The Quick type: Since 1905, the Columbia Restaurant has offered Spanish and Cuban-inspired dishes and drinks that represent a long-standing genealogy and family history. Created by a Cuban immigrant in Tampa, the Columbia continues to be a local favored simply because of its traditional ingredients and friendly service. Over the years, folks from world-wide have come towards the glamorous restaurant to celebrate involvements, wedding anniversaries, birthdays, also monumental minutes. Now, the 4th and 5th generations from the family members is the owner of and functions 13 various restaurants throughout Fl. If you’re searching for great dining with a good old-fashioned family members sense, you’ll be able to reserve a table when you look at the spectacular and enchanting food rooms for the Columbia Restaurant.

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Over the past 30 years, my children’s favored vacation destination happens to be an oceanfront lodge in Sand Key, Fl. We have now gone there over 12 occasions to create mud castles, spot dolphins, and consume tasty meals on patios ignoring the gulf.

We have carefully discovered the town’s bistro choice, searching out of the best regional joints around, but it simply so happens your one restaurant we-all enjoy the majority of is actually within taking walks length in our lodge. The Columbia Restaurant’s white-linen tablecloths, conscious service, and mouth-watering meals allow the go-to place for lunch.

As soon as we happened to be children, my parents would get us a parmesan cheese pizza as they checked out this enchanting Spanish bistro alone; but we have now enjoy tapas and wine as much as they perform, therefore we’ve started crashing their date night — sometimes bringing along dates of your very own.

Since 1905, the Columbia eatery has wowed patrons with Spanish and Cuban meals and an old-world ambiance. Even though it’s the oldest bistro in Fl, the business enterprise still is operate of the descendants in the initial creator. Every object throughout the selection features a story behind it, and many for the dishes were transmitted from one generation associated with Hernandez Gonzmart household to a higher. Household custom is an enormous area of the Columbia’s menu, background, and method to solution.

“The staff can a bit like family members,” said Michael Kilgore, the Chief Marketing Officer for the Columbia. “Many of our workers remain for 20 or thirty years. Among things we love about our party is actually the length of time they stay with you. They arrive right here and locate a home.”

You may enjoy this comfy and inviting environment on your next night out by visiting any one of the Columbia’s seven various restaurants. The Columbia Restaurant currently acts visitors in Tampa, Sarasota, St. Augustine, Clearwater seashore, and party. Whether you’re sipping wine on a picturesque balcony or viewing flamenco dancers light the phase as you eat tapas, you’re certain to have a memorable evening at Columbia.

In 1905, a Cuban Immigrant Ran a Saloon That Became a Sensation

The Columbia Restaurant can track the background back into Dec. 17, 1903 — the exact same day the Wright brothers effectively tested worldwide’s first plane. That was when a Cuban immigrant called Casimiro Hernandez Sr. began operating a saloon for a regional preparing company in Tampa’s Ybor City.

In 1905, the industrious entrepreneur turned the saloon into a prominent 60-seat cafe known for the authentic Cuban coffee and snacks. Soon after their achievements, Casimiro ordered a restaurant nearby and converted it into an attractive kitchen. In 1930, his daughter took over ownership and operation of this thriving bistro.

Throughout the Great anxiety, their son Casimiro Jr. created initial air-conditioned dining room in Tampa. He hoped the trendy appearance and raised dancing flooring would draw visitors to the restaurant and help all of them forget about their particular concerns for every night. The Don Quixote place ended up being popular, and the Columbia was able to hold its doorways open even though many some other organizations folded.

In 1953, Casimiro Jr. passed the Columbia to his just son or daughter, Adela Hernandez Gonzmart, an accomplished artist who had fulfilled the woman spouse, Cesar Gonzmart, in the Tampa bistro. This theatrical pair delivered enjoyment and art to the Columbia, setting up a showroom that hosted numerous skilled Latin dancers and musicians. Under Adela and Cesar’s leadership, the Columbia expanded to Sarasota alongside places in Fl.

Today, one of Adela and Cesar’s two sons has brought the reins and kept his family members’ business going. Richard Gonzmart happens to be operating at their family members’ restaurants since he was 12 years of age, therefore he’s thoroughly familiar with the environment and history. Richard can indicate the dining table during the Columbia eatery in which the guy and his wife had their very first date a lot more than 43 years back.

“there are plenty of relationship right here, and now we have a great story,” said Michael. “lower than 15 restaurants in the usa tend to be family-owned and most a century old, therefore we’re in pretty elite business.”

Florida’s oldest bistro features a proud and enduring history rooted in meals, family members, and fun. Michael informed united states the fifth generation regarding the founding family is currently being groomed to take-over one-day. Richard’s daughters and nephew took in effective management roles at the restaurants and are also prepared to keep the family members custom choosing more years into the future.

The Columbia has been recognized with associated with greatest awards when you look at the restaurant industry, including induction into country’s Restaurant Information’ “great Dining Hall of popularity,” attained the “Distinguished Restaurants of America (SiRoNA) honor of quality,” Fl Trend’s “Golden Spoon Hall of popularity,” and Wine Spectator’s “better of honor of Excellence.”

