Columbia Restaurant
Best Spanish Restaurant in Tampa · FL
Florida's oldest restaurant in Ybor City
The Columbia is Florida's oldest restaurant, opened by the Hernandez-Gonzmart family in Tampa's Ybor City in 1905 and now the largest Spanish restaurant in the world, filling an entire city block of tiled dining rooms. The 1905 salad, Spanish bean soup, and nightly flamenco shows are as much a tradition as the paella.
Five generations on, the Columbia remains the crown jewel of Ybor City — a hand-painted-tile monument to Tampa's Spanish and Cuban heritage.
Customers said it first.
A Centurion Award verifies the public record that’s already there. Read the reviews yourself on the platforms below.
Public-record snapshot as of July 2026. Live ratings are always current on each platform.
Why this business cleared the bar.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record. Founding cohort: evaluated in 2026 on public evidence available then, labeled 2025. Selection follows the published criteria; Columbia Restaurant met them on that evidence. The business can claim the listing or ask us to remove it.
- ✓Years in operation. Operating in Tampa since 1905 — 120 years of continuous business.
- ✓Sustained online presence. An established local institution with a consistent public footprint — listings, coverage, and word of mouth in Tampa.
- ✓Established customer track record. A deep public track record: Tampa has kept Columbia Restaurant busy for 120 years.
- ✓Liked by customers and the community. Genuinely beloved by Tampa regulars and visitors alike — a bona fide community favorite.
- ✓Recognition in the local community. Named best Spanish restaurant in Tampa for 2025 for 120 years of Cuban-Spanish cuisine and flamenco in Florida's oldest continuously operating restaurant.
The specific data behind this award, and the exact thresholds, stay internal so the standard can’t be gamed. Read the methodology.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. Own this business? Claim the listing to manage it, or ask us to remove it.
Award record
2025 Centurion Award
Best Spanish Restaurant in Tampa Tampa, FL · Awarded under the 2025 evaluationVisit Columbia Restaurant
The details, verified.
Clean, checkable facts about Columbia Restaurant.
- Legal / trading name
- Columbia Restaurant
- Category
- Restaurant
- Founded
- 1905, Tampa, FL
- Location
- Tampa, FL
- Centurion Award
- Best Spanish Restaurant in Tampa — 2025
- Record last verified
- July 2026
A signal you can check.
This is a dated award record published by The Centurion Awards after reviewing public evidence for Columbia Restaurant against the 2025 criteria for its market and category. The business did not have to apply for this page to appear. It wasn’t voted on or sponsored, and selection is not for sale. The criteria are public. Owners can claim the listing or ask us to remove it. If an award stops holding up, we may revoke it. For anything current, like hours or bookings, go straight to the business itself.
Frequently asked questions.
What is Columbia Restaurant?
Open since 1905, the Columbia is Florida's oldest restaurant, a Ybor City landmark run by the Gonzmart family for five generations.
Is Columbia Restaurant award-winning?
Yes — Columbia Restaurant is the 2025 Centurion Award winner for Best Spanish Restaurant in Tampa, a verified, criteria-based award. Named best Spanish restaurant in Tampa for 2025 for 120 years of Cuban-Spanish cuisine and flamenco in Florida's oldest continuously operating restaurant.
Where is Columbia Restaurant?
Columbia Restaurant is in Tampa, FL.
Run a business like this one?
If you’ve put in the years, you may already qualify. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.