Columbia Restaurant - Ybor City

Review summary

1. D

   Deb

   VIP

   Tampa

   54 reviews

   5.0

   54 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Always a wonderful experience. Food was marvelous
   

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2. C

   Camilla

   VIP

   Orlando

   11 reviews

   5.0

   11 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

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

   Food was excellent . Nice place . Salad and food was great . Very large and authentic place
   

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3. WW

   WWstsmall

   Minneapolis

   6 reviews

   3.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   The building is beautiful. The food was delicious. Our “assigned” wait staff person was invisible. Once she took our order we hardly saw her (although we saw her chatting with others in our row of tables), and it took more than an hour after being seated to receive our glass of wine, the bread, and a lemon for our water, although our order was taken promptly. A different person brought us our soup, and we asked about those other items which had not yet appeared. The soup deliverer brought them. A third person brought our entrees. No one asked if I wanted a second glass of wine. Our waitress did reappear to ask about dessert. After I ordered, I asked if she’d bring 2 forks so my husband and I could share. She said “I’ve given you both two spoons” and walked away. A fork would have been better but we’d already written her off. At one point when the food was slow in arriving our waitress told us they serve 1700 people a night. I asked how many tables she was responsible for, ready to forgive her if she had too many tables; she said it was only the three tables near us and our table-total 11 people. Not sure where she was for the 2+ hours we were in the restaurant. I would still recommend the food, but suggest visitors be prepared for inconsistent service.
   

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4. B

   Bill

   Tampa

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Outstanding as always. If you are headed to Tampa, the Columbia is a must. Introduced two people to the table-side Sangria, Tapas, unbelievable seafood, and Flan. Both agreed it alone was worth a trip to Tampa and we are already planning next year's return visit.
   

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5. B

   Barb

   Tampa

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   If you are looking for something special, the Columbia has it all...atmosphere, wonderful service and food.
   

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6. D

   Denise

   Western NC

   19 reviews

   5.0

   19 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   We have eaten at Columbia in St Augustine a couple of times and this was our first at the original restaurant in Tampa. It was a Monday night and we’re glad we had reservations because it was really busy. The interior of the restaurant was very beautiful and the walls showcased the history (from 1905). Jim, our waiter was great. Very helpful regarding the menu and sharing the history of Columbia. I had sangria to start and it was good. The Cuban bread and butter was absolutely wonderful. We didn’t order tapas because we knew the entrees were pretty large. We shared the Pollo Manchengo and Shrimp Gonzalo (not sure on the spelling). Both were good. We thought the Pollo had more flavor than the shrimp. The yellow rice was okay and the vegetable was broccolini, and was good. We finished with the bread pudding. Definitely enough for 2. It was very good. The restaurant doesn’t have good acoustics and is very loud….just from conversations. We also found that to be true in St Augustine. Prices were average, in the range from $28-48. Overall, we had a very nice meal and were glad we went. So much history both at the restaurant and in Ybor City. If you are in the area we would recommend giving it a try. We don’t get on the west coast of Florida very often but will definitely go back to the St Augustine location in the future.
   

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7. R

   Richard

   VIP

   Greater Boston

   73 reviews

   5.0

   73 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Fantastic! What an awesome place. Great food, service and history. A must see in Ybor.
   

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8. B

   Brenda

   VIP

   Tampa

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   Wonderful Ambiance Fabulous Food Superior Service Will be back Soon
   

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9. A

   Amelia

   VIP

   Key West

   45 reviews

   5.0

   45 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

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

   The best!!! Food was delicious , service amazing !!’
   

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10. P

    Phuong

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    41 reviews

    3.0

    41 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

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

    You can make a reservation but you're sure to wait an additional 30-40 minutes from your reservation time. It's that popular of a restaurant. They boast about being able to seat 1700 or whatever number but they really do not, at least not at lunch time on a weekday (assume it is much worse on a weekend). In any case, I tried what they're known for - the Cuban sandwich and the 1905 salad. Both were pretty good, though the sandwich was a bit on the dry side. The table side salad making was a fun thing to watch. However, I did not feel that the food justified the additional wait, which put an immediate dampener to the experience. I could be in the minority, as I expect reservation times to be honored. In any case, I'm glad I tried it but it's not a priority for me to go back. Sorry.
    

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