Best Cuban Restaurants in Greater Northdale

The food is always exceptional with delicious chicken stewed in a family Cuban recipe as well as shrimp in yellow rice. There is an extensive gluten free menu. Unfortunately the service was not up to the exemplary food.

waiter service less than attentive, food good, live music at low volume good

We had a marvelous dinner at Columbia Restaurant, sitting on the outside deck. We ordered the scallops for the appetizer. Absolutely delicious. The main course was the paella. It was full of shrimp, octopus, and chicken. It was perfect for sharing between the 2 of us. Our server was a delight. She was really on the ball. We highly recommend Columbia Restaurant.

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.

Great Cuban food and a nice addition to the Seminole Heights community. Nice authentic flavors, good Latin music and artsy vibes.