My family decided to spend this Father’s Day at The Columbia in Ybor City. We decided we wanted to surprise my step-father and we succeeded. My step-sister and I arrived around one o’ clock, The Columbia was busy but seemed to be handling the father’s day rush just fine. We were seated about twenty minutes early and the waitress kindly serviced us while we waited for my step-father to arrive. Before he arrived we already had fresh Cuban bread in front of each seat and a fried calamari on the way. The look on his face when his children were in wait was priceless to say the least.
The fried calamari came out quickly and was delicious. The tangy sauce it came with complemented it well and it wasn’t long before the calamari disappeared off the table (hence no photograph). My parents ordered a 1905 salad for the table and it was quite delicious, though I am used to enjoying this salad at regular visits to The Columbia Cafe. I decided to order a George’s Burger for my main course (not available at The Columbia Cafe), remembering a fine taste to it at The Columbia in the St. Petersburg Pier (are you starting to see that my family loves The Columbia now? 😉 ).
The description of a George’s Burger on the menu is “grilled seasoned choice ground beef topped with cheddar cheese, Ruskin tomatoes, lettuce, onions, ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard on Cuban bread”, and I had almost all of those except for mustard (I only like mustard on hot dogs and corn dogs). The Cuban bread was a little harder to chew than a regular bun, but the flavor of their fresh Cuban bread was worth it. I also made quite a mess with the ingredients inside. Overall, the burger was great and seasoned well, although I was starting to feel full when I got the first half. I saved the other half and it was just as delicious when I re-heated it for lunch the next day. The french fries were also tasty and although it looked like a small portion at first glance, I found myself struggling to finish them.
The service was impeccable as The Columbia in Ybor City consistently delivers customer satisfaction on each visit. I always feel a little guilty dining out during a holiday because I sympathize with the employee who is missing their family to earn a little extra cash (especially during these hard times), but our server and her co-workers were friendly and didn’t show any signs of longing to be elsewhere. Until next time Columbia, I’m sure we will meet again.
Restaurant Name: The Columbia
Cuisine: Spanish
Neighborhood: Ybor City
Address: 2117 East 7th Avenue Tampa, FL 33605
Phone Number: (813) 248-4961
Website: http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/
Carlos Eats 