Columbia Restaurant - Ybor City
Was in Ybor city for the day after a cruise. The food was phenomenal and the service was great! Wish we had one in Buffalo, NY!
Awesome experience. My dad wanted to go for his 60th birthday and it was great. Hard to imagine the place has been open for a 115 years.
Excellent food and service. Large space and very loud.
Absolutely a great place. Lived in Spain 3 years - this is as close to going back as one can get!!
Outstanding, outstanding, outstanding. The meal was great 👌
The service and staff at the Colombia was great, they were friendly and polite. The food as always great flavor and tasted amazing. It is a traditional staple in Tampa, Florida.
Delicious food as always. It is a great way to introduce the history and culture of the area with new people.
Great service and food Ernesto was especially pleasant and
and a Great waiter. The ambiance of the patio room with the fountain was also a treat
DAVE Q
Excellent experience, super service, tableside mixed sangria and salads along with an extensive menu.
Cold food. Too loud to talk. Very slow service. Not worth the price.
As a Spaniard, I appreciate the service and food being authentic. I always enjoy my meals at any Columbia Restaurant.
I arrived slightly early for my 6:30 PM reservation. Checked in and proceeded to wait in the very overcrowded waiting area. My name was finally called at 6:50 PM. Was told there was a table available in the room with the Flamenco dancers which would cost $8 per person otherwise it would be a longer wait. Given my party was getting anxious I reluctantly agreed. We were escorted to the Flamenco room which more or less resembled a bad wedding reception party. Long tables tightly tucked next to one another leaving little room to get in or out. Table service was mediocre. The dancers began their routine which was probably the best experience of the night. Afterwards food was brought to the table. Two of my guests ordered the seafood paella. The seafood was overcooked to the point of being like rubber. Other entrees ordered were entirely forgettable.
I lived in Tampa years ago and came here fairly often. Boy has it changed. Seems management is more interested in quantity of guests served as opposed the quality of the service they provide the guest. In summary my experience resembled a very bad wedding reception or dinner theater along with the food that typically accompanies them. There are better places to spend your hard earned money.
Noise level was obnoxious. Anniversary not knowledges. And visit to Tampa was just for our special occasion
I made a 5pm reservation for my friends and I for a meal before the 2nd day of our running races. Table for 7, reserved weeks prior to dining. We arrive at 5:04 and checked in and were told it would “be a couple minutes they are clearing your table”. At 5:20 we checked after seeing multiple parties our size be seated, “it is almost ready”. At 5:47 I checked and became quite upset, but civil- because we were hungry, thirsty and were led to believe that it would be any minute.
I stood by the hostess stand until we were taken to our table at 5:56- 56 minutes after our reservation. As we walked to the table I asked our hostess to send the manager over to our table, while dining one never came over.
It was extremely disappointing to be ignored and shuffled aside, and seated ultimately in front of a door that went outside, within 5 feet of the men’s bathroom.
The food was fine, but based on the experience leading up to finally eating, it was an extremely poor dining experience.
Yes but def make a reservation. It was a two hour wait so I was thrilled I made a reservation a while ago.
We go every year after running Gasparilla. Food is great so its our go to place after the race 😀
This is our first stop every year when we come down. Great place to unwind. So happy with the whole experience.
I eat here on every visit to Tampa area and was very eager for my friends to love it as much as I do. They certainly did. Food was great as always, and atmosphere was festive. We had a reservation and we were seated promptly. I believe our server was fairly new and seemed a little nervous but she was very friendly.
It's always a great experience to go to Columbia and do the Flamingo show. Took friends from out of town, for many it was the highlight of their weekend.
I went to this restaurant with my family quite often when I was 5-6 years old. My parents loved this restaurant, and we would make the ‘big trip’ from Palmetto, FL to Tampa. I always longed for a cup of Spanish Bean soup and a urban sandwich. We moved to GA when I was 6 and I haven’t been back to the restaurant in 56 years. Yes, that makes me 62, and I was able to visit the restaurant this past weekend. I got 3 things off the menu. A cup of Spanish Bean soup, a Cuban sandwich, and a small 1905 salad. Oh my! They were outstanding and were every bit as good as I can remember.
