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    The Columbia

    3.7 (2.3k reviews)
    ModerateSpanish, Cuban
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    The Columbia Photos

    Business Info

    THE COLUMBIA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Touristy
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - The Columbia

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    Reviews With Photos

    1905 Martini.
    Jeff N.

    After visiting the original Columbia location in Ybor City and the newer one in Celebration, it made sense to check out the one in St. Augustine while I was there more recently. I will say the experience is on par with my experiences at the aforementioned locations; tops. Service is on point: we were attended to quickly, had our drink orders taken, received our drinks within a few minutes, and had our food orders in and received them within 10 minutes, give or take. The food was on point, as were the cocktails. The stuffed shrimp Jose Gonzalez was very good, and I enjoyed my 1905 martini. In a mansion-like building like this Columbia location, lots of outdoor light comes in, especially through the high-ceilinged main dining area behind the reception area. Dining there feels grand as you sip a 1905 martini while noshing on their famous 1905 salad at one of their Iberian-patterned tables. The building has two floors, each offering a warm, inviting dining ambiance.

    Full sangrias and full bellies!
    Rachel B.

    I love this restaurant, no matter how many times I've been. I love taking friends from out of town who have never been here - they're always a little shocked by how good it is! They just don't know going in that A the menu is giant and B the quality of supreme! Every time I go I pick something new and every time I'm pleased. The group ordered and enjoyed, the 1905 salad (somehow the best salad in the actual world), paella, seafood pasta, boliche criollo, ropa vieja, scallops, lobster croquettes, shrimp al ajillo, and empanadas. All delish! Also couple pass up red and white sangrias. Our server was great! Friendly and accurate. Wish they had one in Melbourne, Fl!

    Lucky P.

    Wanted to try something different today. Ended up walking to Columbia Spanish's restaurant that is more than century old. Seven generations ownership. Good quality food and service is top notch. Tables properly set with good Cuban music playing. Love the art work and presentation of three floors

    Picadillo & Palomilla Steak
    Dotty O.

    We loved our experience at The Columbia restaurant in St Augustine tonight. The ambiance was perfect and we the restaurant was very clean. We were greeted immediately by our waitress Lexi, very attentive & friendly! The food was hot, fresh & delicious!! We will definitely visit again when we are in the St Augustine area!

    Mahi Entree
    Leena S.

    The long waits and hype attracted us to this place. We decided to swing by for lunch, since the wait time was less than dinner. The interior is massive and nicely decorated. I'm glad we checked it out, but our food was underwhelming. We ordered the Mahi Entree, the Mushroom stuffed tapas, and the large house salad. The salad was the best thing. The mushrooms were flavorless and the Mahi nothing special. For the price, we expected more.

    Amanda C.

    I was very excited to try this place out, as I had seen it on many blogs when looking for places to eat in St. Augustine. I'm so glad we tried it out! The inside is beautiful and huge, with plenty of seating options! We checked in and waited a few minutes to be seated. There's no bad seat in the restaurant! We ordered the Sangria and it was wonderful and tasty with just the right amount of fruit. We also ordered the famous salad which was made tableside. I feel like anything made tableside makes it even more special. The salad was absolutely delicious. I'd definitely recommend ordering it. We then decided to order a few different tapas dishes to share, and my favorite were the empanadas and the skewers with pork, chorizo, and chicken. We ended with the flan, and it was to die for! Our waiter was very friendly and gave us some great suggestions as well.

    The Mirets, Perales, and Castillo Family!
    TheLillymiret ..

    We had made reservations because we were party of 15. Reception was very attentive and had mentioned they could accommodate us at 8:30 pm. We arrived a bit early the placed was packed! Beautiful Spanish decorations inside, water fountains, Spanish mosaic tiles, plants inside and outside in the patio area. We sat down at around 8:35 pm. The setting was perfect downstairs overlooking the paintings of the generations of family members. The present owners is the niece of the brother of the original owner. The drinks were great! The food was also delicious and desserts were fabulous! Overall it was a wonderful evening!

    Vegetarian eggplant
    Danielle B.

