Columbia Restaurant

We had a one-day trip to Tampa and stayed near Ybor City. When we checked in, the front desk recommended that we must try this restaurant 🌟. It has been in business since 1905 and has been running for a full 120 years now! It’s been operated by the same family all this time, and now it’s the fifth-generation successor. It’s the longest-running Spanish restaurant in the entire United States 🇺🇸. We arrived around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. The restaurant has large parking lots at the front and back, and both offer free parking 🚗. Before coming here, we wandered around Ybor City. It was raining a bit, and there was a Tornado warning ⚠️, so the whole city was pretty empty. But when we got to the restaurant, we still had to wait in line for about 30 to 40 minutes 😮. After getting our number, we went to the nearby gift shop. It sells all kinds of tableware, and they’re really super beautiful 🛎️! The shop isn’t big, but we actually wandered around until our number was called. In the end, we took three plates home with us 🛍️. The shop also has Cuban cigars, which are about $20 each 🚬. The coffee served in the restaurant, along with the spicy sauce, olives, and other side dishes, are also sold here, and they’re all not expensive 💰. When we were checking out, we met an old man. He came specifically to buy their coffee after eating at the restaurant, and he told us it’s really delicious ☕. As someone allergic to caffeine, I could only say I was deeply moved but had to refuse 😂. Just as we were checking out at the gift shop, the notification for our table came. It was a little after 6 o’clock. When we walked in, there was a front hall with only a reception desk, an antique chair, and a super big vase 🖼️. Going through the front hall, there are three large dining halls. We sat at a table next to the stage in the innermost hall. They have performances here from Monday to Saturday 🎭. The whole hall has a red brick frame and solid wood decorations. The solid wood beams in the hall, which have gone through more than a hundred years, shine with a warm luster under the dim yellow lights ✨. Waiters wearing bow ties carry plates and shuttle back and forth) through the hall. It really feels like a European restaurant from the last century 🕰️. The entire restaurant is a historical and cultural building, and it’s open for visits. After eating, you can go upstairs and look around 🚶♂️. The restaurant serves very traditional Spanish dishes, and many of their original recipes are almost a hundred years old 📜. We ordered an appetizer of butter garlic shrimp, a plate of fried beef, and a dessert of key lime pie. They all tasted great 😋. But the best of the day was their bread before the meal. It’s crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I wasn’t even hungry and didn’t plan to eat the bread, but it smelled so good that I took a bite, and it tasted even better 😍. As a result, I ate two whole pieces before the dishes came. Later, I asked the waiter about it, and they said it’s from a nearby bakery called La Segunda. They bake it fresh every day and send it over, then the restaurant reheats it. It’s said that their sandwiches are also really tasty 🥪. Also, their cocktails come highly recommended. The waiter will make them right next to your table on the spot 🍹. #Patan #Meatlover