{{short description|Restaurant in Tampa, Florida, United States}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{coord|27|57|36|N|82|26|6|W|display=title}}

{{Infobox company | name = Columbia Restaurant | logo = columbia100 logo.PNG | logo_size = 200px | image = Columbia, Ybor City.jpg | former_name = | type = Private | predecessor = Saloon Columbia <small>(1903–1905)</small> | foundation = 1905 | founder = Casimiro Hernandez, Sr.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} 1905 Family Of Restaurants |url=https://www.1905familyofrestaurants.com/ |access-date=2023-03-01 |website=1905 Family Website |language=en}}</ref> | location_city = | location_country = | location = [[Ybor City]], [[Tampa]], [[Florida]], United States | locations = 7 | key_people = [[Richard Gonzmart]], President/CEO | area_served = Florida | industry = [[Foodservice]] | products = | services = | revenue = $42M (1991–last published{{when|date=March 2023}}){{citation needed|date=March 2023}} | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = 1,200{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} | parent = 1905 Family Of Restaurants | divisions = | subsid = | homepage = {{official URL}} | dissolved = | footnotes = }}

'''Columbia Restaurant''' is a restaurant in [[Ybor City]], [[Tampa, Florida]]. It is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida,<ref name="SPT"/> as well as the oldest [[Spanish cuisine|Spanish restaurant]] in the United States.<ref name="FLH"/> The 15 dining rooms cover 52,000&nbsp;ft seating 1,700 customers. It is the [[List of largest restaurants|largest Spanish restaurant in the world]] and occupies an entire city block.<ref name="SPT"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ybor City, Tampa |url=https://www.columbiarestaurant.com/ybor-city-tampa |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Columbia Restaurant |language=en}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Martinez |first=Erica |url=https://www.tastingtable.com/1214750/floridas-oldest-restaurant-is-also-the-worlds-largest-spanish-restaurant/ |title=Florida's Oldest Restaurant Is Also The World's Largest Spanish Restaurant|work=Tasting Table |date=2023-03-01 |accessdate=2023-08-21 }}</ref>

In addition to the original location in Ybor City, there are Columbia restaurants in [[Sarasota, Florida|Sarasota]] (opened in 1959);<ref name="History" /> in [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine]] (opened in 1983); on [[Sand Key (barrier island)|Sand Key]] (1989); and in [[Celebration, Florida]] (1997).<ref name="History" /> 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).<ref name="History" />

==Wine== The original restaurant's wine list contains more than 1,000 wines with an inventory exceeding 50,000 bottles.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wine Spectator Online: Columbia Restaurant, Tampa Florida |url=http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Dining/Restaurant_Awards/Restaurant_Profile/0,1246,353,00.html |website=Winespectator.com |publisher=WineSpectator |access-date=3 July 2012 |archive-date=10 February 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130210072059/http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Dining/Restaurant_Awards/Restaurant_Profile/0,1246,353,00.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Columbia's wine list: 1,056 different wines with an inventory exceeding 50,000 bottles |url=https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g34678-d388777-i97263661-Columbia_Restaurant-Tampa_Florida.html |website=tripadvisor.com |publisher=Tripadvisor LLC |access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref> The restaurant features several private-label wines and liquors created to honor family members.<ref name="CLT">{{cite web |last1=Huse |first1=Andrew|author-link1=Andrew Huse|title=Columbia Restaurant's Richard Gonzmart unveils his new private label wines and liquors |url=https://www.cltampa.com/food-drink/columbia-restaurants-richard-gonzmart-unveils-his-new-private-label-wines-and-liquors-12291695 |website=cltampa.com |publisher=Creative Loafing Tampa |access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref> The popular house [[sangria]] is mixed tableside,<ref>{{cite web |last1=None |first1=Patti |title=Restaurant Review: The Columbia Restaurant |url=https://savesliveswilltravel.com/tag/sangria/ |website=savesliveswilltravel.com |date=9 July 2016 |publisher=Saves Lives Will Travel |access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hunt |first1=Maria |title=SANGRIA DE CAVA AT COLUMBIA RESTAURANT IN TAMPA |url=https://thebubblygirl.com/drinks/sparkling-wine/bubbly-girl-drink-of-the-week-sangria-de-cava-at-columbia-restaurant-in-tampa/ |website=thebubblygirl.com |publisher=The Bubbly Girl |access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref> and the recipe has dozens of posts on the internet. [[Image:ColumbiaTampaAug2008Corner21A.jpg|right|thumb|Exterior from across 7th Avenue, Ybor City]]

