caramel sauce and 1 guava sauce. Overall it was good considering it was a very busy day for them and we went at 7pm. We will go again.

Love the location in Ybor and wanted to finally check out this location. It's the perfect spot for…read moreif you're going to the aquarium, waiting to board a cruise ship, or even just walking along the river walk! Our waiter Ricky was awesome! Attentive, helpful, and happy to get us anything we needed. We always love their famous salad!! Highly, highly recommend!

Great food and great service first time customer If I lived…read morecloser I'd be a regular Highly recommend if your hungry and in the area

Sandwiches was good and at an affordable price. My friend got the rice plate and he was…read moreunderwhelmed. The piece of chicken looked quite bland and dry. Prob just get the sandwich here. Stop by pregame for a good sandwich. But honestly It was kind of dry - I had to ask for some mayonnaise on the side.

Found this Lil gem and I must say the food doesn't disappoint. From the moment we arrived their was…read morea welcoming vibe and amazing aroma in the year. Customer services was also above and beyond. I definitely be back

Soul de Cuba Cafe 6428 N. Florida Ave…read more Tampa. FL 33604 Listen uo Tampa!! If you're looking for some traditional Cuban Sandwiches, Ropa Vieja, or Lechon Asado, this is your place. This restaurant provides a dinning experience with a visual journey to the past. Owner Jesus Puerto welcomes you and your family to their culture and heritage. Located in Seminole Heights, thier food tells a little story of Tampa's history. I would encourage to come visit them and try out thier traditional cuban dishes. And also they sell and produce their own sauces you might want to try. What we had: 1) Spicy Pork Belly - Delicious 2) Ceviche de Oka Pacifico- seafood delicious 3) Lechon Asado- my personal favorite 4) Fricase de Pollo- Good portion of flavorful food

I only came here for a drink before heading out for festivities but it was a solid experience at…read morethe bar that is located in the main hall of what was the old courthouse where Le Meridien now resides. Located on the second floor, accessible by the front entrance, the stairs from the lobby, or the elevators on adjacent sides, Sal Rosa comprises a coffee bar and ice cream parlor, a full restaurant, and a bar and lounge. They offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week if you aren't looking to leave the hotel property in downtown Tampa for a day or night. The dirty martinis are ok but I felt they could be dirtier, especially since I asked for extra -- for some reason, bartenders in more than one establishment tend to still be sparingly with the olive brine. But the service was attentive regardless.

Excellent breakfast offered by the Le Meridien's restaurant. Great deal, I could not finish this…read moremassive stack of pancakes even though I tried. Everything was hot and tasty, coffees were delicious. I'm excited to see what other offerings they have here.

A trip to the Clearwater area isn't complete without a dinner at Columbia. It's always a treat to…read moredine here -- from the Cuban food to the ambiance to the service. Excellent! The food remains solid. We enjoyed the mahi mahi, the thin steak, and the Cuban sandwich. Plus, we also once again ordered the mojito pitcher. It's made table side -- though this time they did not add the rum in front of us. It always made us laugh when they poured a bottle of rum into the pitcher. When we asked, the waiter said the rum was already in the pitcher. That's the only bummer. Great restaurant that continues to deliver.

This is just over the bridge from Clearwater Beach. Different cuisine and things to choose from…read more Tip: Parking is limited in the strip mall this is in. Suggest valet for $6 or a couple of trips around the lot to find a spot. We sat outside, which was enclosed and heated and your are right on the water. Super cool and great views. We started off with the toasted bread and butter and the devil crab croquet. Not a fan - full of crab but the flavors didn't sit well and really needed some type of sauce to pair with it - we only had hot sauce. The original salad - is a must we shared it across four. It's made table side has cheese and olives in it and was really good. We got ours with a side of shrimp. Main courses - Cuban - it's a classic sandwhich which we shared. Comes with fried plantains which were ok. Again would have been better with some kind of sauce to dip it in. Steak Salteado - good flavor l, was expecting thin sliced steak and it was more like stew meat. Paired with rice and was good. Palomilla - would be better as the sandwhich version. Again this one needed a sauce for dipping. Shrimp "Al Ajillo" - this is a must and the oil garlic mix is perfect for dipping you toasted bread.

I had Havana 86 while I was in Tampa for work and ended up eating there twice because it was that…read moregood. The first night I ordered Uber Eats, and the food arrived well packed, hot, and fresh. I ordered the vaca frita with yellow rice and added sweet plantains. The steak was incredibly tender and full of flavor, and the rice paired perfectly with it. The sweet plantains were spot on, and I honestly devoured the entire meal. It was so good that I took my boss back for lunch in person. He ordered the classic Cubano sandwich, and it was done right -- the ham and pork were perfectly balanced, the bread was fresh, and it was grilled just right. We also shared the sampler platter, which was a great way to try a variety of their tapas and appetizers. Everything we tried was solid. I also ordered a guanábana shake, which was fresh and absolutely delicious -- a flavor I had never had before. I liked it so much that I ordered it two days in a row. If you're looking for authentic Cuban food in Tampa, I definitely recommend Havana 86. The prices were very reasonable for the area, the food was consistently great, and it's already become a new favorite of mine. I'll absolutely be back next time I'm in town.

So let's get the simple statement out of the way... Mighty fine Cuban food…read more I typically love Ropa Vieja... I'm shocked that I didn't order it. I just wasn't in the mood. I was in the mood for a sandwich. But I wasn't in the mood for a Cuban... Oddly enough, I've never really been a big Cuban sandwich fan. Good thing I went with my wife and sister-in-law. Sister-in-law ordered the Ropa. Wife ordered the Cuban sandwich. I got the Lechon sandwich. The pictures speak for themselves. Large sandwiches come with delicious fries. You could definitely share the sandwich if you wanted to. The Ropa Vieja looked like a pretty small portion... It was bigger in reality. Not huge... Not La Teresita huge. The sandwiches are well priced... The Ropa was a little expensive. Service was great. Very kind staff. Tons of servers... Probably too many -- It's not that big of a restaurant. Restaurant is super cute, clean, and the tables are awesome -- Tons of those rounded booth tables. Very comfortable. Probably my only downside... I wouldn't expect the inside of the restaurant based on the outside. If this wasn't a recommendation from my sister-in-law... I would have driven right by. So, maybe you'll see this review and give this restaurant a chance. I would've never gone there if it wasn't for word-of-mouth.