Florida's Oldest Operating Restaurant Can Serve 1,700 People At Once

There's a certain kind of image that's evoked when you think of long-standing or historical restaurants. Maybe you picture a little hole in the wall kind of establishment, or perhaps a local family-owned business with a relatively modest but fervent client base. Whatever you may imagine, there's serious doubt that you'd picture a humongous eatery, complete with over a dozen distinct dining rooms, that can house a total seating capacity (1,700 to be exact) larger than some small towns. However, in Florida, that's exactly the case.

Ybor City, which sits in the Tampa region of Florida, has been home to Columbia Restaurant since its founder Casimiro Hernandez Sr. opened it all the way back in 1905. Columbia Restaurant now has seven different locations around Florida (five restaurants and two cafes), but the forerunner location in Ybor City is still going strong — something that seems pretty evident by its gargantuan capacity numbers. Over the generations, ownership of the Spanish Cuban restaurant has expanded to encompass what amounts to an entire city block. This not only makes Columbia Restaurant Florida's oldest operating restaurant, but it also makes it the largest Spanish restaurant in the world. So while you still need to watch for restaurant menu red flags wherever you go, it's clear that Columbia Restaurant is doing something right based on their age and size.

On top of chowing down on some award-winning Spanish and Cuban food in an astoundingly huge restaurant — including the Florida staple Cuban sandwich — you can also feast with your eyes at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. Considering the 15 impressive dining areas, each one visually and thematically distinct from the others, you'd be forgiven for wanting to come back several times just to experience the unique atmosphere of every single one.

But this expansive space began with a single dining room, simply dubbed the Cafe Dining Room, after Casimiro Hernandez Sr. repurposed it from a saloon in 1905. From that point — until the final eating area was opened in the early 2000s — the restaurant continued to stockpile resplendent spaces. These include the Don Quixote Dining Room, which opened in 1935 as the first air-conditioned dining room in Tampa and comes complete with a mezzanine (which also features available seating) and evocations of the classic Cervantes character. You could also choose El Patio Dining Room, a sunlight-splashed atrium that features a replica of a statue found in Pompeii. Or perhaps you prefer to take in a flamenco performance in El Siboney Dining Room. No matter which experience you choose to practice the rules of fine dining etiquette, you can be sure that you're doing it in an establishment that is absolutely replete with history.