Columbia Restaurant - St. PetersburgI went to the Columbia onI went to the Columbia on the Pier and it was getting ready to close. It was beautiful and very nice.5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMA wonderful place, soon goneThe Columbia restaurant on the St. Petersburg Pier has been a favorite dining spot for our family for over 40 years. We go there frequently ourselves, and always take out-of-town guests there. Although the restaurant has a condensed the menu for May, the last month they will be open, the food was still excellent, We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
The city's plan, to demolish the pier and replace it with the "Lens" is foolish. It will not have any weather-protected dining. The new Columbia location on the shoreline will have only a water-level view of Tampa Bay, not the current structure's magnificent westward-looking views of sunsets and the city at night. It's hard to imagine why anyone would make more than one visit to the Lens.5/20/2013 12:00:00 AMSad to see it closeAs always, great place to dine. Wonderful service and food. We will miss the Columbia when the Pier closes. The view is unbelievable.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMWe're going to miss it!!I hope there will be a new Columbia at the next generation Pier. However, I don't think it can top the current view!!5/16/2013 12:00:00 AMSad to see it go...We will be sad to see The Pier go along with Columbia Restaurant. We love the view everytime we come to eat there.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMAnother Great experienceAnother great experience and sad to see it will be closing down because of the pier renovation.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMLast chance to dine.This restaurant will close at the end of the month when they close the pier. We will miss the great food and stunning views. Can't wait til the new one gets built.5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMAs usual, specialty saladAs usual, specialty salad was great. Entrees were only so-so.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMI have been to the ColumbiaI have been to the Columbia Restaurant many times in St. Augustine and in Clearwater. The food, service, and view at the St. Petersburg location is nothing short of incredible. It has a wonderful view of the bay from no matter where you sit. It will a shame when it closes while the pier is being redone.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMToo bad it's closingMy husband and I dinned there for our anniversary, great view, great service, felt special without feeling pretentious. Their salad is one of the best of any restaurant. The lobster pasta had a lot of lobster, the sauce creamy-a bit rich but was expected due to the sherry cream. Steak tips was OK, would probably try another dish next time. Walked the bar after dinner, great view of downtown. Loved the whole experience. Excited to see the new one when the new pier is built.5/1/2013 12:00:00 AMEnjoy the Columbia restaurantsEnjoy the Columbia restaurants overall. However, was a little disappointed with the limited menu. Understand the situation and took that into consideration and still had a wonderful experience.4/30/2013 12:00:00 AMThe view was incredible. FoodThe view was incredible. Food was fantastic. Our server, Jason added to the positive experience with his attention to every detail. The sangria mixed table side was delicious. Over all excellent experience on a very special occasion for my wife and me.4/30/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful time as always.Wonderful time as always. We will visit the Ybor location to see Carla Marie and Didea when the Pier closes.4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food and a spectacularGreat food and a spectacular view that will be missed, we both wish that St Pete would leave the pier as is.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMService, food all excelente!!!Service, food all excelente!!! Glad we went, restaurant will be closed in May4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMPier today...gone tomorrow (May 31)Everything was perfect. This was sadly our last visit before the pier is torn down.4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMWe love this place. We eatWe love this place. We eat here at least once a week for either lunch or dinner. It will be a sad day when the pier is gone, which means we will have to drive to a different location to get our 1905 fix.4/17/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent experienceWe arrived early and were seated promptly. The waiter was incredibly personable and polite, ready to fill whatever request we had. The view overlooking Tampa Bay was awesome. The food was great.4/16/2013 12:00:00 AMAnniversary dinner. SeatedAnniversary dinner. Seated at a table with a beautiful view. Waiter was very knowledgeable and made excellent recommendations. We thoroughly enjoyed specially prepared Mojitos (sugar free) and delicious dinners. We will return.