Really bad Cuban Sandwich. The hearts of palm salad was ok. Server forgot our drink order. This was not a good experience. This town is a tourist trap overall. Very disappointing first and only ever visit. St Augustine has been scratched off the list. read more

Wrong order brought to me twice; first wrong steak, then brought me a well-done filet when I ordered medium rare. The staff were all pleasant, and the manager offered to try and correct my order again, but two chances are enough. And the rest of my party had long finished their meal. Everyone else with me said their food was great. I didn't have the same experience unfortunately. read more

Tom was an excellent server. He provided us with some great selections and was very attentive and friendly. The food is amazing here. This was our third or fourth visit and it's always delicious! read more

The Columbia - Paella - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

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Walked in here just by chance and we were pleasantly surprised at our experience! Excellent service and incredible atmosphere. The food was delicious at a very reasonable price. Highly recommended especially for lunch. We had the Cuban sandwich and the Mahi Mahi Cubana which was amazing. Along with a blueberry cheesecake. read more

The Columbia - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

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I've been to 'The Columbian' in Ybor City years ago...I was excited to see one in St. Augustine. I was able to get reservations Sunday the 2nd for dinner. I would have given this experience '5 ***** Stars' as the food, our waitress were AMAZING! My husband had never had Spanish Food, it didn't disappoint! It was excellent! 'BUT'... before dinner on Sunday, May 2nd @ 6pm, we were early and asked to sit in the Bar, have a drink and wait. As soon as there was a seat open the front staff told us we could wait upstairs. The Bar was full but a couple had just left. We sat down to a dirty Bar top. One of the 2 girls behind the Bar removed the empty glasses, left the Bar top dirty, walked away. The other girl (with little pigtails and heavy eye makeup) LITTERALY IGNORED US, Glared over her mask and helped others around us. The other girl disappeared...finally came back and asked if we had been served? NO...she asked the other girl (with pigtails) if she had gotten us drinks? She snarled 'NO' rolled her eyes, one of them threw down a menu on the dirty, wet, sticky Bar top, we finally got a drink from a wet sticky menu. Others left the Bar, as the Bar filled up again, The girl with the pigtails wiped down the entire Bar area (except our area) and waited on the other customers along with a male bartender, we continued to be completely ignored. For 1 Corona & 1 Chardonnay (weak pour) almost $20. Some of the worst Bar service and representation of a great restaurant ever! read more

Got off Old Town Trolley tô do lunch at the Columbia. Hostess were very pleasant & sat my mother & I quickly. Restaurant was not busy, which was surprising. We waited 15 minutes for even a server to arrive at our table. I could see at least 5 servers at the ally entrance into the kitchen, they was talking to a lady & playing & playing with a young baby. Our server finally came out. She introduced herself as REBECCA, greeted us asking what we would like to drink. We both said water and she all of a sudden got a look on her face & her demeanor changed, she said bottle water? My mom said no and I went to say yes, but she interrupted me & spoke over me to ask us what we wanted for lunch. My mother asked for the Cuban/salad combo. I asked for a cup of gaspacho & a bottled water. She responded is that it? I responded yes & she walked away. ( I just had surgery on my stomach for removal of cancer, I am not able to eat a full meal & can't help that, also I have been a server most of my life from the age of 15 through college, summer breaks as I was a educator, so I know service and hospitality very well). 10 minutes went by, she didn't bring out our waters. I saw her walk from the kitchen to a table, took their order, but didn't bring our waters. Now we have been there 30 mins and no drinks. ( Now I looked at my watch, when I got off the trolley which comes by every 15 minutes. So my time waiting for all services is accurate). I went to hostess stand and saw the manager , leaning on the staircase and I asked if he was the manager & I explained that I have been seated for 30 minutes & have not received our drinks and the server attitude changed when we put our order in. I ask for another server & if we could have our bottled and reg water brought to us? He apologized & made excuses. I explained to him, that she still could have brought our drinks. He went to the back. We waited another 10 minutes. ( looked at my watch) and there was no manager or server with our waters. I asked my mom if we could leave, because the service was not happening, we both was hungry. We went to host stand and I told the hostess to tell the manager to cancel our order & serviced did suck. We walked to MEHANN'S IRISH PUB down the street and Food and service was right on and I will never go back to the Columbia. I am a regular her in St. Augustine and never in the past had issues with service at the Columbia. Never had managers make excuses as well. I work in hospitality and I understand things happen, but behavior of the service was not welcoming and managers making excuses is not professional. Just apologize, take care of the situation and move forward. People don't want excuses, we want to go and have great service and tip our server well. Battling cancer and I just wanted to enjoy my first time out and relax with my mother. read more