    Second time visiting the Columbia, and it was great! Being Cuban and vegetarian, I highly appreciate the vegetarian section and creative veggie dishes that are more entrees than side dishes. The eggplant dish was delicious (similar to an eggplant parm), and the black bean cakes were good too served with guacamole and sour cream. Although I'm not a hot sauce person, this one was particularly good and not too spicy. The Cuban bread with the salted butter was definitely a highlight - and you get a huge hunk of bread too Last time, we highly enjoyed the interior overlooking the courtyard. This time, we had a more private table between a wall and window, which was still nice, but I would have preferred one where we could have enjoyed the interior decor. Service was amazing. Our waiter's name was Tyler, and he brought out the food quickly and had good recommendations. Afterwards we went to the little store because their ceramics are so cute, and we bought their hot sauce and a little garlic holder.

    Chicken and yellow rice
    John T.

    The chicken and rice was excellent! The restaurant was very nice. I only have one complaint and that is a few of the wait staff had on very dingy white shirts that was needing washing and ironing! So sad in a very beautiful restaurant! They need a supervisor to inspect them before they start work!

    Victor M.

    We stopped into Columbina for dinner and this place is beautiful. It has an old Spanish feel to it, with tall ceilings and beautiful features. We were greeted by a large Christmas tree and a very friendly staff member who guided us upstairs to our table. Diana, who was our server, then appeared and shared some info about the location as well as menu options. Everything looked so good that we were unsure of what to get some we started trying random items to share. Diana provided light conversation and followed up with us regularly. The wine selection and drink selection were amazing. They had a broad selection of wines as well as mixed drinks that were all made to perfection. The wine pours are very large and the mojitos and tango mango were yummy. The Mahi Mahi was very good filled with Spanish flavors. The bread was incredibly soft and fluffy and just melted in your mouth. Their Cuban steaks were marinated perfectly, and their rice was not dry and very fluffy. Everything we had was very good and portion sizes were gigantic. Diana was not only knowledgeable about the foods but also knew a lot about their wine, and I just went down the list trying the various wines. Thank you, Diana and Columbia Restaurant, for the great evening.

    Marie-Carmen K.

    This place took us back in time, the interior is so beautiful, the views are amazing. The server and service was a 100/10, very attentive staff, made sure we had a good experience and gave us recomendations and did great upselling! The food was so fresh. The seafood pasta did not have a fishy/cheapy flavor, all the seafood was so fresh and i will go back for more! The sangria was our favorite, it was my anniversary dinner and i had a great time.

    James C.

    My wife and I chose The Columbia Restaurant in St. Augustine to celebrate a special dual occasion--our anniversary and a birthday--on December 27th. We dined on the Friday, December 26th. Despite the post-holiday rush, the evening was exceptional, largely due to the incredible service we received. We have dined at the Ybor, Clearwater and St Augustine locations before. You can explore their history and menu offerings on the Columbia Restaurant website. The Columbia Restaurant Group, known for the iconic Columbia Restaurant, also owns Ulele (Native American-inspired) and Casa Santo Stefano (Sicilian). All great dining choices. Our server, Amy, was phenomenal. The restaurant was incredibly busy, and we even witnessed some departing guests treating her quite rudely. Amy handled the situation with impressive grace, maintaining her composure and remaining polite and professional throughout our entire meal. The entire wait staff worked seamlessly as a team to ensure every guest was cared for despite the crowd. We began our meal with their signature Spanish Bean soup and the famous 1905 salad. I requested a bowl of the soup, and it was overflowing--a very savory and generous portion. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the salad, which was as fresh and delicious as always, accompanied by two warm portions of Cuban bread. To drink, we ordered a carafe of Sangro de Toro for the table, which is always a reliable and excellent choice. For our entrees, we both opted for the Paella "A la Valenciana." The portion size was massive, packed with an abundance of seafood, chicken, pork, and vegetables. We were so stuffed by the end of the main course that we had to skip dessert, though I did grab a "cafe con leche" Spanish coffee to go to top off the night. Whether you are celebrating a milestone or just want a fantastic meal, I highly recommend The Columbia for a great experience. For those planning a visit, it is wise to make a reservation well in advance, especially during the holiday season, as we did see some people turned away as they hoped for an open table.

    Merluza a la Rusa
    David F.

