I just wanted to brag about Columbia Restaurant. My husband and I just had our wedding reception 1/6/24. It was a beautiful evening and experience. The service and food was amazing. Our guests had a great time. I'm definitely glad we chose to have our reception at Columbia. read more

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Our server Beau T., was outstanding in service, all servers should aspire to be like him in customer service. Food was amazing, and the Ambiance was wonderful as well. read more

We went back to this place tonight. It was raining outside and they gave a shelter for about three hours. We had a 645 reservation but they let us come in early to get out of the rain and we sat there and read our books when it came time to eat we ordered a tomato salad that we shared which was great. We started out with the sangria, which was really sweet and really good made with red wine after the tomato salad. We shared salmon Aurora, which came with rice and broccolini. It was wonderful and we topped off the meal with a piece of Keylime pie The servers name was Natalia. She was exceptional and the people in the restaurant were warm and friendly. All the servers. The bus people the major D's everybody was nice five star review. read more

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First and foremost I would like to give a S/O to my waiter BEAU, for going out of his way to attend our table. The host sat my partner and I on a section where there were no waitresses on sight. When BEAU noticed us he came to us to get us started with waters and went to check why no one had gone to check on us. Unfortunately, there was a miss communication between the host and waitresses. He went ahead and took care of our table even though it wasn't part of his section. He checked on us often which made our dining experience the best and we will definitely be back!!!! Food was delicious, I ordered the steak saltiado and my partnered ordered the Palomilla steak sandwich it was also delicious. read more

The Columbia - Steak saltiado - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

Went for lunch with a friend, service and food was excellent. Ordered drinks as well which came quickly and were great! Lexi F. Was our server, she was kind and quick. Definitely recommend. read more

5 stars, hands down. This is a MUST while in St. Augustine and I think it's my new favorite restaurant in Florida!! Definitely recommend reservations but if you happen to stumble in the bar usually has seats open! We ordered the red sangria - another must. We also ordered the combo for our main plate because we couldn't pick - & it's also a must because you get the best of all worlds. SO GOOD. The empanadas with hot sauce was the best I've ever had BUT they do have green olives in them - so beware if you're not an olive lover! You can pass all the olives this way, thanks. This restaurant does a fantastic job at story telling and transporting you to Cuba. (Not to be confused with Colombia the country) its a fourth generation family owned business and I'm so here for it. I'm gonna wanna come here every time we come back to St. Augustine because the experience really is that amazing. We didn't get dessert bc we were gonna get ice cream after but the ppl next to us ordered the white chocolate bread pudding and I'm 100% getting that next time. It looked AMAZING. 10/10 would recommend dining here any day at any time. Also, Michelle behind the bar was the best!! We'll be back! read more

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Amazing service, did have to wait quite a bit for food and to be seated. Food was super tasty. Bit pricey tho. Ambiance of restaurant beautiful as well. read more

The Columbia - Flan - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

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It was a decent restaurant. Paella was disappointing. Only 1 scallop and 1 shrimp with lots of chicken and a few clams and mussels, calamari rings over a ton of rice. We also got the floridian fish wrapped in paper. It was very good. It came with rice. Gastpaucho soup was good, caesar salad was good and empanadas were good not great. Key lime pie was overrated. read more

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Delicious!! We've eaten here before in Orlando. And the St. Augustine location didn't disappoint! The shrimp and yellow rice was fabulous! I love bread pudding and theirs was off the charts! Get reservations and still plan on waiting. It's worth it though!! The atmosphere was very family oriented and we were very satisfied' read more

Horrible service! Waited over 10 mins to even be acknowledged had to go to the manager to get our server. Was only offered clearly watered down sangria as compensation. After this we were never checked in on. Our server had a cold attitude the remainder of the time. Never got any type of water or soda refill, had to ask other servers in different section for sides, sauces and even our Togo containers. The food was good overall but not worth the stop if the service is that bad again. I have been to the Celebration, FL location which was a 10/10. So it was really disappointing that we had such a bad experience. read more