Had a fantastic dinner with great service! We were let in a half hour before our reservation time and Carlos was a very attentive waiter. Had the lobster pasta, grilled mahi mahi, shrimp & yellow rice, and the grouper. Everything was super delicious. Definitely get the churros for dessert!! read more

What a lovely place in the heart of St. Augustine! My friend and I came here after taking a trolley ride through the city. We got the 1/2 Cuban sandwich, 1/2 house salad combination. We were brought warm bread and butter to start. The bread was the same bread the Cuban came on and was perfectly crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. The Cuban was wonderfully full of meat and filling. The salad was a touch over dressed (they were tossed and dressed tableside). Overall I loved the ambiance and the little shop next door! Make sure you check this place out for food and souvenir-shopping! read more

It was a Saturday night and beautiful weather so the area was very busy. Our family of 6 put our name on the list for a table at about 6:40pm; we were told the wait was about an hour. After an hour and 15 minutes we checked again and the hostess said it would be another 30 minutes. With other restaurants just as busy, we decided to wait. I had eaten at Columbia before but at St Armands and it was always good service and food. While waiting my daughter tried unsuccessfully to get us some Mojitos at the bar, but she was ignored at first and then the bar staff was rude. Another strike. We were finally seated, the waitress brought some bread and took drink/appetizer orders. The waitress was fine and did the best she could. While waiting for our food, one of the wait staff dropped a glass near the bar and it shattered. Instead of cleaning up right away (safety hazard!), he simply pushed the glass with his foot up against the bar. We brought this to the attention of our waitress who tried to get someone to clean it up but to no avail. Another strike. The food finally arrived after a considerable wait; some of it hot, some barely warm. The quality and taste were disappointing. At this point we were anxious to leave after spending too much time attempting to get a decent meal. For the amount of money paid we had much higher expectations of food quality and service. Another strike. We felt like we should share our experience with a manager which we did. Instead of listening and apologizing, he had excuses; only 2 managers working to oversee the staff that night, food normally takes 45-50 minutes on a busy Saturday night, etc. which did not sit well with us. He did not even offer to comp some of the food or drinks. We left angry and frustrated. Another strike. And then to finish off the night, my daughter was in the bathroom with food poisoning from her chicken dish. I may go back to St Armands Columbia for lunch; I do like the salad and the Cuban sandwiches. But never again to St Augustine Columbia. read more

Went there last night with my mother and the server/staff were all great. Even greater was the filet chacho! Wow! Unexpectedly that is now one of my favorites. The sauce is a mix of mushrooms, bourbon, and shallots and it was out of this world. The filet was cooked to perfection and the texture divine. Would recommend without hesitation! Also, I got a side of the yellow rice as that has consistently been great over the years - and last night was no exception! read more

All food was horrible. A party of 16 and not one liked the food. Beer was flat. worst service ever. 10/10 do not recommend.

