Published June 18, 2024
EAT LOCAL ~ Columbia Restaurant
For more than 117 years, the Columbia Restaurant has served Spanish-Cuban cuisine to the state of Florida, using family recipes and tradition.
For Spanish-Cuban immigrant Casimiro Hernandez, Sr. , arriving in Tampa, FL, with his four young sons meant searching for opportunity and a better life.
On Dec. 17, 1903, he helped to open the Columbia Saloon, which became the Columbia Restaurant in 1905.
Over nearly 120 years, the original restaurant has expanded to an entire city block and is now the largest Spanish restaurant in the world.
Casimiro's descendants diligently care for the Columbia Restaurant and help preserve his American dream. As Florida’s oldest restaurant, the Columbia has seven locations in Florida and is still owned and operated by family members.