Thank you Columbia Restaurant for keeping your standards high with not only quality food, but excellent service as well. I will always highly recommend this restaurant to everyone, and will make it a point to go back and not wait 56 more years!😀
As always. Not enough Bartenders. Service slow at the Bar. Bartenders are serving food and that takes away from getting drinks. We got there 1 hour before our reservations and could only get 1 drink. Unacceptable
A 30 minute wait for our 7pm reservation in noisy, cold crowded conditions. Terrible noise level and tables close to each other. Waiter very efficient.
Overpriced for food quality the food was not even hot will not recommend to anyone and will never return
The restaurant itself is great, so historic, so much to see. Beautiful place. The wine list, while it is huge and contains great choices, it's very hard to navigate, hard to find what you want. The menu is super fun, great stories, great food, takes awhile to read it and decide. Our Tapas were very good, really enjoyed them. We had the chorizo, the octopus, and the Black bean cakes. Our main course with filet, lobster and crab looked delicious, but was barely warm, the lobster was actually cold. Steak was cooked to a perfect medium as requested, and it came out very quickly after we ordered it, so I don't understand how it got so cold. That was really our only disappointment for the whole fun evening.
It's always a special experience to lunch or dine at the Columbia in Ybor City! Great food, great value, a lively atmosphere in one of our beautiful local treasures. What could be better?
Fantastic experience, food and service. John the manager was very helpful with our private party needs. Highly recommend Columbia!!
We were seated in a small room which was quiet when we arrived but got noisy when it filled up. The waiter was almost too busy taking care of 6 tables ,as we all arrived within a few minutes of each other. Food was very good and served in a timely manner.
Great restaurant! Some of my favorite food from our trip!
If you are coming here for dinner, you should definitely see the flamenco show. It was amazing and well worth the extra cost.
Always worth the trip and we will return
The stuffed peppers were awesome
Great experience!
We had an awesome time at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City this week. The 1905 salad and the seafood paella were delicious. The service was outstanding, and we enjoyed the flamenco show immensely. It was a great dining experience!
Wow, wasn’t sure what to expect but everything was outstanding. Our servers Angela and Ramón we’re both professional and personable. And Angela helped us pick out a great bottle of wine. Very impressive!
Food excellent and the wait staff terrific. Head waiter was really good. We enjoy it.
This was our 2nd time to eat at the Columbia and it was very good again. We will be back!
Very pleasurable planned destination. Building and interior was unique. Food was outstanding as well as the service. We were there for lunch. Highly recommend this Columbia Restaurant.
I been to Columbia restaurant many times but this last time I was disappointed. My food was cold and plantain were so hard. The salad was delicious and for the price you pay I expected more. I did not say anything to the server since I was there celebrating my friend's birthday and did not want to make a scene and we already waited so long for our food so it was not like I would want them to remake my dinner.
Salad and starters were great. Mains were a bit tired, felt like the kitchen is just cranking orders out versus taking care of each. Service was friendly and attentive. I love Columbia, but thinking I’ll be doing small bites and drinks and skipping the entrees from now on.
WE HAVE BEEN EATING AT THE COLUMBIA FOR SEVERAL YEARS. WE ALL THOUGHT THE FOOD WASN'T UP TO PAR BASED ON PAST VISITS. WE ALL HAD THE 1905 SALADS AND WERE DISAPPOINTED. THE SALAD WASN'T AS GOOD AS IN THE PAST VISITS. WASN'T MUCH HAM, OR OLIVES, DRESSING WASN'T AS GOOD. HAS BEEN MUCH BETTER IN THE PAST. HAD TO KEEP ASKING OUR WAITER FOR BREAD, AND SHE WOULD SAY IT IS IN THE OVEN. ONCE AGAIN IN THE PAST, WE HAD BETTER SERVICE.
How do I love thee Columbia...let me count the ways!! Lunch piccadillo, Cuban sandwiches, grouper jiminy...all delicious and we were perfectly well cared for by John...make a reservation!