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMEva BoswellThe Columbia has been one of my favorite restaurants for over 50 yrs. The Pier location can't be beat for the view. Sorry it won't be the same in the future!4/10/2013 12:00:00 AMEaster Dinner 2013 at the PierService was outstanding. Our waiter new his menu like the back of his hand. Tableside service - prepping salad, making drinks and serving the food was excellant. The Entrees were outstanding, fish was cooked wonderful and plenty of food. Unfortunately the Pier is not up to standards, not the fault of the Columbia. The view from the 4th floor is graet. We were seating looking at the approach to the pier, still had waterview but the prime seat would be looking out over the bay. Overall had a great time an d very satisfied.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMSorry to hear that this restaurantSorry to hear that this restaurant is closing in May, 2013, because the building is being demolished. Delighted to know that a new restaurant will be build nearby. Looking forward to trying the new one.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMTHIS LOCATION NEVER DISAPPOINTS.THIS LOCATION NEVER DISAPPOINTS. WONDERFUL FOOD, GREAT SERVICE, WONDERFUL VIEWS OF THE BAY AND ALL ITS HAPPENINGS.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMSt. Petersburg's possible loss.The food was excellent as well as the service. It's a shame that this restaurant will be closing at the end of May. The people of St. Petersburg will lose a great restaurant if the issues at The Pier are not resolved. We will go to Cearwater if this restaurant does not return to St. Petersburg.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful food, beautifulWonderful food, beautiful view, excellent service!3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful as always, but ifWonderful as always, but if anyone wants to go there, they better hurry! It is scheduled to close May 31 for the building to be torn down.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food, as always, was excellent.The food, as always, was excellent. We were slightly disappointed because we did not realize this location has streamlined their menu (preparing for a temporary shut down) and the service was not quite up to their usual standards, but we will definitely return when the pier is rebuilt.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMA perfect place to go!The staff went out of their way to reserve a corner table for my party of six for my hubby's 89th birthday celebration! They had warned me ahead of time that because it was a holiday (Easter Sunday) they couldn't guarantee a great window table, but that they would make a note and do their best and somehow they managed it. It was an absolutely perfect day, a perfect table and as always, great company and the food was deliciou!
The Columbia remains high on our list of wonderful restaurants to go to in St. Petersburg. Their location on The Pier lends itself to beautiful views of both St. Pete and Tampa skylines, sailboats and motorboats, fishermen on the dock, the Albert Whitted Airport with private planes taking off and landing - grea3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMMy wife and I had our weddingMy wife and I had our wedding reception here and have returned every year on our anniversary. The food is always top notch and the staff always friendly and engaging. It is truly ashame that this gem will be gone in 2 months forever. Even if they do reopen in a new location it will never have all the uniqueness this restaurant has over any other restaurant.3/25/2013 12:00:00 AMMagnificent!We (a group of six) arrived late after a very hectic time at the Dali and on the Trolley and were received warmly and served magnificently. We love the Columbia and will eagerly await their return to the Pier after construction of the new pier.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMWe have been going to theWe have been going to the Columbia many resturants for years. When we heard that the Pier on St pete was closing taking with it the Columbia Resturant located there we had to vist for the last time and tell them they would be missed. We were told it would take about two years to rebuild. We will take out our need for their fine food at the other locations.3/20/2013 12:00:00 AMAs always, the Columbia RestaurantAs always, the Columbia Restaurant is a true epicurian experience with a view. When they close the Pier and this restaurant must close, St. Petersburg will lose a gem.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMCalled to let them know weCalled to let them know we would be late and they were very accomodating. It is a beautiful view and the food is excellent. Our server was very friendly and the meal flowed well.3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMLoved the site, the food andLoved the site, the food and the service. What is missing is a better wine selection. However, the wine offered (very limited choice) was good (ok good, not very good). But our party loved the scenery, food, and great, friendly service and at a reasonable price.3/13/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food, great place toGreat food, great place to take business associates.3/13/2013 12:00:00 AMOverall it was a wonderfulOverall it was a wonderful experience having a window table and seeing the dolphins then later the lights of Tampa Bay. My two granddaughters were mesmerized on seeing the dolphins. The one negative was the long wait between courses.3/12/2013 12:00:00 AM