Thank you Columbia! Our waitress Gabby was incredible. Even though it was packed, she was timely and sweet. We tried a lot of food. Of course they initially bring out their delicious Cuban bread with heaps of soft butter. Of course you can't leave the Columbia without trying their signature 1905 salad. Then we ordered this 3 tiered appetizer which included: crab cakes, tomato cheese dip, and stuffed mushrooms. Our main meal was roasted pork with a scrumptious gravy plus yuca, rice and black beans, and my favorite-platanos. We also ordered an extra appetizer which was an artichoke seafood dip. Always save room for dessert. We shared the flan and brought home: key lime pie, chocolate cake with mousse, and a decadent bread pudding. The Columbia is so beautiful and spacious. Even though every table was filled, the layout makes you feel uncramped. This is my 3rd Columbia location. It never disappoints. read more

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Love this place, been to all locations and this one especially great since in historic st Augustine. The food was great, and I recommend the pitcher of sangria with any entree. read more

Amazing food and service! 5 stars!! Great ambiance that can be enjoyed with family or on a date night. Would definitely recommend!

We flew in from California to celebrate our daughter's 21st birthday. We had a 7:15 reservation, we're finally seated at 8. Server didn't come to the table till 8:20, we asked for water, ordered drinks and a couple of appetizers. 8:40 the drinks arrive and I'm given Root Beer instead of a diet cola(diabetic), 8:55 server returns; I explain the error and with great frustration the server agreed to get me a diet cola. 9:15 second soda arrives with the cold appetizers, still Root Beer and I catch the server this time and ask for water before she leaves. We placed our orders and were told by another server that our entrees were out, meaning they no longer had fish or crab cakes. So our server returned, said the manager screwed up the sodas. I asked for a water again and we placed a second order, again I asked for water and she stormed off without a word. I didn't have anything to drink with the cold appetizers, my party had alcoholic beverages and I am living a sober life. My husband went downstairs and asked for a manager. The tables next to us were getting free soups and beans because they had been waiting close to 2 hours for their entrées, yes, they too were asking for management. My husband returned to our table and our server returned at 9:40, slammed the check on the table with a loud thump and said very snidly, "have a nice night". That was all I could stand, I got up and approached the manager. He ignored me and directed his attention to another unhappy table. I just stood their waiting for him to turn around. Another manager came up, I explained the entire night and you know what? He couldn't care less, it was like it was the NORM and they didn't care if they ruined a birthday celebration or not. Definitely don't bother, terrible service, terrible management and very over priced food that arrives to your table cold. read more

It's everything we were told it was. Don't miss eating here when in St Augustine. The 1905 salad, mojitos and stuffed mushrooms are fantastic. Service and atmosphere are amazing. We're coming back. read more

Went here based on a friend's recommendation. The restaurant itself was beautiful and unique. For a Monday night it was just! We got there ahead of our reservation and they were able to seat us early. The hostess was kind and helpful despite the chaos of a busy dinner rush. Our waitress was ok, she kept messing up the drink orders and a little distracted but she was nice. The Caesar salad was amazing and the kids were thrilled their kids Mac and Cheese was Kraft and they got fresh blueberries and strawberries. My stuffed shrimp were a good size and the stuffing was flavorful. My husband shrimp dish was full of flavor and had a bit of unexpected kick. We all enjoyed the food and would be back should we come back to St Augustine! read more

