Columbia Restaurant

The original Columbia Restaurant, located in Ybor City in Tampa, Florida, is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida. It is also the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States, and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world. It has 15 dining rooms containing 1,700 seats, totaling 52,000  square feet. Founded in 1903 as Saloon Columbia, it was renamed in 1905 to the Columbia Restaurant. The landmark has been owned by the Hernandez-Gonzmart family for five generations and serves Spanish and Cuban cuisine.

In June 2009, the Columbia Restaurant was recognized as one of the 25 iconic restaurants of the Tampa-St.Petersburg area by the St. Petersburg Times. It was also selected in '' Nation's Restaurant News'' in the "Top 50 All-American icon category." The 2022 Michelin Guide for Florida rated the Columbia as "Recommended".

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).

Wine

The original restaurant's wine list contains more than 1,056 wines with an inventory exceeding 50,000 bottles, and Columbia has won several awards for its Spanish wines. Wine Enthusiast Magazine: America’s Best Wine-Driven Restaurants of 2007-Columbia Restaurant
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The restaurant features several private-label wines created to honor family members. The popular house sangria is mixed table side.

Activities

Flamenco dancing

Several nights a week, the restaurant features dinner show performances of flamenco, one of Spain's traditional dances, consists of rhythmic steps performed on a hardwood floor, and originated with Romani people in Spain. It has evolved through the years to the more structured form we have become familiar with. Classical Spanish dances consist of ballet moves in colorful Spanish costumes accompanied by the sound of castanets.

Community Harvest

Over 90 nonprofit organizations received more than $168,000 from the Columbia Restaurant's 15th Annual Community Harvest campaign, held annually in the month of September. The chain donates 5% of all guests' lunch and dinner checks and allows patrons to designate the charitable organizations their choice. Over the past 14 years, the event has generated more than $1.5 million to nonprofits throughout Florida.

Cesar Gonzmart Memorial Golf Tournament

The CGMGT was begun in 1998 by Columbia Restaurant owners Richard and Casey Gonzmart in memory of their father. Proceeds from the event are donated to a local charity or non-profit organization.
In 2013, the 18th Annual Cesar Gonzmart Memorial Gourmet Golf Tournament raised over $60,000 for the University of South Florida.
*The 7th Annual 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.
*The 8th Annual CGMGT raised over $55,000 for Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute, the University of South Florida Athletic Association, and the Adela & Cesar Gonzmart Endowed Memorial Scholarship, part of the USF Latino Scholarship Program.
*The 13th Annual CGMGT raised over $50,000 for the University of South Florida in Tampa. The University of South Florida Athletic Association and the Columbia Restaurant Centenario Endowed Scholarship, part of the USF Latino Scholarship Program.

"1905 Day"

On a Sunday in mid-September 1980 (the restaurant's 75th anniversary) until September 2013, the restaurant celebrated "1905 Day." On that day, a special menu with 1905 prices was in effect from noon to 7 p.m. Menu items had included:
*Chicken & Yellow Rice "Ybor", Boliche (eye round of beef) or Merluza "Russian Style" for $2.95
*Columbia's Original "1905 Salad" for $1.95
*Sangria for 95¢ & coffee for 5¢
*Dessert Flan for 50¢

The event was extremely popular, resulting in long lines forming very early in the day. In 2014, the restaurant announced it would celebrate "1905 Day" in the future on significant anniversaries.

According to Richard Gonzmart, President of the Columbia Restaurant Group, "''1905 Day'' is our way of thanking all of our customers who have contributed to the success of the Columbia for over 100 years and five generations of ownership. We are convinced that we would not be celebrating our 102nd anniversary without the support of the communities we serve.

See also

* List of Spanish restaurants

References

Florida Heritage website: Great Floridians 2000 Program-Cesar Gonzmart

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Tampa Chamber of Commerce/Inside View: September/October 2003-The Cesar Gonzmart 8th Annual Memorial Golf Tournament

Tampa's Spanish Restaurant
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External links

* {{official

* ttp://digital.lib.usf.edu/?C57 University of South Florida Libraries: Columbia Restaurant Oral History Project
University of South Florida Libraries: Columbia Restaurant/Gonzmart Family Collections, 1903-

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