==Activities== ===Music=== In the early 1950s, [[César Gonzmart]] traded his career as a musician for one as a restaurateur, but after he became general manager, he regularly serenaded his guests with his violin and orchestra.<ref name="BRA">{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Wilton |title=Celebration's Values Viewed by Gonzmart |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/717228383/?article=e1df4d53-2a87-4508-a902-68830689b6e4&xid=4639%20&terms=Casey_Gonzmart&_gl=1*1ezv144*_gcl_au*MTQ3MTAwNjI5NS4xNjg1NDU5MTI0*_ga*MjAwNzk3NzUwNy4xNjc3Mjk0MDEx*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*NjAyYTNhYjYtOGUyNy00YmU4LTljOWYtNTc5ZGI5YTYwMzc3LjE1Ni4xLjE2OTI3Mzk3NTguNTYuMC4w&_ga=2.82194070.1082759515.1692733410-2007977507.1677294011 |agency=The Bradenton Herald |publisher=Knight Ridder |date=19 Mar 1967 |ref=Page 33}}</ref> Until illness prevented it, he performed regularly and music has always been key to the dining experience.<ref name="DIE">{{cite web |last1=Clary |first1=Susan |title=Columbia patriarch Gonzmart dead at 72 |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1992/12/11/columbia-patriarch-gonzmart-dead-at-72/ |website=tampabay.com |publisher=Tampa Bay Times |access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref> There is still live music on weekends.<ref name="MUS">{{cite web |title=Flamenco Dinner Show |url=https://www.columbiarestaurant.com/flamenco-show-ybor-city |website=columbiarestaurant.com |publisher=Columbia Restaurant |access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref>

===Flamenco=== Maria Esparza began performing [[flamenco]] dance shows at the Columbia Restaurant in 1988. She has been the show's director since 2008.<ref name=FLA /> She says that flamenco is not only a dance, but also art. The dancers tell the story of Spain's culture through their dancing.<ref name="FLA">{{cite web |last1=Hurtado |first1=Linda |title=Columbia Restaurant flamenco director brings Spanish culture to audiences for more than 30 years |url=https://www.fox13news.com/news/columbia-restaurant-flamenco-director-brings-spanish-culture-to-audiences-for-more-than-30-years |website=fox13news.com |date=16 September 2022 |publisher=FOX Television Stations |access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref> Esparza explains, "It's really hard what we do. The coordination is like no other. We work with our hands and the footwork, we're doing percussion with our footwork."<ref name=FLA /> There are dinner shows Tuesday through Saturday.<ref>{{cite web |title=Columbia Restaurant - Ybor City |url=https://www.opentable.com/columbia-restaurant-ybor-city |website=opentable.com |publisher=OpenTable |access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref><ref name=MUS /> [[File:La Columbia Restaurant - Courtyard dining room.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Indoor courtyard dining room, Ybor City]]

===Community Harvest=== Beginning in 1997, the Columbia Restaurant has held a monthly ''Community Harvest'' campaign during September.<ref name=TPO /> The chain donates 5% of all guests' lunch and dinner checks, allowing patrons to designate the charitable organizations of their choice.<ref name="TBBJ" /> As of 2015, the event had generated more than $1.8 million for Florida nonprofits.<ref name=TPO />

