The Quick Version: Since 1905, the Columbia Restaurant has supported Spanish and Cuban-inspired meals and beverages that express a long-standing genealogy. Launched by a Cuban immigrant in Tampa, the Columbia continues to be a nearby preferred due to the old-fashioned foods and personable solution. Throughout the years, folks from all over the world attended on glamorous bistro to celebrate involvements, wedding anniversaries, birthdays, along with other monumental minutes. Today, the fourth and 5th years associated with family members owns and operates 13 different restaurants throughout Florida. If you’re searching for good eating with a decent traditional family members feel, you can easily reserve a table in the stunning and enchanting eating areas of the Columbia eatery.
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For the past 3 decades, my family’s preferred holiday destination is an oceanfront resort in Sand Key, Fl. We’ve gone here over twelve times to build sand castles, area dolphins, and eat tasty dishes on patios ignoring the gulf coast of florida.
We now have completely investigated the town’s bistro variety, looking out the greatest neighborhood bones about, nevertheless simply therefore happens your one restaurant most of us enjoy many is actually within walking range of our lodge. The Columbia Restaurant’s white-linen tablecloths, conscious solution, and mouth-watering meals succeed our very own go-to spot for lunch.
Whenever we had been young ones, my personal moms and dads would purchase us a cheddar pizza even though they visited this intimate Spanish restaurant by yourself; but we have now enjoy tapas and wine equally as much while they do, so we’ve started crashing their unique night out â occasionally bringing along times of our own.
Since 1905, the Columbia eatery has actually wowed patrons with Spanish and Cuban dishes and an old-world ambiance. Though itis the oldest cafe in Florida, the business enterprise continues to be run from the descendants of this initial creator. Every object about diet plan has actually a tale behind it, and lots of of the quality recipes have been handed over from one generation regarding the Hernandez Gonzmart family members to another location. Family tradition is an enormous part of the Columbia’s menu, record, and method of solution.
“The staff is a bit like household,” said Michael Kilgore, the Chief advertising Officer your Columbia. “a number of our employees stay for 20 or 3 decades. Among the many things we love about all of our group is actually just how long they stick with all of us. They are available right here and find property.”
You can enjoy this comfy and inviting environment on the then night out by going to any of the Columbia’s seven various restaurants. The Columbia eatery presently serves guests in Tampa, Sarasota, St. Augustine, Clearwater Beach, and party. Whether you are drinking wine on a picturesque balcony or viewing flamenco performers light up the level when you take in tapas, you’re certain to have a remarkable night within Columbia.
In 1905, a Cuban Immigrant went a Saloon That Became a Sensation
The Columbia eatery can track its background to Dec. 17, 1903 â the same day the Wright brothers effectively tried the planet’s very first airplane. That was whenever a Cuban immigrant named Casimiro Hernandez Sr. started working a saloon for a local preparing business in Tampa’s Ybor City.
In 1905, the industrious business owner turned the saloon into a prominent 60-seat cafe noted for its authentic Cuban coffee and sandwiches. Soon after their success, Casimiro ordered a restaurant next door and converted it into an attractive dining area. In 1930, their son took over possession and operation for the thriving restaurant.
While in the Great Depression, their child Casimiro Jr. built initial air-conditioned dining room in Tampa. The guy hoped its trendy look and raised party flooring would draw men and women to the bistro that assist them forget about their own fears for every night. The Don Quixote Room had been popular, and the Columbia was able to hold their doorways available even though many various other businesses collapsed.
In 1953, Casimiro Jr. passed the Columbia on to their just child, Adela Hernandez Gonzmart, an experienced artist who’d met her partner, Cesar Gonzmart, from the Tampa restaurant. This theatrical set delivered entertainment and artistry to the Columbia, establishing a showroom that hosted lots of talented Latin performers and performers. Under Adela and Cesar’s authority, the Columbia extended to Sarasota as well as other locations in Fl.
Nowadays, certainly Adela and Cesar’s two sons has had the reins and held his family members’ business heading. Richard Gonzmart might working at their family’s restaurants since he had been 12 yrs old, thus they are intimately acquainted the environment and history. Richard can actually point out the dining table from the Columbia eatery where he with his wife had their first date above 43 in years past.
“there’s lots of relationship here, and in addition we have actually a good tale,” mentioned Michael. “below 15 restaurants in america tend to be family-owned and more than a century outdated, therefore we’re in pretty elite business.”
Fl’s earliest cafe has a happy and enduring background rooted in meals, family, and enjoyable. Michael informed us the fifth generation on the founding family members is being groomed to dominate someday. Richard’s daughters and nephew took in active control functions in the restaurants and they are ready to keep your family members custom going for numerous years into the future.
The Columbia has been acknowledged with some with the highest awards when you look at the bistro sector, such as induction into country’s Restaurant News’ “okay Dining Hall of Fame,” gained the “notable Restaurants of North America (SiRoNA) honor of Excellence,” Fl Trend’s “Golden Spoon Hall of popularity,” and Wine Spectator’s “better of honor of Excellence.”