My family and I went yesterday to have dinner before heading back to Gainesville and I can honestly say the service was not great. The food took forever to come out and when it did it was undercooked. We had to send two of our plates back. The service also could have been better. We weren't impressed at all by this place. read more

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We were with friends that had eaten at the Columbia Restaurant several years ago. We stopped in for lunch and it was a very good decision. I had the rice lunch special. The waiter was very helpful and brought us a hot loaf of Cuban bread. The bread was great and the rice, seafood lunch special was outstanding! This place is very interesting with a gift shop on the first floor. It is a good choice for a delicious meal. read more

Beautiful restaurant. Long wait on weekends. Good bread and mojito. Quality of food is below average. We tried calamari appetizer and paella. We did not like it. Would not recommend read more

Overpriced $$$ and small plates. Even with reservations they put you to wait for 40 minutes., outside with this august heat. Being in a Spain/Cuban place you would expect someone to suggest food or plates..nope., all the employees were running back and forth, The whole thing was a bit like a fast - food restaurant focused on quantity rather than quality,..ordered a ribs "tapas" we get fried pork chunks with the bones....sorry those are not Ribs...Croquetas; bad undercooked...puntas de filete (spicy) we told clearly NOTHING SPICY!.., like always the waitress does not have a clue about cuban food...Believe me when you know real cuban food..you know...The true is this place is for either rich people or clueless tourists who have money to waste. But if you plan a nice dinner with the family and have a great time and sip some wine with friends..this is NOT the place. read more

We had dinner here on Christmas Day and both my wife and I had their special for the evening. The meal was without a doubt the worst meal I have out at a restaurant. The only thing eatable was the salad which came with the meal. The server was personable and accommodating, but nothing could make this meal eatable. Not the gravy she brought to try and make the pork something you could eat. It was so dry you could not cut it, it just "splintered". We have eaten here many times in the past and not quite sure what happened this time. read more

Server Johnny was very rude. We asked a simple question and he snapped back in a condescending manner. We did not want to stay considering the poor service so we left immediately. Will not be coming back. read more

True authentic cuisine nothing more to really say here great service amazing sangria atmosphere was amazing felt like a true cuban place You gotta go if your staying in the area! read more

My wife and I had dinner here Christmas 2015. The location is wonderful with a beautiful decor. The staff were very good and we were seated quickly. The bread was great, as was the butter. I had an excellent ceasar salad that had perfectly tangy dressing. My wife enjoyed the three stuffed mushrooms that came with my steak. Sadly this is where any praise ends. My wife did not enjoy her bourbon steak, and my $39 Bambino steak tasted like a gas grill. Later that evening I got ill from the steak, as did my step daughter who ate what I brought home (I usually finish all my steak but it was simply not very good). I called and the manager was very nice and understanding. We spent Over 100 dollars for the two of us to eat, it was not a very good value. We could have had better tasting food at Chili's. You are paying for the history and decor at Columbia, not the food. As a followup, we received a $50 gift card from the manager. We returned for lunch. My wife had sliced pork, I had a cuban sandwich. The food was adequate but nothing special. I doubt we will return to the Columbia, the food is just not worth the cost. read more

The Columbia - Bourbon Steak. - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

Great food! Salad was amazing' our server, Brittany made our visit!!! Friendly, professional and knowledgeable! Thanks!

This establishment was recommended to us and it did not disappoint. The ambience, service, food and gift shop were exceptional. The Spanish flair was authentic and attractive. I had the corvina fish and my husband had their paella. We enjoyed their specialty salad along with the gazpacho soup. Excellent restaurant in St. Augustine's Old District. The wait staff was especially attentive and we enjoyed the whole dining experience during our recent visit. Great menu! Great location amongst the shopping district. Very open and appealing from the outside as well. Glad we chose to make reservations because we never would have eaten due its popularity! read more

If you're looking for something that has rich history, culture, and great food and drinks, then this is your place! I love the atmosphere Columbia has to offer as well as the restaurant having strong solid roots from generations ago. Great place for special occasions and events. Highly recommend! read more

The food was really good. Make sure you order the salad with the 1905 dressing and then pick some up in the gift shop to take home!

