The original Columbia in Ybor City is a genuine piece of Tampa history -- founded 1903 as a saloon,…read morebecame a restaurant in 1905, now spans an entire city block and claims the title of largest Spanish restaurant in the world. Still run by descendants of the founder. We had a Saturday 7pm reservation and the place was packed (seats around 1,700 people, per our server), but we were seated only 5-6 minutes late and service never felt strained despite the crowd. Started with warm, authentic Cuban bread and butter, then split the Original "1905" Salad -- tossed and served tableside, with Romano cheese, garlic dressing, ham, tomatoes, lettuce, and Swiss cheese. It's basically an entree on its own. The empanadas were also excellent: light crust, extremely flavorful filling, juices running with every bite. For my entree I had the Red Snapper "Adelita" -- grilled, topped with hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, served over their signature yellow rice. Perfectly cooked fish, very flavorful toppings. For dessert, we compared the key lime pie against the white chocolate bread pudding. The pie was well-made -- perfect texture, perfect graham cracker crust, light raspberry sauce -- but a touch light on the tart key lime punch I look for. The bread pudding was the better dish: rich, decadent, excellent. Finished with proper Cuban espresso. The menu here is enormous -- expect to need multiple visits to make a dent in it. Everything we tried was excellent. Highly recommend, but book ahead on weekends; even with 1,700 seats, this place fills up.

A resounding YES! We came here for the first time a couple…read moreof years ago and it was such a pleasant and memorable experience, we had to come back. We were told that it would be a 30-40 minute wait, but it was hardly a 20 minute wait. The ambiance of the place is so homey, and the staff is generally pleasant. First of all, do not underestimate the BREAD. It is probably, hands down, the best baguette bread I have had in the US. We had croquette and stuffed mushrooms as appetizers. They were good. For my main course, I had the mahi mahi varadero and it was really good. It came with crab and Spanish rice, and was breaded with crispy plantains. It was good, although I generally don't like Spanish rice. HOWEVER, if I had to recommend a dish, it would be the mahi-mahi cayo-Hueso. It was marinated with citrus flavors and it was divine. Now I don't know who in our party ordered the fries, but they were amazing and felt as good as home fries. Now to the dessert, we ordered almost one of each and it was some of the best dessert I have had in my life -not too sweet, made well, and with real ingredients. I would have ordered my own cafe con leche but it was too late for me in the day but man did I wish I could have had my own cup instead os stolen sips. A record would not be complete without aknowledging the staff. Our waiter was Alfredo and he was such a nice, sweet, and accommodating waiter. He was also patient with such a large party. Thank you, Alfredo!

Food & service was excellent! Had 5 different tapas & an entree & everything was amazing!read more

What an amazing place! We loved it. We came here for a weekend brunch…read more The place itself is not very appealing inside. It would be one of the best places in Tampa if they would have a better interior. The place itself is pretty rundown and has some questionable design choices. Service was absolutely amazing, friendly and attentive. We started with bread and some nice tapas: patatas bravas, tomato crostini and a salad. Everything was amazing. And we finished with a paella. We absolutely loved it. All food was absolutely amazing. I just wished that place would be remodeled.

Went for lunch with co-workers. Didn't expect much. But I was pleasantly surprised with the…read moremilanesa chicken breast. One of the best I've had and huuuge. The restaurant was pretty clean and the service was good . Would come back to try the churrasco which looked pretty good.

Brought parents for dinner and the service was poor. Server gave off the vibe that she didn't want…read moreto be there. Shrimp was not edible and the chicken seemed from yesterday. Really disappointed as I had been for lunch previously and enjoyed it. Too expensive to take another chance on it.

**Quick, solid Cuban food right by the mall**…read more Heading to the mall and wanted something better than food court fare -- La Teresita was right down the street, so we popped in. Skipped the sit-down cafeteria side and grabbed the counter seating instead, which had a fun bar-style setup. Service was fast -- they got our water order in immediately, and we followed up with a large café con leche. Plenty of coffee for the price, though the red plastic cup was a letdown compared to a proper mug. Food came out in under five minutes, which is impressive for how good it was. I got the Milanesa -- a breaded steak in red sauce -- with yellow rice and black beans on the side, and it was excellent for the price. My wife had the Ropa Vieja with yucca and Moros rice, and it didn't disappoint: tender, soft beef with rich tomato sauce and just a hint of olive coming through. We also added a side of tostones with their garlic sauce, which were absolutely delicious. For a quick stop before the mall, this exceeded expectations -- great flavor, fast service, and solid prices. Would go back even without the mall as an excuse.

