"It boasts 15 dining rooms, 1,700 seats, and 52,000 square feet of space—sized for weddings, celebrations, or just wandering around after dinner with your date."

Richard Gonzmart, fourth generation owner of the Columbia Restaurant, explains how the two sides of his family - one from Cuba, one from Spain - came to America and opened the restaurant which has survived Prohibition, the Great Depression, World Wars and, most recently, COVID.

"The Columbia Restaurant simply must be on your radar. "

"Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse stops into the Columbia in Ybor City to watch fifth-generation owner Andrea Gonzmart make her signature sangria and paella Valenciana."

"Hispanic Heritage Month is here, and what better way to celebrate than visiting St. Augustine, the place where Hispanic influence began in the United States."

"In honor of National Cuban Sandwich Day, which is Aug. 23, allow me to recommend my favorite local restaurants for real Cuban sandwiches. Let's start with the Columbia and its excellent Tampa-style Cubano.."

"Not only is Columbia Restaurant in Tampa, Florida the largest restaurant in the state, but it also holds the title for one of the oldest Spanish restaurants in the entire world! "

"The tiles not only set a mood. They tell a story of the Columbia itself, Florida's oldest restaurant, founded in 1905."

"Open since 1905, this Ybor City staple serves up Cuban cuisine and boasts the title of Florida’s oldest restaurant, and it’s a great choice for a romantic restaurant, too..."

"The Spanish bean soup is still made using the original recipe from Casimiro Hernandez, Sr."

"Columbia Restaurant began as a small cafe serving authentic, reliable food such as Cuban sandwiches and café con leche, Cuban coffee, to armies of cigar makers longing for a taste of home in Ybor City."