Columbia Restaurant

The Columbia Restaurant on East 7th Avenue boasts award winning cuisine. Casimiro Hernandez, Sr. opened the restaurant in 1905, and his son, Casimiro Hernandez, Jr., took over in 1927. Today the business is still thriving and is still family owned. 

There's no lack of entertainment here; the restaurant brings in Flamenco dancers Monday through Saturday, and  there is live jazz music in the café Tuesday through Saturday. Columbia Restaurant charges a $6 cover per person for the Flamenco shows. 

The menu features tapas, soups, salads, lunch entrees, dinner entrees, dessert and beverages. Many favorite Cuban dishes grace the menu, including empanadas, croquetas, black bean soup and yuca, not to mention the original Cuban sandwich, roast pork loin and thinly sliced sirloin palomilla. Specially prepared paellas take 30 minutes to make, but the wait is worth it. 

The dinner menu includes seafood, chicken, beef, vegetarian dishes and combination platters. If you want fresh fish with a Spanish flair, try the Snapper "Alicante." Baked casserole style, this dish features snapper with green onions, garlic, sweet Spanish onions, roasted almonds, gravy, shrimp and fried eggplant, served with a side of yellow rice. The roast pork "A La Cubana" is the ultimate comfort food -- thick slices of pork roast served with white rice, black beans, sweet plantains and yuca.

If you have a sweet tooth, try the flan, guava cheesecake, key lime pie or white chocolate bread pudding with Bacardi rum sauce. 

For health and diet conscious eaters, the restaurant clearly lists the menu's gluten-free items. The restaurant is kid-friendly, too. Children under 10 years of age can order from the kids' menu, which includes a Cuban sandwich, steak and fries, chicken fingers and fries and macaroni and cheese. 

Columbia restaurant in Ybor City can host your next party or banquet. The location has 15 different dining rooms with delicate Spanish decor. 

HelloTampa Tip: In addition to Ybor City, the restaurant now has locations in St. Petersburg, Sarasota, St. Augustine, Clearwater Beach, Celebration and Channelside Tampa.

- by Jessica Bates, Tampa Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Jessica Bates

Jessica is a freelance journalist residing in lovely southern California. She holds a bachelor's degree in English and journalism. She writes for a green living publication, which she thoroughly enjoys. Once upon a time she was an editorial board member for Steel Toe Books choosing poetry manuscripts for publication.