Columbia Restaurant – Ybor City FL Landmark Since 1905

Now that the sun has finally come out and the snow has melted away, I guess I can share my final Florida vacation post, of the historic and lovely Columbia Restaurant, which has been delighting locals and visitors alike since 1905.

The Columbia is located in a neighborhood of Tampa known as Ybor (EEE-BORE) City, which was founded in the 1880s as a neighborhood for immigrant cigar factory workers primarily from Spain, Cuba and Italy. Luckily for us Ybor City is also easily accessible from the highway that leads to the airport, and it was en route to that destination that we snuck in a final Retro Roadtrip meal before heading back to the snowy north.

Still family owned and operated, the Columbia is open 365 days of the year and is Florida’s oldest restaurant. It began as a corner cafe in but later blossomed into an elegant dining destination with multiple dining rooms, with gorgeous tilework and stained glass. We were lucky enough to sit in the beautiful daylight filled Patio dining room, which was built in 1937 .

As one account describes it:

It resembles a courtyard like the ones found in Andalucia, in the south of Spain, it is surrounded by a balcony, with a colorful mosaic-tiled fountain with the “Love and the Dolphin” statue in the middle. The statue is a replica of a sculpture found in the ruins of Pompeii. A large retractable glass skylight was installed, giving the room a wonderful bright and sunny look during the day, and an enchanted glow at night.

And indeed on a gloomy late morning, knowing we were heading back to unheard of amounts of snow, it was heartening to see the sun glimpse through the skylight, so we could pretend that it wasn’t as cold as it really was.

The Columbia has an extensive menu highlighting the foods of Spain and the local area, however I knew exactly what I wanted to get, as I had been looking forward to their black bean soup and trademark “1905″ salad, ever since I saw it being created tableside for our pals T&P when they introduced us to the restaurant a few years ago.

Our waiter arrived, dressed sharply in a black tux and offered us some bread and butter, which was delicious if a bit flaky, as made obvious by the crumbs accumulating around my plate while I devoured it.

After we placed our order (Retro Roadhusband opted for the classic Cuban sandwich) – I followed my usual routine and made for the Ladies, then roamed around taking photos of the tilework, mosaic, stained glass and antiques.

This window looks into what was the first air conditioned dining room built in Florida, where they also have live Flamenco dancing in the evening! I was hoping to poke my nose in there, but the doors were closed as they prepped for a private event.

As I roamed I was delighted to look around and see many couples, groups and families also enjoying this historic place, and admired the fancy-dressed folks who were arriving for a christening in one of the many rooms of the restaurant, which takes up an entire block.

Our food arrived and my salad was made tableside with a flourish, much to my combined delight and embarrassment as folks looked over. As you can see, our waiter was nonplussed.

My salad was tangy and delicious, and my black bean soup was the tastiest I’ve ever had. Next time I may opt for the bowl instead of the cup!

(I broke my own cardinal “rule” of food photos- take the photo BEFORE you dig in…! But it was so tasty looking I could not help myself!)

And mark my word, there will be a next time, as The Columbia is on my keeper map for sure. I have some sangria in mind, some Flamenco, and more dining rooms to explore, at this wonderful beginning or end to our west coast Florida adventures!

Columbia Restaurant
2117 East 7th Avenue
Tampa, FL 33605-3903
(813) 248-4961

View FL – Florida Retro RoadMAP in a larger map