Always glad to go to Saint Augustine and when I do 99% of the time I eat at the Columbia house. Are usually have my go to meal which is the chicken with rice they give you a quarter of chicken either dark or white meat always moist delicious and flavorful. And the complimentary fresh baked Cuban bread with whipped butter is also a favorite of mine they always package me up some to take home which is so nice. The service was good And I had lots of good company really fun lunch date in Saint Augustine with some of my friends. I can't imagine that there's anyone that lives in this area that has not been there yet but if you haven't you need to go it's a cult classic LOL Tip ...They have great sangria too my favorite is the white but the red is quite wonderful also .So stop by when you're in the area another great tip is they have free two hour parking behind the building (if you can find it ) and if you buy some food or drinks Or just something from the gift shop they will validate your ticket. It's centrally located so it's a great spot to park right behind Saint George Street. read more

The Columbia - Famous chicken and rice delicious huge portion - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

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Nothing was bad and lost were absolutely delicious. Give time if u want bomba rice they cook it to order. Excellent wait staff. Bravo!

Excellent. Great menu great atmosphere. Was a little cool so carry a long sleeve. I had the paella and the mrs had the grouper and crab meat. She is not usually a fish person but devoured it all. Reasonably priced 2 beers $75 plus tip. Clean social distancing observed. A very lovely evening and great food. read more

Ok, anyplace that brings out the makings for a pitcher of mojitos and makes it in front of you, is good in my book. Usually this place is a "no tank tops or muscle shirts" type of place, but one of us made it in with one, so maybe they are loosening their standards, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, lol. Mojitos were fantastic, each glass had a huge stick of sugar cane in it that you get to chew like a silverback gorilla. Fun! The food choices were fantastic, Didn't go for the more traditional cuban dishes, call me the cautious one of the group. But the grouper sandwich with plantain chips was still great. Had tastes of the other entrees at the table and they were equally as good. Now, the one issue. Flies. I don't believe they were as interested in landing on your plate or the food as much as they wanted to land on the patrons. It wasn't "walk out" bad, but it was definitely "hand me a flyswatter with my meal" bad. All in all, still a tasty side-trip. :) read more

The Columbia - Grouper Sandwich - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

We recently took a short vacation in St. Augustine. Our first night we ate at Columbia, which is the most popular restaurant in town. This was some of the worst food we had on vacation and all year! The Cuban black bean soup tasted like beans out of the can with raw onions on top. It wasn't even soup consistency. The entrees were all horrible. I got the Mahi-Mahi Cayo Hueso and it was the worst fish dish. It was a small, cold, over cooked piece of fish with mushy rice and overly fried tasteless plantains. My father in-law got a tasteless pork dish that he decided wasn't worth eating, so he brought it back for his dog. This restaurant is coasting on it's reputation of being the most popular place in town. The food sucks!! The salad is the only thing worth eating, but it's seriously easy to make at home. Why bother going here?! read more

This is one of our favorite restaurants to dine at when in St. Augustine Last times have been 4 to 5 star experiences, but this time we just felt things weren't as good service and food wise. Service was ok not great But food wise way down, crab cakes were almost raw in texture, other tapas ordered were tasteless. We will go again but our rating is 3 stars for now read more

We came here for lunch while spending the day in St Augustine. We got here at 3:30 so it wasn't super busy, which was nice. The staff is really friendly and we were served relatively quickly. The food is good but not all of it is fabulous. We got a pitcher of sangria which is amazing and their bread is so yummy. We got the queso appetizer which was a tomato and cheese and olive mixture and came with toasted bread. That was yummy. For the main course I had their strip steak dinner. It was okay but lacked some seasoning. I found myself wanting garlic and salt and pepper to help the taste. I did get the 1905 side salad. That is so good. It would have been a 3 star rating but the salad and sangria gave it a bump up. read more

The Columbia - Queso appetizer - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

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I have always passed by here and finally enjoyed with my mom. We are Cuban/Spanish heritage so we know that this was some good food! From the food to the service to the ambiance we loved every second. Will definitely go back given the chance. read more

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What wonderful dining experience with Robi as our server. Even the reception hostess experience was very plesant. The Picadillo was very flavorful. A custom Heart of Palm Salad and the Apollo Asado to order specifications. Very filling and satisfying. I really loved the willingness to cook to very restrictive diet requirements. read more

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My wife and I with two friends had dinner there. I was disappointed in the food , it was cold the place was noisy and expensive. Won't go there again! read more