    My wife and I, in Saint Augustine on vacation, met up with a good work friend of mine and her husband that I had not seen in years. She lives in Saint Augustine and had chosen this location because it was walking distance from our hotel, very convenient. The restaurant was hopping on a Monday night and it was good she had made reservations. Although we had a great time, I felt the food was only OK given the marketing oversell in the menu. (All quotes following are from Columbia's menu). I often like to try a restaurant specialties, especially far from home. First I had "Columbia's Original "1905" Salad® The Columbia's legendary salad tossed tableside" as a side salad. It was nothing special, hardly "legendary". For the main course I again relied on the menu and chose "Merluza a la Rusa - A Columbia classic since 1935. Spain's favorite fish". Again, disappointing given the description. The fish was somewhat bland and the top coating was burnt. If this is Spain's "favorite fish"there must be a dearth of seafood there. For dessert I chose the Key lime Pie: "Key lime pie is the "Official Pie of the State of Florida."". Decent Key lime pie but nothing memorable. However, I must say the bread that comes to your table is outstanding. The Columbia is obviously a Saint Augustine institution but I wish the food had come closer to the flowery menu descriptions.

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    23 days ago

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    Jeff H.

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    Jeff H.

    Thanks for persevering, Cissy! Glad you had a wonderful experience.

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    6 days ago

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    1 month ago

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    Jeff H.

    Thanks for your feedback, John. We'll share it with the team.

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    8 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    Jeff H.

    Thanks for your feedback, David. Sorry we fell short of expectations.

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    Thanks for making Columbia part of your big night out, Christina!

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    Sean is a gem at the Gem of Spanish Restaurants.

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    Page 1 of 59

    The Columbia Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Columbia

    Can you get a Cuban sandwich at dinner? I only see it on the lunch menu.

    It was on our dinner menu on 12/25/24.

    Is here outdoor seating?

    Yes!

    Is there an elevator in the restaurant?

    Not that I saw only had stairs.

    Do they take reservations?

    Yes! I would definitely suggest a reservation. You can do it through Google or OpenTable.

    Do they offer a children's menu?

    Yes! I don't remember exactly what was on it but I know for sure my kids had Mac n Cheese!

    Do they have the vegan options like paella everyday?

    Yes, plenty of vegan and vegetarian options

    Are there any vegan dishes? Or dishes they can make vegan?

    Salads, black bean soup, and black beans and rice come to mind.

    Do they have gluten-free dishes?

    Yes, they do. They have a separate Gluten-Free menu available, just ask upon arriving or put in in the comments when making a reservation.

    Do they have parking on premises?

    YES they do have parking behind the restaurant. Never had any trouble getting parking there because it is private parking for this restaurant. You will have to show proof when leaving that you bought there

    Do they have happy hour? If so, what does it entail?

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    You might also consider

    The Cuban Cafe And Bakery - Emapanada

    The Cuban Cafe And Bakery

    3.9(198 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $

    stopped here on the way to our car after a disappointing and expensive meal at the Columbia…read more walked in to the store and immediately knew this was truly authentic Cuban food- there were handmade empanadas and croquetas in the hot case, not the perfectly shaped and likely frozen food from Columbia. I ordered a spinach and cheese empanada and it was very flavorful and my son got a piece of flon, which was a new experience for him. Although he didn't care for it, I did eat it the rest and i thought it was pretty good! Glad we stopped by but wish we had come here first!

    Walking around Saint Augustine on a busy spring break March day we stopped by the Cuban Cafe for…read morelunch. Lots of people, very popular, no inside seating but we did snag an outdoor table. The ordering process seemed chaotic but I ordered two Cuban sandwiches and a Cafe Con Leche for lunch. Told the wait would be 15 minutes, we sat outside in the meantime. After 25 minutes and no sandwiches, I inquired inside as to the status - finally, five minutes later the sandwiches were ready. However, no Cafe Con Leche . Again went inside, waited for the front desk server to process several orders before I could ask about the status of the drink. Nothing had been made, so another five minutes for the drink order. By this time I was plenty hungry, and was disappointed with the Cuban sandwich. It's basically a toasted ham sandwich, nothing particularly unique about it. Given the hassles just getting the meal entailed, not a great experience.

