Grab a bite at the historic Tampa bar where a sandwich united a community

Casimiro Hernandez’s Columbia Restaurant Unites Ybor City’s Immigrants

In 1903, a small corner bar in Tampa’s Ybor City grew into something much more.

Casimiro Hernandez Sr., a Spanish-Cuban immigrant, turned his 60-seat Saloon Columbia into a meeting place where cigar workers from all walks of life could sit side by side.

Within two years, he bought the place next door and renamed it Columbia Restaurant. The timing was perfect.

By 1910, over 200 cigar factories filled Ybor City, drawing thousands of Cuban, Spanish, Italian, and German workers who made millions of cigars each day.

While these groups formed their own social clubs, Columbia served as neutral ground where everyone felt at home.

The restaurant even created the original Cuban sandwich in 1915, with ingredients honoring each immigrant community’s heritage.

Today, this historic landmark tells a unique American story of how food brought people together.

A Spanish Immigrant Spotted Opportunity in Tampa’s Cigar Town

Casimiro Hernandez Sr. moved to Tampa in 1902 with his four young sons, leaving their Spanish-Cuban roots behind for a fresh start.

He worked at Florida Brewery to feed his family while looking for better chances. He noticed a small corner bar at 22nd Street and Broadway in Ybor City.

On December 17, 1903, Hernandez took over Saloon Columbia, a small 60-seat place that would grow far beyond what he first thought possible.

The Corner Watering Hole Grew Into Something Bigger

Cigar workers quickly made Saloon Columbia their favorite spot after long shifts. Hernandez saw the chance to grow and bought the restaurant next door in 1905.

He renamed it Columbia Restaurant and started cooking Spanish and Cuban dishes that reminded workers of home.

The menu offered items workers could enjoy during breaks or take back to work, like Cuban sandwiches they could eat on the factory floor.

Ybor City Became America’s Cigar Capital

Tobacco turned Tampa into a boomtown by 1910.

More than 200 cigar factories filled the Ybor City neighborhood, making millions of hand-rolled cigars every day.

Factory owners hired thousands of skilled workers from Cuba, Spain, Italy, Germany, Romania, and China.

Each group brought unique skills, languages, and customs to the growing community, creating a mix of cultures unlike anywhere else in America.

Factory Floors Mixed Languages, Cultures, and Skills

Cuban and Spanish workers often rolled cigars, using methods passed down through families. Italian workers usually handled packing and box-making.

German immigrants added technical know-how. The factory floors buzzed with many languages as workers sat side by side at long tables.

Even with language barriers, they found ways to talk while making some of the world’s best cigars.

Immigrants Built Impressive Social Clubs to Preserve Their Heritage

Each ethnic group formed support groups that became the center of community life. El Centro Español and Centro Asturiano served Spanish immigrants from different areas.

Cuban workers gathered at Círculo Cubano, while Italians met at L’Unione Italiana. Afro-Cuban immigrants created La Unión Martí-Maceo when faced with segregation.

These groups helped newcomers stay connected to their homelands while settling in America.

Social Clubs Offered More Than Just Entertainment

These support groups gave key services for members and their families. Workers paid monthly fees to get healthcare, death benefits, and cultural activities.

The clubs built large buildings with ballrooms, theaters, bars, and libraries. These clubs helped immigrants adjust to life in a new country while keeping their cultural identity.

Between the 1890s and 1930s, about 90 percent of first and second-generation men joined at least one group.

Columbia Welcomed Everyone When Other Places Didn’t

While ethnic clubs served specific groups, Columbia Restaurant opened its doors to all.

Workers from every background sat at tables together, sharing meals without the membership rules or cultural limits of the formal clubs.

Hernandez created a place where a Cuban roller could chat with an Italian packer or a Spanish boss could relax with German techs.

The restaurant became the true mixing pot of Ybor City.

The Cuban Sandwich Told the Story of Ybor City on Bread

Around 1915, Hernandez created what became the original Cuban sandwich, a food symbol of Ybor City’s diverse people.

He layered Cuban roast pork and Spanish ham to represent the Hispanic groups.

Italian Genoa salami added a special flavor from that community. German-Jewish touches came through in the Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard.

This sandwich wasn’t just food, it was the neighborhood’s cultural story pressed between slices of Cuban bread.

One City Block Housed the World’s Largest Spanish Restaurant

Columbia Restaurant grew from its small corner spot to take over an entire city block.

Hernandez and later family members added room after room, each with its own style and feel. The restaurant eventually featured 15 different dining areas that could seat 1,700 guests at once.

This growth made Columbia not just Florida’s oldest restaurant but also the world’s largest Spanish restaurant, quite a change from its start as a small corner bar.

Prohibition Couldn’t Stop Columbia’s Momentum

When Prohibition banned alcohol sales in 1920, many restaurants closed, but Columbia adapted.

Hernandez added more food options to make up for lost drink money. Some say the restaurant ran as a speakeasy during these years.

The diverse community kept coming to Columbia through the dry years, finding ways to enjoy their time together despite the rules.

Five Generations Have Preserved a Tampa Treasure

Columbia Restaurant survived economic downturns, two World Wars, and changing demographics because the family stayed committed to Casimiro’s vision.

His descendants kept traditional recipes while carefully updating the menu and expanding to new locations.

Today, Columbia stands as Florida’s oldest continuously operating restaurant, still serving the Cuban sandwiches and Spanish dishes that brought diverse workers together over a century ago.

The restaurant remains a living monument to Ybor City’s multicultural heritage.

Visiting Columbia Restaurant, Tampa

Columbia Restaurant at 2117 E. 7th Ave. in historic Ybor City has been family-owned for five generations since 1903. This is where Casimiro Hernandez Sr.

transformed a corner saloon into America’s largest Spanish restaurant, serving Cuban, Spanish, Italian, and German cigar workers who made it their central meeting place through the 1930s.

You can dine in 15 rooms seating 1,700 guests, watch nightly flamenco shows ($10 cover), and try their famous “1905” salad.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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