Thank you to our waitress Megan for our awesome dining experience! We had a table of eight and she made sure we were all taken care of. The cannelloni de langosta is to die for! Megan heard it was my moms birthday and brought out a dessert and sang! So sweet of her! This place gets extremely busy so you may want to call ahead to reserve your table. They are also taking precautions to ensure your safety during covid. Thank you Megan & staff. read more

The Columbia - Cannelloni de langosta my favorite!! - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

Visiting from Michigan, we stumbled across this place because it was open late on a Sunday night. First off, the food was so delicious and different. Lots of options on the menu! Second, the service was so warm & friendly! We will definitely be back in the rest of the short stay here. read more

So came here for a special evening and the food was amazing. Their signature 1905 salad is always a great start to the meal. I had the shrimp and crab enchilada which was seasoned perfectly and very filling. As the evening ended I accidentally spilled a glass of wine spraying red wine all over my dining companion's white shirt. Sarah our waitress Went into action immediately and got us club soda and napkins to clean but then Meagan came over to help her friend Sarah with Clorox hand wipes took the shirt and proceeded to clean the entire front side getting every drop of red wine off the white shirt. I've never had such good service and friendly caring wait staff. They were a joy and I truly hope that corporate headquarters appreciates the quality of worker they have in these two waitresses. read more

Fantastic dinner. They were extremely accommodating to seat our group of 11 from young to old on a Friday night during nights of lights. Fantastic drinks and superb service too! We will definitely be back! read more

Had lunch. We each ordered the signature "1905 Salad" with turkey. The salad is prepared table side and was quite good. The server, however, was ditzy, slow and was poor on follow up for water and coffee refills. She waited on another table which is to be expected but then walked to the bar and engaged in a lengthy conversation before remembering about our drinks. This was toward the end of the meal and we were not pleased to wait nearly 15 minutes (yes, I did time it) for coffee with which to finish the meal. The menu is extensive and interesting. I will try the place again if the opportunity arises but definitely ask for a different server. read more

I have never had a bad meal at the Columbia! So many options is the only real challenge. Outstanding fish and unique salads. And the bread is to die for. As happens, The Columbia is a victim of it's success but they endeavor to break up their large dining space such that you don't feel like you are in a coliseum. read more

First time here and in the city. Excellent food and service. Calamari too salty but management replaced it readily. Espanados a little thin on filling. Large portions. read more

Visited on a weeknight. Restaurant is beautiful and relatively large, however, service was VERY slow, about two hours to get our food, and the plates, eight customers at our table, did not deserve more than a five out of ten rating. Too bad, as they could be the full package with a better kitchen. PS, I am Cuban and have been eating the food going on seventy years. read more

The place to visit in St. Augustine! Upscale but still casual restaurant is a must visit, with its traditional Cuban food and unforgettable atmosphere. Everyone gets a generous helping of hot French bread to start, and you have to get the famous Sangria. The 1905 salad is amazing, and I coupled mine with a great Cuban sandwich. Kids meals are great too, and I had rave reviews about the seafood from other guests. Can't wait to go back! read more

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The food at Columbia wasn't bad and my favorite part of the meal was the salad. I recommend ordering the salad. The paella was a tad salty but overall very flavorful. The shrimp was garlicky which I like and the bread was yummy. I had a bit of the steak from my partner and it was slightly dry but still delicious. Overall order the salad and you won't be disappointed. I would recommend going there early since we had a two hour wait and then exploring St George before going back. Reservations is key if anything but they may be booked completely already for the day. So best bet is go early, get the two hour wait time, and explore until they text you that your table is ready. read more

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Service is slow and poor, 25 minutes plus to get drinks, haven't ordered yet! I was hoping that the service had improved since last time I was here, it hasn't. Thinking if I come back it will be after a long period so I can't remember why I stopped coming here. read more

We decided to dine here for our Anniversary dinner after our original plans fell through. It was a beautiful restaurant for a special occasion. We ordered the Paella and my husband ordered the stuffed shrimp. Our plates came beautifully prepared and overall the meal was good. It wasn't the very best Paella I've eaten though. It tastes more salty than flavorful. We were happy with our meal but nothing to gush about or a reason to draw us back on another trip. read more

Horrible customer service and not good food! We were 11 people and no one liked their food. Also, paella portions are tiny read more