We came in and ordered our food and waited well over 30 minutes for it at 1:00 in the afternoon when they were not that busy. Three orders that were very simple, including an fried eggplant dish with cheese, a Cuban sandwich, and a stewed pork dish and took well over 30 minutes, and we had noticed three tables had been seated as well as served their meals, while we still had not. Finally, our food arrived, and my husband sent his pork back because it was very cold; I didn't send my eggplant dish back because I didn't want to make our guest we were treating feel bad about the experience. Additionally, my eggplant was green, uncooked, and bitter tasting as well as cold, not appetizing at all. The bread pudding we ordered was terrible in that it was hard as a rock and appeared to have sat in the fridge for several days, flavorless. There was next to no sauce on it as presented on the menu. We are local, and have never had such a bad experience, especially for the price. Won't be returning again or referring friends to the establishment. As I left, I politely asked the hostess if she could please stamp my parking ticket, and she glared at me and stamped it repeatedly about 5 times as though she had a chip on her shoulder. Such sad food, service, and employees. The ambiance was the only thing that was nice as far as pleasant decor. Unbelievable and poor management. read more

My husband and I were in town for a business trip and we were pretty excited to try this St. Augustine staple. Located on George St. a walking only shopping center. There are tons of restaurants and shops to check out. We were extra happy be cause this was one of the only restaurants around that takes reservations. There is several parking lots if you are driving but luckily The Columbia was only a 10 minute walk from our hotel. The location itself was stunning! Absolutely gorgeous with Spanish architecture, multiple sky lights, and fountains. We were sat in the skylight room and the vibe set the tone for the whole night. They also had a cute gift shop which was actually pretty cute and had lots of Spanish pottery for sale as well as their bottle hot sauces, seasonings, and olives. We started with drinks and I have to say this was the best Mojito I have ever had. There was even a stick of sugar cane to chew on. Soooo stinking good! Next we got the 1905 Salad prepared table side the dressing was fantastic, with olives, ham, Swiss, and tomatoes. I absolutely filled up on it cause the portion size was massive. Our salads came with bread service which was crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Next we shared the Gazpacho which was also prepared table side. We had ours topped with onion, cucumber, bell peppers and croutons. I think next time we will add less toppings. Great flavor and was nice and lite. For dinner I got two Tapas which honestly I should have just gotten one. I got the Shrimp and Crab Meat Alcochofas and the Ybor City Devil Crab Croquettes. The Alcochofas was a dip with cheesy artichokes crab and whole shrimp definitely good for sharing. The Croquettes were good with a nice kick of spice that built but I could definitely only have one. Gina was our server and I have to say she made the whole night so enjoyable. She was attentive without loitering and had so much information and history to share. This was a cute experience and will most likely be back the next time we are in town. read more

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This was probably the most recommended restaurant in St Augustine. was told we'd probably need a reservation but got 2 seats at the bar, quickly. Carolyn was our bartender / server and was fantastic! We ordered the Devil Crab Croquettes. Carolyn said they were out but the Crab Cakes were available. These were great. For our entree we split the Roast Pork "A la Cubana" which is a sampler of all the great choices. Perfect pick and everything was excellent! Need to also give a shout out to Kyle who was extremely busy all evening making cocktails but still took time for us to swap stories about peppers. This was definitely a 5 star dinner! read more

I can't believe it has taken me this long to finally do a review for The Columbia. I have been here at least 10 times and we continue to come back and never have had any complaints. First tip, get a reservation. You're gonna need it or you will be waiting an hour at least or just will be turned away.Dinner or lunch a meal at the Columbia always starts the same way. . With a pitcher of their famous Sangria. I'm not a big fan of Red Wine but here I go for it. We normally switch between and red and white though. Around this time we then receive our fresh baked Cuban Bread which is also so good. Now as most know I am not a big fan of salads but my wife raves about the 1905 Salad. I will say I do enjoy watching them make it at the table and at least half the time I end up with a bowl of it myself and I agreed it for sure is on of the best salads their is. Now Ashley always give me crap about not being into Tapas but here I can't get enough of them. Most recently we went with the Empanadas de Picadillo but everything we have had has been amazing. I will say it normally do stick with the Seafood Tapas though. Now for the meal course. I normally hope between 3 options always seafood. Last time I went with the Cannelloni de Langosta which is out of this world good and the Columbia is one of the only places now a days that has some type of Seafood Cannelloni. These cannelloni pastas are filled with Maine lobster meat, shrimp, scallops and sautéed shallots with a lobster sherry cream, lobster sherry Mornay cheese sauce and pieces of lobster. What more can one ask for. I will say it is rich so be prepared. I also do suggest saving some of your Cuban Bread to dip in the sauce. My other 2 options are the Grouper Jimmy (which I don't think they have anymore due to Covid) but the Baked Stuffed Grouper is close enough and just as good. Just a heads up though you will not find it on the lunch menu. All and all a can't say enough good things about the Columbia. But remember I can't stress this enough. Plan ahead with a reservation. If you don't you're going to regret it. read more

