Columbia Restaurant - St. AugustineKaydee JKaydee was an outstanding server. We had a group of 9 women and she was AWESOME! She was on top of everything and so very polite and professional. You have a gem in her, and would ask for her to serve us again. We had a great time, the food was amazing and a perfect setting for our lunch to celebrate our successes!! Thank you. Please see that she receives this note!6/15/2013 12:00:00 AMSpanish GemA truly authentic Spanish restaurant with wonderful food and
service. The salad, paella, sangria and flan we had
were all excellent. The server was professional and friendly.
The decor is beautiful with Spanish tiles and fountains. A must
do if you are visiting St. Augustine.6/13/2013 12:00:00 AMFood was wonderful as usual.Food was wonderful as usual. Tryed the steak for the first time, it was great. Black bean soup and 1905 salad also great, but full portion seamed smaller. Service was not as smooth as in the past. Waited a long time between courses. Had to ask for mints, butter drink refills. Possible profesional service staff went North for the summer season? Beautiful location.6/12/2013 12:00:00 AMI highly recommend this restuarant!I highly recommend this restuarant! The food was delicious...hot and served fairly quickly so such a crowd of people. It was our 50th anniversary & we wanted something special this time. We really enjoyed our visit there!6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Food As AlwaysMy wife and I have been here a handful of times and the food is as good as I remember. The bread and main dish (Marilyn and Joe Salteado) were excellent. The black bean cakes were good, but the boring texture of the bean puree and the little bit of grease that I could taste made them lose their appeal after eating 2 of them.
The only two complaints I have regarding this visit are that the restaurant was too hot (felt about 78-80 F and I started to sweat with long pants and short sleeves) and the noise level was too high. Noise usually doesn't bother me as I am in my 20s, however this was a bit much especially considering the kind of restaurant.6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMFood was outstanding!!!!The service was great. We had the pleasure of having a waitress that was very knowledgeable about the menu and what to recommend to us. I had made the reservation to plan a date night for my husband and I, and we were sooo happy with the whole experience. :-)6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMExceptionalThe food was fantastic! You have to try the yuca fries if the are available. I had the filet mingnon Columbia, a perfect medium rare. I would recommend eating here whenever you are in St. Augustine.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMCAN'T WAIT TO RETURNLove dining at Columbia's. Have been to this one once before and couldn't wait to return. Live closer to the one in Sarasota so we do dine there at least 2X/yr. Great Sangria!! Great 1905 Salad!! Great Entrees!!6/6/2013 12:00:00 AMSalad 1905 is addictive!Our party of two chose the Columbia based on a friend's recommendation and it did not disappoint. We started off with the legendary 1905 salad (the small salad is big enough for a meal by itself). When I started the salad, I thought " ok this is good but a simple salad with a nice light dressing"). But after a few minutes of eating you cannot put down your fork! Excellent flavor that builds! Next we order a trio of tapas. The clams was fabulous, shrimp/crab casserole was second, with the Pollo al Ajillo third. For those that like less seasoning or kids, the chicken bites would be fine but after the first two tapas it seemed a more basic dish. Great restaurant and cannot wait to go back for a salad!6/3/2013 12:00:00 AMTouch of SpainAs an American born Spaniard I grew up on Spanish style prepared food and during my lifetime I have eaten in a number of Spanish restaurants. As a result, I can say with some experience that the Columbia Restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida, truly provides an excellent authentic Spanish dining experience!6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMSpanish GemWe had cubans for lunch. The sandwiches were huge and the plantain chips were surprisingly good! Great service and always a great atmosphere. The only comment I have is that the soup could be hotter. I don't know the name, but it's the soup with the chorizo and garbanzo beans.5/31/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful meal and great service!We had a great meal. Was hard to pick from all the yummy choices. The pork ala Cubana melted in your mouth. The 1905 sald was super tasty. Our waiter was attentive and made our dining experience flawless. A great gem in the midst of the hustle and bustle of St George Street.5/31/2013 12:00:00 AMgreat food!Great Food as always. We have been there several times and have never been disappointed. We finally found the parking lot for complimentary parking at the restaurant. My recommendations for Columbia are 1905 Salad, Paella, Marilyn and Joe Salteado and a pitcher of Sangria.5/30/2013 12:00:00 AMColumbiaFood was good but not exceptional. Cuban style pork was plentiful but over cooked and dry.I felt it needed a sauce or marinade to cut the dryness. large and interesting menu.5/27/2013 12:00:00 AMLunchWe had 6 in our party, 2 were kids. Everyone COMPLETELY cleared their plates, the food was THAT good. The server helped us find an electrical outlet to let the kids charge up their gameboys while we ate. Recommend making a reservation.. this place is ALWAYS busy!5/27/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat central locationWhen walking around old st Augustine this restaurant is perfectly located and great 1905 salad. It's a must when visiting.5/26/2013 12:00:00 AMThe salad is what this placeThe salad is what this place is known for doing great. Everything else is just okay. UT the salad is amazing!5/26/2013 12:00:00 AMLovely SpotThis was a fabulous place to take out of town guests for both the ambience and the food. An extensive wine list made it even better! There were six of us and we all ordered something different and shared . . . perfect way to taste a bit of many things!5/25/2013 12:00:00 AM2013My husband and I dined at the St. Augustine location on May 23, 2013. Our experience was OUTSTANDING!!!