Ok food--we came for paella and it was good, not quite Valencia but totally good. As were the tapas and sangria. Our server was nice. Our meal was totally ruined by a curmudgeon at the next table--for context, the Columbia is a large and loud restaurant. I went with my husband, brother-in-law, niece and son. My son is 2. After he had finished his dinner he was playing aside the table. This guy from the next table imposed himself over the table and told me I had to shut my kid up, because it was ruining his dinner. When I told him that I could not / would not try--because compared to the ambient noise my son was just a part of the hum, but not the main event. Then he told me I was a bad parent. Then, I asked him to leave and he refused until I more forcefully asked a second time. At that time he motioned that my husband should get up. So how can I blame the restaurant for this jerk? Well, then, the manager came to us, initially seeming to blame us--saying, she understood there was an "altercation" and that it really was unsafe for our child to be out of his seat. Then, when we pointed out that this is a family restaurant, she agreed and offered to move us, seeing as we had been threatened and she wanted us to feel "safe". So, no, I won't go back. Food is meh, experience is awful. And it just totally rubbed me the wrong way that this old man came to tower over me, the only adult female at the table, and tells me vulgarly to shut my kid up, and then the management basically coddles him, probably comps his food and suggests my family move, for our own "safety". read more

We had a very good experience at The Columbia Restaurant in St. Augustine. I love this part of Florida, we try and make it up here as much as we can while visiting the family. It is a beautiful setting for a restaurant. We walked in around lunchtime and were promptly seated, there were three of us. The menu has a lot to pick from for lunch, some of the food on the menu might include a little history lesson which is always interesting to read. We got the Original Cuban Sandwich which was delicious and the 1905 salad which was prepared tableside. Very fresh tasting, and bonus for the server who asked my daughter to assist her with the salad preparation, that really made my daughter happy, good service overall, very attentive. This is definitely worth a try if your in the area. read more

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Love the Columbia. Have been to all the locations over the years as a native Floridian. St Augustine location was a big disappointment last night. Nice staff and cool atmosphere but the food was very sub par. Burned chicken and bleh snapper. Even the salad and bean soup were not as good as usual which should be impossible. Very bummed although the mgr did remove the chicken from the bill. Hope the sort things out. read more

My friend and I had a great experience at this restaurant. All I can say is that we were happy with the food and the service. We had the croquetas de langostas as an appetizer, that's croquettes with Maine lobsters meat blended into a delicious roux in a creamy lobster sauce, I also had their lobster cannelloni still cooking in the ceramic bowl that it was served in...sooooo delicious!!!!!! It really felt as if you were in a beautiful, welcoming home with decor from Spain. It takes you back to a time in history that you weren't part of while in St Augustine. If you get a chance, look them up, I know that they are not just in St Augustine but for us it was a great opening dinner to our spontaneous weekend in St Augustine:) read more

The Columbia - Croquetas de langostas - Spanish Near Me - St Augustine, Florida

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My husband and I had our rehearsal dinner at The Columbia and it was AMAZING. I was in contact with Jessica Silverman and she was so good with communicating with me and making sure my dinner of 40 people went off without a single issue. The food was great, the drinks were delicious, and the service once we were there was nothing less than perfect. I would recommend this place to anyone interested in bringing in a large party. Huge thank you to The Columbia for helping make our weekend so magical. read more

We had a group of 28 people for dinner the night before our 25th anniversary party. Separate checks across the group. They did a phenomenal job. All of the food came out together, tasted amazing, drinks were kept fresh. Our group was a bit loud as we had not all been together for a long time, but they handled us very well! The staff was extremely helpful and professional. read more

Been going to this restaurant in Ybor City since I was a kid. Two years ago we found the st augustine Columbia and we keep coming back! The best Cuban sandwiches on the planet! Ambiance, food, service. They have it all. read more