Enjoy In! A Delectable Menu of Sharable Tapas & Indulgent Desserts

The Columbia Restaurant sets a luxurious table and provides an enjoyable escape from daily life. It seduces your senses from the moment you walk-in the doorways. You’re surrounded by greenery, drinking water fountains, and artwork once the noise of laughter while the odors of fresh fish and shellfish meals waft through the atmosphere. Before my personal purchase also gets to me, my mouth area is always watering with expectation. Thank goodness, each visitor becomes his / her own freshly generated loaf of Cuban bread, so I have something you should fulfill my personal taste buds while I wait.

The 14-page menu is full of good food and provides easy talk beginners for daters merely getting to know one another. Each entrée, appetizer, and treat includes an enticing explanation and interesting back ground info. By way of example, the bistro’s coconut ice cream had been a popular of ice-cream business owner Gustavo Hernandez, the third boy on the original Columbia president, and after this this nice dish is served inside the respect.

From the veggie paella (Spanish grain blended with satisfying vegetables) into the shrimp great (shrimp wrapped in wafer-thin bacon), the foodstuffs within Columbia tend to be bursting with taste. The shareable dishes, also known as tapas, get this restaurant ideal for partners on a night out together as you can come better with each other by discussing little dishes of empanadas, sliced chorizo, croquetas, or packed peppers. It is possible to make a budget-friendly food by ordering some of those appetizers with each other — keep in mind to save lots of place for treat!

The Très Amigos churros would-be an outstanding option for couples retreat putlocker because they’re tactile, sweet, and merely a little messy. You’ll dip the piping-hot churros in candy, caramel, or guava sauce generally there’s a little something for everybody. Plus, Columbia’s trademark White Chocolate Bread Pudding is an indulgent treat ideal for splitting with a romantic date who has a taste for white chocolate and rum sauce.

In 2017, the Marriott Traveler blog site named the Columbia Restaurant among St. Augustine’s top date-night spots, promoting couples to “start off with Columbia’s well-known 1905 Salad, assembled table-side with a lot panache, and share a huge platter with the Paella a la Valenciana, overflowing with shellfish, fragrant grain, and chorizo.”

Your intimate evening will be all the greater pleasurable should you set along with your dinner one cup of the Melanie Chardonnay, a refreshing drink named after Melanie Gonzmart, Richard’s high-school lover and girlfriend.

Plus, at Columbia eatery, the sangria is perish for. Honestly, referring of the cup but you can in addition separate a pitcher of white or reddish sangria with a night out together to enhance the dining experience. Nicely large pieces of good fresh fruit drift when you look at the drink and infuse it with rich tastes. Whether you are purchasing this classic sangria or among the bistro’s family wines, the high-caliber drinks cannot disappoint.

Michael informed united states the group tends to make an endeavor available affordable but high quality wines to whet friends’ appetites. “Our wine variety should be completely fitted to the food we offer and your selling price,” he said.

Many Couples & Families have actually Shared specialized times Here

When In my opinion for the Columbia, I think with the evening we made a decision to have treat for lunch, and my personal parents purchased churros, important lime pie, mango mousse dessert, white candy bread dessert, and five spoons. In my opinion of my twin brother attempting grouper for the first time on the 20th birthday and claiming excitedly, “simply take my personal photo” because the guy planned to program their sweetheart (who’s today his spouse) which he loved eating fish approximately she performed.

In so many ways, the Columbia feels as though all of our destination, but my family isn’t the actual only real family members to own produced recollections at this bistro and its particular six sister areas across Florida. People reach the bistro at all phases of life since it supplies a unique environment that pairs well with any function.

Notoriously, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio had been constant guests associated with Columbia during the early 1950s. The Columbia staff members paid tribute towards pair therefore the loving thoughts they shared at cafe by naming a dish after them. The Marilyn & Joe “Salteado” — a sautéed blend of tenderloin recommendations, boneless chicken, shrimp, and pork — is a delicious reminder in the long reputation for relationship inside the Columbia’s dining rooms.

Whether you’re happening an initial day or remembering a marriage anniversary, you will discover intimacy and enthusiasm achieve the smooth candlelight with the Columbia eatery.

“It really is one of our objectives,” Michael stated, “getting people feel like the Columbia is the perfect place to come to celebrate life’s goals.”

The Columbia Restaurant has group Values on the Table

The Columbia eatery charms daters with genuine meals, divine atmospheres, and personable service. The hosts, about at all of our Columbia in Sand Key, focus on their own friends and are also rapid to express “Welcome back” to faithful customers exactly who, like my family, are returning to the stylish dining areas over and over again.

This long-standing food organization provides expanded and changed throughout the decades, however it never forgotten about their century-long family sources. Richard has actually bold plans to offer diners and daters throughout Florida during the years into the future. “All of our owner does not rest,” Michael mentioned with a laugh. “He’s constantly fantasizing right up new things.”

The Columbia team intends to open about two brand-new restaurants in coming years. One will end up being conveniently positioned appropriate down the street from original Columbia in Tampa. Casa Santo Stefano, set-to open up in fall 2018, pay honor to limited town in Sicily where a lot of Tampa’s Sicilian immigrants arrived from — the authentic menu aims to bring these households a tasty note of residence.

Enduring management and quality flavors result in the Columbia Restaurant and all their sibling restaurants genuinely remarkable spots where singles and partners can invest an evening in the company of those they love greatest.