Great food, awesome service. Please do not miss an opportunity to dine at Columbia Restaurant. You will not be disappointed.5/23/2013 12:00:00 AMAlways good food!My son ordered a new dish for us. A skirt steak with onions, served with yellow rice and plantains. Said he found a new favorite dish. I got my usual black bean soup and 1905 salad. It was excellent as usual.Mom got a grilled fish sandwich and said it was good too. Flora always seats us right away with our open table reservaion. Carlos is a very prompt and professional server. I will miss going there on a regular basis when visiting the area to visit kids in college for the last six years.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMAwesome Food and ExperienceWe have made The Columbia part of our annual family vacation. We always enjoy a wonderful meal and time together. You just can't beat the cuban bread, salad and then the entree selections. It is delicious!!!5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat time out!The atmosphere, food and service was incredible!!!5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMMuy Sabroso!Our favorite restaurant out of several in St. Augustine. The food & service always exceeds our expectations! The Spanish cuisine is authentic and full of robsut flavors. We recomment the Arroz con Pollo "Valenciana". It is the one and only chicken and rice dish that matches the flavor of our Cuban Mama's recipie!
Great atmosphere for all occasions!5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing Mother's Day!My dad & I took my mom for Mother's Day dinner. Our experience as always was great. Our waiter Farid was outstanding! Superb service.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMFrom coast to coast!!!I have dined from FL to NYC, Canada WA State,CA, and all points in between. THIS IS MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT BY FAR!!!!!
Atmosphere, food presentation & taste, service .....it's all superb !5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMConstantly my favorite!Well worth any occasion to stop by and dine. Great location, excellent staff, and awesome food with better than fair prices. make sure to get the table side menu items (sangria, flan....). You will not be disappointed!5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMColumbia Dinning Mother's DayThis was our first time at the St. Augustine restaurant. Our table was in a corner, which made it nice for conversation. Our salad was excellent (1905), our food was excellent, service was good. Our server did mix up one order, quickly fixed his mistake and offered another beer free. We had desert, the bread pudding was to die for and so was the key lime pie. The only negative was the A/C was not working properly, the server lowered the lighting which helped. He explained they had been working on the A/C all week. Oh well just more cold sangria to keep cool. Small fans in certain areas would have helped to move the air. Would I go back again, yes I would. I've now been to all of the locations and have enjoyed each one.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMMom's Day at Columbia _ St. Aug'sA wonderful place for Mother"s Day celebration, they are very conscious of the occasion and make every Mother/Grandmother feel very special.
Reservations are a must for this day!!
Ambiance is great, the food with a great Cuban bend is just excellent w nice selections. The 1905 salad is a must starter (splitting one is plenty sufficient when enjoying entrees as well),
The decor is just perfect.