Okay 3 1/2 stars?!?! I don't get it. I give this place 10/5 stars it's so amazing. We're from the Tampa area and are more familiar with the Ybor city Columbia which we know and love. We came here the other night for our anniversary and absolutely loved it. Let's start with Carlos, our waiter, he was absolutely fantastic. I've never seen a waiter more amazing than him, and I'm a server myself. He was always there when you needed him, was so attentive, you never had to wait for anything for long. Next, our food & drinks. We ordered the sangria de cava, sparkling white sangria, this stuff is gold. It is the best sangria you will ever have, hands down. For an appetizer we ordered the scallops and 1905 salad, the salad is a staple for the restaurant, rightfully so. The scallops were fresh and flavorful and just so good! For dinner hubby ordered palomilla, the steak with mojo crudo. I swear I've never seen him eat so much before, he absolutely loved it. I took a bite of the onion/parsley mix that was on top of the steak and I could have ate that alone in a meal it was that good. For dinner I had the red snapper "Adelita". It was my first time ever having red snapper and it was delicious. Hubby fishes so he said snapper was in season and this was recommended by Carlos and it did not disappoint at all. Delicious! Especially with the artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes on top, yum! And then on to dessert... the flan, best flan ever!! We also ordered a single espresso and cafe con leche that were so good we went to the gift shop and bought the espresso beans (also the 1905 salad dressing). And now, our next visit two days later. We loved the Columbia so much here in Saint Augustine we just had to get in one more visit before we left. We came by for lunch and there was no seating available at the bar so we left. We stopped by later on for dinner and the same thing, no seating, we walked around and couldn't find anything to catch our eye so came back, and still no seat. This happened one more time until our 3rd stop of the night, 4th time that day and there was a seat!!! We quickly swooped in and shauna was there to take car of us! We ordered a red sangria and a mojito. To be honest the red sangria wasn't anything special, especially not compared to the sparkling white sangria. Hubby loved the mojito so much he wanted another. However the second one was a little too sweet for him so I happily finished and let me tell you, it was great! I'm not a mojito person because I don't like an excess of mint, he loves mojitos because of the mint. So the second one was perfect for me and the first one which was mintier was perfect for him. I ordered the salad, and he ordered the scallops, yes again because they're so good! Then we got a flan dessert and an espresso martini and cafe con leche. We highly enjoyed this visit and here's why, the food was beyond amazing as always, but the service was even better!! We had shauna and abbey as our bartenders, and these women were fantastic! There was an older gentleman who came in who made us so uncomfortable that we had to move away, he was pestering Abbey endlessly and you could tell how uncomfortable she was, she went and got the manager and handled the situation like a pro! From one bartender to another I don't know how she did it, I don't think I could have been that calm. Then later on an extremely drunk couple came in and ordered drink, we would have moved from them if we could but the bar was full. Shauna politely told them she could not serve them alcohol but would be more than happy to get them food if they would like to order. These women were amazing!! And great bartenders. Overall the food was fantastic, service was the best we've ever had hands down, and the atmosphere was great! We look forward to coming back many times! read more

Everything about this restaurant gets a thumbs up. Every time I visit my cousin who lives in the area a visit to this place is at the top of the list.The atmosphere of this place also rates top shelf. read more

There was some great and some bad so I rated it right down the middle but at this price point service and entrees should match the atmosphere and amazing tapas. The Great: Tapas: corn and blue crab fritters were amazing! The pork short ribs were possibly the best I've ever had. Sangria: obviously the sangria was on point. There's a reason why it's a signature drink of the establishment. The Bad: Service: beyond slow. The kitchen was way way behind, we had plans for 8 and we were on time for our 6:15 reservation but by 7:20 we still had no food and only our sangria. The Entree: my Mahi Mahi was overlooked and the rest of the plate was bland and flavorless. The fish had its horrid revenge all night with reflux. Mahi should be meaty and tender, mine was blown out and way over cooked. Honestly it was the worst fish I've had in St Augustine. The coffee: cafe con leche was unimpressive. It was simply a medium warm shot of cheap espresso and cream. It wasn't even steamed milk. Overall I would still recommend coming here but I would recommend tapas and sangria. The ambience is amazing and it's a fun atmosphere. Do not give the fish a try, you may regret it. Also give yourself a generous time span for slow service. read more

