Columbia Restaurant - St. Augustine

This is our go to place in St Augustine to celebrate. The food is delicious, the ambience is great, and the service is always good. This year we celebrated my parent’s 59th anniversary. The server was very good and attentive to our needs. She even brought out a complimentary flan and quietly sang a short anniversary song. Very special day.

Had a reservation for my sons birthday, but despite letting our waiter Raphael know, we got no birthday acknowledgement.
The food was fair, but the service was very slow..
Vert little attention from our server.
Overall disappointing😔

We have never been disappointed when eating at the Columbia Restaurant. The food is always cooked perfectly and tastes delicious. We went for my son's 50th birthday and it was a great meal. We had the Coliflor Frito (Fried Cauliflower) and it was good but was expecting a little more seasoning to it. We both had the "1905 Salad" since my son ordered the Pompano en Papillot, which takes a little longer to cook. He said the Pompano was moist and flavorful. I had the Lubina “Asturiana", a sea bass, and it too was very moist and delicious. For dessert, my son ordered the special, which was mousse like and I ordered the Crema Catalana. Both were delicious. Our waiter was good and refilled our water glasses on a regular basis. Another dinner well done.

Having our former neighbors here from Tennessee we wanted to give them a lunch dining experience and Columbia filled that bill. Their famous salad lived up to it's reputation (although I did order mine with the dressing on the side as they are a little too generous for me with the dressing) and the Cuban sandwich for three of us was good. The bread was quite crunchy and there could have been a little more meat but it was tasty.

Excellent service, food and the place is beautiful!!! I would definitely recommend this place.. you will not be disappointed :)

We eat at this restaurant several times each year and this was the first time I can say I was disappointed! I had requested a quiet table preferably upstairs when I made the reservation because my husband is hard of hearing. Instead we were seated in a large room with screaming children nearby and tables so close together I heard everyone else's personal conversation. The waiter seemed new - he could not tell us what the vegetable of the day was, he was not responsive to a request for more butter, he did not notice when our ice tea glasses were empty or take away dirty dishes when dessert was served. The ladies restroom was filthy - trash cans overflowing, lack of toilet paper in one stall and a backed up commode.
We often recommend the Columbia for special events but will re-think this choice the next time!

We went for our 7th wedding anniversary and even indicated that on reservations. Placed in a room too small for that amount of tables. Waitress was always in a hurry and didn't establish a good report. Really expected more of a romantic setting and a quieter ambiance.

The table we sat at was in the middle of all the waiters paths. The entire for meal was waiters yelling out v Behind You" which was unpleasant.

Food was hot fresh and delicious, service was quick and friendly. The inside of the Columbia is like a small paradise in the middle of a busy town, it's always a pleasure to come here for a meal!

The Columbia is our go-to birthday destination. They do not disappoint. We arrived at the time of our reservation and our party of 4 was seated almost immediately, in spite of a full lobby of waiting diners. The food was excellent. The ambiance helps make the evening a fun experience.

My steak was cold, my son in laws over cooked and took 1 hour to recieve our meals and employees we're dropping and breaking dishes continueosly throughtout dinner time

5 stars all the way!! This restaurant is charming beyond words. The menu offers an amazing selection of tapas, salads, fish and so much more. Make a reservation as it is a popular spot for locals and tourists. Order a pitcher of sangria. It is mixed fresh at the table. Such a fun experience and perfectly blended. The food presentation is reason enough to make it a habit to dine here. You must get the 1905 salad which is made fresh table side. If you can save room for dessert you won’t be disappointed.

The service, food, drinks and ambience are all exceptional at Columbia restaurant. Don’t miss this experience when you are in town!

Make sure you go into the shop after dinner. You will be wowed by the beautiful Spanish pottery and gifts. Everything is reasonably priced.

My mom is disabled physically and mentally and I felt like they treated her very poorly. The server was abrupt, inpatient and rude to her. However, she was kind to my kids.

We had a wonderful waitress that made my children's birthday extra special with dessert, candles and singing!

This is a beautiful restaurant in St Augustine. Not being familiar with the area, I followed the Garmin right up to the front door. Not a good place to park. For first timers, park by Castello or public parking and enjoy a pleasant stroll to the restaurant. I suggest St George St. The food is outstanding. Service was great. We really enjoyed our visit. Reservations are recommended.