===1905 Day=== For Columbia's 75th anniversary in 1980, they held a street festival, "Back to Ybor City" with an art show, entertainment with [[flamenco]] dancing and "food prices of yesterday".<ref name=TPO /> The restaurant celebrated "1905 Day" from 1980 to 2013. On a random September or October day, a special menu with 1905 prices was in effect from noon to 7 p.m.<ref name="PRESS">{{cite news |date=18 September 2009 |title=Events Calendar: Sunday, September 20, 2009 |work=Pinellas News |url=https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/uf/00/07/36/88/00242/00009-18-2009.pdf#page=2 |access-date=2020-01-09}}</ref><ref name="Morelli2012" /> Hundreds of diners lined up outside before the restaurant opened for the opportunity of a great bargain.<ref name=TPO /> In 2014, the restaurant announced it would celebrate "1905 Day" in the future on significant anniversaries.<ref name="TPO">{{cite web |last1=Reiley |first1=Laura |title=Columbia Restaurant's '1905 Day' goes the way of 5-cent coffee |url=https://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/food/dining/columbia-restaurant-again-cancels-its-1905-day-special/2287272/ |website=tampabay.com |publisher=Tampa Bay Times |access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref> The next 1905 day may be in 2025 for their 120th anniversary.<ref name=TPO />

===Cesar Gonzmart Memorial Golf Tournament=== [[Image:StAugFLSept07ColumbiaHypolita.jpg|right|thumb|Columbia Restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida, 2007]] The annual Cesar Gonzmart Memorial Golf Tournament (CGMGT) began in 1995 by Columbia Restaurant owners Richard and Casey Gonzmart in memory of their father, who died of pancreatic cancer.<ref name="TCG" /> Proceeds from the event benefit educational programs in communities where the Columbia Restaurants are located.<ref name="GIV">{{cite web |title=Richard Gonzmart |url=https://secureonlinegiving.com/events/site/page.asp?eventID=72&pageID=84 |website=secureonlinegiving.com |publisher=SecureOnline Giving |access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref>

Columbia Restaurant, through funds raised during the 2001 CGMGT, and the Sant 'Yago Education Foundation gave $5,000 to support the [[American Heart Association]]'s American Heart Heroes Week project, an initiative that provides camp experiences for children with [[cardiovascular disease]].<ref name="NRN2001" /> The 2003 CGMGT raised over $55,000 for the [[H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute]], the [[University of South Florida]] Athletic Association, and a donation to the USF Latino Scholarship Program.<ref name="TCG" />

== Awards and recognitions == In 2009, the Columbia Restaurant was recognized as one of the 25 iconic restaurants of the [[Tampa Bay Area|Tampa-St.Petersburg area]] by the [[St. Petersburg Times]].<ref name="TBT2009" /> It was also listed in ''[[Nation's Restaurant News]]'' in the "Top 50 All-American icon category."<ref name="NRN2010" /> The 2022 [[Michelin Guide]] for Florida rated Columbia as "Recommended".<ref name="TBT-Michelin">{{cite news |last1=Freund |first1=Helen |date=2022-06-09 |title=No stars for Tampa as Michelin Guide honors Florida restaurants for the first time |work=Tampa Bay Times |url=https://www.tampabay.com/life-culture/food/2022/06/09/no-stars-for-tampa-as-michelin-honors-florida-restaurants-stars-for-the-first-time/ |access-date=2022-07-28}}</ref>

==Books== *''The Columbia Restaurant: Celebrating a Century of History, Culture, and Cuisine'', 2009<ref>{{cite book |title=The Columbia Restaurant: Celebrating a Century of History, Culture, and Cuisine |isbn=978-0813033655 |last1=Huse |first1=Andrew T. |author-link1=Andrew Huse|date=2009 |publisher=University Press of Florida }}</ref> *''Best-Loved Recipes from the Columbia Restaurant'', 2014<ref>{{cite book |title=Best-Loved Recipes from The Columbia Restaurant | isbn=978-0942084160 | last1=Gonzmart | first1=Richard | date=July 22, 2014 | publisher=University Press of Florida }}</ref>

==See also== * [[List of restaurants in Tampa, Florida]] * [[List of Spanish restaurants]]