The Columbia - Lunch serving of the Cannelloni de Langosta. - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

I returned today after a year with my wife, mother and son. My mother and son had not been here at Saint Augustine for over 15 years. I invited them back to the area. We had dinner here and we were not disappointed. I had the Ropa Vieja, my wife and son had stuffed shrimp and mom was the Bolivia. The food was delicious and full of flavors. Our server was awesome! The restaurant ambiance is vibrant full of life. Folks! If you're in the area you must stop by here and enjoy great food and people. read more

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Food is great - especially the 1905 salad! Had the martini it was really good and smooth. Had to have a couple of them! Service was great. read more

We held our wedding reception here and they were nothing short of AMAZING. The manager Jessica was so easy to communicate with. We had our wedding ceremony on a Saturday when Downtown st Augustine is a nightmare for parking but the gentleman working their parking lot ensured my elderly parents and wedding guests had parking spots which we thought was so incredibly sweet. He also shared some kind words with us after we parked. The servers were TOP TIER and I wish I remembered their names because they made our night. The food was amazing and everyone one was happy and full afterwards. What a wonderful experience. Thank you all read more

An expensive let down. We had heard great things about The Columbia but our experience was less than average. We ordered food to go to take back to our hotel and I was bounced from extension to extension and was on hold for 10 minutes before someone finally answered. When I did place my order the bartender was friendly and competent. We ordered black bean soup, calamari, stuffed mushrooms, the Cuban, and bread and butter. Once I completed the order we waited a bit and then walked to the restaurant to pick it up... The Columbia's atmosphere is festive and fun, but they did not seem to be doing any social distancing or taking safety precautions due to COVID whatsoever. When we got there our order was ready but sadly not even hot. Once we got back to our hotel it was practically cold and nothing was spectacular. The black bean soup was not soup at all but just black beans and rice, the calamari wasn't crispy, the Cuban lacked flavor, but the mushrooms and bread and butter were yummy. Overall the food was very mediocre and expensive. The menu has a vast array of seafood, meat, and vegetarian options. The prices, quality, and amount of food however is greatly lacking. It's very pricey, the portions are small, and the food isn't great. It seems like this place is more touristy and not what it's cracked up to be. Maybe we just had a bad experience, but unless things change it isn't a place we will revisit. Save some bucks and get decent food elsewhere. read more

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This is a nice restaurant, I love the Spanish style ambiance. We got it 30 mins before our 9p reservation and they were able to seat us right away. It was quite busy on a Friday night...the was our second time visiting The Columbia but the first visit was the location in Clearwater Beach. I had a few entrees I had my eyes on so I asked the waiter for her suggestions and one that stood out to me was the pollo manchego which is what you see on the pic. This dish consisted of a flatten roasted chicken breaded in seasoned bread crumbs covered in manchego cheese on top of yellow rice and a side of steamed broccoli. When I was finished with this plate, nothing was left except broccoli stems . "And that's all I have to say about that!!!" (in my Forrest Gump voice) read more

The Columbia - Pollo Manchego - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