The location in ole St. Augustine is a perfect setting, parking can be a challenge (especially on special wkends), they do validate for parking at the lot right behind the restaurant but it can reach the full level but don't let that discourage you from this treat.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMColumbia Mother's DayOur first visit to Columbia--Food was fantastic--There were several large groups because it was Mother's Day. Everyone was served in a timely manner. We were surprised at how nice our table for two on the aisle ended up being--we anticipated it would be extra noisy and people bumping into us--but that was not a factor. The aisles are large enough to accommodate crowds and the noise level really was not a factor. Great experience and absolutely fantastic food.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMLove This Place!I enjoy going to the Columbia for special occasions. I've been there several times and always have something different. I picked the Eggplant dish this time. I expected a Spanish twist to it but it was basically an eggplant dish with cheese on it. Way too boring for the restaurant and I will not choose it again. However, I can't wait to go back again for the delicious '1905' Salad, Cuban bread, and an entrée that will reset my taste buds.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMrepeat visitbeen to St. Augustine location over 10 times now.. had a wonderful Mother's Dinner again!! Was really looking forward to the bread pudding as usual but, just couldn't save any room because all the other food was excellent and could not eat another bite!! ..had the paella de la valeciana ..excellent as always, Sangria of course...5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMmother's day for my wifeoverall the experience was good. The food was very good, and you get plenty of it. I am not sure if they dont have enough help in the kitchen, or what, but it took a fairly long time for our drinks and appetizer to arrive, and then a further longish wait for our meals. The food was good, but even on a busy night you shouldnt have to wait that long. I have been to the Bonefish Grill on many a busy night, and they were able to get our food to us in a reasonable amount of time. The waitress was cordial, but could have checked the table more. For the prices you pay at this restaurant, the service should be just as good as the food. I would go there again, but would hope that service would improve.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat for our ladies lunch!Brought my mom and sisters. We all loved it from the bread to the decor to the fabulous table side made sangria! We'll make it a tradition every year we visit.5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMColumbia Never DisappointsGreat food, friendly service. Get the 1905 salad.. it rocks! We've been there dozens of times and it never disappoints.5/8/2013 12:00:00 AMthis is not first visit here.we always enjoy our visit. by the way we are from tampa. used you for lunch and dinner down there.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMSo good.I went to college in St. Augustine and visited The Columbia several times while I lived there and it has never let me down. This time I brought my boyfriend and we both loved everything. The paella was just as I remember----so delicious and full of flavor. I had to order the 1905 salad-it's the best salad I've ever had. My boyfriend got a steak dish that comes with fries or rice and plantains and he really enjoyed it. We shared the white chocolate bread pudding and it was AMAZING. I'm not sure where we had room for it but we ate some and it was outstanding! I will always make room for The Columbia! Definitely worth your wait if you have to wait! The Sangria is always excellent too.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMalways delishWe come here all of the time and have a wonderful time and fantastic service, and delicious food!5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMReliableAlways a pleasant experience. Food is good, love the salad and sangria!5/2/2013 12:00:00 AMAlways enjoy our eveningsAlways enjoy our evenings at the Columbia. We meet friends there for a good meal and hearty conversations.5/2/2013 12:00:00 AMSpanish in St AugustineVery good restaurant. We enjoyed several tapas with friends and good wine. Service was very good - maybe even too fast.... Definitely would go back.4/30/2013 12:00:00 AMA Longstanding Tradition!Florida wouldn't be complete without the Columbia Restaurant. It has been owned and operated by generations of the same family for years. If you like Cuban and Spanish food, this is the place. The first one opened in Tampa, and there are about seven in the state. The special salad, black bean soup, garbanzo bean soup, paella, and sangria are a foodies' delight!4/30/2013 12:00:00 AMI love Columbia, if I am inI love Columbia, if I am in Florida I would never miss it!!4/30/2013 12:00:00 AMLoved the food, ambience andLoved the food, ambience and service!!! Wonderful dining experience!4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a large group. EverythingWe had a large group. Everything was outstanding, except we were hot. It seems like there was no airflow in the corner we were in.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMOverheard two couples at entranceOverheard two couples at entrance saying this was their favorite Florida restaurant. We rate it in our "top ten" also.
Located in the heart if touristy old town, parking is sometimes a challenge. The food, service and ambience is worth it!4/24/2013 12:00:00 AMFantastic food, service andFantastic food, service and ambiance. Our group of four was extremely pleased with the Columbia Restaurant.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMBeautiful restaurant and alwaysBeautiful restaurant and always delicious. It is a very large restaurant which means lots of people and can lead to service taking a while to get back to you... Besides that it's an amazing must see restuarant. Try the sangria de cava!4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMA Cuban Gem in Old St. AugustineVery good restaurant with an attentive server, ample portions and visible management making sure your meal is wonderful. Our paella was filled with seafood and the cuban bread was hot and crusty. However, there was no champagne/sparkling wine on the menu. It was our wedding anniversary and we had to ask to purchase a bottle of the cava they use in the sangria to celebrate. A bottle of Cristalino arrived a few minutes later with champagne glasses, so it is available per request. It would be a nice addition to their beverage menu, especally for celebrations like ours. This is one of my favorite, reasonably priced restaurants in the Old Section of St. Augustine. We've been coming here for years. We never leave disappointed.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMwonderful black bean soupwonderful black bean soup and 1905 salad as always.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMColumbia never disappoints!Columbia never disappoints! From the loaf of Cuban bread for EACH INDIVIDUAL :-) to the salad, to the desserts flambéd tableside, you know you are immersed in an awesome dining experience. You can wear a blindfold, throw a dart at the menu, and know that you will be happy with it.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AM