Columbia Restaurant - Sarasota

Columbia Restaurant - Sarasota reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. J

   Jeff

   New York City3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We love the Columbia. Make a point to eat here every time we visit.
   

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2. G

   Galina

   Sacramento4 reviews

   3.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   Columbia is one of my favorite restaurant in Sarasota and I try to go there once in Sarasota. We normally had a good service and fun times . Today visit wasn’t to my expectations. Our waitress wasn’t polite and friendly. We like to order pitcher of sangria just to watch table preparation and make some videos and pictures. Today our waitress didn’t made it at our table but on a side and wouldn’t even tell us when she was preparing it. Very disappointed! We normally come to Columbia mainly for a good Sangria but today wasn’t good at all and we couldn’t see her making it or adding a right ingredients. Another waitress , Adriana , made our salad at our table and she was very nice and friendly. Someone else brought our entries . Overall our dinner was ok but our service was poor and Sangria was not good . I guess we just used to nice and friendly service and today’s service wasn’t good. Maybe waitress just had a bad day but don’t know if we are going there again .
   

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3. A

   Andrea

   San Francisco28 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Delicious food & attentive waiter. We enjoyed the 1905 , sangria, wine, 3 different tapas, & fabulous bread pudding. All were delicious!
   

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4. T

   Todd

   Columbus3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The service was excellent. Tyler was our server and he checked on us throughout our meal and did an excellent job in recommending the stuffed shrimp. It was so good and the legendary “1905” salad that was mixed and tossed at our table was amazing. The key lime pie I had was 1 of the best key lime pies I ever had! Great service, great food and great dining experience. I highly recommend Columbia Restaurant!
   

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5. R

   Robert VIP

   Baltimore16 reviews

   4.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We enjoyed the paella! The patio area was great for enjoying the weather.
   

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6. M

   Mike VIP

   Tampa19 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great dinner and setting! Great server!!! Looking forward to going back.
   

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7. J

   Judith

   Tampa1 review

   5.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our table was ready when we arrived - no waiting. Our server, Austin, was attentive but not intrusive. When asked, he made a wonderful wine suggestion. The food arrived quickly and was delicious. We sat under the covered patio outside. Perfect ambiance for a lovely evening.
   

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8. E

   Eric

   Des Moines3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Excellent all around place - food & service top notch
   

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9. D

   Donald

   Greater Boston2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   If you visit Sarasota and go to St. Armands Circle I highly recommend the Columbia restaurant ! It has continued to offer dinners a great meal and the AMBIANCE is perfect !! Also the employees are very professional and courteous !!! I also will say the bread , salads and great menu are delicious !! We will be back there next time in Sarasota Fl.
   

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10. OT

    OpenTable Diner VIP

    Orange County3 reviews

    2.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3

    We sat at the bar for lunch - our bartender was very good and made us delicious drinks: mojito and 1905 Sazerac. I enjoyed reading the history of the restaurant in the menu. We ordered the Palomilla Steak Sandwich, a cup of gazpacho and the Mahi Mahi Cubana with no green peppers. My companion liked the steak sandwich and would order again. Unfortunately the gazpacho was not delivered either before or with the sandwiches (so was canceled) and the green peppers were still on the Cubana. The Mahi Mahi was overcooked and inedible so I didn’t eat it. The bread on top of the sandwich was hard and crusty-not my favorite but others may like that. The bread under the fish was softer so I used that to make a little sandwich of the toppings: Swiss cheese, mushrooms and onions, and that was what I ate out of the $18 meal. I would possibly try this restaurant again and order something different, but I fear that it rides on its historic reputation, mostly relies on tourist business, is therefore not too worried about repeat customers, and other menu items may reflect that. Hopefully I’m wrong and just caught them on a bad day.
    

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