Columbia Café at Tampa International Airport — Restaurant in Tampa

Columbia Tampa International Airport

I know this picture is not the best, but get over it, I was trying to avoid the people across from me thinking I was taking a picture of them.

I don’t usually eat before a flight, but since I knew I would be landing late, I decided to grab a small bite at one of Tampa's oldest and most famous Spanish restaurants, Columbia.

The hostess on duty was about business, greeted every customer with a smile and got everyone seated with a menu as soon as he saw you walk up! Excellent customer service and please forgive me for forgetting his name, slim black gentleman, medium height, nice smile, I am sure if you read this review, you know the exact employee I am speaking of, he is a gem!

I decided on the half Cuban Sandwich, and the 1905 salad which is a must every time I visit the restaurant. I love the tableside presentation, while this does not happen at the airport location, my salad was still delicious. I received a Spanish Bean Soup by mistake, but hey, now I have a soup that was lovely and might be my new option when flying. Full of garbanzo beans, ham, chorizo, and potatoes. The broth was full bodied and thickens as the potatoes dissolve, loved it.

My Cuban Sandwich I am sad to say was a disappointment. Served lukewarm, the cheese wasn’t even melted. I know it sat under the warmer because the bread was also a bit chewy versus the crisp hot sandwich that I have grown to love.

We all have a bad day, and this was just one for my poor Cuban. With the stellar service, my accidental soup delight, and faithful 1905 being on point, I can give them a pass on this one.

So if you ever find yourself at Tampa International Airport, leaving from Airside E, drop by Columbia, order whatever you want, people watch from a seat near the boarding gates, and most of all don’t forget to tell them @Unnerved Traveler sent...

Worst service ever. My husband and I ordered two drinks, the steak meal and a sandwich. We waited 30 minutes for our food with no drink refill, my husband's steak was so tough it could not be cut with the butter knife they gave him. He asked for a sharper nife, she literally offered him a plastic knife as an alternative. (Found out you can't have steak knifes in an airport) but in that case maybe don't over cook your steaks. The waitress did nothing but cop an attitude with him the entire time, took his plate from him while he was eating the French fries and rudely said they would take it off the bill. The manager came and offered to buy us our next drink to attempt to make it right, took our order and we waited yet another 15-20 mins, still no drinks. There was maybe 7 people in the entire restaurant with 4 people up front staffing. Well enough to deliver great service. We paid our bill of $66, NO TIP. We have NEVER not tipped. We left and walked down to another place about 5 mins away, the waitress FOLLOWED US and told the next business not to serve us and said we were cut off as though we were drunk or something. It's astonishing! That was the one and only drink we had, we just got the airport but because we didn't tip on our $66 bill when the entire experience was worthless and she didn't deserve a dime for her service she literally chased us down through the airport. Maybe instead of chasing your customers down for 5 minutes your time would be better served SERVING your customers if you want tips. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. I am still shaking in anger. Take that steak off the menu and service your customers better. Most people get drinks at the airport because they have ANXIETY about flying. Mine is the worst, so take that into consideration when you pick your job, if you don't want to help or serve people then find something else...

The airline gave us a meal voucher and I thought this looked like a nice place. I should have turned around when the waitress said “we are only serving salad and sandwiches” and started naming all the other restaurants I should go to. I think they were closing and she was trying to convince me to go else where. Then she asked me to sit at the bar, but I requested a table which seamed to irritate her. I said a salad would be ok and she said ok I’ll get it for you. I said don’t you have more than one salad? She said the lettuce and tomato salad only has lettuce and tomato. And the 1905 salad has your choice of ham or turkey and names all the ingredients. I asked to see the menu and she held it open in front of me so I could view the 1905 salad ingredients and then pulled it away before I could view the drinks and sandwiches. And said do you want a half size? And what do you want to drink? I wish I could have viewed the menu, but she wouldn’t let me hold it, so I had to guess what they had to drink. Do you have a lemonade? “Yes” and she left without letting me see the sandwiches or choosing between the ham and turkey for my salad. Then I had to move outside because they were mopping and I was feeling ill from the floor cleaner. When I moved outside the other waitress pointed to the “clean” area so I walked there. And then she said I had to go to the other side that had not been cleaned yet. So I went to the other area and was quickly served a skimpy salad with tomatoes that had gone bad. At this point the waitress started being nice and asked how my meal was and offered a drink refill, but I was still upset that I was refused a menu and my choice of meal. Won’t be...