I went there with my family of 5 and we had a 45 minute wait. We did not make a reservation so we were alright with that. We waited the full 45 and noticed quite a few people who came in well after that did not have a reservation were being seated before us regardless of party number. The hostess staff completely forgot about our table and did not saying anything until we brought it up. We waited an extra 20 minutes to be seated. While we were able to be seated our waitress was less than appealing. We were seated and did not see her for another 15 minutes for our drinks. This is now almost two hours in this restraunt on a TUESDAY afternoon. We asked for two extra drinks from the bar that took her more than 10 minutes to get back to us. I'm not sure if she had extra tables, but from what we could see she had 3 tables total. The family next to us also waited the same amount of time for their meal. I would not say that I do not recommend this place because the food & drinks were amazing, but be cautious of the previous mentioned things. I think we just expected more out of our experience with this restaurant and what it's known for. read more

Three stars because a glass of wine was spilled on my new outfit and even got in my hair and the manager did t comp anything on my bill. Extremely disappointed!!! read more

Had the pleasure in visiting the popular Columbia Restaurant that many recommend when visiting St. Augustine! First , you walk in and immediately have this beautiful, Spain influenced decor ambiance with greenery. It is a very unique and colorful place to eat. Service was good, they are very calm in a packed restaurant. Staff will highly recommend making reservations. It makes for a more pleasant experience. Food was great, I wouldn't say amazing but good. Lots of traditional dishes of Spain to choose from. You have paella, tapas, gambas and a must try- the sangria! I got the shrimp and rice , it was good. My mom got the paella which I regretted not ordering instead. Sangria was on point! We ended our meal with churros and warm chocolate dip! That was delicious! I would say definitely give Columbia a try, highly recommend the paella , sangria and the "1905" salad and it's definite a place to eat with a unique ambience ! Enjoy! read more

The Columbia - Shrimp and Rice - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

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I have always been a fan, of this well established restaurant, however I'm a little disappointed by the quality of food and the wait staff. Our waitress Kristy seemed very hurried and barely spent any time trying to get to know us, which I know is difficult when your busy, but you fit in small talk around what your doing.. The overall food experience was fair, I had the Pallomio streak, which I knew was thin, but it had no flavor, it was an overwhelming taste of the onions only.. the black bean were bland and the rice was starchy. Our salad was the most memorable of the meal.. I probably will not be making this one of my go to places when in town.. read more

In this part of St. Augustine, you will find many restaurants appealing to the masses through typical pub-style food. This is not to detract from them or what they're, figuratively and literally, bringing to the table. The food in St. Augustine is quite good. But The Columbia brings a style of its own in a setting that is not matched by most restaurants here and elsewhere. The restaurant is housed in a authentic, Spanish style building, paying homage to SA's origins. The food pays homage to the family from which the menu takes its inspiration. Everything is excellent, from the service to the execution. The seafood is fresh, and the dishes are flavorful. Picky eaters would benefit from reviewing the menu before entering. Reservations recommended. read more

Food is delicious and the service excellent all in a beautiful setting. Known for the Cuban sandwiches but all dishes are delicious.

Yearning for their cancelled trip to Spain, my parents booked us a reservation at The Columbia. The place is in a bustling tourist area in St. Augustine, had free adjacent parking, and honored our reservation even though we were a few minutes late (traffic from Jax was worse than we thought). I thought the décor was beautiful and appeared to be full of familial history. We were seated in a cute area that was made to look like a plaza or outdoor courtyard. Influenced by this first impression, I was hopeful that their recipes would be abounding in history and tradition as well. I mean, St. Augustine has so many Spanish influences, how far off could this be? Well, let me tell you, I rarely give less than 3 stars, but I just cannot believe how subpar the food was. I want to be kinder, especially because the server was so wonderful (the boisterous "Cumpleanos Feliz" song with a complimentary flan was a lovely surprise for my Mom on her birthday). While large servings, the food was less than appetizing and lacked the Spanish flavor and originality that I know and love. It honestly was reminiscent of microwave food. I will not be visiting again, but I hope if you still choose to go, your meal will be more impressive. read more

