Located in historic Ybor City, the Columbia Restaurant is Florida’s oldest and most well-known Spanish eatery. Casimiro Hernández, Sr., a Cuban immigrant, opened this landmark business in 1905. The Columbia’s supper entertainment, genuine Spanish fare, and quaint old-world architecture are famous across the city. Flamenco and jazz performances are regularly featured at the café.
The restaurant has been in the same family’s hands for over a century and a half, and it has won numerous awards for its Spanish and Cuban cuisine as well as its wide wine list. Daily lunch and dinner service is available all year round (even on important holidays). While informal attire is welcome in the dining area, men are asked to refrain from wearing sleeveless shirts.
It is the largest Spanish restaurant in the world and has the longest history as a Spanish restaurant in the United States. There are 1,700 seats spread throughout 15 separate dining rooms in its 52,000 square feet of space. The Columbia Restaurant first opened in 1903 as the Saloon Columbia before changing its name the following year. The restaurant’s Cuban and Spanish fare has been served for five generations by the Hernandez-Gonzmart family, who also run the establishment. In June 2009, the St. Petersburg Times listed the Columbia Restaurant as one of the 25 most legendary eateries between Petersburg and Tampa, FL. The newspaper bestowed the recognition upon the eatery. Nation’s Restaurant News also included it in their list of the top 50 all-American icons. The Columbia is recommended by the Florida edition of the Michelin Guide for 2022.
Succumb to the scorching heat of flamenco! A cover payment of $8 per individual, over the age of 12, will be collected at the door. Guests can reserve a table for the evening show at 7 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. On Friday and Saturday nights, the music begins at 9:30 p.m., so if you’d want to dine before the show, the best times to do so are 8:30 and 9 p.m. Reservations are required for both dinner and the show. Please call the restaurant to see whether there is space for your reservation.
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