Look In! A Delectable Menu of Sharable Tapas & Indulgent Desserts
The Columbia Restaurant sets a magnificent dining table and provides a wonderful escape from every day life. It seduces your sensory faculties from the moment you walk in the doorways. You are surrounded by greenery, liquid fountains, and artwork because the noise of laughter while the scents of fresh fish and shellfish dishes waft through the environment. Before my personal purchase also extends to me, my personal lips is watering with expectation. Luckily, each guest will get his or her very own freshly made loaf of Cuban bread, thus I have something to satisfy my personal preferences while I wait.
The 14-page selection is filled with good food but also provides easy dialogue starters for daters only observing the other person. Each entrée, appetizer, and treat comes with an enticing explanation plus fascinating back ground details. For-instance, the cafe’s coconut ice-cream ended up being a well liked of frozen dessert entrepreneur Gustavo Hernandez, the third boy associated with initial Columbia creator, and after this this sweet meal is supported in his respect.
From veggie paella (Spanish rice blended with hearty vegetables) for the shrimp supreme (shrimp covered with wafer-thin bacon), the foods at the Columbia tend to be bursting with flavor. The shareable dishes, called tapas, get this to cafe ideal for lovers on a night out together since you will come better collectively by discussing tiny dishes of empanadas, sliced chorizo, croquetas, or packed peppers. You can generate a budget-friendly dinner by purchasing a few among these appetizers together â keep in mind to truly save place for dessert!
The Très Amigos churros would be an outstanding selection for partners because they’re tactile, nice, and just a little messy. You are able to dip the piping-hot churros in candy, caramel, or guava sauce so there’s a little something for all. Positive, Columbia’s signature White Chocolate Bread Pudding is an indulgent treat ideal for splitting with a date who’s got a taste for white chocolate and rum sauce.
In 2017, the Marriott Traveler blog site known as the Columbia eatery among St. Augustine’s leading date-night areas, promoting partners to “focus on Columbia’s popular 1905 Salad, assembled table-side with a lot panache, right after which share a huge platter regarding the Paella a la Valenciana, overflowing with shellfish, fragrant grain, and chorizo.”
Your passionate night will be all the more pleasurable should you decide pair along with your food a glass of the Melanie Chardonnay, a wealthy drink called after Melanie Gonzmart, Richard’s high-school lover and girlfriend.
Plus, during the Columbia Restaurant, the sangria should perish for. Really, it comes from the glass but you can also separate a pitcher of white or reddish sangria with a romantic date to boost your dining knowledge. Nicely big cuts of fruit drift inside wine and infuse it with wealthy flavors. Whether you are buying this traditional sangria or one of several cafe’s family wines, the high-caliber products try not to disappoint.
Michael told you the group tends to make an endeavor available affordable however top quality wines to whet visitors’ appetites. “Our drink variety needs to be perfectly suited for the foodstuff we provide plus price point,” he said.
Many partners & households Have Shared Special times Here
When I think on the Columbia, i believe in the night we chose to have dessert for supper, and my personal parents bought churros, essential lime pie, mango mousse cake, white candy bread pudding, and five spoons. In my opinion of my twin-brother attempting grouper the very first time on our very own 20th birthday celebration and saying excitedly, “just take my personal photo” because the guy desired to reveal his sweetheart (who’s today his girlfriend) which he loved taking fish everything she did.
In so many means, the Columbia is like our spot, but my family isn’t the sole household to own generated memories only at that restaurant and its six sister locations across Florida. Individuals visited the bistro after all stages of existence because it supplies a unique environment that sets well with any party.
Famously, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio happened to be frequent friends of this Columbia in early 1950s. The Columbia employees paid tribute toward pair together with warm memories they contributed at restaurant by naming a dish after all of them. The Marilyn & Joe “Salteado” â a sautéed mixture of tenderloin tips, boneless chicken white meat, shrimp, and pork â is actually a tasty note with the lengthy history of romance inside Columbia’s dining areas.
Whether you’re going on an initial big date or honoring a marriage anniversary, you’ll find closeness and passion flourish in the gentle candlelight in the Columbia eatery.
“its one of our targets,” Michael said, “to possess people feel as if the Columbia is the place to come quickly to commemorate life’s goals.”
The Columbia eatery offers household Values to your Table
The Columbia eatery charms daters with genuine dishes, divine atmospheres, and personable solution. The machines, at the very least at our very own Columbia in Sand Key, watch their unique visitors and tend to be quick to state “Welcome back” to devoted customers which, like my family, find themselves going back to the classy eating areas again and again.
This long-standing dinner institution features expanded and altered for the many years, nonetheless it hasn’t forgotten its century-long family origins. Richard has actually challenging intentions to offer diners and daters throughout Fl for the many years to come. “our very own proprietor does not sleep,” Michael stated with fun. “He’s constantly dreaming up new things.”
The Columbia staff plans to open at least two new restaurants inside the upcoming decades. One will end up being easily found correct next door from the original Columbia in Tampa. Casa Santo Stefano, set-to start in autumn 2018, will pay homage to a little town in Sicily where most Tampa’s Sicilian immigrants arrived from â the authentic menu is designed to bring these families a delicious reminder of residence.
Enduring management and quality tastes make Columbia Restaurant as well as their aunt restaurants certainly great spots in which singles and couples seeking females can invest a night together with those they like most readily useful.