Found two legitimate spaces at the bar, but one of the stools was missing. Tried to order drinks and tapas while waiting to see if another stool would be vacated. Were told we could not be served unless we both were seated. We were not in a server area, we were in the middle of the bar, there was just a missing chair. Ridiculous non customer friendly policy. Go somewhere that wants your business. read more

This was the best and most enjoyable meal we had in St. Augustine. My son went to Spain last summer and was excited to eat some of the real Spanish dishes he had been missing. He wasn't disappointed. The atmosphere is great and the dishes consist of traditional Spanish favorites. They start the meal with this yummy bread and butter. Normally, I try to lay off the bread so I don't fill up before the main dish, but my will power was low because this bread was FANTASTIC. We ordered a few tapas items for appetizers. The Croquetos de Pollo was TO DIE FOR. Order it. I mean it. Order it. We also ordered the Chorizo Espanola, which was fine. The sangria was delicious. You can order it by the pitcher. I got the red wine sangria and the glass contained yummy fruit that set off the drink perfectly. All our meals were really wonderful. The seafood dishes were fresh and the beef dish I had was perfectly cooked and presented. We ordered cafe con leche (coffee with steamed milk) that was perfectly delicious. WARNING: Their desserts are HUGE. We ordered two desserts to share around the table, thinking they would be small, but the bread pudding (delicious!) was big enough for all of us to share. We also ordered the chocolae brazo gitano, which was also quite large and soooo gooood. (Their specialty seems to be flan, which you can get anywhere, and creme brulee, which is french. We decided not to go with these.) There's a cute gift shop attached that sells their pottery and sangria mix for you to take home. The only downside was the service. We made a reservation for 6:45, but when we got there, it seemed as though we were just given a pager and put in line with everyone else there, many of who didn't have a reservation. I didn't feel like it made any difference. Also, the waitress was slow. My water was never refilled and it took forever for her to clear our dinner plates when we were finished. We didn't mind so much because we were on vacation and had a relaxed schedule, but I did consider knocking off a star for this. The rest of the experience was so good I decided not to. If you're in St. Augustine and only have one choice for dinner, this would be my pick! Really excellent. read more

This place permeates ambience! It has a good selection of food and drinks. I had the cheap sangria and was completely satisfied. Everyone at the table got a warm freshly baked piece of bread with deliciously whipped butter. I ordered the gazpacho soup which came with a selection of freshly chopped tomatoes, onions, and peppers. It was delicious. I Aldo ordered the crab croquettes with a bed of rice, grilled asparagus and yellow squash. It to was very tasty. Our waiter was very conscious of what was happening at our table but not to the point of annoying. The room we sat in was on the top floor of the three story restaurant snd gave you a sense of feeling special even though each floor would give you that same feeling. Totally liked the place and recommend it to anyone visiting the restaurant in St. Augustine. read more

The Columbia - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

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Delicious food, but service was a bit rushed and impersonal. Sangria was delicious and the dessert was amazing! Also strongly recommend the black bean soup ! read more

Great food and great ambiance! Our server was very nice and always attentive to our table, even though it was a packed house. This restaurant is in the colonial area of St. Augustine and it has beautiful decor and even better food. My boyfriend and I shared a pitcher of sangria and the queso fundido as well as two entrees everything was excellent. I would return. read more

Truly a St. Augustine staple. You can't come to St. Augustine and NOT go to The Columbia. It's got such a rich history that really sinks in the moment you put your foot in the door. You're surrounded by beautiful architecture and a family story that has been written at this restaurant since 1905. I find going for lunch will save you a few bucks. Their signature salad really is THAT good, and I can never pass up the paella; cooked to perfection every time with amazing flavor. Treat yourself to a glass of sangria. And definitely don't pass up any of their yummy desserts. I'm partial to the key lime pie but really, anything will be delicious. The wait times can be long, but you can peruse the gift shop or explore other parts of the restaurant while you wait! read more

We came as a party of two on a Saturday night. The wait was about 1.5 hour. Maybe call ahead for reservation if available? Luckily we found seats at the bar. Our bartender/server was patient and friendly. Each person gets their own little loaf of bread to start! I got a mojito and it was great. It was even served with a sugar cane which I thought was a nice touch. I forget the name of what I got but it had the chimmichuri steak, shrimp, "good rice", and veggies (asparagus& mushroom). 10/10 recommend this dish! read more

The Columbia - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

Love, love, love!!! As a native, third generation Floridian, I love the history and authenticity of this restaurant. The cuisine never disappoints and you simply can't go wrong ordering anything on the menu. Everything is delicious! They ambiance is lovely. The staff is always friendly and on point. read more