I remember coming here, maybe 15 years ago on a road trip with my parents, and it was a wonderful experience. So now that I am married and have a child, I thought it would be great to pass on the experience to my family. Unfortunately, it seems that the Columbia restaurant is riding on it's history. Although a beautiful setting, that's where the enjoyment ended. Although the waitress was very pleasant and took our order quickly, we consistently had to ask others for drink refills and to ask on our order. Our main course took about an hour to arrive and was hit-or-miss. My daughter's soup was hot and tasty but my wife's Cuban sandwich was inedible. It looked like it was sitting under heat lamps in a movie theatre since the day before. My dish (forgot what it was called, but it was sliced steak on a bed of rice) was somewhere in the middle. Tasteless and pretty forgettable. The table next to us let the wait staff "have it" so the negative experience wasn't limited to just us (we were much nicer about it though). I wish I just had my earlier memories to rely on instead of experiencing this place as it had become. There are too many other places to try in St. Augustine - we will not be back to the Columbia. read more

The house salad, I don't remember the name, it's a number, is absolutely outstanding. They make it and serve it at the table. We liked it so much, we purchased a bottle of the dressing in the gift shop after we finished eating. The ambiance and service were also outstanding, as was the wine. Many people told us to have the paella. Having been to Spain and having it there, plus making it ourselves, we were very excited to try it. Unfortunately, we were quite disappointed. The chicken was totally dried out and the flavor just seemed "off". We would never recommend it to anyone. We will definitely go back for the salad. Tremendous! And, perhaps, try a different entree. Never again the paella. read more

WOW! The Columbia was an amazing dining experience while we were staying in St. Augustine there are so many options when visiting but this one is a must do! The menu offers a wide variety of authentic Cuban-Spanish options that we yielded to our server to make recommendations and everything was delicious! Especially enjoyed the house mojitos! Would definitely go back again! read more

Beautiful restaurant in St Augustine with surprisingly mediocre food. A friend raved about this place do we decided to try it. We had the queso fundido (basically olives and stewed tomatoes--not what you are used to this dish tasting like); Spanish bean soup (just ok); the side 1905 salad (iceberg lettuce with slices of ham and cheese--again just ok); chicken saltiago (which was good) and a beef dish wrapped around chorizo (which was tender but not very flavorful). All around disappointing average food. We both decided that there's something about all of the dishes which has a very chain-restaurant quality to it. All of the dishes have clearly been prepared ahead of time and are in vats just waiting to be dished out as ordered. Nothing was bad. But not one dish was amazing or delicious. Just "eh". read more

Ethan - You did great! The Columbia Restaurant has and continues to be our favorite restaurant in St. Augustine. As always, the decor and atmosphere is truly fun and unique. Have fun and enjoy! read more

Not great. The Tango Mango drink tasted like watered down mango with a hint of alcohol, and was very liquidity, with chunks of ice (supposed to be a frozen drink). Our server was not good--she acted surprised when I told her about the drink, and acted like she didn't believe me. read more

I have been here several times, and it never disappoints! Had a girls group for lunch here yesterday....and once again....amazing! We all ordered something different...and sampled form each other. I had the Spanish Bean Soup....amazing! Garbanzo beans with ham, chorizo and potatoes...yummy! I ordered a couple tapas: Empanadas de Picadillo. These were pillows full of deliciousness of spiced ground beef, garlic, tomato, onions, raisins and olives. Chorizo Española. Sliced chorizo and onion sautéed in Spanish extra virgin olive oil. Served on a plate of pita crackers. We washed down our food with some White Sangria and beers. Sangria de Cava A sparkling white sangria made at your table along with the 1905 salad. Great waitress, interacted with guests and was very friendly. I know it's a little pricey, but the food and service are worth a little extra! read more