The Quick type: Since 1905, the Columbia Restaurant has actually served Spanish and Cuban-inspired dishes and drinks that represent a long-standing genealogy and family history. Founded by a Cuban immigrant in Tampa, the Columbia stays a regional favorite due to its traditional ingredients and personable service. Through the years, people from world-wide came with the glamorous cafe to celebrate engagements, anniversaries, birthdays, also monumental times. These days, the next and fifth years associated with the family is the owner of and operates 13 different restaurants throughout Fl. If you’re searching for great dinner with a good old-fashioned family experience, it is possible to reserve a table in spectacular and passionate food spaces with the Columbia Restaurant.

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For the past three decades, my children’s favorite holiday destination is an oceanfront resort in Sand Key, Florida. We have gone truth be told there over several occasions to create mud castles, place whales, and consume tasty meals on patios overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.

We thoroughly explored town’s restaurant choice, searching from the most useful regional bones about, but it only very takes place your one cafe everyone enjoy the majority of is actually within strolling range your hotel. The Columbia Restaurant’s white linen tablecloths, conscious service, and mouth-watering meals enable it to be all of our go-to spot for supper.

Whenever we were kids, my personal parents would get united states a cheddar pizza pie as they checked out this intimate Spanish cafe alone; however, we currently enjoy tapas and wine as much while they perform, therefore we’ve started crashing their particular date night — often getting along dates of your very own.

Since 1905, the Columbia eatery has actually wowed patrons with Spanish and Cuban dishes and an old-world ambiance. Though itis the earliest cafe in Florida, the organization remains operate from the descendants from the original founder. Every object on selection provides a tale behind it, and lots of regarding the dishes have now been passed from one generation for the Hernandez Gonzmart household to the next. Household custom is a huge area of the Columbia’s eating plan, background, and approach to service.

“the employees can somewhat like household,” mentioned Michael Kilgore, the principle promotion Officer when it comes down to Columbia. “quite a few workers stay for 20 or 30 years. Among the things we love about all of our group is actually how long they stick with you. They show up right here and locate a house.”

You can enjoy this comfortable and inviting atmosphere in your next night out by visiting any one of the Columbia’s seven various restaurants. The Columbia eatery at this time acts friends in Tampa, Sarasota, St. Augustine, Clearwater Beach, and Celebration. Whether you are drinking wine on a picturesque balcony or viewing flamenco performers light up the stage while you eat tapas, you’re certain to have a memorable night at Columbia.

In 1905, a Cuban Immigrant went a Saloon That Became a Sensation

The Columbia Restaurant can locate the history returning to Dec. 17, 1903 — the exact same day the Wright curtis salgado blues brothers effectively tried globally’s first plane. That has been whenever a Cuban immigrant called Casimiro Hernandez Sr. started running a saloon for an area brewing business in Tampa’s Ybor City.

In 1905, the industrious entrepreneur turned the saloon into a popular 60-seat cafe noted for its genuine Cuban coffee and snacks. After his achievements, Casimiro purchased a cafe or restaurant nearby and changed it into a striking dining area. In 1930, his daughter got over ownership and process regarding the flourishing cafe.

While in the Great anxiety, their daughter Casimiro Jr. built the first air-conditioned dining area in Tampa. He hoped their upscale look and elevated dance flooring would draw individuals the cafe that assist all of them forget their own worries for a night. The Don Quixote place was a success, in addition to Columbia managed to hold their doors open while many some other businesses collapsed.

In 1953, Casimiro Jr. passed the Columbia to their just kid, Adela Hernandez Gonzmart, an established artist who’d came across the woman husband, Cesar Gonzmart, at the Tampa bistro. This theatrical pair brought entertainment and art to the Columbia, creating a showroom that hosted a lot of skilled Latin performers and artists. Under Adela and Cesar’s leadership, the Columbia extended to Sarasota as well as other areas in Fl.

Now, certainly Adela and Cesar’s two sons has had the reins and held his family members’ business going. Richard Gonzmart happens to be operating at their family members’ restaurants since he was 12 yrs . old, very he could be intimately familiar with their atmosphere and record. Richard can in fact indicate the dining table within Columbia Restaurant where the guy with his spouse had their unique very first go out significantly more than 43 years ago.

“there are plenty of romance here, and we also have the story,” stated Michael. “under 15 restaurants in the United States are family-owned and more than 100 years old, so we’re in pretty elite business.”

Fl’s oldest bistro provides a satisfied and enduring record rooted in food, family, and fun. Michael informed you the fifth generation associated with the founding family is currently getting groomed to take over 1 day. Richard’s daughters and nephew took in active administration functions during the restaurants and are usually prepared to keep your household tradition choosing many others a long time.

The Columbia was known with many of this highest awards from inside the bistro industry, such as induction into country’s Restaurant News’ “good Dining Hall of popularity,” received the “notable Restaurants of America (SiRoNA) Award of quality,” Fl Trend’s “Golden Spoon Hall of Fame,” and Wine Spectator’s “better of Award of quality.”

