Columbia Restaurant
27°57′36″N 82°26′6″W / 27.96000°N 82.43500°W
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Foodservice |
| Predecessor | Saloon Columbia (1903–1905) |
| Founded | 1905 |
| Founder | Casimiro Hernandez, Sr. |
| Headquarters | Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, United States |
Number of locations | 7 |
Area served | Florida |
Key people | Richard Gonzmart, President/CEO |
| Revenue | $42M (1991–last published) |
Number of employees | 1,200 |
| Parent | 1905 Family Of Restaurants |
| Website | www |
Columbia Restaurant is a restaurant in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida. It is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida, as well as the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States. The 15 dining rooms cover 52,000 ft seating 1,700 customers. It is the largest Spanish restaurant in the world and occupies an entire city block. Founded in 1903 as Saloon Columbia, it was renamed in 1905 to Columbia Restaurant. The landmark has been owned by the Hernandez-Gonzmart family for five generations and serves Spanish and Cuban cuisine.
In addition to the original location in Ybor City, there are Columbia restaurants in Sarasota (opened in 1959); in St. Augustine (opened in 1983); on Sand Key (1989); and in Celebration, Florida (1997). There are also smaller Columbia Café restaurants located at the Tampa Bay History Center (opened in 2009) and at Tampa International Airport (opened in May 2012).