==References== <references> <ref name="FLH">[http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/floridians/?section=t#Tampa Florida Heritage website: Great Floridians 2000 Program-Cesar Gonzmart] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930182458/http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/floridians/?section=t |date=2007-09-30}}</ref> <ref name="History">{{cite web |title=The Columbia Experience — View All Locations |website=columbiarestaurant.com |url=https://www.columbiarestaurant.com/view-all-locations |access-date=2022-12-15}}</ref> <ref name="Morelli2012">{{cite news |author=Keith Morelli |title=Columbia Restaurant rolls back prices 107 years |work=[[The Tampa Tribune]] |date=2012-09-16 |url=http://tbo.com/dining/columbia-restaurant-rolls-back-prices--years-502737 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022151757/http://tbo.com/dining/columbia-restaurant-rolls-back-prices--years-502737 |archive-date=2015-10-22 |access-date=2014-06-18 }}</ref> <ref name="NRN2001">{{cite news |title=Columbia Restaurant helps boost Heart Heroes Week |work=[[Nation's Restaurant News]] |date=2001-10-01 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_40_35/ai_78902482/?tag=rel.res4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715193858/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_40_35/ai_78902482/?tag=rel.res4 |archive-date=2012-07-15}}</ref> <ref name="NRN2010">{{cite web |url=http://www.nationsrestaurantnews-digital.com/nationsrestaurantnews/20100125/?pg=3#pg5 |title=Nation's Restaurant News - January 25, 2010 - (Page 3) |website=www.nationsrestaurantnews-digital.com |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203180053/http://www.nationsrestaurantnews-digital.com/nationsrestaurantnews/20100125/?pg=3#pg5 |archive-date=3 February 2010 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> <ref name="SPT">{{cite news |title=State senators praise Columbia Restaurant's 100 years |newspaper=St Petersburg Times Online |author=Times Staff |date=2005-04-14 |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/14/State/State_senators_praise.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050531222617/http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/14/State/State_senators_praise.shtml |archive-date=2005-05-31}}</ref> <ref name="TBBJ">{{Cite web |last=Halstead |first=Larry |date=October 10, 2007 |title=Restaurant chain cooks up donations |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2007/10/08/daily36.html |access-date=2023-03-01 |website=www.bizjournals.com}}</ref> <ref name="TBT2009">{{cite news |author=Laura Reiley |title=These favorite Tampa Bay restaurants have been around over 25 years |newspaper=Tampa Bay Times |date=2009-06-10 |url=http://www.tampabay.com/features/food/restaurants/article1008654.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090613034029/http://www.tampabay.com/features/food/restaurants/article1008654.ece |archive-date=2009-06-13 }}</ref> <ref name="TCG">[http://www.tampachamber.com/files/insideview-sepoct2003.pdf Tampa Chamber of Commerce/Inside View: September/October 2003-The Cesar Gonzmart 8th Annual Memorial Golf Tournament] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070330180511/http://www.tampachamber.com/files/insideview-sepoct2003.pdf |date=2007-03-30}}</ref> </references>

==External links== * {{official website}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080404161017/http://www.travel-watch.com/columbia.htm Travel Watch review: Ybor City’s World Famous Columbia Restaurant] *[http://digital.lib.usf.edu/?C57 University of South Florida Libraries: Columbia Restaurant Oral History Project]{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} *[http://digital.lib.usf.edu/?C61 University of South Florida Libraries: Columbia Restaurant/Gonzmart Family Collections, 1903-]

[[Category:Companies based in Tampa, Florida]] [[Category:Cuban-American culture in Tampa, Florida]] [[Category:Cuban restaurants in the United States]] [[Category:History of Tampa, Florida]] [[Category:Landmarks in Tampa, Florida]] [[Category:Restaurants established in 1905]] [[Category:Restaurants in Tampa, Florida]] [[Category:Spanish-American culture in Tampa, Florida]] [[Category:Spanish restaurants in the United States]] [[Category:1905 establishments in Florida]]