Beautiful Spanish style restaurant located on the Main Street in St Augustine. We arrived at noon (weekday) without reservations and were seated immediately. Our waiter arrives promptly and took our drink order. He gave us ample time to go over the menu and ask questions. We ordered our food and the waiter returned with warm Cuban bread individually wrapped for each of us. Our food arrived quickly and the presentation was beautiful. One had a fried steak sandwich with plantain chips - excellent! Next had 1/2 Cuban sandwich and gazpacho soup again excellent. I ordered 1/4 dark meat chicken with Spanish rice and it was very good too. The rice was a little more "mushy" but was tasty. The cost of the meal with 3 waters was 47.00. A little high for lunch but worthy of the special visit. read more

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The food was amazing! Everything was fresh and rich in flavor I asked for the crab cake. My server was great. Super friendly!!!! Loved it. Would definitely come back!!!! read more

This is a must try on St. George Street!! There's definitely a shortage of Cuban food in the area and thank goodness the Columbia doesn't ever let me down. I always get the Palomilla steak with buttery Cuban bread and share around pitchers of mojitos and sangria. Definitely go for a dessert at the end as well, they're all delicious!! read more

We ordered take out and ordered two 1905 salads, the black bean cakes and the empanadas. The salad dressing is just something special. The empanadas are prob the best I've had - the meat inside had a great brothy sauce on it. Sometimes empanadas are kind of dry. Not these! We asked for a bit of bread and they gave us a whole loaf! Mmmm the salad dressing doubles as a dip for the super soft Cuban bread. read more

This place is definitely delicious. We were told about this place from my shuttle driver. We ordered a trio of tapas: bacon fried shrimp(Amazing!), stuffed mushrooms(just ok), and Tomato-Melted Cheese dish(was ok, could've been hotter. Maybe the tomato sauce was cold, so it made the cheese not melty?). 1905 Salad is delicious! We had this at dinner and at lunch the next day. Taste does depend on your server. Dinner time, our server used more lemon juice, scrapped every last bit of dressing out of the bowl and used less Worcestershire. Yum! Unfortunately, the next day at lunch, this server just seemed more happy that he didn't have to explain anything because we heard the story behind the salad. He just through everything together, then putting a ton of Worcestershire. Since he didn't scrap out the dressing bowl and barely squeezed the lemon, it didn't taste the same. I ended up having to add salt & pepper to help it along. This server pretty much sounded & looked sad, not a great person to have serving. He worked Monday(3/27) AM shift. Chacho Steak: Yum! Bit on the salty side, but delicious! Ribeye Steak: Yum! Good grill/char flavor. Bread pudding: just ok, very soggy. Some parts were burnt beyond wanting to eat it. Creme Catalana: this is tasty. Similar to creme brûlée, but maybe not as sweet. Table side torched. Cuban Sandwich(lunch next day): This was pretty disappointing. The sandwich was so dry. Flavor was just ok. Nothing about this sandwich made me want to order it ever again. Coffee: Yes! We got a strong batch! Ask if they can leave the pot at your table. read more

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Food was amazing! Drinks were made perfectly! 10/10 recommend for locals and tourists!

Charming ambiance dripping with Spanish design. The staff is warm and engaging. Both sangrias were light and refreshing but layered with flavor. The stuffed peppers were bold and delicious!! One of the best stuffed pepper dishes I've had! The black bean soup was also very good. I look forward to coming back for another meal!! read more

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We have not gone out a lot recently and this evening- my husband and I remembered masks and hand sanitizer but completely forgot our wallets (so very awkward). Upon realizing this the staff was so helpful even including the valet/parking lot attendant who offered to lend us some cash. What a kind gesture. We were able to work it out and had a lovely evening. Delicious food. I love the 1905 salad with warm bread. The key lime pie was a touch too sweet for my taste but my belly is full, my family is happy and we had the best experience. Thank you! read more

A gem in a sea of average restaurants in St Augustine. The food is fresh, thoughtful and wonderfully presented. The building alone is worth the visit but the food is the real star of the show. Wonderful authentic Cuban food prepared fresh. I have the marinated pork with plantains, black beans and good rice. The Paia is wonderful. Served made to order (lunch) and full of wonderful fresh seafood and yellow rice and a rainbow of vegetables. I prefer the lunch menu myself mainly due to portion sizes but anytime of day is a great time for a meal. Highly recommended. read more

The Columbia - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida