Columbia Restaurant Voted Florida's Best Cuban Sandwich

Southern Living readers named it number one.

The legend began in 1903 with a humble saloon in Tampa where trolley conductors and cigar-factory workers ducked in for a slurp of strong coffee. In 1905, this place became Columbia Restaurant, and today it’s the largest eating establishment in Florida, with seating for 1,700 customers.

Related: The South's Best 2024

Columbia Restaurant's Famous Cuban Sandwich

These days, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re walking into a tourist trap. For a venue to be featured endlessly in vacation guides and “best of” lists (including this one), there has to be some kind of catch, right? Locals wouldn’t bother with something so overhyped. Except, on any given day, a huge number of those 1,700 seats are filled with Tampans.

All 52,000 square feet of the space smells of baking bread, garlic, and spices. But it doesn’t feel too big or commercialized—it’s more like a magical foodie castle, covered in Spanish tiles, where everyone is invited to the feast. First-timers and old-timers, be they Tampa bronzed or snowbird pale, most commonly pick The Original Cuban Sandwich as their order. In fact, Southern Living readers voted it the best Cuban sandwich in Florida in our 2024 South's Best Awards.

Andrew T. Huse, Tampa Bay historian and lead author of The Cuban Sandwich: A History in Layers, is quick to point out that it was never referred to as a Cuban sandwich by Cubans. “It was called a mixto (mixed sandwich),” he says, “and the ingredients changed over time.”

What Makes The Best Cuban Sandwich

The Meat

Columbia’s current version is based on the sandwich popularized over a century ago and features salami, ham, and roast pork. So what makes it so special? Huse says the three biggest factors are sugar, fat, and bread.

“They use a form of glazed ham that has a subtle sweetness,” he notes. This mimics the effect of Tampa’s early mixto crafters, who pressed the meat with heavy tailor’s irons to sear the sugar and produce a glaze. Columbia’s sandwich is made using pork shoulder instead of pork loin. Having more marbling helps make the meat juicy and flavorful.

The Bread

Huse explains that, beyond the fillings, the biggest asset of a Columbia Cuban might be the bread. It comes from La Segunda Central Bakery, another century-old Tampa institution, which has repeatedly defied mass production. “A combination of fan cooling and hearth heating results in a tissue-thin crust on the outside with soft bread on the inside. It’s crisp and crumbly, creating a ‘bread confetti’ that’s much sought-after,” he says.

The Finishing Touches

The sandwich comes with lettuce and tomato, but Huse recommends taking them off of the sandwich and moving them to the side of the plate. “The sandwich is built around fat,” he says. “Adding water (from the toppings) to a hot sandwich just makes it sad.”

The final thing Columbia gets right is their diagonal cut, according to Huse. “For the same reason we serve pizza in wedges—it’s more fun to eat corners!”  

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