Qualla: Columbia Restaurant

Columbia Restaurant: Introduction

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit LittleT889, CC BY 4.0. The sangria arrives in a glass pitcher, mixed tableside with a flourish that has been rehearsed ten thousand times. At the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, Tampa, this is not performance but inheritance -- a ritual passed down through five generations of the Hernandez-Gonzmart family since Casimiro Hernandez Sr. opened a small corner saloon here in 1903. What began as Saloon Columbia, a tasting room for the Florida Brewery, has become the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida, the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States, and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world. The building now occupies an entire city block, holds 15 dining rooms across 52,000 square feet, and seats 1,700 guests at a time.

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Image: LittleT889 | CC BY 4.0

Columbia Restaurant: From Saloon to Institution

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 1.0. Casimiro Hernandez Sr. founded Saloon Columbia in 1903 in the heart of Ybor City, Tampa's cigar-making district, where Cuban, Spanish, and Italian immigrants rolled tobacco by the millions and needed somewhere to eat and drink when the shift ended. In 1905, the saloon was renamed...

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Image: Infrogmation of New Orleans | CC BY-SA 1.0

Columbia Restaurant: The Musician Who Became a Restaurateur

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0. In the early 1950s, Cesar Gonzmart faced a choice. A trained musician with real talent, he gave up a career in music to take over the family restaurant as general manager. But he never fully left the stage. For decades, Gonzmart serenaded his guests with his violin and a small or...

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Image: Infrogmation of New Orleans | CC BY-SA 3.0

Columbia Restaurant: Footwork and Fire

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0. Since 1988, the sharp crack of flamenco heels has echoed through the Columbia's dining rooms. Dancer Maria Esparza brought flamenco to the restaurant that year and has directed the show since 2008, building it into one of Tampa's signature cultural experiences. The coordination, ...

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Image: Infrogmation of New Orleans | CC BY-SA 3.0

Columbia Restaurant: An Empire in Spanish Tile

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Columbia's original Ybor City location remains the flagship, but the family has extended its reach across Florida. A Sarasota outpost opened in 1959, followed by St. Augustine in 1983, Sand Key in 1989, and Celebration in 1997. Each location carries the family name and menu, ...

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Image: Infrogmation of New Orleans | CC BY-SA 3.0

Columbia Restaurant: Ybor City's Living Room

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0. What makes the Columbia more than a restaurant is what it represents to Tampa. Ybor City's cigar factories are mostly gone, the immigrant neighborhoods have gentrified or dispersed, and the streetcar that once connected the district to downtown now runs largely for tourists. But ...

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Image: Infrogmation of New Orleans | CC BY-SA 3.0