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 record was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record. 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.
The details, verified.
- 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
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.
Every award, on the record.
Each Centurion Award is its own dated annual record, and staying current means clearing the bar again each new year. The verification above is from the latest published award. Open a year for that year’s citation.
2025 Centurion Award
Best Spanish Restaurant in Tampa Tampa, FL · Awarded under the 2025 evaluation View the 2025 award →Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
Visit Columbia Restaurant
A signal you can check.
This page is the standing record for Columbia Restaurant (2025). It was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. It wasn’t voted on or sponsored, and selection is not for sale. Owners can claim the listing or ask us to remove it. For hours, bookings, and live reviews, go straight to the business itself.
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 for free to manage it, correct it, or remove it. If you want the award kit (badge, certificate, and announcement), you pay after you claim. Through December 31, 2026, publishing is $99. The evaluation itself is free. The $99 covers the first year only. Renewals are $199/year. That fee never buys selection.
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.