I'm a Columbia Restaurant regular. Tampa, Celebration, Sarasota, and here. Their food is always consistent, and very delicious. This time it was no different. Our waiter, however, had to be singing, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". It was funny, but not really. He never wrote down our orders. We had to repeat a couple times, then forgot one plate entirely. Too bad! I was rooting for his Elephant like memory powers! He was fidgety, and shaky, shaky, shaky... not in the Daddy Yankee way. I had the Ropa Vieja - always a delight and cooked to perfection. Not too heavy on the red sauce, and flavors reminiscent of Cuba. This time my sweet plantains were not too ripe, but then again, I love them all the way soft and Brown (almost rotten). Call me crazy - I know!!! Btw, try these in your air fryer. YOU WILL GO TO HEAVEN AND BACK, and thank me. You're welcome. My husband had the Picadillo, and again, it was a win. Just imagine the inside of the Shepard's pie, but out - Cuban style and with rice. Drinks - we had the traditional Mojito and Tango Mango...Diiioooossss! Can we just have a gallon of this stuff? read more

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What a disappointment... the food and coffee were good however; it was my brothers birthday and I had let them know when I made the reservation. When we got to the restaurant they acknowledged his birthday verbally at the hostess stand. On the phone, when I made the reservation they said they do something special at the end of the meal for birthdays. The server acknowledged his birthday when she came to the table and then never mentioned again... they even sang to a table near us but nothing was done for my brother... no song... no desert... no nothing. I could tell he was hurt. My brother wouldn't let me say anything but thanks for the spoiler .... read more

Everything was so good that we forgot to take pictures of our food lol. The service was great, the manager Jose kindly accommodated a dish substitute for us. In our party we had palomilla, ropa vieja, boliche, and vaca frita. The sangria was also delish! Everything was amazing, we can't wait to come back. read more

Literally best restaurant ever!!! All of their dishes are so authentic, you can't go wrong with anything here. My fav is the Ropa Vieja & obviously the 1905 salad (with ham) to start. The mojito pitcher is good for 2-3 people, the perfect mixture. Definitely visit the shop after and take some salad dressing home with you! read more

The Columbia - Mojito pitcher - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

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Been looking for some good Cuban food and had the Ropa Veja here! Was excellent! Ate at the bar and the food came out quick! Bread was warm and tasty! Will go back before leaving St. Augustine!! read more

The Columbia - Ropa Veja!! - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

I looked forward to eating here but was very disappointed. I ordered the Cuban sandwich and it was extremely thin with barely any meat and extremely dry. My other friend ordered a salad which was a very decent portion and my other friend ordered a combo of sandwich and soup for a total bill of $80 that was only worth maybe $20 combined. Definitely will not be returning. I will say in fairness to our server that the service was excellent and the ambience was above par. read more

I should have known that something was up when half the menu had yellow rice as the standard rice. When my plate arrived and tostones showed up instead of traditional plantains it sealed it for me. I'm cuban, call them tostones on the menu and put some salt on them if you want to serve them. Disappointed. We also got the mojito, it was way too sweet and the lime juice just wasn't there. The 1905 salad was good, too much cheese but otherwise ok. All in all I'd skip this place. Ambiance was good but food lack luster. The only reason it got two stars, is because they understood the Cuban bread assignment. That was really good and plenty for the table. Service was great, the waiter was always asking how things were I should have spoken up but I was too full from the bread. read more

Visiting St. Augustine, but live closer to Tampa, so have been to the original many times. This place is cute, service was good but food oddly different from main restaurant in Tampa. The house salad was fine, but the calamari was not nearly as good, dry, over fried. Asked for marinara sauce to dip, got some godawful concoction of whole stewed tomatoes, olives, etc. My partner had eggplant, said it was sliced way too thick and tasteless. We went to a good local Italian place last night and she had great eggplant for half the price. All in all, a disappointment. $90.= for lunch of house salad split 2 ways, one appetizer and one entree. Should add I have been to this branch before several times - last time about 10 years ago and the food was better. read more