Quick visit to St. Augustine - very happy with our dinner choice. We had tapas and a red sangria and all were delicious!

Met out-of-state family at Columbia for lunch. Everything from free parking to dessert was perfect. The quality of cuisine and service at Columbia are refreshingly consistent. It remains my favorite St. Augustine restaurant.

My husband and I had a wonderful lunch. The bread they bring out is awesome. We started with their salad that they toss at your table. Ron had the breaded steak sandwich and loved it. I had the seafood cannelloni and it was delicious. You must have a glass of the red sangria.

Positive experience every time.

Superb food and service from Ernesto. He went beyond and brought us a Flan with a strawberry, mint leaves & a candle for our 18th Anniversary. Will definitely be back.

Always a great meal and experience at one of Florida's truly-iconic restaurants!

Feel in love with the place while living in Tampa and I’m so thrilled they opened one in this area as well!

No, I would not recommend Columbia Restaurant - St. Augustine to anyone.

Have been to Columbia many many times over the years. The food and service is always consistently exceptional. Favorites include Sangria de Cava, Cuban bread, Cuban Black Bean Soup, 1905 Salad and the best of all is the Filet Mignon Chaco. Truly a enjoyable dining experience.

We love this place! Never disappoints! Try the mahi mahi with rice and platanos. It's the best! Best sangría in Florida.

Outstanding service and superb food. Pollo Manchego cooled
To
Perfection.

Columbia is always a treat. Get the Snapper Alicante! Best calamari around and the 1905 Salad is amazing. Wonderful restaurant!

Great overall evening!

Columbia is always good. You can’t go wrong. They seated us early (with a reservation) and the service was excellent. Meghan was phenomenal. Super attentive, gave us lots of suggestions and very sweet and friendly. Would love to have her again next time we’re back. Still dreaming of the 1905 salad and Cuban bread. Ventured out of my usual Cuban sandwich and got the stuffed salmon, it did not disappoint! Will be back soon.

I was actually very disappointed, it was okay, but I would not go there again, the food just wasn't that good. My husband had the Ropa Veja, and he even said is was too tomato-y. I had a fish dish that was very plain. The 1905 salad was very good, but that is about it.

One of the best restaurants we've ever been to. The food was delicious and so flavorful. Thank you for making our 30th wedding anniversary lunch amazing!

The food was prepared perfectly, the service was quick, atmosphere was great. Only complaint was the ceiling of all things-obvious black mold which kind of makes me wonder what the unseen portion of the restaurant looked like.

It’s a wonderful restaurant in the heart of the old city of St. Augustine. It’s big; it’s noisy; but it was perfectly lovely. We enjoyed it!

I love the Columbia and it is one of our favorite places to eat in Florida. The manager and wait staff are the best in the business. The drinks from the bar were also quite good. Most of the food was very good but my seafood pasta dish had a very strong iodine taste that completely ruined my enjoyment of the meal.

Food was fabulous. Service was terrific. Highly recommend!

Had the shrimp and yellow rice. Awesome. My wife had Cuban sandwich. Delicious. Will definitely be back. Make sure you call for reservations. Slim change of walking in. Stays busy.

We always enjoy the Columbia. The service was great, our server Frank was awesome. We now know how to make cafe Cubano.. Anticipating that crusty bread and melts butter, oh so good.

Awesome! Great food and service. Love the ambience.

I learned the hard way not to order steak in a Cuban/Spanish restaurant. I ordered the signature Bambino steak and could not have been more disappointed. First, it was a very tough NY strip. Second, the beef was tasteless. Third, it was way overpriced at $48. On the positive side, we had their cuban sandwich as an appetizer, and that was perfect. The wait staff was too busy, so service isn't what it has been in the past, but they were trying. Overall, it just wasn't a great dining experience.

Love this restaurant. We usually go there for dinner and its always extremely busy. This occasion we went for lunch. I ordered the 1905 salad (Yum) with the Cuban sandwich. Delicious!! What made this visit so lovely was our waitress. She was attentive, sharing a bit of history about our food. Although it was very busy we never felt rushed or ignored by her. Big clap for her exceptional service!