Columbia Restaurant

The original Columbia Restaurant, located in Ybor City in Tampa, Florida, is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida. It is also the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States, and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world. It has 15 dining rooms containing 1,700 seats, totaling 52,000 square feet. Founded in 1903 as Saloon Columbia, it was renamed in 1905 to the Columbia Restaurant. The landmark has been owned by the Hernandez-Gonzmart family for five generations and serves Spanish and Cuban cuisine.
In June 2009, the Columbia Restaurant was recognized as one of the 25 iconic restaurants of the Tampa-St.Petersburg area by the St. Petersburg Times. It was also selected in Nation's Restaurant News in the "Top 50 All-American icon category." The 2022 Michelin Guide for Florida rated the Columbia as "Recommended".
In addition to the original location in Ybor City, there are Columbia restaurants in Sarasota (opened in 1959); in St. Augustine (opened in 1983); on Sand Key (1989); and in Celebration, Florida, (1997).
There are also smaller Columbia Café restaurants located at the Tampa Bay History Center (opened in 2009) and at Tampa International Airport (opened in May 2012).
Category:Spanish Restaurants
Category:One-State Restaurants