My tummy is happy!…read more It's been a while since my last visit but oh boy itch scratched! One of the best and very reasonable Cuban food in the Tampa Bay Area. Ordered ropa vieja which isn't available on weekends but they checked with the kitchen and got it for me. Yucca and rice and beans to complement it. Cafe con leche is a must! It was a bustling weekend so we sat at countertop. Still plenty of seats. Good came out very quickly and servers were very accommodating even wi tv my broken Spanish lol

You MUST TRY 1-Steak n grits…read more2-Salmon with chic peas 3- jal ceviche 4- salmon carpaccio Exquisite!

When Bulla first opened in Tampa we were regulars. Lately, we come back to try Bulla again. Some…read morethings are still the same at Bulla, but we notice some things are different. Formally, happy hour tapas were available at tables, now happy hour food is only at the bar which fills up early so people wait for bar seats. Happy hour drink prices are available to all until 7PM. The Spanish old fashioned and Mahou draft beer are favorites. Some of our long time favorites still available include tuna tartare, pintxos, and kale caesar. On our first visits we tried several new things and discovered many dishes featured fried potatoes in different formats. We found the grilled octopus too tough, but enjoyed the corn puree base. We'll try paella and other dishes on future visits.

Drinks only review. Stopped here after Riverwalking over to History Museum, and decided that a…read moreproper mojito would make the museum visit even better. Sat at the outdoor bar, and received prompt service. My mojito was tall, well muddled (if Columbia Cafe can't get a mojito right, who can?) and had all the right components, just a bit too much ice. Offspring's strawberry daiquiri was also quite refreshing. We didn't realize there's an entire other bar and seating area (air conditioned!) up on the second floor museum level - the bar up there looks quite ornate and fits in with the museum-oriented atmosphere.

So my wife and I came in around noon on June 25th for lunch. Food was very good but a couple issues…read morethat ruined my experience. My wife ordered the empanadas and the half 1905 salad and I ordered the half and half......half Cuban and half 1905 salad. My wife should have added 'bring them together' but she didn't and the server didn't bother to ask so the empanadas came out and everything else came out 15 minutes later. My wife had a cocktail and the bill was $60.20. Issues to fix: 1)I ordered a Coca Cola, $4.00 and in 92 degree weather it melts in 5 minutes. We were there for an hour and not one time did she ask if I'd like a refill. 2)When she made the 1905 table side she literally 'dropped' a handful of salad ON THE FLOOR between my wife's and my seat......she kind of chuckled, gave us our salads and walked away. She literally left the SALAD ON THE FLOOR THE ENTIRE MEAL! During the course of our meal probably 20 employees walked by and never bothered to pick it up. That in itself was the epitome of laziness and complete lack of respect to the customer. Our bill was $60.20 and I tipped $12 which normally I'm a 30% tipper and I could kick myself for giving her 20%. She deserved zero. I know I will never get a response from management but do you think I will ever come back? Nyet.

I'd been craving a Cuban Sammy so I ordered from Liborios for lunch via DoorDash. I'd visited…read morebefore in person and had food delivered before and this place never disappoints! They have hot lunches and other sandwiches as well as empanadas which I've enjoyed. I had a Cuban sandwich from another place recently but it left alotttt to be desired so I'm glad i ordered a Sammy from Liborios. This Cuban sandwich could basically be any other place's DADDY!! I ordered a "small" Cuban but just one half of it had me so stuffed! Im already looking forward to the leftovers later! I also ordered a beef and cheese empanada which was yummy as well. This meal made for a delicious & satisfying lunch I'm glad i went with Liborios as my choice for lunch. They've absolutely earned a spot in my rotation of lunch picks!

Great store with many options especially Latin and Caribbean products! We love the hot plate…read moreoptions, many things to choose from especially when needing to feed lots of people! You can cater or order everything you need. Also starting July 1 between 7-8 plates will be $7.99!