    Photos
    The Cuban Cafe And Bakery - Cuban figures has part of design decor.

    Cuban figures has part of design decor.

    The Cuban Cafe And Bakery - Medianoche Sandwich

    Medianoche Sandwich

    The Cuban Cafe And Bakery - Menu

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    Menu

    Mango Mango's Caribbean Grill & Bar - Jerk Pork Tacos, sweet potato fries, and my husband ordered fish and chips with mango coleslaw.

    Mango Mango's Caribbean Grill & Bar

    4.3(1.3k reviews)
    4.5 mi
    $$

    This place has a pretty unassuming exterior but looks can be deceiving. We had been years ago, and…read morewere pleased to find it is still serving up some great food! Servers were friendly, a bit on the "chill" side but honestly just giving off the "island vibe". One thing to note, there appears to be and "indoor' type dining area and then a more outside, screened in type area. We accidentally entered to outside area and sat there before realizing this. It was a pretty pleasant evening and they did engage the fans out there but if it's a warmer period you might opt for Inside Dining. We had draft beer, the amber lager made for Mango Mangoes, Tasty and cold! Here's what is surprising, the menu is pretty varied but it's not so complicated that you get exhausted looking at it. Just enough to give everyone a choice and we were all about it. I had the Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with seasoned fries as my side. Really good! I was worried the Chipotle treatment might be overwhelming the shrimp but it was pretty subtle and the shrimp came through. There are plenty of sauces and seasonings on the table if you want to amp up the experience! Others had the Daily special Reuben, which they thought was a pretty standard Reuben but VERY good and worth a return trip just for that. Another ordered the Corn Cake, entree version, 1 Cake and it was a large serving! Everyone left very happy and agreed this was a great choice!

    Early dinner. Paige took excellent care of us. I had a cheese burger- love their fries best in…read moretown. Wife had pork tacos which she loved. So plenty of parking excellent food friendly staff it's always a 5/5 at Mangos.

    Photos
    Mango Mango's Caribbean Grill & Bar - Bar area

    Bar area

    Mango Mango's Caribbean Grill & Bar - Shrimp tacos

    Shrimp tacos

    Mango Mango's Caribbean Grill & Bar - Serving draft beer!

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    Serving draft beer!

    The Conch House Restaurant - Key lime pie

    The Conch House Restaurant

    3.6(1k reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Come for the views and the vibes! The tiki huts on the water are so intimate and romantic, I loved…read morethem! The whole setting was wonderful and they even have alligators! As for the food, we had the conch fritters and cracked conch. I absolutely loved the cracked conch, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the fritters. It was a little too much breading and I wasn't a fan of the peppers inside of them. The cracked conch came with a sweet bbq sauce and it was really good, but their homemade hot sauce tasted a lot better! As for the entrees, we got the Mahi tacos which were fantastic. The Mahi was cooked perfectly and seasoned well. The only downside was that the flour tortilla was very stale. A simple fix but it did really hold the dish back. The rice was also flavorful. I also got the shrimp Anastasia, which I would give a 1/5. I really did not enjoy it at all. The sauce/broth lacked flavor. The tomatoes and mushrooms just tasted unusual in the dish, and the prosciutto was out of place. The dish was incohesive and I could make better pasta at home. I wouldn't this dish again. However, the other dishes and atmosphere made up for my disliking of one dish.

    I recently visited The Conch House in St. Augustine with a large party and had a pretty good…read moreexperience overall. I ordered the Fresh Daily Catch, mahi-mahi, with broccolini and mashed potatoes. Everything was great pretty good. The dish overall was a little too lemony to my liking yet overall well prepared. Our server Cas was definitely a highlight. She was friendly, attentive, patient, and took the time to answer all of our questions, especially with such a large group. That said, not everyone in our party was completely satisfied with what they ordered, so the experience seemed to vary depending on the dish. For my meal, though, I enjoyed it and would consider coming back to try something else on the menu.

    Photos
    The Conch House Restaurant - Inside dining room

    Inside dining room

    The Conch House Restaurant - Ahí Tuna Salad!

    Ahí Tuna Salad!

    The Conch House Restaurant - Bloody Mary

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    Bloody Mary

    The Columbia - spanish - Updated September 2026

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