Search In! A Delectable Menu of Sharable Tapas & Indulgent Desserts

The Columbia Restaurant sets a magnificent dining table and a delightful getting away from daily life. It seduces your own senses as soon as you walk-in the doors. You’re enclosed by greenery, h2o fountains, and artwork once the noise of fun and also the scents of new fish dishes waft through the air. Before my personal purchase actually gets to me, my personal mouth is often watering with anticipation. Thankfully, each guest gets his / her very own recently produced loaf of Cuban loaves of bread, therefore I have something you should satisfy my personal tastebuds while we wait.

The 14-page eating plan is full of good meals additionally provides effortless discussion starters for daters just learning each other. Each entrée, appetizer, and dessert is sold with an enticing explanation together with interesting background details. As an instance, the cafe’s coconut frozen dessert was actually a favorite of ice cream business owner Gustavo Hernandez, the next son on the original Columbia creator, and after this this sweet recipe is supported in the respect.

From veggie paella (Spanish rice mixed with satisfying vegetables) on the shrimp supreme (shrimp covered with wafer-thin bacon), the foodstuffs within Columbia tend to be bursting with taste. The shareable plates, labeled as tapas, get this cafe ideal for partners on a night out together as you will come closer collectively by revealing tiny plates of empanadas, sliced chorizo, croquetas, or stuffed peppers. You can generate a budget-friendly meal by purchasing various of the appetizers collectively — keep in mind to save lots of area for dessert!

The Très Amigos churros could well be a great option for lovers since they are tactile, nice, and just some messy. You are able to drop the piping-hot churros in candy, caramel, or guava sauce so there’s something for everyone. Positive, Columbia’s signature light Chocolate Bread Pudding is an indulgent dessert ideal for splitting with a night out together who’s got a taste for white chocolate and rum sauce.

In 2017, the Marriott Traveler blog site called the Columbia eatery among St. Augustine’s leading date-night areas, motivating partners to “start with Columbia’s well-known 1905 Salad, assembled table-side with a lot panache, then share an enormous plate regarding the Paella a la Valenciana, filled with shellfish, aromatic rice, and chorizo.”

The romantic night will be all the more satisfying should you decide combine with your meal one glass of the Melanie Chardonnay, a rich wine named after Melanie Gonzmart, Richard’s high-school lover and partner.

Plus, at Columbia eatery, the sangria is perish for. Really, referring because of the cup you could in addition separate a pitcher of white or yellow sangria with a romantic date to enhance the dining experience. Nicely huge cuts of fresh fruit float inside the drink and infuse it with rich types. Whether you are purchasing this classic sangria or among the restaurant’s family wines, the high-caliber beverages don’t let you down.

Michael told you the team makes an endeavor available affordable yet high quality wines to whet friends’ appetites. “All of our drink choice must perfectly suited for the foodstuff we offer plus selling price,” he mentioned.

Countless Couples & households have actually Shared particular times Here

When In my opinion with the Columbia, i do believe of this evening we made a decision to have treat for lunch, and my personal moms and dads ordered churros, key lime pie, mango mousse meal, white candy bread dessert, and five spoons. I think of my twin brother trying grouper for the first time on our very own twentieth birthday celebration and claiming excitedly, “just take my image” because the guy wanted to program their girl (that’s now his girlfriend) he loved eating fish just as much as she performed.

In numerous steps, the Columbia is like our very own destination, but my children is not the only real family getting generated thoughts during this restaurant as well as its six sister locations across Fl. Individuals arrive at the cafe after all stages of life as it supplies a particular environment that sets well with any event.

Famously, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio had been constant friends regarding the Columbia in early 1950s. The Columbia staff members settled tribute on the few plus the loving recollections they provided in the restaurant by naming a dish after them. The Marilyn & Joe “Salteado” — a sautéed blend of tenderloin guidelines, boneless chicken, shrimp, and pork — is a tasty note of this lengthy reputation of relationship in the Columbia’s eating spaces.

Whether you’re going on a primary date or celebrating a marriage anniversary, you will find intimacy and enthusiasm achieve the soft candlelight of this Columbia Restaurant.

“It really is our goals,” Michael stated, “having folks feel as if the Columbia is the perfect place to come quickly to commemorate existence’s milestones.”

The Columbia eatery has group standards towards the Table

The Columbia Restaurant charms daters with authentic dishes, divine atmospheres, and personable service. The computers, at the very least at the Columbia in Sand Key, pay attention to their particular friends and so are quick to state “Welcome straight back” to dedicated customers who, like my loved ones, end up going back to the classy eating areas time and again.

This long-standing dining establishment provides grown and changed for the years, nevertheless hasn’t forgotten the century-long household roots. Richard has ambitious intends to serve diners and daters throughout Florida from inside the many years to come. “the manager does not rest,” Michael mentioned with a laugh. “He’s usually thinking upwards something totally new.”

The Columbia staff plans to open at the very least two brand-new restaurants during the upcoming decades. One will be conveniently found correct next door from original Columbia in Tampa. Casa Santo Stefano, set-to open in autumn 2018, will pay homage to a little town in Sicily in which most Tampa’s Sicilian immigrants came from — the authentic diet plan will bring these families a delicious note of house.

Suffering management and top quality flavors improve Columbia eatery and all the sister restaurants really impressive spots where singles and couples can invest a night in the company of those they like greatest.



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